Al-Tasneem Restaurant - Murtabak Rusa

So we had just returned from our KL trip and arrived in SG at night.
We actually wanted to have some Bone Steak at M.A Deen Biasa but after a long walk - discovered it's under renovations!

So we walked a little further at chanced upon Al-Tasneem.

We had some Bone Steak after all (Look out for the special Bone Steak Battles coming soon!) and we also ordered something that none of us have had before...

Murtabak Rusa ($10.00)

So Deer meat (aka Venison) is not really something you see everyday at your local Mamak stall am I right?
I'm thinking it's more like Italian or some western cooking for that kinda thing but here we were with some Murtabak Rusa for the first time.

The size of the murtabak itself is about the size of a $5-6 mutton/chicken murtabak I reckon so the Rusa seems to almost double the price of your dish.

You can see that it's minced up really finely and spread out sparingly in your murtabak.
To be honest, the meat itself was actually pretty salty when I tried it on its own.

It wasn't overpoweringly salty on its own but unfortunately, the curry that was served together with the murtabak was salty. Seriously salty. So when you put the two together, SALT OVERLOAD!

Azim commented that the texture kinda reminded him of floss. As in like beef/chicken floss.
Razali added that for the price we were paying, we expected a more generous serving of the meat. (Everyone seems to agree with that one) Plus with it being so dry, perhaps the cooking style of frying might not be suitable since we haven't really mastered how to cook Venison like the Westerners do.

Adam's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3/5

Razali's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Murtabak Rusa 4/5

Overall, we'd say that this is definitely something different for you to try.
"Murtabak? Chicken? Mutton? How about Rusa?!" Be adventurous!!

Just hope that the salt level goes down a little.

Al-Tasneem Restaurant

709 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6291 1781 / 6298 2047

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 11.00pm Daily

The Battle Of The Bone Steak Part 1: Al-Tasneem

So we have the Quest For Briyani Series. Soon we will have the Nasi Lemak Chronicles.
But the one thing that A LOT of readers have been asking me to start is a series that samples the various offerings of Bone Steak aka Tulang Merah that we can find around our little island.

It used to be really simple because the only place you needed to go to for Tulang Merah was the Beach Road Army Market where there was a row of shops for you to choose from and indulge in a plate full of the fiery red dish we all love. But the times have changed and now there are makan places spread far and wide across Singapore and trust me -people are willing to travel from one side of the island to the other just to get some of their favourite Tulang Merah.

So this time we are not starting at the 'heart' of Bone Steak in Beach Road...
But it's pretty nearby.

Tulang Merah ($10.00)

Al-Tasneem is not really the first name that comes to mind when someone says "Tulang Merah".
In fact, we didn't even know we were going to be having Bone Steak when we made our way there!

We just got off the bus at Beach Road and wanted to have some dinner.
Our original destination was actually M.A. Deen Biasa for some of their famous Tulang Merah but unfortunately they were closed for renovations. So we walked a little further down and stumbled upon Al-Tasneem.

What caught our eyes initially was the Murtabak Rusa but when we found out there was Tulang Merah on the menu, there was no question. It's definitely value for money because you get about 6-7 bones for $10.

If you're like me, then the meat around the bones is a really big factor. And at Al-Tasneem, you meat lovers will have absolutely no problems!

The meat on the bones is plentiful and EXTREMELY tender. It tears off the bones easily (you can even use a fork and spoon) and it does not have that overwhelming mutton smell/taste that you might expect.

A nice piece of bread to soak up all that delicious gravy!!
Doesn't that look lovely?? *mouth watering*

The gravy itself is a little on the spicy side but I don't think anyone will complain about that. Razali says that it's good for tourists who wanna try the local flavour but maybe can't take the spicy food.
It's mixed up with some eggs to give it a big of texture (Azim thinks it's a little too much egg) and your bread is all ready for action from the plate to your mouth!

I know one thing is cause for concern - the red food colouring problem.
Quite a lo of places add artificial red colouring to give their Tulang Merah the extra 'merah' part and that means that yr hands an mouth ad face (ad possible clothes) will be red by the time you are done.
So is this the case?

Not at all. I am glad to report that there is little (or I dare say NO) food colouring used here.
And although that means no red coloured faces, my darling wife warns all ladies to try and 'maintain' while eating the Tulang Merah or else you might have a different type of 'red face' especially if people are watching.
Hehehe.

But I do have one down side to report - the gravy was a little on the salty side...
It was so weird because even the Murtabak Rusa (and curry) were salty too. Maybe a case of the chef having a bit too much fun with the salt that night? Hmmmm....

So am I forgetting anything? Oh yes.

Something is peeking...

This is something I am SURE is one the big reasons people love to eat Tulang Merah.
The much coveted marrow or 'som-som' is an acquired taste for sure but once you you start, you're probably going to need to start wrestling with others for it.

And the quality of the marrow at Al-Tasneem that night was extremely fresh and plentiful.
It was so fresh that it comes up in one big piece for you after a few knocks as compared to some places where it's half-liquid by the time you complete your struggle to knock it out.
No straws required here!!

Adam's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Razali's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3/5

I'd say this is not bad for start on our grand tour of Tulang Merah.
Hopefully next time we visit Al-Tasneem, it'll be less salty!

Al-Tasneem Restaurant

709 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6291 1781 / 6298 2047

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 11.00pm Daily

Hara Tim Sum Kitchen

So it's another walk down memory lane in this post...

When we were kids, my Dad used to buy these paus from Haig Road.
It used to come from this one stall at a coffeeshop where the current Banquet now stands and it was just this one guy selling Halal tim sum and nothing else.

It was always the same thing for us - BBQ Chicken Paus and Siew Mai.
And it was so delicious to use that we could finish up like a dozen of each with no problems.
Dad would buy a lot especially during Ramadhan where we'd eat some for buka and the rest for sahur.

But sadly, that stall closed and we couldn't seem to find it anywhere.
The only way we could find the paus were at some coffeeshops or petrol kiosks which carried the Hara Hong Kong Tim Sum product in the steamers. And there were not many around.

More common names were Nury Pau or KG Foods but... Hara Hong Kong was still top of the list for us.

Lo and behold, one day I happened to spot a sign from afar which bore the Hara name.
Could it really be the return of our favourite tim sum???

So my brother and I make our way one afternoon to check it out.

We spoke to a lady there who seemed to run the show and explained that Hara had been bought over and was now a major manufaturer of tim sum products. However, most of it was for export and for distribution which meant that Hara seldom sold its products for immediate makan on their own.

In fact, their current outlet was their one and only and they had only been there for about 2 years.

She was also quick to point out that Hara had adopted a 'Healthir Choice' attitude and incorporated a special wheat flour into their paus which gave them the appearance as above while giving you a healthier option when it comes to tim sum.

So on with the food!

Big Chicken Pau ($2.00)

Dad's favourite was always the Big Chicken Pau.
I think it was the egg that he liked.

Well it's definitely got more vegetables in it than I remember but it is a generous mouthful nonetheless.
Undoubtedly, the price has gone up as well but it's a pretty decent chicken pau.

BBQ Chicken Pau ($2.50 for 3)

Aha our favourite of all time.
In fact I still order a BBQ Chicken Pau at any place that sells Halal tim sum nowdays.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem the same as before.
It used to be a lot more tasty to be honest and the filling now is pretty dry.
I mean, it's still tasty but I guess times have changed...

Siew Mai ($3.00 for 4)

My brother is the supreme eater of Siew Mai.
If there is Siew Mai, he will eat it and it started because of Hara's siew mai.

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks in the picture.
Juicy and meaty and just simply delicious.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that these were from the traditional bamboo steamers they had there.
The paus on the other hand were from the modern electric steamer you'll find at the petrol stations.
I mean, when you think of tim sum, the traditional way is the bamboo steamers am I right??

Chicken Feet ($3.00)

Here's something I picked up from my Dad and my brother only recently caught on.
There's just something so comforting about a chicken's foot that has been seasoned, spiced and cooked till it's going to slide off the bones when you put it in your mouth. Sluurrrppppp.

But here's a fair warning - that's one spicy serving of chicken's feet.
It's probably the spiciest version I've ever tried anywhere. But still delicious.

Bamboo Steamers 2-1 Modern Steamers

And this next part coming up actually needs some explanation.
But I MUST point out from the start that this was probably a one-off incident. I mean, this could have happened to anyone at any makan place. So I'm just going to let you know what happened but it is not, in any way, intended to reflect a bad light on this fine eating establishment.

My brother and I enjoy the rice dishes when it comes to tim sum.
I'm talking about the all-time classics - Fan Choy & Lor Mai Kai.

Fan Choy ($2.20)

Lo Mai Kai ($2.20)

So it's basically rice (glutinous or otherwise) with some chicken or char siew chicken.
And we love it.

But this time, we had an unfortunate incident....

My brother started whacking the Fan Choy before my Lo Mai Kai had even arrived so it was half gone by the time I was ready to have mine. But something wasn't right... At first I was so insistent that it was just the glutinous rice and that maybe theirs was a special type which made it extra sticky. I even ate a mouthful to make sure.

But then my brother had a very strong case and was very confident that his Fan Choy and my Lo Mai Kai had gone bad. Bad meaning spoilt aka basi.

"No way lah!" I said. I mean, we're at the manufacturer's stall! This is like as close to the source as you can get! There's no way that this food has gone bad right?

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....................

That is not glutinous rice sticky...
That is unfortunately glutinous rice SLIMY...

A quick check with the server confirmed our suspicions.
In fact, a faulty steamer was to blame and all the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai from the steamer had gone south for the winter and had to be thrown out.

This was the modern steamer. The same modern steamer where our paus had come from.


Well they didn't charge us for the spoilt food (rightfully) and it's obviously impossible for me to give a rating for those 2 items.

And to be honest, the food wasn't all bad. Some of it was pretty delicious.
I guess it was just bad luck that 2 items had spoiled I guess. And I know it does not reflect on the taste of their food or quality of their ingredients but I'm afraid it does reflect on their quality control and management of their food products.

Maybe that's why it was empty during lunch time.

Adam's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 3/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Oh and one more thing.
The chilli sauce used to be the bomb but the new version is slightly on the sour side.
Which is actually really disappointing.

Hopefully next time we have better luck with the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai.
Or maybe we'll just stick with the Siew Mai.

Hara Kitchen

742 North Bridge Road (Opposite Nasi Pariaman)
Tel: 9068 0258
www.facebook.com/haratimsum

Operating Hours:10am til 10pm Daily
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Update! (1st September 2013)

One of our readers, Sri Yusnita, informed us that it looked like Hara Dim Sum had packed it up.

Well, Hara Kitchen has down-scaled their operations but is still operating out of the same place.
Most of the shop is now operated by Nasi Pariaman who operates mainly just across the street but you can still get your dim sum fix at North Bridge Road!

Thanks to our anonymous reader for the tip-off! Keep them coming in! :)

PS you will see mainly the Nasi Pariaman sign when you go but if you look closely on the left, you will still see the Hara sign too...

See it there? :)