LASAN RESTAURANT: Berlin, Germany

Its been yonks since I dedicate myself to writing in here. But I've been busy working and saving up for Europe.

Right now I am in Berlin and spending my last couple of days here just chillaxing after exhausting myself from constant exploration of this exceptionally historical city.

Today, the husband and me decided to go to Kottbusser Tor station in the area of the infamous PUNK suburb - Kreuzberg SO36. Of course only remnants of the period can be seen here and there together with the amazing diversity of people and culture. Besides, its punk history, it was also one of the biggest settlement for the Turkish people when Germany were looking for masses of people to work in their Industries. When the wall came down, Everyone decided to happily co-exist together.
One of the great characteristic of Kreuzberg is the amazing Graffiti work around the neighbourhood, the constant buzz of people, beautiful ornate and industrial train stations and food!

To me Kreuzberg is a perfect melting pot of everything and that brought me to the magnetic visual of LASAN RESTAURANT. We passed there a few days back while galavanting around the area but were too tired to stop  but I had enough time to scan the pictorial menu and kept in mind about coming back.

So today, as me mossy out of the studio apartment at 2pm, we decided to go to LASAN to eat our super late lunch. LOL.

Address:Adalbert st. 96 ,Kreuzberg U8 U1 Kottbusser Tor Berlin, 10999 Berlin

Telephone: 030 69 81 40 98

Web: http://www.lasan.net

Hours: 10am-12am daily

Lasan is located really close to the Kottbusser Tor train (U1/U8 line) station under these amazing oldskool architectural crescent building I assumed from the 70's or something ( please correct me if I am wrong). Its so retro crazy. lol.

Anyway, when I first saw the menu, I was a bit confused- was it Iranian? Afghani? Its definitely not Turkish. It also have Tandoor which is very much towards the Northern Indina stylings. ( Basically all these area are interconnected due to cultural history)

So after looking at the menu for a longggggg time, we decided to order a Mixed Meat 'Teller' ( normally means like a meal on a plate with several choices) with  with  tandoor bread and Briyani instead of rice (which we had to pay extra for). I especially got OVERTLY excited while waiting to see how it came.

The gorgeous red lipped big eyes waitress later came and served us each a bowl of what it may be pumpkin nut-garlic-potato-tomatoey creamy soup  to start with. I was not sure if it was curry to dip our bread in at first and later after tasting it realised it was soup. The soup was delicious and totally different in herbs character to most soup I've tasted. It was nutty, creamy and very very wholesome.

Our meal came out one after another, First the meat platter, then the bread, lastly the briyani. The table looked Oh so spectacular. My eyes popped out hungrily-After eating frugally for weeks and now a whole splendour of colourful pletora of gorgeous food on your table? I am sold. LOL.

The meat platter came with the basic mediterranean salad of cucumbers, mint, tomatoes. The meat was lamb chunks, a lambchop, chicken chunks and I think a mixed meat mince /kofte-kebab thingy. Meat were all tender and fresh, grilled in their tandoor oven.

The bread was beautifully freshly woodfire tandoor oven baked in the restaurant. ( we can see the guy doing it behind the front windows) The bread looks like a crossbreed of 'Naan'  and "Afghani long 'holey" bread.

As a chilli freak, we asked for chilli, in whihc they gave us 2 versions, A chilli paste thingy and cut green chillies. The chilli/spicy sauce was also very different, I've never had that flavour - sweet, fragrant and spicy, before.. Its not really like Asian or Harissa but with the similar sambal consistency- very beautiful.

When we finished our meal, we were also given tea. in small little glasses- something I adore from the Arab world. heheheh.

Ok, guess where did the food come from?

IRAQ but from the Kurdish culture. It's amazing how similar food are but not really.

UPSIDE
1) Amazing spread of menu
2) Very Friendly staff- venue is children friendly
5) Many seats available. Big area. You can also probably booked the back courtyard for sunctions due to the sheer size of the place.

DOWNSIDE
1)The area is very raw for some who are less adventurous ( i dont really consider this a downside but it is for some?)

Rate:
Price- medium 
Food- 5.5/5
Service- 5/5
Ambiance- Raw/Exotic
Accessibility- 5/5
HALAL

OMAH's at Hawthorn***

Omah's Hawthorn

338-342 Burwood Road 
Hawthorn VIC 3122 
Australia 
T: 03 9818 7777 E: hawthorn@omahs.com
W: http://www.omahs.com/hawthorn/about.html 
Opening hours:  from 12pm till late 7 days a week. 



The website explains that OMAH'S mean grandmother in the Malay language in Malaysia and it serves authentic Malay/ Peranakan food. Truth be told, I have never heard of them and this is the first time I dine was last week and how wonderful it was. Some of my friends asked me whey is there not a place where one can fine dine Malay food. Well, I can say this is the closest but it has also a mix of South East Asian Chinese/ Singaporean and Indian food  as well. This place is HALAL too, so it gets even better!


Last Sunday, we went to the Hawthorn Branch of Omah's for Deb's Birthday dinner. This is their second branch that started from Port Melbourne. I say having 2 branches means you are doing well and so they are, as the joint was packed with people in big groups and of course majority are there for their famous Crabs mains. We were there for the same thing. Debs pre-ordered  2 crabs and we decided to cook them in Salted Eggs and Chilli Crab ala Singapore style. Instead of expecting Mantou bread with our crabs, as it is more Malaysian based, we got Roti chanai or better known as prata in Singapore instead. That does not compromise the meal, I say! :) The crabs cost about $40 each and are of medium size. 

The Salted eggs sauce crab was not as salty and extravagant like the ones in Singapore where the egg yolk is turned into slushy gravy and the crab kinda soaked in it. Over here, it is more like the eggs was matted with oatmeal and deep fried. Hence the taste is subtle and quite delightful. 

The Chilli crab on the other had was not so hot and spicy but tasted like Assam Pedas with strong lemon grass flavour.  

We also ordered mixed entree platter ($12.90), gado-gado($14.90), buttered prawns($24.90) and also ginger flower duck ($22.90). 
The platter consisted of a selection of Loh Bak, Chicken Satay, Curry Puff, Spring Roll and Silken Tofu. 

Gado-Gado- Malaysian salad of steamed seasonal vegetables, tofu and egg served with peanut sauce. was more of their own style which is totally different from what I grow up with but still good. 

Buttered Prawns -Australian wild prawns coated in golden egg fluff flavoured with curry leaves and spring onion were amazing with strings of yolk that is skillfully prepared in hot oil- which non of us could master and 

Ginger Flower Duck- Half a deboned duck pan fried to served with a piquant sauce of chilli, bunga kantan (ginger flower) and a dash of lemon juice was the extension of Peranakan style food. The ginger flower paste was like a cross between Sambal Balado  and Chicken Rice Chilli. very interesting flavour. 


Overall service was excellent, ambience was beautifully South East Asian with the walls decorated by asian artists' work on sale for anyone but starts at a whooping $4000!!! AS it was Deb's Borthday, we brought a cake and there was no surcharge! They even put candles and gave us plates and cutleries to eat  it. WOW. I say. :)


UPSIDE
1) Beautiful food
2) Meal sharing concept
3) Beautiful Interior
4) Very Friendly staff- good with kids and toddlers
5) No surcharge for bringing in cakes during Birthdays! 
6) HALAL!***

DOWNSIDE
1) Parking, have to park near the train station during busy times
Rate:
Price- medium- high
Food- 3.8/5
Service- 5/5
Ambiance- Contemporary/Funky/Asian-Chic Melbourne
Accessibility- 5/5

Miah's Sambalicious- Authentic Malay Cuisine

The Stall


Fried Kway Teow


Mee Rebus


Prices

Miah's Sambalicious- Authentic Malay Cuisine
Shop1, 662**halal**
Blackburn Rd, Clayton (Actual site, On Normanby Road in the RUSDEN HOUSE Apartments,off Blackburn Road)
Contact: 0423701716
Opening hours:11am-8pm everyday

From the main road, one could easily missed it.I did a couple of times and then realised that the site is actually off the main road and in Normanby in the apartment complex. But once spotted, like flies to the light, we were. It was brightly lid even in the night.The entrance is on the 1st level and you drive straight into the parking space on either the ground or 1st level-this is where the shop is at.

A family owned business, Miah's stall had a queue of 8 people when we arrived and we had to wait for our turn.(there are 2 other food shops there too but it seems that theirs are creating the most buzz) Seems like the people over there are regular customers and also desperate Singaporeans who yearns for Proper Singaporean Malay food. Its menu is the yummy hawker centre spread of Lontong, Mee rebus, Nasi Lemak, Roti Prata, Mee goreng and Fried Kway Teow. Cooked by Cik Miah (who is well known for her cooking in the community) and also her daughter Nabillah. They also sell Lychee, Milo Crushed, Teh Tarek and random traditional kueh(cakes) !

Tonight, I decided to get the Kway Teow and Chris, Mee rebus. Verdict. VERY AUTHENTICALLY WELL DONE. We like! The portion is of good size, Taste is there, spiciness kicked in well and best of all freshly made individually, hence the wait, but of course all worth it! Prices starts at $5-$8 for mains, Drinks from $3-$4.

UPSIDE
1) Home cooked yummy hawker centre malay food at its best! Freshly cook for each dish!
2) Reasonably priced!
3) Good accessibility to venue and Wheelchair Friendly
4) Friendly staff
5) Ample parking
6) Ample seating area
7) Open from 11am-8pm everyday, they are thinking of closing midweek though.


DOWNSIDE
1) Visibility from main road
2) Venue a bit dark, even with all lights switched on
3) Entrance is through the carpark only.


Rate:
Price- low-medium
Food- 5/5
Service- 3.5/5
Ambiance- Foodcourt style seating.
Accessibility- 4/5