Simply Mel's

Returning to Simply Mel's for more delicious dinners. Earlier entry: July 18.

Simply Mel's has finally unveiled its full menu, featuring about 50 recipes to sample. Kids might enjoy the "macaroni boats" _ doughy delights topped with curry-spiced minced chicken. It's not potatoes & it's not quite pasta either, but it's a real pleasure.

Epuk-epuk, a Cristang cross between Malay curry puffs & Nyonya pai tee (top hats). Essentially shredded turnips, carrots, prawns & chicken wrapped in fluffy pastry. Faultlessly prepared, without a trace of excess grease.

Black is beautiful: succulent squid cooked in creamy, subtly spicy squid ink sambal.

Threadfin (ikan senangin) in a galangal-&-coconut curry with pineapples, an aromatic fish concoction with tropical fruit overtones. Reminiscent of "gulai" recipes.

Soy limang terung: pan-fried aubergines in dense soy sauce gravy sauteed with onions & topped with chopped chili, spring onions & coriander leaves.

Sambal ikan binagre. Firm & fleshy black pomfret (bawal hitam), deep-fried in a richly tangy, thickly vinegary sambal.

Prawn petai sambal, with plenty of not-terribly-stinky beans. Also wonderfully executed, with the petai retaining an almost juicy crunch. No overcooking here.

Freshly picked crab meat, prawns & minced chicken stuffed in crab shell. Tastes lovingly homemade; soft and fluffy, with diced carrots, onions & turnips for extra texture. And hurray for any crab recipe that doesn't force us to use our fingers to scrape for flesh.

Chicken sehbah. Super-succulent stuff, braised in a slightly sweet, mildly spicy sauce.

Beef ambiler kacang. A whopping amount of meat in pleasantly sourish curry with long beans (though that's one of our least favorite veggies, unfortunately).

Kembung rebus. Salted mackerel slathered in sambal. This one reminds me a lot of my own grandmother's cooking back in Malacca.

Sambal buah keluak, an intensely pungent recipe featuring Indonesian black nuts fried with chili, onions & garlic. A convenient way of enjoying buah keluak without having to dig its pitch-black, paste-like filling _ which some call "soft tar" _ out of the hard-shelled seeds.

Black pomfret, prepared "chuan chuan" style _ deep-fried & doused in a Nyonya tauchu sauce. Also reminiscent of my childhood, though each family has its own unique recipe for this.

Cincaluk omelet. Could be more powerfully flavorsome, but still a tasty treat.

Ox tongue semur. Tender, meaty slices, gently simmered in vinegar-based gravy and partnered with potatoes. A wholesome stew that really satisfies.

Stingray, marinated in a complex sambal with savory hints of kerisik (coconut butter), turmeric & garlic before being baked in banana leaves.

Durian santan. A seasonal dessert that would be lovely all year round.

More of the King of Fruits: The Last Polka ice cream, made with pure durian flesh.

Fresh-cut fruits, providing a light touch to round off heavy meals.

Simply Mel's now also serves booze. Many items here go well with beer.

And of course, everything is better with wine.

Asam boi juice & iced lemon tea, both marvelous thirst-quenchers.

Simply Mel's,

1-1A, 1st Floor, The Sphere,

No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2241-4525

Huck's Cafe @ Bangsar

Back to Huck's for a magical meal that lasted nearly four hours.

Earlier entry on Huck's @ Bangsar: July 5. Huck's @ PJ: Nov. 24, 2010.

Kicking off with little bundles of joy, like birthday gifts to unwrap gleefully.

Tenggiri in otak-otak sauce. Firm, fresh and fleshy fish, well complemented by the Nyonya-influenced, herb-&-spice-laden gravy, together with what seemed like edible "daun kadok." Huck can tone down the fieriness (but not the flavor!) for those of us who are terrified of too much chili.

Spinach cannelloni. A commendable Italian-inspired effort, alluringly presented. Aromatic and addictive, though the portion might be too much for small eaters, since this is richly cheesy. But this dinner proves that even though Huck's chicken dishes are his strength, it's possible to have a fulfilling evening here that's meat-free.

Durian mud pie for dessert. Available only during certain weeks of the durian season, but it's a total triumph. Creamy but not cloying, sweet without being too stinky, enhanced by a nice nuttiness that illustrates Huck's culinary creativity.

Also worthwhile: chocolate mud pie, which ice cream & cookie lovers will adore.

Huck's signature basil seed soda, with fresh mint & pandan leaves.

Equally refreshing: a zesty beverage of lime & sour plum.

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, suitable for both seafood and cheese.

OK, there wasn't that much food, but time flies here, since we're always having fun.

Huck's Cafe,

22, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Simply Mel's

This family-run restaurant furnishes a treasure trove of Malaccan food whipped up by Auntie Melba Nunis, a cheerful matriarch who acquired her passion and prowess for cooking by helping her own mother in the kitchen.

Auntie Mel's lovingly prepared food _ including assam prawns _ is a valentine to anyone who adores wholesome recipes handed down through generations of women who wanted to feed their families as best as they possibly could.

Kari Buah Keluak, a treat that KL's residents can finally enjoy regularly. These seeds of creamy "black gold" provide a pleasantly bitter nuttiness that complements both the chicken & the curry. Currently available here strictly on weekends, but expect it to be a daily fixture soon.

Paying homage to Auntie Mel's mom: Mama Mercy's pineapple & cucumber salad, tossed in sambal belacan. For now, this new outlet only offers a short list of items, though its permanent menu will eventually showcase a sweeping selection of Malaccan Portuguese & Peranakan fare.

Father knows best: Papa Vincent's fish cutlets, stuffed with saltwater fish & spring onions. Dense and moist; could almost pass off for crab cakes. There's a strong sense here of a cook who sincerely cares about her food and takes tremendous pride in it, allowing nothing that contains substandard ingredients or excessive oil, sodium or sugar.

Cincaluk. An acquired taste, but thankfully, I learned to like this over 15 years ago, while I was still a teenager growing up in Malacca. This version ranks among the best I've had _ the shrimp tastes fresh despite being fermented, with clean, aromatic flavors that might confound customers who mainly recall pungently stinky cincaluk.

Chicken pongteh. Auntie Mel wisely reminded us that no two families' interpretation of this black-bean-&-shallot stew ever tastes exactly the same. For the record, I prefer my grandmother's preparation (her sauce was sweeter and thicker, with mushier, melt-in-the-mouth potatoes), but the pork-free one here is lovely too.

Belacan chicken. Superbly savory, enhanced further by tasty condiments, including one that comprised pickled salted fish, chili & onions.

Karing-karing. Crispy dried threadfish, kinda like super-sized ikan bilis. Utterly addictive.

Devil Curry, a spicy dish, heavenly for some but hellishly fiery for our feeble tummies.

The Malacca Curry Laksa might work much better with a heap of cockles. But we enjoyed everything else in it _ especially the fish balls, which boast a rare homemade feel.

Nasi Lemak, the quintessential Malaysian dish that everyone appreciates. Mel's concoction, which comes with serai-laced chicken, is recommended for customers who relish a tangy twist, thanks to its tamarind-infused sambal.

Roti Bakar with Mama Mercy's Kaya, another cherished family recipe that puts mass-produced, artificial-tasting versions of coconut-&-pandan jam to shame.

Don't diss the desserts. A familiar favorite: Sago Biji Gula Melaka, as great as it gets.

A little cup of fresh-cut fruits to momentarily slash the guilt factor.

Back to sinful calories with Auntie Mel's "secret recipe" of a chocolate cake, indulgently creamy without being indecently saccharine. Beats KL's better-known Secret Recipe hands down.

Bubur pulut hitam. Boiled pudding that bowls us over whenever it's executed with finesse. This one landed on our table at the ideal temperature (hot, but less than scalding), brimming with reassuringly soft, sticky rice.

Coconut-&-cinnamon-laced cakes. At first glance, these looked like leftovers from a humdrum "open house" festival spread, but they turned out to be light, fluffy and so very fragrant. We'd joyously munch on them every Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya & Deepavali.

Surprise! The Last Polka supplies ice cream here! Fittingly enough, we had the Salted Gula Melaka flavor, filled with rich notes reminiscent of caramel.

Cold calamansi juice for me, hot coffee for you.

The motto of Simply Mel's is "Beng Naki Kumi!" _ a Kristang-language call for the family to come to the table and chow down. With food like this, we wouldn't need to be told twice.

Simply Mel's,

1-1A, 1st Floor, The Sphere,

No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2241-4525