Kuala Lumpur: 2 Day Tryst

Posted by The Chubbychef on Nov 1, 2009 in Featured Articles, General Food News, Latest Resto Finds, Traveling Foodie

It was nothing but a fling. Something more than a one night stand but not quite enough to be called acquaintances. This was my relationship with KL. It was such a short stay, but I got real intimate with the place. Thanks to Tim. That in the very short and quick 2 days, he managed to show me the potential that KL had. On our last day, we ate at Xiao Fei Yang. (It means Little Fat Kid). Upon entering the restaurant the strong scent of chili and curry in the made sure to every patron what they were getting into. We occupied 2 tables. It was our last day. I noticed that the utensils where all in plastic and wrapped in a shrink wrap plastic. I found it quite odd but did not say anything. Nic ordered in chinese. The lady who took my order for drinks also tried speaking to me in chinese. I had to say I didn’t understand (which was the only thing I know to say in mandarin) and she spoke to me in broken english. We had idle conversation. It was nice getting to know our MY counterparts. Actually I quite enjoyed the conversation.

Our drinks came and I was shocked at the enormity of the glasses. Watermelon shakes and Orange shakes. I ordered some coconut juice, but that was gone quickly. Xiao Fei Yang was actually a “steam boat” place. Similar to our shabu-shabu the steamboat was divided into two. One was regular soup. The other was excruciatingly spicy. I find myself drawn to the spicy. Just the smell alone made my eyes water. I dared not try it yet. But since it was my last night in KL I threw caution to the wind. I dipped my ladel and scooped out a bowl full of red awesomeness.

I had 3 layers of clothes on. (I like layering. I’m weird that way.) I had on my Adidas jacket, a long sleeved black shirt, and a white cotton undershirt underneath it all. The meal consisted of 3 servings or rather Nic divided it into 3 parts. After the 1st meal which was basically your typical shabu shabu with those balls of flour and some veggies. I had taken off my jacket and was mildly sweating.

2nd serving consisted of fried bean curd skin and frogs legs as well as pork and lamb. My black long sleeved shirt was still on but I was sweating profusely. People on my table started to laugh.

By the 3rd serving I looked like I just stepped out of the shower. My mouth was literally on fire and I was down to my white cotton undershirt. It was almost like eating pure chili soup. It looked like it was a mixture of water and chili oil! But I kept eating because it was so damn good. The rich flavors really brought out the best in each other. The chili made me feel so alive. Forget the lack of sleep, for this brief time, I was alive. I am not a big fan of spicy food. I like mildly spicy but I feel that spicier it gets, the flavor tends to get lost. I was mistaken. The spiciness only made the flavors taste even better. To a sensitive palette like mine, I thought the strong chilis would numb my tastebuds but on the contrary it brought out the scintillating flavors that usually are missed because one gulps down the food to quickly. I am now a convert. Place a bowl of chili near me and you see me grabbing it right away. Till our next meeting KL. I promise to be more adventurous the next time around.

Some head shots of people in my table: