When I was younger, mom and dad got me most of the thing I wanted as a kid. I had the Donkey Kong on my N64, Sonic to go with the Sega MegaDrive and all the PlayStation games I wanted. In exchange for good results of course which involves hours of text book grinding. This was what an invitation to PappaRich, Northbridge felt like after being hard at work for a long time, and by long, I mean really long. Walking into PappaRich, I witnessed familiar sights that quickly got my senses excited. Finger pulling roti action followed by curry dipping. Damn it was good.
Both my sister and I have not gone back to Malaysia for over a year now but seeing the many varieties listed on the menu did not send us into a limbo because we already knew what we missed from home. In this instance, I was definitely choosing things I wanted rather than the poor marketing Malaysia does in making the world think we only drink Teh Tarik and eat Roti.
For our drinks I called the Milo Dinosaur while my sister had the Soy Bean milk with Cincau. Malaysia makes some of the best Iced Milo and this was no different. My drink definitely brings back all the adolescent memories where Iced Milo was a staple at the breakfast table or as a beverage before bed. Needless to say it was delicious. The Iced Milo was richer than usual which meant calorie alert but who can resist drinking this with the little bits of biteable Milo Chunks! Sister's drink was also yummy with PappaRich blending the Soy Bean milk with ice giving it a slushy style treatment.
First up were the chicken satay, our first appetizer.
The lure of this chicken pieces marinated in lemon grass, and Turmeric is easily a global phenomenon. I doubt there is any other food on a stick that drives a crowd as crazy as satay in Australia. The satay at PappaRich was a very close imitation of the product back home. Perhaps even better then some stalls in Malaysia. The only criticism was not in its taste but rather, its texture. In Malaysia, you get layers of lean meat and skin making the whole eating experience juicy and tender with little juicy explosion of seasoned lard. PappaRich makes it a lot leaner which, as a healthier alternative was a bloody tasty treat. While eating satay I usually take turns between cucumber chunks and onion slices before dunking it into the yummy peanut sauce. Did it the way I do back home. Yums!
Whatever healthy benefits I got from the former was all lost when I decided to call this cheeky little creation PappaRich had. Deep fried chicken skin, the second appetizer.
What is there to say here? So damn good. Crispy, and salty with a mild peppery note. One little warning, it takes two person a lot of skill and capacity to finish one serve! My sister and I barely finished half. Also, this is something to be eaten quickly as starts becoming chewy once cold! So grab a couple more friends to come and this would be an absolute table favourite.
Sister's dinner that night was Pappa's Special Briyani.
There is a lot to take in when you see the plate arrive. In the middle, you have the fragrant rice so carefully prepared with cardamon, cloves and other herbs. Meanwhile, the side sports some perfectly grilled egg plants, delicious chicken and sambal prawns. Sister was extremely satisfied with the egg plants and grilled chicken which she happily finished. But when it came to the prawns she asked me to "try". An evil trick to have me finish things she does not like. So where did it go wrong? Closing my eyes and re-winding back to my last awesome Sambal Prawn. I remember how all the Mak Cik preparing this at the stalls in Malaysia never lacked the essential Malaysian ingredients which enhances the flavour of the prawn. At PappaRich, perhaps all it needed was more tamarind and maybe more shrimp paste/belachan to give the sambal coating a rich and more flavourful consistency. Was this a big disappointment to the dish as a whole? Definitely not. In fact, most would probably just ignore it altogether.
My main was the Nasi Lemak, a staple food of mine back in Malaysia.
The most important component of this dish lies in the name itself, "Nasi Lemak". Rich and fragrant, the rice which is cooked in coconut milk has to be prepared to perfection to pass my test. The rice test? Each grain is whole, firm and fluffy. At PappaRich, the rice was prepared with enough respect to be liked. The sambal was good. It felt more Malay rather than Indian or Chinese. But then again, every sambal in Malaysia is different up to a level where it is not based on district or region but rather the chef itself. Curry chicken was yummy but I was hoping for maybe a piece or two of potato with it because curry chicken with potato is yummy! The half an egg was ok, but I was hoping to get maybe two halves because egg and Nasi Lemak are like two peas in a pod. An awesome pairing that feels incomplete without each other.
To end the night we ordered a dessert which was something totally random which we just hmmm felt like it? Banana fritters with ice cream. The fritters were a little unripe for my sister's liking but I thought that it was OK. As the Vanilla Ice Cream was out of stock, we opted for the premium chocolate for an extra dollar. I have to say, it was every bit worth that extra dollar especially when you see hints of gooey chocolate fudge sitting between the creamy ice cream.
My cravings for proper
WenY
