Dinner treats could be tricky at times; especially with my medical condition, I need to be aware and careful of what I am going to swallow while filling up my palatial taste. So, when my family and I were driven to a place which was not known to us and through some 'secret' hideout ingenious roads away from the prying sights and smells from the kiasus and kiasis, I was really looking forward to tasting some fine cooking. We were kinda taken aback by the ruggedness of the place we are going to have our dinner fare. Rustic, laid back, terrific ambiance and wonderful food awaits us as we stepped into our palatial heaven for the night. The cook was already in the nicely renovated rustic kitchen preparing the meals for us. Somehow the food seemed so far away from my mind as I am marvelled by the furniture of antiquity nature and the beautiful restoration works on the classic tables and chairs. It was like I was stepping into a different dimension of time and I love every minute of it. The well defined, soft toned and lush yellow lights brings out the best of the eatery scene ever.
I was easily taken into a time of sheer pleasure and lighted up like a small boy being taken back into his childhood as I see the well-restored Chinese long bench. The ingenious combination of arts and creative eye especially the long waiting table which had a door as its table top and supported by two old rustic sewing machine legs, blew my mind completely. It is really a work of artist and a great visionaire to come up with such creativity. The intricately carved wooden panels which separates the living room area and the dining area are another piece of art and truly tastefully used to suit the eatery. As our table were laid out at the dining area adorned with nicely pressed and clean pink sheets of table cloth, I was sure that we are in a gastronomical treat for the evening. I was not wrong in this matter as the evening further unfolds.
For starters, we had two plates of freshly julienne carrots, cucumber and celery sticks laid on two plates with a cup of thousand island sauce adorning the centre position of the plate. Simple yet tasty dish to start with as we await the heavyweight dishes for the night. The nine of us ( Vive & Sathy, BA & Jessy, Janice, JWee, Syuen, SLing and myself ) then took our seats at the dining table. The aroma and the simplicity of the first dish was enough to raise and wet my appetite indeed. The kampong chicken with the spices, sesame oil dash plus ginger makes this an exemplary first dish. The taste - mouth watering and simply marvelous - good till the last bone fragment! It is just so simple and that is what that makes it such a good dish. Simple dish cooked with a lot of heart and soul in it. Then came the stuffed tauhu with minced pork simmed in a nice clear broth. Wow! Another simple, good and tasty dish. The minced pork did not have any porky after taste that most of us would dread but this was tastefully done and the broth that comes with it was filled with enough garnish of cilantro, green onion and parsley to flavour the soup nicely. The food came out in perfect timing as the third dish was fried Jenak fish piece with scallions, tomato, tauchu and some really interesting sauce. Again, simple food with great taste. Everyone knows of my dislike for fish dishes but I salute the cook for making me to want more of this fish dish. The frying of the fresh fish was everything to me. The fish cut was crispy yet moist enough for me to get into the meat and with the right blend of salty, sweet, sour and rich at the same time. It was like an explosion of flavours all in one big cauldron of bang! I ate my quota of fish meat for the year, actually and I am very happy the quota is from this eatery. We had fresh ' chai sim' with pretty large prawns for our nest dish. Now, that what I call generous servings. Yeah, the prawns were not some "kecik" ones, ok? They were the big size ones and the portions were great. What I like most about this dish is that it is nicely cooked ( the prawns were not over-cooked or drown by MSG capsules! ) and it taste really good! Like I said, vegetables and me are not synonymous but this one I can eat heaps,man! Then came the pork trotter and ribs cooked with sweet vinegar. Ummmmmm....anything with pork is game for me. Anyway, I did control myself and ate a small portion just enough as I do not want to jumpstart my heart all over again! To top off a good nite of dining experience, mango cuts with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream decorated with mint leaves adorned our table. The combination was superb and what a way to end our dinner experience! I will say it again and again that is : If simple food are cooked with simple and fresh ingredients topped off with genius combination and balance of spices and flavours, that will be a successful and winning combination in any eatery. This one just won hands down minus the fanfare and all the elaborate combo. A good chef knows his stuff and keeping the simple things real is simply the best. Truly a dining experience I will not forget! Yup, the pur-er tea comes along just fine along with the great fellowship with great friends and family. I really hope to come back again ( and again ) to this eatery and sample more dishes. BTW, I am told that the dishes were simple Hakka dishes crafted and cooked beautifully by a simple man of great faith in his food. That, to me, is truly more impressive and honorable than anything else. 
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