CHEF and restaurateur Ali Amini Fard shares foods from his homeland with TAN BEE HONG.

YOU can't miss Taktaz, an Iranian restaurant located right across the road from South City Plaza in Serdang. You will be drawn to the blue fountain at the entrance and the colourful blankets draped over long benches in a cosy corner where customers enjoy the shisha pipe.

Restaurateur Ali Amini Fard, 45, says this is how Iranians do it back home, putting up their feet and relaxing with family and friends.

Taktaz is a no-frills restaurant, with prices to match. Before he started the restaurant six years ago, Amini was with the Iranian Foreign Service for 17 years, spending seven in the kitchen of the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Slice of pizza

We arrive to find Amini making pizza at the front. Instead of tomato sauce base, Amini makes his own sauce with avisan spices, tomato and butter. Subtle in taste, it allows the flavours of the toppings to shine through. We ask for lamb and chicken with olives on two halves. The pizza comes in two sizes and a small one makes a great appetiser. I love how Amini liberally tops it with grated cheese before popping it into the oven.

When it arrives, the smell is enough to awaken our senses. We quickly grab a wedge and sink our teeth into the hot pizza. A guzzle of fruity Barbican non-alcoholic beer (RM3.50) makes it all perfect.

Rice is nice

Rice at Taktaz is always colourful, with white rice topped with saffron rice and a sprinkle of bright red barberries, said to be good for health.

Amini has created a few new rice dishes. The lamb shank with vegetable rice (RM42) is enough for two. A generous serving of rice, tinged green with dill and fresh broad beans, is topped with white and saffron rice. The dill offers a lovely hint of herbs and the broad beans, a soft texture that contrasts with the al dente grains of rice. Spoon some gravy over the rice for added flavour.

On the side are salad greens and the whole lamb shank. The lamb is tender and best of all, moist. I'm tempted to pick up the whole bone to lick.

Tahchin Morgh (RM11.90) is baked rice in a square slab. Beautifully golden from the saffron, the two layers of rice come with shredded chicken sandwiched in between and a sprinkle of ruby-red barberries on top. The rice is compressed and baked.

Akbar Joojee or chicken with pomegranate sauce, is a customer favourite. The grilled chicken is served whole or in half with the tangy, fruity sauce poured over and served with Iranian rice.

Hot off the grill

Meaty kebabs (from RM11.90) are what customers keep coming back for and Taktaz offers a wide range. You can even get fish kebab.

I prefer the meats, though. These come minced or cut into cubes and skewered for grilling - from sultani kebab and bakhtiari kebab to koobide kebab and mixed kebab. The meats are soft, well-marinated and succulent. Amini shakes some sumac (spices) from a container over my kebab to add to the flavour.

One particular kebab catches my fancy. The negiri kebab (RM20) has two rolls of minced lamb kebab interjected with cubes of chicken in between. The contrasting colours of the saffron-hued chicken and dark lamb presents a pretty appetising picture too. And you get two tastes in one roll.

I enjoy the kebabs with Iranian saffron rice and side salads of shirazi salad (RM3.50), made with diced tomato, cucumber, onion and mayonnaise, as well as the piquant torshi-e-liteh (RM3.50), a dish of pickled eggplant and herbs.

Ramadan sweet treats

Dates are common enough but bamiyeh is a lovely sweet to break fast with or to end the meal. This deep-fried pastry, made from yogurt and flour, is dipped in syrup and has a lovely scent of rose.

Taktaz is open daily from 11.30am to midnight.

TAKTAZ RESTAURANT

B-G-3 Block B

Persiaran Serdang Perdana

Taman Serdang Perdana

Seri Kembangan, Selangor

Tel: 03-8941 3364

BREAK fast in a kampung ambience. SUSHMA VEERA tries out the Ramadan buffet at JW Marriott.

BOND with the family over a sumptuous meal at JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur's Buka Puasa spread. The poolside area on the 6th floor and the Starhill Conference Centre on the 4th has been transformed into a Ramadan bazaar with a kampung ambience.

Aside from the spectacular set up drawing on the nostalgia of breaking fast in a kampung setting the menu lists traditional dishes from nenek's kitchen. Chef de cuisine Jamal Azizi Jamaludin and his team offer some 130 dishes, not commonly made nowadays.

Feast on masak lemak cili padi with rebong (coconut milk gravy with birds eye chilli and bamboo shoot), ayam kapitan (kapitan curry) and rendang kerang, dry curried cockles. Also, seafood tomyam and sup ekor (oxtail soup), ikan keli goreng berlada (fried catfish with chilli), paru goreng berlada (spicy fried liver) and pucuk manis masak lemak dengan labu (sweet leaf bush and pumpkin in coconut milk) just to name a few.

Break your fast with appetisers from the international salad bar and the Malay ulam selection, complemented by local dressing such as sambal belacan, cincaluk, budu and tempoyak.

I enjoyed the strong flavours the kerabu mangga, a salad of shredded young mango mixed with lemongrass, birds eye chilli and anchovies. The resulting sourish taste was refreshing and cleansed the palate for more delights. Local appetisers include acar buah, acar jelatah, tauhu sumbat (stuffed tofu), keropok ikan (fish crackers), and a variety of pickles. This year, two new dishes were added to the menu. One is Waldorf salad with fresh citrus topping.

The other is called Bishop's Nose. Jamal says he learnt this from his mother. "Before putting this on the menu, I asked my colleagues. Some had not tried it before and were keen on trying it," he says.

The dish is not difficult to prepare. Jamal marinates the chicken with turmeric and these are fried until crispy. "Then, saute onion and birds eye chilli and add the chicken." Jamal has been working with the hotel for 12 years.

The highlight of the Ramadan feast is the signature whole roast lamb at the carving station. Chef de partie Zawawi Latif marinates the lamb overnight with various spices.

"These give a combination of flavours to the meat," he says.

The roast lamb was not bad, served hot. The meat was tender. You can have it with a choice of mint sauce or garlic-coriander fish sauce, or eat it with tomato rice.

For dessert, you'll find ubi sago, kuih tako, assorted jellies like the palm sugar jelly, layer cake, pastries, fruit and many other delectable choices.

To quench your thirst, there are hot and cold drinks at the beverage station.

The Ramadan buffet is priced at RM56 at the Starhill Conference Centre (Level 4) and RM68 at the JW Marriott poolside (Level 6). The buffet is from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

JW Marriott Hotel

183 Jalan Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2719 8666

FOR the buka puasa spread at Fuzion, chef Zabidi Ibrahim tells JOHN TIONG that some of the dishes are inspired by his grandfather.

I feasted my eyes on the array of food set out for the Berbuka Puasa Fiesta food tasting at Fuzion in Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa, Petaling Jaya, recently.

The event was held on the terrace, so one could eat while enjoying a good view of the swimming pool, palm trees and fountain.

I was drawn to the kambing buah kurma bakar (lamb with dates), udang galah sambal tumis and ikan patin gulai tempoyak (patin with fermented durian gravy).

Another dish that caught my eye was serawa pisang. For this dessert, bananas are usually cooked with thick sago but at Fuzion, it is prepared separately and diners add it to the sago themselves.

Head chef Zabidi Ibrahim said: "The bananas are deep-fried after being prepared with mint and egg yolk. It is pisang pengat with a difference."

Zabidi has 15 years' experience working in hotels such as The Andaman and Datai in Langkawi.

I started with oysters and mussels at the cold section before trying the udang galah sambal tumis. The red, succulent prawns (from Sarawak, I'm told), complete with long pincers, were so inviting that I couldn't help but eat them first. The soft texture of the meat went well with the sambal. It whetted my appetite for more food.

So I filled my plate with lemang sprinkled with serunding, roast lamb and daging goreng 1960 (beef fried with galangal and soya sauce).

Zabidi said the fare is inspired by his grandfather's recipes.

"Grandpa was the favoured cook for wedding feasts in my village. He taught me not to use oil when cooking beef or lamb as the meat already had fat. He also told me to marinate the meat with spices for at least an hour before cooking."

Not surprisingly, daging goreng 1960 tasted like a home-cooked dish - slices of pure indulgence with a flavoursome burst of spices in the mouth.

Since I loved dates, the kambing buah kurma bakar was one of my favourites. The dates were sweet with good texture and the roast lamb, prepared with lots of fresh chilli, onion, honey and black pepper, was tender.

Halfway through the meal, we were offered soya bean drink - blended with either apple juice or carrot. Both combinations were good and they were rich in vitamins but I preferred it with apple as it went well with the food.

Zabidi's version of ikan patin gulai tempoyak was impressive too. The fish was tantalisingly tender and it went well with the rice.

The colourful spread of Malay pastries brightened the mood. Fuzion serves tapai pulut, wajik, buah melaka, kuih lompang, seri muka and dodol, among others.

Appetisers included nyonya chicken kerabu, green papaya with prawn and banana heart salad.

Berbuka Puasa Fiesta is on until Aug 29 at RM128 (adults) and RM49 (children under 12).

FUZION

Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa

Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7492 8000

A small restaurant in an old neighbourhood is slowly gaining popularity for its halal roast meats. SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN is spoilt for choice.

"YOU mean Muslims can eat duck?" Freelance copywriter Mark Ng, 32, didn't know just how unaware some people are about what Muslims can eat until he opened Roast Kitchen to sell halal classic Chinese food - roast duck, beef and chicken.

He says: "I realise that even though we live together, we still have many, many things to learn (about each other)."

For a start, he has learned that there are very few shops selling halal roast meats, especially duck. For the past three months, his restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, has attracted a steady stream of customers who swear it's the best roast duck they can find this side of town.

They even compare the taste to that served at London's Four Seasons, said to be the best in the British capital.

For some, the taste of duck is acquired, but for me, succulent, well-roasted duck makes roast chicken taste positively flat and banal. Duck meat has a more intense taste, a sweeter tinge and an enticing aroma and, while it is true that better care has to go into preparing roast duck (age, breed and size of bird are some considerations), the results are simply seductive to the palate.

Roast Kitchen's crispy roast duck is simply divine, with the skin roasted to crisp perfection while retaining tenderness. It is sweet and juicy, good eaten on its own. Other customers prefer the regular roast duck without a crispy skin, saying that it's even juicier.

Both are good and the best thing is, you don't have to pay a premium for a well-roasted bird. Drumstick roast duck rice, for instance, costs RM8, and a whole bird costs RM70, cheaper than that sold in hotels and high-end Chinese restaurants.

"But I have to admit that it is slightly more expensive than the non-halal version, because we need to get ducks of certain age and size to ensure the taste is good and consistent. We also use slaughterhouses certified by Malaysia Department of Islamic Development (Jakim),"

The poultry comes from a farm in Taiping and the restaurant even keep copies of halal certifications at the counter.

Another crowd favourite is BBQ beef (RM7.80), marinated with honey and soya sauce, roasted, thinly sliced and sprinkled with garlic before served with piping hot white rice. Some customers say it is "so convincing as char xiu". I have never tasted char xiu, but the barbecued beef is simply delicious.

The roast dishes are MSG-free and Ng takes into consideration his customers' dietary requirements. "I eat healthily myself and personally, when I eat out, I don't like the drying taste in the mouth when excessive salt and MSG are used. I don't want my customers to have that same experience."

There are vegetarian dishes too "because some of my customers are vegetarians on certain days".

But it is not only its roast dishes that are good. The fried dishes are equally delectable and the many times I have been there, I have not yet found something I don't like. The kam heong seafood bihun (RM8.80) is just superb in a simple way. Kam heong paste, made with dried shrimp, chilli, garlic and curry powder, among others, is often used to cook chicken and seafood but here, it's used to cook the rice vermicelli. It tastes almost like tomyam bihun, which never fails to tantalise the tastebuds.

If you love black pepper, the fried black pepper udon noodle with prawn (RM8.80) will surprise your senses, because the black-coloured dish is drenched in spicy, peppery taste and full of fat, fresh prawns. The noodles aren't soft and gooey, but firm and chewy, just the way fried noodles should be.

Seafood fried rice (RM12.80) is hot and brazen and, when eaten with the accompanying deep-fried kailan and a side dish of stir-fried seafood, the humble, traditional Asian dish becomes quite extraordinary in the hands of Roast Kitchen's chef.

"I like to allow the chefs to be as creative as possible, because that's the only way to bring out their talents and that's how you get the best of their creations,"

And one of the cleverest creations has to be deep-fried you tiau with sweet wasabi sauce (RM5.80). Instead of dipping the you tiau in rice congee, it is doused in a mix of mayonnaise and wasabi. It's so easy to polish off the whole plate.

Mantou (buns often eaten with crab dishes) is made into mini burgers filled with salad and sliced duck (RM6.80) - a different way to enjoy the roast meat.

In many ways, Roast Kitchen does things differently - the dishes are unconventional, the food quality is good and the prices moderate. What more can one ask for? Opens 11am to 9pm daily.

ROAST KITCHEN

23 Jalan Wan Kadir

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Kuala Lumpur.

03-7732 0006