KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Growing up, my family called me a fan tong ("rice bin” in Cantonese) because I love rice deeply. So much so, I saw this nickname as less of an insult and more of a badge of honour.
Which is why, though this does not impart me with any sort of authority, it does entail a personal investment in savouring the best rice bowls I can find.
Here are my three favourite rice bowls in KL (and a bonus, the best coffee to pair with each!):
For my first bowl, the one that comes to mind before any of the rest is the minced pork scrambled egg rice at Ebony & Ivory Coffee in Cheras.
What makes their scrambled eggs so creamy? While I doubt the kitchen crew will be sharing any of their secrets soon, it is interesting to note that Ebony & Ivory uses mǎcǎo dànc (literally "horse grass eggs”).
Also known as Napier eggs, these are highly nutritious eggs produced from free-range hens that feed on Napier grass, hence its name. Or it could just be the cooks’ fantastic egg scrambling skills.
Whichever it is, these are some of the best soft scrambled eggs in town, and when layered over hot steamed rice and sumptuous toppings of minced pork, bonito flakes, furikake and diced spring onions, it’s a a bowl designed to be photographed then swiftly devoured.
(I jest; please eat slowly.)
Ebony & Ivory has quite an extensive menu of rice bowls, from a fuss-free oyakodon, the battered chicken fillet balanced with umami-rich seaweed and fresh cilantro, to a vegetable curry rice with roasted pumpkin, green and yellow zucchini, chickpeas, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Some menu items are seasonal, while others get swapped out for new variations so there is always something new to discover.
When I feel like seafood, it’s their salmon sashimi rice bowl that I opt for, topped with a green salad and the orange-scarlet pop of tobiko (flying fish roe). Not a fan of raw fish? Get the grilled salmon version.
These rice bowls pair incredibly well with a cup of their perfectly foamed milk coffee. (Lest we forget in our rice bowl hunting zeal, Ebony & Ivory is a formidable coffee shop too!)
For our second rice bowl, let’s head over to Taman OUG, off Old Klang Road. Nestled in the same row as a couple of car workshops is Midsummer (formerly known as Midsummer Night), a hidden café that seems more like a film buff’s haven than an eatery at first glance.
There is the wall of vintage film posters as well as furniture made from recycled wood, giving the space an ambience of DIY optimism meets geeky chic.
The true gem of the café isn’t its eclectic décor but its humble offering of onsen egg rice. The bowl is first filled with steamed-to-order Japanese short-grain rice, then topped with a soft-boiled onsen egg.
To complete the picture, the garnishing includes seaweed, bonito flakes, vegetarian floss made from dehydrated mung beans, sesame seeds and a "minced pork” that’s actually a secret sauce made from Chinese mahogany fruit.
Other rice bowls range from a spicier sambal egg rice to the always popular crispy lard rice (and variations thereof, including edamame lard rice and kimchi lard rice). Still it is the simplicity of the onsen egg rice that is most satisfying.
Enjoy this with one of Midsummer’s whimsical beverages: "Dream” — iced coffee served with coffee ice-cubes, a small carafe of milk, and gula Melaka syrup — promises to be as sweet as the loveliest slumber.
Further down Old Klang Road is another trusted coffee shop, Await Café in the bucolic neighbourhood of Taman Desa. Located at the second floor of a nondescript shop lot, this little café has been around for over a decade.
They opened in 2012, back when specialty coffee wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today, much less Await’s style of slow-brewed, hand-crafted siphon coffee. They were one of the OGs serving single origin coffee beans back in the day.
Yet Await is more than their coffee; many regulars head over to the shop, especially during lunch time for some of their delicious home style rice bowls.
One crowd favourite is their saba don, a Japanese-inspired lunch of grilled mackerel rice. Picture crispy and flaky saba shioyaki — blue mackerel (saba) grilled with salt — drizzled with burnt garlic oil and served atop calrose rice, fresh vegetables, both teriyaki sauce and soy sauce, and a wedge of lemon to perk things up.
The result is a light meal that goes well with their signature drip coffee.
My personal favourite is their Taiwanese-style braised pork rice — minced braised pork belly mixed with diced hard boiled egg, seasoned with cinnamon and mixed spices. This is comfort food. This is why we crave our bowls of rice.
Wouldn’t you, when they are this good?
Now, who wants to order another bowl...?
Ebony & Ivory Coffee
No. 4A, Jalan Kaskas 4, Taman Cheras, KL
Open daily (except Mon closed) 10am-6pm
Tel: 013-616 1286
IG: instagram.com/ebonyivory_coffee/
Midsummer 仲夏
36A, Jalan Awan Hijau, Overseas Union Garden, KL
Open Tue-Sat 1pm-9pm; Sun & Mon closed
Tel: 03-7971 2345
FB: facebook.com/people/仲夏-Midsummer/100064669090564/
Await Café 珈琲工坊
9-1-5, Jalan 3/109F, Taman Danau Desa, KL
Open Sun-Thu 9am - 6pm (except Tue closed); Fri-Sat 9am - 10pm
Tel: 03-9543 2508
IG: instagram.com/awaitcafekl/
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