Mamak

Where? Mamak (Doraville, Georgia, United States of America) Map Menu

When? Friday April 19, 2019

Who? Me

Food Style? Malaysian

I've picked up my rental car and I'm off to explore the fringe of Atlanta. In the appropriately named Asian Square, there's a Malaysian restaurant called Mamak, and I absolutely can't resist trying it out. Mamak refers to the open-air restaurants commonly found in Malaysia serving Indian food like roti, murtabak and briyani. The menu here is full of wonderful dishes from home, like rendang, char kuay teow and nasi lemak, but also specialities that I don't often find outside of Malaysia, like bak kut teh and yong tao foo.

I want to try everything but I can't. This is a sad recurring theme in my food life. I've gone for the curry laksa, which should be a delicious creamy soup with a great chicken broth and a bit of spice to top it off.

Mains

Curry laksa: classic coconut milk curry noodles with yong tau foo
I dig in. It's so good. I pause to catch my breath and write my thoughts down. It's rich and tasty, full of flavour. The yong tau foo has soaked up all that delicious laksa and bursts with flavour as I bite into it. I ask for a bit of sambal on the side and that magnificent, intense fish flavour lifts the laksa. This tastes of home.

Posted by Jeremy at 4:35am on Thursday January 2, 2020 :: 0 comments ::

Ponce City Market

Where? Ponce City Market (Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America) Map Menu

When? Thursday April 18, 2019

Who? Me

Food Style? International

A massive indoor food hall, the Ponce City Market has attracted a large crowd on this rainy Atlantan day. I'm taking in the smells of the different kinds of ethnic foods available - Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, South African, Indian, Mediterranean and more. I want to try everything, but I can't.


I've started off with a honey and lavender gelato from Honeysuckle and it's delightful, but as I'm wandering around, a loud ventilation sound fills the hall and the police and security order people to evacuate.

Thankfully the evacuation is short lived and I'm back at WH Stiles Fish Camp to try some catfish, a southern favourite. The temptation to get some oysters is great, but I will reserve my stomach for more food.

Mains

Pan-seared Vietnamese catfish salad with cabbage, cucumbers, peanuts, cilantro, scallions and jalapenos
The catfish is delicious. It's flavourful and cooked perfectly, glistening on the inside and flaking away, with a slight crispiness to the skin. The vegetables are well seasoned and have that delightful sourness from the fish sauce, an ingredient integral to Vietnamese cuisine. What would I change? A bit of freshly sliced chili on the side would have elevated this dish.


I got a cashew fudge donut from for Saturday's breakfast and a key lime tart from Saint Germain Bakery for now. Mmmm...that hits the spot. Bursting with that magnificent citrus flavour, not sickly sweet, just the right dessert to top off an enjoyable visit to this part of Atlanta.

Posted by Jeremy at 3:59am on Thursday January 2, 2020 :: 0 comments ::

Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint

Where? Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint (Downtown, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America) Map Menu

When? Wednesday April 17, 2019

Who? Me

Food Style? Southern

I've left the chilly spring weather of Toronto for the green and warmth of Atlanta, Georgia. I'm here to experience some of that great southern food - though I'm not that far south, I'm sure I'll be able to get something close enough anyway.

Appetiser

Southern Starter: fried green tomatoes, crispy vidalia onions, fried okra, topped with herb goat cheese and red pepper aioli
With a name like Southern Starter, I can't resist. It comes out pretty quickly and, kinda true to the south, it's all deep fried. It's not very crispy and it could use a bit of salt, but the goat cheese and aioli adds the flavour and richness in this dish.

Mains

Juke Joint Fried Chicken: signature juke joint seasoning blend, southern mac & cheese, smoked turkey collard greens
Winner winner chicken dinner. Mac and cheese has never really been a favourite of mine, and this one is okay. Nothing outstanding. Same with the collard greens. They're a bit soggy, and they taste okay, but again, nothing to rave about. The chicken though is better. It's not as crispy as it should be and it needs a bit of salt, but there's a nice sweetness to it, it's juicy and it's satisfying enough.

Also I have forgotten that American portions are massive. I will not be needing dessert after this.

As 7pm rolls around, the entertainment starts - this is a juke joint after all. I'm staring at my leftover Mac and cheese and collard greens with disdain, but I'll chill and listen to these smooth soul tunes for a bit before leaving. I might not have had a great time with the food, but the music is pretty amazing.

Posted by Jeremy at 3:41am on Thursday January 2, 2020 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: The Doughnut Popup

Where? Georgia Cafe (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

Food Style? Glorious Doughnuts

There's a coffee shop called Stories on Cuba Street, down the bottom end towards the Michael Fowler Center. It's in a shipment container renovated to be a cosy little cafe that sits a few people but is mostly there to serve the passers-by with some typical Wellington caffeine. The difference is that this place is run by youth organisation Zeal to give young people the chance to get some hands-on hospitality experience by equipping them with industry skills. It's a wonderful idea and a great cause.

The operation has been so successful that they've very recently opened up another shipping container on the corner of Dixon and Victoria Streets. Though the coffee is much the same, Georgia, the cafe, is serving freshly made limited edition doughnuts for the duration of Wellington on a Plate. Each weekday, a variety of doughnuts with interesting and quirky flavours are provided from various local bakeries.

Monday 17 August Cafe Polo	Raspberry coated in raspberry dust
	Tiramisu
	Glazed American
Tuesday 18 August HOME	Coffee creme patisserie with coffee toffee shard
	Turkish delight with saffron, cardamom and vanilla bean syrup
Wednesday 19 August Leeds St Bakery	Rhubarb and cream
	Salted caramel and bacon
	Chocolate and hazelnut
Thursday 20 August Floyd's Cafe	Custard and raspberry coulis
Friday 21 August Milk Crate	The Ginger Kiss
Monday 24 August Brezelmania	Salted caramel
	Passionfruit cream
	Raspberry jam
Tuesday 25 August HOME	Jelly tip
	Lemon Meringue
Wednesday 26 August Sweet Release	Salted caramel
	Chocolate hazelnut
Thursday 27 August Nikau	Lime Marmalade and Matcha custard
Friday 28 August Coco at the Roxy	Cardamom and Whittakers Dark Chocolate

Day two of this and it's already been insanely popular, selling 400 doughnuts within two hours of opening. Make sure you get there early, because there will probably be a big queue of people wanting their morning coffee and sweet treat. I'll be looking out for Nikau's Lime Marmalade and Matcha Custard - sounds amazing!

Posted by Jeremy at 11:10am on Tuesday August 18, 2015 :: 0 comments ::