PD Ostrich Show Farm,
Lot 1419, Jalan Kemang 13,
Batu 9, Jalan Pantai, Port Dickson.
Tel: 06-6627 496, 013-330 7320 / 012-427 2566
Business hours: 9.00am-5.00pm, daily.
FORGET about the usual roast lamb, why not dine on the world’s largest bird this buka puasa?
The PD Ostrich Show Farm in Port Dickson is offering guests just that at its on-site restaurant with a promotional menu devised for breaking fast.
Succulent ostrich steak, ostrich egg omelette, home-made ostrich burgers, ostrich meat rendang and ostrich satay are among the main dishes on the menu at the simple yet cosy dining area on the 0.97ha farm.
Farm manager K. Rajen hoped visitors to the agro-tourism attraction would be game enough to sample its ostrich meat dishes.
“People should try ostrich meat as it is similar in colour and taste to beef but a much healthier option.
Juicy bites: The venison (left) and ostrich meat burgers are made with homemade meat patties.
“In addition, it is lower in fat per serving compared to chicken and turkey and much lower in cholesterol than beef,” he said.
Don’t worry though, none of the dozen ostriches on the farm would be harmed for your dinner.
For now, the ostrich meat that is used in the various dishes are procured from a supplier.
“Besides ostrich, we also serve venison and rabbit meat which we get from our suppliers. And all these are also on the menu for buka puasa,” said Rajen.
On a recent tour of the farm, my dining companions and I were served a sampling of the dishes featured on its buka puasa menu which included ostrich egg omelette, venison steak, rabbit chops and home-made ostrich and venison burgers.
While ostrich meat is not so much of a novelty these days, ostrich egg omelettes were certainly new to me.
Sweet meat: Rabbit chops or steak is also on the menu.
At the restaurant, the cook whipped up a fluffy ostrich egg omelette with chillies and onions which was surprisingly light and delicious.
The preparation may have been simple but it definitely did the egg justice, considering that the average ostrich only lays about 50 eggs in a year and it is almost a privilege to eat one.
Most of all the meat from an ostrich comes from its leg, thigh and back, and at this restaurant the meat was used in a variety of ways.
We were served both venison and ostrich meat burgers, and honestly, none of us could tell the difference and both were equally scrumptious.
“Diners who don’t like ostrich meat can try our venison or rabbit meat dishes.
“Our burger patties are home made and you can have either ostrich, venison or rabbit meat,” said Rajen.
For Ramadan, diners can choose from a variety of mains ranging from claypot noodles priced at RM12 to ostrich steak which costs RM32 per portion.
Each dish comes with two complimentary side dishes, a dessert and a drink.
Side dishes include rice, ketupat, mixed vegetables, salad and French fries.
Rajen said the Ramadan menu was value for money and something different compared to the usual buka puasa fare.
“We just started offering food and drinks so that visitors to the farm can dine in instead of looking for a place to eat elsewhere.
“We usually only serve breakfast and lunch but during Ramadan, we will be open until 9pm daily,” he said.
Prayer facilities for Muslims are also available on the farm’s premises.
Besides ostriches, the farm also house a menagerie of animals including ponies, donkeys, rabbits, turkeys and a tame-looking monitor lizard called John.
Visitors to the farm who are game enough for adventure can also ride or run with the ostriches.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
