Who loves ya, Kopi Luwak?

Between 2 coffee drinkers, my  daughter's present from Indonesia to her father of the authentic Kopi Luwak was shared with his nephew visiting from Sydney.

So what's the verdict? Come on, out with it! After a couple of sips, both men offered : smooth. Did I hear 'Interesting' muttered . I wonder if it referred to having  a chance to taste the 'gold' from the civet? But I was too occupied to quiz them nor interested in 'civet coffee' . Also, I did not hear anyone asking for another cuppa! Well, there's more coffee to be drunk as the golden package sits in the pantry barely done.

We were in Georgetown, Penang, over the Xmas season. At lunch in a popular tourist centre, after our order of kueh, we were asked,' Kopi Luwak anyone?' No one jumped to it. But we were jolted out of our skin when told it was RM 65  per cuppa!

The bushy tailed and cat-like civet, Luwak ( local name for the Asian Palm Civet) is the darling of the Kopi Luwak. The half - digested cherry berries  found in the dung are reputed to produce the Kopi  Luwak. The animal eats the soft outer part of the coffee berries and excretes the undigested beans which the local gather. Voila! the world's most expensive coffee is in their hands.

But rising demands  have prompted producers to cage the animals  and feed them on a regular diet of coffee berries. Experts say the cage- bred ' civet  coffee' is not the same, its flavour is not as unique as those produced by civets that eat berries in the wild. Why? Experts say the civet's finicky feeding habits and varied diet creates enyzmes that enrich the fermentation of the beans.

'The coffee does not appeal to everyone - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took some as a gift to former Australian  prime minister, Kevin Rudd, only to find local media dubbing it 'crappucino'. - Reuters.

Attractively packaged Kopi Luwak

Sizzle my Satay - O Mulia !

Despite the wet evening Shahrul was busy .The tables were nearly all taken up as it was dinner time. O Mulia Restaurant has made a name for itself through the years and this family business sells the well known Malaysian food , satay .

Shahrul was really sporting for as he cooked the satay sticks, I was 'firing' questions and he obliged without any hint of annoyance. At times, I was smoked out by the smoke from the burning charcoals. Anyhow, it was quite fun to be near the pyrothenics as he flamed the fire now and again.

Talk to any tourists, they surely would have heard of satay and tasted them while in Malaysia. On flights to Malaysia, visitors would have been served satay on the menu and it's the start of more to tempt the palate.

O Mulia Restaurant is tucked at a busy intersection of Tun Razak and Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur and many locals make a beeline for the satay. Is it any surprise then that my relatives even take 'a piece of Malaysia ' to the UK when they pack some satay from O Mulia to feed some homesick souls who miss this beloved food from home ?

Satay is like shish kebabs skewered and the chunks of meat, chicken or beef are grilled over charcoal fires. Shahrul's sister brought us our order and the teh tarik drinks . Hot off the grill , we relished the aromatic, succulent pieces of meat. The thick gravy of roasted peanuts (unsalted) was scrumptious and we had to ask for a top up to dunk the cucumber chunks and onion bites ! The ketupats (steamed rice cakes) had a nice texture but I miss the coconut leaves that used to wrap them.

The orders were coming fast and rapid. I asked Shahrul how many are sold between the hours of 6.30 pm - 11.00 pm. I wouldn't have guessed right - 5000 - 6000 sticks!! Gosh, satay, it is !! Shahrul says his father buys the meat from Chow Kit market. According to Shahrul, chicken satay is more popular than beef.

I was also lucky to talk to the owner, En Othman, Shahrul's father. He was seated behind the counter at the cash register. He asked me why I wanted to talk to him. My reply '... because you're famous! ' That made him a wee bit shy. But he knows it and he told me this business was handed down to him by his late father, Hj Senen. Business started in 1948 and it is still going strong. Imagine, as young as 15 years old, En Othman had already been inducted into the satay business, upon the untimely death of his father. Now his wife, daughter and son with him as their mentor, run the business to take it forward . I guess, O Mulia is already a brand!

That's it. Dinner was just satay and its accompaniments and we were well satisfied. It looked as if the night was just beginning for O Mulia for more people had come and Shahrul hadn't taken a break from his station at the grill to feed hungry stomachs.

I bade goodbye to En Othman and thanked him for being so hospitable. 'Come again!' he said. Definitely. Till the next time.

O Mulia Restaurant
330-1 Jalan Tun Razak

54200 Kuala Lumpur