Nyonya - 2007.01.04 - ****

It was perhaps not the best time to get a haircut; the evening was damp and bitterly cold. Nevertheless, I watched my hairdresser give Amnon a short new do, per my specification! The result was quite pleasing if I may say so.

Perhaps it's due to the unbearable chill that we so quickly dove into Nyonya after a cursory scan at all the other choices in the "Gazebo mall". Well, not many choices really. The Shanghainese place I don't like, the "Village" is no-go with Amnon, you get the drift. At least Nyonya was new, fresh meat to the slaughter, promise of discovery.

There was only one table occupied by a large family. But the smell from the sizzling kitchen was quite intoxicating. I tried to order by that scent, but the waiter insisted it was today's special, Bak Kut Teh, a Malaysian medicinal soup. We took a pass. Instead we had the lightning-speed kitchen bring us some Roti Telur, followed by Beef Rendang and Coconut fried rice. Everything was fresh and proper; roti comparable to that of Banana Leaf, with 5x less wait, beef so tender that it excuses the slight lack of full-bodied flavor. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of my coconut rice, fluffy, lightly chewy grains individually wrapped in coconut fragrance with a hint of shrimp paste. Come to think of it, it's probably harder to get *good* fried rice than it is filet mignon. I won't bother describing the accompaniments because they were neither great, nor that important.

After the bill, we were served a couple bows of simple green bean soup (sweet), to which Amnon didn't warm up. He was anxious for perhaps what was the real highlight of our trip tonight, the "Eggy Cake" from our favorite dessert place next door. Officially it is Ji1 Dan4 Zhai3, or a sort of chinese waffle in the shapes of a sheet of little balls. And officially, this place serves our most approved version. Cruchy, soft, chewy, warm and flavorful, some with a hint of "rareness" that makes it all the more creamy in the mouth. The big brown paper bag was empty before we turned onto the freeway.

Nyonya: 680 Barber Lane, Milpitas
$25 for 2, all incl.
$3.50 "Eggy Cake"