Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Loy Krathong in Rama V

2012-02-28T14:07:00.003+08:00

Some events are so vivid in your mind, so much so you think you've already written about it, because the script is probably still in the brains' IN folder, so much so, when asked, you insist you've posted about it ages ago. Then, to your abject horror, you search your blog, and zilch, there was no such entry.

This happened recently, when my favourite restauranter Andre of Rama V, told me that he was looking for my post, and I dismissed as him being unable to navigate through blogspot. The strangest thing is, I could've sworn I remember editing the pictures, and even writing the post. Oh well, it is one of those great mysteries of life, not helped by the degenerating grey matter and old age.

Sometime in November last year I was invited to the Loy Krathong celebrations in Rama V. Loy means to float, and krathong refers to the beautifully handcrafted lotus shaped boats that are lit up and set afloat in the water. It is a beautiful ceremony but is made even better when there is feasting and drinking involved, as is always the case when invited by two suave owners of Rama V. (Andre and Danny).

The event is a gala event, with big sponsors, and grand prizes. Alcohol flows freely and a special menu is put together for this special Thai festival.

To start with, the gorgeous blue flower lotus dumpling, with money bag and spring roll.

The pomelo chicken & prawn salad served in banana blossom is particularly lovely, and has a lovely tang to it. Now, I am not sure if these items are on the regular menu, but if you book ahead, I am sure the chef can indulge you.

A very festive air prevails, aided of course by the spirited beverages that were circulating freely. Dinner is interspersed with lucky draws from the sponsor. Our table did pretty well, as on of us one a bottle of bubbly, while Pure Glutton & Mr Pure Glutton won a RM500 dining voucher. Grumble grumble envy envy.

Pure Glutton & Mr holding up their RM500 prize.

You'd think you'd have tasted every conceivable pumpkin soup by the time you're 46, but this rendition of Roasted Pumpkin soup had a nice twist, with pistachios, lemon & seafood. I loved this dish, but again, I don't think it's available on the regular menu, so do order ahead.

Kung Manow Woon Sen - or in English, Steamed River Prawn with glass noodle. The prawn, despite the large number of guests, was steamed to perfection, and was fresh, and crisp, and could have been swimming in the Chao Praya just moments before for all I know.

Roasted Duck Curry With Japanese Sticky Rice. Loved the presentation. The curry itself is the red duck curry, but serving it this way certainly enhances the senses.

We are summoned to the lotus pond outside for the highlight of the night...

The main event, which entails the lighting of the kratong, and floating it. I guess you are supposed to make a wish, not unlike floating oranges on chap goh mei for desperate spouse searchers.

It is a beautiful sight to see the pond illuminated with the floating fairy lights.

A particularly poignant moment as the true blooded Thai staff of Rama V come out from the kitchen to reverently place the Krathongs.

And finally, back into the comforts of airconditioning, dessert, a trio of Winter, Spring and Summer. Rubied water chestnut in coconut ice shavings, kuih taco and mango with sticky rice. All very exotic, all very in keeping with the event.

The chef and other Thai staff take the stage.

Rama V is really one of my favourite Thai restaurants. Innovative menus constantly churned out, fabulous ambience, and fantastic owners who really go the extra mile to make sure the customers feel taken care of. Thanks so much Andre and Danny for letting us share in this memorable occasion.

A Day Off With Chuck Hughes

2012-02-22T22:37:00.003+08:00

NEWSFLASH. As at press time, ie, Thurs 23rd 2012, 2.52 pm, Ritz Carlton is giving away a free table for an exclusive dinner with Chuck Hughes. Click here to find out how to win.

Actually I did not know Chuck was coming to town, if it wasn't for the fact that I was alerted by Unkaleong, my regular googlechat mate. Also, because of the number of times I had been unable to attend events organised by Alice George PR, I wasn't sure if I had been struck off the guest list. So, I was rather chuffed when I did get the invitation to come and watch Chuck Hughes, to quote the words from the press release, "One of Canada's hottest young Chefs, and the ever charming host of Chuck's Day Off on AFC".

To the ignorami of the culinary world, Chuck is the YOUNGEST Canadian chef to win the Iron Chef America. That is not surprising, because he regaled us with tales on how he started cooking at age 8, and how he wanted to grow up and be a millionaire and own lots of businesses. It's inspiring to see how dreams are achieved, but sadly, for us mortals, it sometimes serves to magnify our own shortcomings and failures of dreams that we fail to achieve. But before I become morose at the expense of Chuck Hughes' success, let us veer back to the event at the glitzy Ritz Carlton. It was kinda deja vu, the familiar faces who were there at Adrian Richardson were also there for this event. This is the 3rd in the series of AFC celebrity chef events held at the Ritz Carlton.

Host for the day was the effervescent (thanks Lyrical Lemongrass for the adjective that I was struggling to find) Xandria Ooi. She dug out of Chuck his culinary adventures in KL thus far, which included the tasting of durian, which he claims he loved. Of course the usual things celebrity chefs say, about how wonderful and diverse our country is, the different kinds of foods are amazing, etc etc and so forth. But then again, it is true, isn't it? We do offer a huge variety of cuisine, so in my opinion, anyone visiting Malaysia is privileged. She asked him if he googled Malaysia before coming, which he says he did, and all he saw were towers, towers, and more towers. Ministry of Tourism, please take note. We are more than just the twin tower.

I guess it's no surprise that a Celebrity chef on AFC would be animated, lively and entertaining, if not, they'd just be relegated to a kitchen somewhere, and not behind the TV Cameras. He is very obliging when it comes to striking a pose for the cameras.

The menu for the day was Popcorn Rock Shrimp with Spicy Honey, Pan Seared Beef Carpaccio with potato chips, fried capers and lemon aioli, and a Chocolate Rice Arancini.

The many different faces of Chuck Hughes. He does have a lot of different facial expressions, and looks different in real life compared with the TV show, and photographs, depending on which angle you view him from.

And so the cooking demo begins....

A writer from Flavours asks, What is Quebec Food? His reply made Quebec Food sound like the dullest thing on earth, after oat bran. According to Chuck, traditional Quebec food was just meat and potatoes, and it wasn't until the trade routes and the East India Company brought herbs and spices to the new world, that the foods became more interesting. (Okay, I paraphrased that entire thing and embellished the history).

He tosses the shrimp into flour first, (after Ms Chirpy Xandria goes, OOOOOOh, I always dipped in egg first, to which he replies, and that is why I'm the chef and you're the emcee"), followed by egg, followed by cornstarch.

Now the thing about these events is, I guess he cannot demonstrate anything too complicated, or the audience might get lost. So really, the demonstration is easy to follow, and I'd say fairly easy to replicate. The Spicy honey does add a nice zing to the dish.

Again he strikes a pose, and points to the poster asking "who IS this chap?"

Popcorn Rock Shrimp. As opposed to R&B Shrimp I guess.

A cross section of the popcorn rock shrimp. We learn that the perfect temperature for deep frying is 275°C, which he also has tattooed on his arm. Now that's another story.

We move on to the next dish, which is the pan seared carpaccio.

I love the fact that it comes with homemade potato chips. His whipping of the aioli was rather entertaining. Basically it is a mayonnaise, whereby the whipping of the eggs and oil emulsifies and creates that thick mayonaissey sauce.

He regales the audience with tales of the tattoos...

He points to his back describing his rear tattoo. He makes it clear that he has no tattoos elsewhere,...(where? ) and none on his neck, or exposed areas, for fear that it might have been a deterrent in getting a job, in his younger days. But now, obviously, that is no longer a concern, and the body canvas is part of his trademark.

Finally, the Chocolate Rice Arancini. Made with arborio rice (usually leftovers from a risotto base), it basically forms a casing around a ball or two of chocolate ganache and is deep fried. According to the programme it was supposed to be a tapioca arancini. We do not know the inside gossip as to why the tapioca decided not to show.

Again, he obliges us with his poses on the AFC photo wall.

If you are ever in Montreal, do drop into his restaurant, Garde Manger and a newly opened Le Bremner. For more information on A DAY OFF WITH CHUCK HUGHES, please go to the AFC Studio Website, www.theafcstudio.com

A Private Affair... and A Classy One Too

2012-02-15T21:10:00.005+08:00

Every two months, or so, a group of old friends (by my definition, an old friend is one I've known more than a decade) get together for dinner. It is not some random event, it is deliberately and meticulously planned and thought out. The name of the group, alas, cannot be revealed, because the unilateral dictator of a chairman intends to franchise it, and we have taken oaths of secrecy. Its constitution, harsh. If you are more than half an hour late, eg, 30 minutes and 24 seconds, you are fined, a bottle worth RM200 for the next gathering. Despite the reign of a dictator chairman, the members of this secret society find ourselves drawn to the magnetism of the dictatorship, and find ourselves very masochistically looking forward to this bi-monthly event, striking out all other appointments of lesser worth.

Organising and sourcing of venue is by rotation. The organiser of the day will be under a lot of stress and duress, to ensure this covert group gets to eat in a place that is considered a hidden gem, reasonably priced, etc etc, but underlying all this criteria is, the presence of the all important spirit, known as Booze. In various forms.

This time round, the role of organiser fell to the last of the eligible bachelors in the group, Mr E.S. who we shall call, err... Coke for short. We waited with eager anticipation, as dates were bandied around, with the spate of public holidays, our schedule had gone haywire. Finally, a date was settled upon by all, except one couple, and lo and behold, Coke unveils the grandiose plans. A rooftop private dining room, catered by a group of gorgeous hot chicks, who are also part of his fan club. (apparently).

An open kitchen and four hot chefs, who looked remarkably cool, and unflustered, were preparing canapes, and starters, while a familiar looking wait staff served us FLIRTINIS, served in test tubes. Shot glasses are so yesterday, and the apparatus du jour has to be test tubes. Heck, it will be beakers and pipettes next.

Test tubes.

Smoked Salmon on a Wasabi Cream on Cracker. The lovely wasabi mousse gave this starter a nice kick, and went well with the Flirtinis, which incidentally, were rather potent.

Something you certainly don't get at most catered events. Spicy Sri Lankan Tamarind Pork Belly. I loved this starter. It was totally different from the usual stuff, and a perfect accompaniment to the whisky. For those who drink, that is. Not me, of course.

Very ladida table setting.

Complete with Menu, but one would expect nothing less.

Lemongrass Prawns.... hmm, a bit short and sharp on the description. Shall we say, crustaceans skewered with a stalk of fragrant de serai...these were on the hot plate ...not served yet. Though that didn't stop me from helping myself, being the pleb that I am.

Hot hot hotttt....just like the next starter....

Baby Anchovy Sambal Crostini. Okay, could've done with less bread, but the sambal was aromatic and spicy. The bread however was rather good, toasted on the outside but very soft and moist.

Actually, these were meant to be a surprise, but heck, it was an open kitchen.

Just look at them, cool as cucumbers. If it were me, I'd be in my singlet, sweat oozing from every pore....as I oil my way around the floor....

Those are not strepsils.

BACON WRAPPED SIU YOKE kebabs, and chilli pork pasta. Just in case you have a low cholesterol count, baconnnn wrapped siu yoke. I have to give it to them, the combination works. I mean, can one have too much lard? Nevah, I say. The pasta was done just right ...then again, they were under the watchful eyes of the guests, as they cooked in that open kitchen.

Bombay Bombshell and Eggplant Moju. The bombshell is the one wrapped with puff pastry. Upon retraction of the skin, it is revealed that beneath lies a lovely fluffy briyani rice with lamb curry at the base. The eggplant moju, like a chutney, is superb.

Dry Rub Roast Chicken on A Bed of Sweet Potato Mash with Baby Spinach and Feta Salad .....Okay, truth be told, I am so not a fan of breast meat, ...chicken breasts, that is. I am not sure what dictated the choice of breast, but I did suggest that if chicken is to be served, it is best to offer a choice of thigh or breast. The marinade was lovely, as was the mash and salad, but breast. I thump my own at the thought of the waste.

"Death by Chocolate" Cake with Slut RaspberriesIn Sparkling Mosquito Gelee...oops, Moscato.

I was quite stuffed by this time, and also half intoxicated by harmless looking test tubes. As far as I recall, the sluts were great.

Now, anyone looking for caterers for a private function, can contact A PRIVATE AFFAIR. How does it work? Well, for starters, you have to have your own venue. It could be anywhere, your house, your grandmother's house, your apartment rooftop. Obviously there is a minimum charge, they can even cook for two, apparently, if so required. Aww, how romantic. So not me.

Contact : 016-2580500 - Ms Chand.
Website: aprivateaffair.webs.com

Incidentally, the hot chick chefs are doing this as a hobby, as and when they can, so it really is the luck of the draw if you CAN even engage them.

I can't wait to attend another event catered by them.

Erawan, And the Most Fabulous Cockles Ever

2012-02-07T16:33:00.003+08:00

Sometime before Christmas last year, (that seems like a lifetime ago, and warrants a blogger's execution and the stockade for such tardy writeups), Makan Fairy Godmother (Marian Eu) invited us for lunch at Erawan.

Now, I have heard so much about this place, such as the need to be punctual for your reservation, and how .... err, the Chef is a perfectionist, and cooks the dishes by the table, so if you suddenly decided, oooh, that curry was nice, let's tambah, you'd have to wait your rotation. But the one recurring thing that unanimously was agreed upon, the food IS excellent. So it was with trepidation and nervousness that I made sure I appeared punctually, and must have a bit too punctual, as no one else was there yet. The occasion? Kind of a celebration for them making it to no 3 Best Restaurant in the Miele Guide.

This would be reason to celebrate indeed!

The place oozes charm, as if every piece of decor had been lovingly thought and placed. You can certainly feel that personal touch, of the owners, and this is accentuated further when you meet them. You can tell that this is a restaurant with soul.

Platters of delicious looking stuff, not necessarily Thai, await the guests.

Just look at the glorious display of lup chup. Such intricate workmanship.

Invidual starters, in canape fashion were served. Everything is so flavourful, and tantalizing to the palate.

An interesting twist to the traditional Thai fishcakes, served in mini burger buns. My only grouse was the bread filled us up and took up valuable space, considering the other delights that awaited.

Lovely prawns in Thai sauce, in a mini croissant. Quite a dizzying array of flavours. As it is, Thai food is already rather complex, with myriad herbs and spices. Add the masterful creativity of Korn, the Chef & Co Owner, you get a real treat.

But SERIOUSLY, if I was on death-row, and had one last meal to request, it would be THIS! The best cockles curry ever. Huge, succulent cockles swimming in a glorious red curry. My tongue was doing cartwheels in delight. Pardon the disturbing imagery.

Traditional Mieng Keam served untraditionally. So elegant, and such a great entertainment idea.

Salmon Carpaccio kind of thing. Fresh, and succulent.

Oh, another dish to die for. Duck breast with Basil. I always thought the chinese do duck best, ...well, this is pretty darn good.

Lemongrass prawns. Like their other marine counterpart, the cockles, these prawns are equally succulent and sweet. They take great pride in sourcing the freshest ingredients, and the Chef goes to the market himself daily.

Deep fried grouper, ...almost in a dancing style.

I forget the names of the last few dishes, because I was already in a food coma, and was stuffed to the brim. I blame the bread.

Seriously, I cannot wait to return here for a full course dinner. Now, the bummer is, they will be closed for renovations from Feb 15 for a month, I hear. So do call them first before heading there. Oh, in any case, you need to reserve before hand, as I don't think you are likely to get a place as a walk in customer.

Details of the renovation closure can be found here on their website, together with any other information you may need.

Lou Sang Episode 3 - Golden Phoenix, Equatorial

2012-01-19T12:53:00.003+08:00

Some restaurants have been around forever. And Golden Phoenix at Equatorial is one of them. For those who love strolling down memory lane, you better stroll quickly, for the whole hotel will be closing it's doors at the end of March, to be torn down and rebuilt. While the Phoenix may rise from the ashes, it will be at least another 3 years before you can tantalize your palate with its offerings. Gasp, I will be close to half a century by the time the new Equatorial is ready.

But despair not, while the Dragon may herald the end of the Phoenix in its current form, there is still one last hurrah, and Chef Ng Chee Wah has put together traditional menus for the coming Chinese New Year.

I loved the tidbits of deep fried anchovies ( I think that's what it was), tossed in a fruit compote.

The signature Golden Prosperity Yee Sang, is different in that it has soft shell crab. Actually, judging by the number of times one partakes in Yee Sang during the season, it's a good thing that various restaurants have different takes on this dish, offering a nice variety.

Adorned with pine nuts, and their specialty chinese coin carved out of oranges, together with the special plum sauce, the Yee Sang is a lovely combination. Traditional choices of salmon, jellyfish and abalone are also available till 6th February, for lunch and dinner, with prices starting from RM58++.

The aforementioned "gold coin".

Roasted Chicken With Onions. Yes, there is a chicken underneath that rubble of onions. The onions are actually the highlight of this dish, aromatic, crispy, and imparting that glorious flavour to the simple chicken.

Braised Sea Asparagus, Black Moss with Lotus Root and Broccolli. When I was growing up, (as opposed to growing sideways), I don't recall ever eating sea asparagus. I wonder if it's a recent discovery.

Oh, this is what the naked chicken looks like without the onion make up. As the original dish was so overwhelmed by the onions, the professional photographers on the table requested another one without the garnishing.

Steamed Pomfret With Soya Sauce. Pomfrets are one of my favourite sea fish, so I was rather happy to have this dish. It was steamed perfectly, not overcooked, as is prone to happen at larger banquets.

Stir Fried Tiger Prawns Vietnamese Style. The tangy sweet sauce is actually a perfect accompaniment for white rice.

Fried Rice With Salted Egg and Diced Prawns. I wouldn't have minded some meat in the rice, but the salted egg, especially when you bite into the bits of yolk, does add a nice touch to the dish.

For desserts, glutinous dumplings (more like Tong Yuen served at the winter solstice) with ginger tea, (ah, the ginger tea was lovely. A bit searing at first gulp, but sends shivers of warmth to the body, and ginger expels wind). and pan fried nian gou with cheese. Cheese did I say? Well, to the cheese averse, it's a very subtle taste, and if it was not mentioned, only the VERY discerning could've picked it up. It lends a nice salty flavour to the sweet nian gao.

The menu above is the EARTH DRAGON Menu, and is RM1538++ per table of ten, and comes with a Chinese Tea Set. (as in, the crockery). Oh, the menu also includes a soup, which we skipped at lunch time. What kind of soup? Well, give them a call to find out.

There is also the Celestial Dragon set at 1338++ per table, and the Water Dragon at RM3838++ per table. Lest you keel over, it does come with abalone, lobster and all the other expensive Chinese delicacies.

Thanks to Carol of Equatorial for a lovely lunch.

Golden Phoenix Restaurant
Hotel Equatorial
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Tel : 03-2161 7777
Website : www.equatorial.com

LouSang No 2 at Chef Choi in 2012, A Feast Of Feasts

2012-01-17T23:18:00.005+08:00

Do you know that 10 minutes of reading time before an examination begins, where you're supposed to read the questions? That is like an eternity, because, it gives you an idea what lies in store, and whether or not the road ahead is going to be a struggle, or a breeze (though I have never experienced the latter)...and sometimes, the road ahead seems so insurmountable that you just want to stab yourself with the pen.

Well, it might not have evoked quite the same reaction, but certainly, when I read Chef Thye Seng's menu for the night, I thought WOW, that is A LOT of food. Insurmountable! Don't worry, he assures us, the pork knuckle is a very small portion.

Check out the cute lil angpow packets, picked specially from Hong Kong. Chef also made a profound remark, that the dish should be high after low. As in, after "low sang", the pile of stuff should remain high, because if the dish sinks, it means the vegetables/fruits were cut too early, and all the moisture had gone out during the toss. So, measure that mount of yee sang after your toss!

Did I say Chef Choi has an amazing variety of cuisine? It is not JUST a Chinese restaurant. This balsamic vinegar, wonderfully aromatic, is from that high class vinegar joint at O Gourmet, (I forget what it's called). But really, looking at the menu, WHO I ask, in their right mind, would want to eat bread regardless of how delicious the bread, olive oil and vinegar is? Well, all of us succumbed.

Grilled Sardine Fish, only because we were so lucky and Thye Seng had found fresh sardines in the market that morning. So don't expect it on the menu. Now, I have to admit that this is my first recollection of eating sardines that are not from a can. In fact, I wasn't even sure if Sardines referred to the method of preparation, (packed like sardines in the LRT), or the type of fish. It obviously refers to the type of fish. Fresh sardines are simply delicious, and simply grilled, really brings out the flavour of the fresh fish. Fish experts would know, looking at the eyeballs, that the fish is really fresh.

As if there wasn't enough decadence, a Moet courtesy of Boolicious....

Fettucine with crab and black truffle. I wonder how I will ever eat ordinary fettucine again.

Perfect al dente, and the gloriously subtle flavour infused by the truffle really sent shivers down my tingling spine.

Saucisson, Pork Loin and Shaved parmesan.

Home made pickled Zuchinni. Lovely way to eat Zuchinni. It has a lovely crunch, isn;t pickled so sour like a pickled cucumber.

The hidden Mickey in the Saucisson. The dried cured meats are lovely, and the pork loin, though the first bite didn;t make much of an impression, really grows on you.

Steamed kurau with white truffle. MY FAVOURITE FISH, steamed with TRUFFLE. Bliss on a plate. And such fresh kurau too. I said I found it rare for any restaurant to serve kurau, though the connoiseurs on the table said it was available at a few places.

Thye Seng demonstrates how heavy an 18 inch cast iron wok is, especially if you use wrist work to toss the wok. You need one strong wrist!!!

The modest sized pork knuckle (Yuen Tai), with the tender succulent meat falling off the bone. Layers of mouth watering artery clogging fat.

Braised Wah Wah Choy with scallops. The token vegetable dish.

Arghhhh, such delicious fried glutinous rice. Just thinking about it makes me salivate. Seriously, so so so good. Ta-pau-ed some little leftover, and the kids whacked it in 2 minutes.

The Makan Trio...

And the finale, that lap mei fan that was oh so so soooo good.

Thye Seng's special tiramisu. Ethereally light mascarpone with savioardi sponge fingers.

Perfectly manicured nails to model that yummy nian gou.

Chef Choi is another place to seriously consider if you want great food and great ambience, and easy parking, for CNY or reunion dinner.

Chef Choi Restaurant
159 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2163 5866

Thankie once again TS & CS for an earth shaking dinner!

My First Lou Sang for 2012, At Elegant Inn, Menara Hap Seng

2012-01-16T19:04:00.003+08:00

In a blink of an eye, almost exactly 2 years to the day, Providence smiled upon me again, when once again, Eu Hooi Khaw, that iconic food writer and makan fairy godmother, extended me an invite to once again dine at ELEGANT INN, in Menara Hap Seng. Checking out my previous post on Elegant Inn was very deja vu. Almost scary, to realise that two years had zipped by just like that.

Well, the main cast look no worse for wear, the proprietess, Jeannette Han, looks younger, and that handsome young chef, looks exactly the same. (if he looked any younger he'd have to don on a white shirt and olive green pants with a school badge). And of course, us, the guest, and Hooi Khaw, have been preserved in a time warp, and have not added a single wrinkle.

Jeannette had just gotten off the plane from an ingredient buying spree in Hong Kong, and regales us with culinary capers that make us salivate. I must have forgotten to take a picture of the peanuts, but she says there was once, the peanut supply was so inconsistent, her staff had to hand pick each nut, with a 60% rejection rate. Yes, she is THAT particular about the quality of food. So it is no surprise that our first Yee Sang of the year was perfect. No need to have the conundrum of jelly fish, abalone or ocean trout sashimi. She gives us all three, explaining that the jelly fish gives the crunch, the abalone gives that marine flavour, and the fish ...well, it isn't called YEE sang for nothing. No artificially colored artificial vegetables.

A high toss, encapsulating our dreams and aspirations for the coming year. Good health, good food, good fortune....good business.

Decadence takes on the form of pan seared foie gras with eggy goodness, a double dose of cholesterol, but so worth it.

Prawns signify the sound of laughter, Siew Ha Ha....gorgeous sea prawns fried "simply" in garlic, but SO good. Oh, the theme for the night according to Jeannette was "simple". I guess it's time to redefine words in my vocabulary, for nothing struck me as simple.

Chinese Sandwich. As opposed to a Gwai Lou sandwich I guess. Soft mantaus wrapping a piece of deep fried chicken skin, a piece of beancurd with prawn mash and hoi sin sauce. Lovely finger food.

My favourite for the night. Braised pork shoulder...actually it was a very unique cut, with bits of cartilage on, and utterly melt in the mouth, in a lovely gravy that has simmered with all the chinese new year good stuff, like oysters, etc.

See, I told you everyone still looks so good.

Traditional sweet and sour pork, but oh so good. I daresay this is the best non-iberico version I've ever tasted. The pork is crispy but moist, and Jeannette explains that she likes them in strips, not rolled, like some places.

The piece de resistance, the LAP MEI FAN, that pot of sheer utter goodness and decadence, the definite herald of Chinese new year. A hodge podge of waxed meats, with the juices melded into the fluffy rice. Anti Carbo Ciki abstained from the rice.

The token vegetable for the night, called Wa Wa choy.

To end the fabulous meal, nian gao, from Hong Kong. Different from ours, not so sticky, and this was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, almost dodol-ly, (which is a compliment).

Tong Yuen in red bean paste. I love red bean paste, and this one had hints of black glutinous rice, of course sourced from the very best source, ie, the black market.

And as a special treat, Malai kou, (Malay kueh).... soft, fluffy egg based steamed cake with egg custard. Yummy.

The good news is, Elegant Inn is opened throughout the Chinese New Year period. Do call them to check out the various set dinners available. A Warning though, the lap mei fan is NOT, I repeat, NOT available on New Year's Eve, ....I think that's what she said.

Thanks Jeannette once again for a fantastic meal! And of course to our Makan Fairy Godmother for the invite.

Elegant Inn
Second Floor
Podium Block
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2070 9399

Chinese New Year Treats by A Slice Of Heaven

2012-01-15T20:30:00.005+08:00

Donch know what to give your loved ones this Chinese New Year? Fret no morrrre! Check out the delectable selection by A SLICE OF HEAVEN and give you recipients a taste of heaven.

Ts & Cs are simple. Ordering is 4 working days in advance but there are instore items that people can purchase should they find that they haven't ordered. The hampers need to be ordered 4 working days in advance, and are not available for walk in customers.

The Scarlett (as in Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the wind) is a Valentine's Day bouquet of Roses for the thinking person to give to his beloved. In many ways, it appeals to the heart as well as to the practical mind of asians. Instead of spending RM100 on Red Roses (that's how much a few of them can cost on this most loving day) we made them out of Heavenly Chocolate Cupcakes so you could have your cake and eat it too. Literally.

8 Roses in our signature, moist, chocolatey, Heavenly Chocolate sit atop a glazed ceramic pot, decorated with organza ribbon. Only RM100. Delivery is available for RM30 to points within KL City. T&Cs apply.

TWG Teas at Sheraton Imperial

2011-12-07T10:49:00.008+08:00

That institution known as afternoon tea cannot be more British than the queen herself, I feel. (As in Queen Elizabeth). So much so, everytime I am invited for an ahfternoon tee, I will feel compelled to polish up my English speaking skills and find myself reciting Henry Higgin's "How kind of yooo tooo let me come". When Evelyn of Sheraton Imperial invited me for a Tiers of Heaven Afternoon Tea at the Pavilion Lounge with TWG Teas, I first reaction was to say, "Why, how kind of yooo to let me come".

A vast spread of sweets lay before us, but not before some fun and games.

TWG as actually stands for THE WELLNESS GROUP, and they have a wide array of teas...one of which I misread as the Geisha's Bosom, but it's actually Geisha's Blossom.

Did I mention fun and games? Yeah, we were given a treat on how to make your own Chocolate Christmas tree using just rice crispies and melted chocolate. An ingenious idea really. And you can actually use other things like corn flakes or anything that will hold the melted chocolate together. By creating panels, you can assemble the panels by stacking them into any shape.

My personal favourite was Cumi's creation, of Santa on a skateboard, atop a chocolate mountain. Strangely, that creation did not win one of the 5 prizes.

That nice French mademoiselle from TWG Teas had rushed in from the airport after a delayed flight, to brief us on TWG Teas. For that evenings tea party, we were treated to three particular blends, specially commissioned for Sheraton Imperial. A Creme Caramel, which actually had a sweet taste without the sweetness, an interesting concept actually, if one can infuse sweetness into one's brain without actually having to ingest sugar, which we all know is bad for you. A Grand Wedding black tea, which is more traditional, and strong. And finally, the Alexandria, more a herbaceous kind of tea, with a strong minty scent. Needless to say, after all that tea, one had to look for a pee stop.

If you enjoy your teas, do head over to Sheraton Imperial's Pavilion lounge for some sweet treats coupled with lovely teas.

The Perfect Cut With Adrian Richardson

2011-12-06T10:25:00.005+08:00

Let's get the Press Release stuff out of the way first:
Excerpts:

Chef Adrian Richardson is the owner and head chef of the successful and bustling La Luna, one of Melbourne’s best Mediterranean bistros in North Carlton, where he has been serving up clean, fresh and innovative food since 1999.

Chef Richardson’s passion for cooking and belief in “homemade and home-grown” is attributed to his upbringing from his family. His father was trained as a chef in England and France, and ran the Balzac, a legendary restaurant in East Melbourne. Similarly, his uncles were also chefs. He grew up eating Italian-Middle Eastern-North African cuisine dished up in an Italian household in Melbourne, with vegetables and fruits growing in the garden.

A regular face on television, Chef Richardson has appeared alongside Tobie Puttock and Jamie Oliver in Jamie’s Kitchen Australia. He is also one of the team of regular chefs on Ready Steady Cook, Fresh, Switching Lives and Good Morning Australia. The Asian Food Channel recently aired his hit television programme, Secret Meat Business between April to July 2011. In November, AFC will also air his latest show, Good Chef Bad Chef, which sees him playing the devil next to co-host Janella Purcell, a nutritionist.

Chef Richardson also has two cookbooks under his publishing belt, Meat and The Good Life, both of which are paeans to the virtues and benefits of knowing where your food comes from, as well as home cooking.

End Of Official Biodata

I love a good cut of steak, which was what made me excited at the thought of attending this AFC Event at the JW Marriott, with Celebrity Chef Adrian Richardson, invitation courtesy of Alice George PR. To be honest, I was not really a follower of his programs on TV, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Suffice to say, it was an afternoon well spent.

Adrian is exceedingly proud to be Australian, as we were reminded probably two hundred times through the show. He sounds distinctly Aussie, despite his very mixed ancestry, ranging from Egyptian to Italy. Sounds like some exotic fabric. He also spent a short time in Penang as a child, and regaled us with tales of how his job was to count satay sticks. (to the un-informed youth of today, in my youth, you paid for the satays that you ate, so that involved the counting of the sticks at the end of the meal, unlike today, where you order upfront by the number....ah good times, good times).

He tells us that he likes to keep his cuisine simple, because of the extraordinarily fresh produce available in Australia, and that his cooking was akin to a home cooked meal. Which is true. Simplicity did indeed rule the day.

To start off, we had Sauteed Calamari. Blink and you would have missed the entire thing. The secret to a fresh squid is its translucence. The more translucent it is, the fresher it is.

Quite similar to what we would do in a chinese tai chow actually. Hot flames, garlic, chilli, spinach leaves, (local spinach, aka Yuen Choi)

I love the way he tosses his thing.

Ta dah. Dish no 1 is served. Actually, it is delightfully simple, and rather tasty, IF you are a squid fan. Which I am. Then again, there isn't a lot that I don't eat.

Next up was lamb & spinach filo pie with labne, inspired by his Meditteranean and Middle Eastern roots.

The all essential olive oil. Tip : A good olive oil should be green.

He swears that the best lamb is from Australia, though I am SURE New Zealanders would beg to differ.

Again, he demonstrates his tossing skills...

This filo is like fabric, he says, to which someone said, "You can make edible underwear out of it". Oh, did I mention that the event was very entertaining? Gotta hand it to the Aussie, he certainly knows how to enrapture the audience.

A few tosses of the filling, a few brushes of butter onto the filo, tah dah, lamb pie. Oh, I got to sample some of the filling, which comprised Danish feta (supposedly the best fetah evah), currants, pine nuts, coriander leaves and mint leaves. It is a YUMMY combination. I got to preview it as I had the privilege of sprinkling salt and pepper into it for the the chef. [glazed starry eyed look of idolizing]

Actually, I loved this dish. The labne (a kind of yoghurt paste) complements the pie and the whole feta lamb combination works well.

Yummy insides

The next sequence of events was the most entertaining, and I am sure must have made some women blush. What is he blowing? Lamb's intestines, believe it or not. Care to kiss him afterwards?

He makes his own sausages this guy does. He said this, and I quote, "It's not a sausage unless you put it into something". I ask you, how can he NOT be entertaining.

He uses a caulking gun to fill his sausages, and calls upon two volunteers to demonstrate. The intestine is places on the head of the caulking gun, "not unlike the way you put something else onto you know what", he says.

The race is on, for the longest and thickest sausage. Pair no 1 had kinks and chunks of uneven sausage, whereas Pair no 2, which was Adrian and this hot chick, had lovely thick weiners, which led Adrian to declare to the other gentleman, "Mine is longer and thicker than yours, though you are taller".

But in the end, he cooks these tiny fellas.

The sausages are served with Tabbouleh, and aioli. Tabbouleh is a tangy refreshing middle eastern salad comprising mint leaves, parsley, cous cous in this case (or burgul wheat).

And for the main star, the PERFECT CUT.... he shows of his meat, a slab of Rib Eye, and a slab of Rump
Did he mention that he's from Australia?

Apparently that's the size of a typical steak he would serve in his restaurant.

Seared to perfection. There are various methods of ascertaining the done-ness of the steak, but the most fool proof way is to get one of Adrian's meat probes. It's available online.

Basically a meat thermometer, it's 35°C for rare, 45° for medium rare and 55° for medium...as you can see on the probe packaging.

This is SOOOOOOOOO GOOOOD, he proclaims. (Enter basket lift self)

Although he demo-ed rib eye, we were served fillets, or tenderloins, which are far less fat. :(
Sobs!
Nevertheless, it WAS perfectly done, and very tender. And most importantly, not drowned in sauce. I always believe that a nice cut of meat should not be encumbered by overpowering sauces.

Contrast our Jack Sprats cut with his wife's piece of Rib Eye here.

And finally, Creme Brulee, the definitive comfort dessert, He made it look so easy. The few times I've tried making it, it was like eating badly curdled sweet eggs. Drat.

Sigh, it was a choice of either bad white balance, and clear flame, or white balance with no flame.

Well, it did look rather perfect.

The one we got served wasnt caramelized enough. But tasted good and went well with the chocolate ice cream that was served.

That's Adrian and the celebrity chef. Hahahah. Oops, I mean me and Adrian. (no harm dreaming right)

Anyway, do watch out for his new program currently on AFC Channel 703 on Astro, Good Chef Bad Chef.

I am an Adrian Richardson fan now.

Thanks AFC and AGPR.

Le Cordon Bleu, Malaysia-Sunway, Institute Of Culinary Arts

2011-12-02T13:41:00.005+08:00

I guess if I wanted to apply to be a judge on a reality cooking show, I could theoretically say, "Ahem, I am Le Cordon Bleu trained". Thanks to Ming, who extended an invite to me for an afternoon workshop, with Chef Franck Bruwier who is a creative Chef who favors innovative classic French cuisine.

[Verbatim from the press release]
Through his international experience in U.S.A, Mexico, France ( a 3-Star Michelin restaurant) & and as chef instructor in le Cordon Bleu London, his last posting, he easily integrates different food cultures and traditions whilst maintaining the distinct feature of each recipe. He will be covering recipe such as, ‘Soupe a l’oignon gratinee - French Onion Soup and Magret de canard roti, pommes cocottes au lard et champignons a la graisse d’oie - Roast duck breast, potatoes with bacon and mushrooms cooked in goose fat’.and cakes for this coming festive period.

Okay, usually we show the certificate at the end, but this time, I shall show it at the beginning, and treat the rest of the post as a flashback....

It is definitely good news to us kitchen enthusiasts, who wish to enhance our culinary skills with french sounding credentials, as Le Cordon Bleu has now reached our shores, in Sunway University College. I felt young again, as I waded through the sea of young adults, all in pursuit of a higher education. Oh, hangon, I am young, what am I talking about.

Participants are given a goodie bag that include a chef's toque, an apron (that requires a phD to assemble), and recipes for day. Actually, it's not so much a recipe as an ingredient sheet, for you really have to be there to know what to do with 1kg of onions, 500ml chicken stock etc .

We were ushered into the swanky new kitchens, with warnings as we entered, DO NOT TOUCH THE HOT PLATE. Actually, it's a good thing they did warn us, for some reason, that hot plate was just calling out my name to place my hands on.

The ladies preparing to do battle, as they don on their armor.

Chef Franck Bruwier is animated, and captivates the audience with his instructions...we are assigned into teams of two, at each work station, and I am teamed with Cumi, or rather, I quickly sidled up to him, as I didn't really know anyone else, and I'm terribly shy.

The arrival of some VIPs who make a grand entrance...

As I mentioned, the apron really is quite complicated, and that gentleman in the front is still struggling with it.

Our first task was French Onion soup. Did not sound too difficult, and Chef demonstrates how to slice onions without looking, not something I'd recommend you do at home.

Next he demonstrates how to use a MANDOLIN. Innocuous looking enough, but can render quite bad cuts if not careful...

Cumi cautiously rolls his potato over the razor sharp blades of the mandolin. I have to say, Ciki is one lucky lady. Cumi is exceedingly organised and neat, and made me feel like a slob, with all my vegetables and peel all over the place.

This is the end result of using the mandolin...I think we forgot to use these potatoes, as at the end, I dont remember doing anything with it.

Check out the lethal weapon..

Datin Paulene is cut for the very first time, as you can see from the stained sheets. Actually, Cheffing (is there such a word?) can be quite dangerous. You're surrounded by sharp knives, hot flames, almost like fighting dragons.

Next was pan seared duck breast in goose fat. Look at that GLORIOUS BREAST!!! Plump, fat and makes you just want to sink your teeth in.

To accompany the breast, we also used some smoked duck, which is a remarkably close substitute for bacon.

Mmmm, so good, I could eat it on its own. One thing you have to give the French, the ingredients used are always excellent.

Cumi here is multi skilled, as he can photograph and do something else at the same time. Assisting our station was the tattooed east malaysian Chef Allan, who looks like he doubles up as a shaolin fighter in his spare time. You do NOT want to get into his bad books alone in a dark alley I swear. In addition to being well trained with the use of knives, as I said, he also looks like some martial arts proponent.

The breasts fits snugly into the pan....

As I was saying, he is very multitalented. Frying and shooting at the same time...

The seared breast resting on a grill, as the juices flow.

Magret de canard roti, pommes cocottes au lard et champignons a la graisse d’oie is the name of the dish we were preparing. These vegetables are sauteeing to make a sauce for the duck.

This is one instant when too many cooks do not spoilt the broth, but rather, enhance it.

Allan, me and Cumi. Actually Allan recognised me from the last issue of Flavours, and asked me if I was fattyboy...close nuff...

Champignons sauteeing in my favourite ingredient, butter.

And tah dah, our finished product. As time was running out, we did not have the time to plate our creations onto fine bone china, and dine there with a glass of wine. Instead, we were allowed to "ta pau" our duck and soup home. Sigh, there goes the glamour.

However, it did make a LOVELY dinner at home....the duck was juicy and tender, though I am sure it would have been much nicer when it was hot.

The French onion soup is REALLLY good, if I may say so myself. The sweetness from the caramelized onions is amazing, and its not a difficult dish to make, although time consuming. And honestly, quite economical as well.

Just look at that!

Read my workstation mate's account HERE.

Upcoming courses include:

7thDec 2011, Wednesday, and 9thDec 2011, Friday
10.00am- 12.30pm
RM300.00/Per day

Sweet temptations. Let your sweet tooth take you on a journey. It’s time to bake!
Financiers, Gateau Et Gateaux De Voyage “Financiers, Cakes and Pound Cakes”
.Quatrequart the vertet aux pamplemoussesconfits
Green tea pound cake with comfit grapefruit
.Weekend au citron
Lemon pound cake
.Pain d’épices
Ginger bread
.Financiers
Small almond cakes

CONTACT:
Sunway Le Cordon Bleu
Institute of Culinary Arts
Mail: 5, JalanUniversiti,
Bandar Sunway,
46150 PetalingJaya,
Selangor DarulEhsan,
Malaysia

Email:lecordonbleu@sunway.edu.my
Phone: +603 5632 1188

Flavours Of Chile

2011-12-01T12:17:00.006+08:00

Chile, to hear how its said, click HERE. Although phonetically, it seems to be spelt as chill lee, actually its more like how a Singaporean would say, chill. ie, Chill Leh....

Fascinating doesn't even begin to describe this country. 4300 km long, (vs our little peninsula here which is 740km from north to south...lets see, that's around 6 times longer! Wow, talk about length!), probably stretching over several climate types, thus having the best of all worlds, sea, snow, desert even, (the world's driest desert is in Chile, for those of you who failed your geography), the ATACAMA desert. Fortunately, this was not a geography lesson or a test, but a chance to savour the culinary delights of this wonderful country. With such diverse range in climate, they probably have everything from durian to penguins.

It was a lovely evening soiree, at the Westin Kuala Lumpur, hosted by ProChile and the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia. ProChile(Chilean Export Promotion Bureau) is a trade delegation of 15 Chilean firms which hopes to establish business relations with Malaysian companies. The video presentation, which was short and sweet, tantalized our mental palates, and really puts Chile on the list of MUST GO TO destinations. Hopefully air travel between here and there will be be more affordable.

While waiting for dinner, we mingled around and sipped a lovely cocktail that tasted like a fizzy margarita, very lethal.

We were all seated amongst familiar faces in the media table.

While texting on the phone with a friend, he asked me, so, what is the national dish of Chile? Judging by the way the women on the table were going ga-ga when he appeared on screen, I'd say the national dish is Chilean Chef Carlo von Mühlenbrock .

Ruggedly handsome, some described him as a cross between Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp. His screen persona was riveting, as he explained to us in that exotic Chilean accent the dishes that were being prepared for the night.

For starters, we had cheese turnover with merken seasoning, sopaipillas with Chilean avocado dip and Chilean croaker and clam tartare. Anticipating many other culinary delights to come, we didn't want to fill ourselves with carbo, although this oven baked tortilla bread with Chilean tomato dip was absolutely delicious. (pic above).

Nothing like a good buz from a Vina Santa Carolina Savignon Blanc. Crisp and refreshing, and totally suitable with the next course.

Quinoa Timbale with avocado and Chilean King Crab. I told you, they have all KINDS of produce! The king crab was sweet and succulent, similar to the alaskan and hokkaido king crab, and from equally cold waters I'm sure. The crunch from the quinoa, the tangy sauce, the chewiness of the crab was a real treat to the senses.

We had on our table celebrity bloggers.

Pablo Neruda's Conger Eel Chowder. I don;t know what I feel about eel, generally, but this eel, wow! Tastes like scallop. And the chowder, a clear broth, together with the seafood in the bowl, was simply sublime. There was a wholesome heartiness about this dish, and considering it was a banquet hall, great care had been taken to ensure none of the seafood was overcooked etc.

The term Conger eel suddenly reminds me of the song, CONGA....
Come on, shake your body baby,do the Conger
I know you can't control yourself any longer

Now, what sets HER apart from your regular bloggers who blind their fellow diners with the flashes, and keep the table waiting while every dish is photographed, is this girl SKETCHES all the pictures of her food! How remarkable is that!

Smoked Salmon & mussels with coriander spiced barley. Again, I am not a fan of cooked salmon, but this was done to perfection, and honestly, hats off to the Westin crew for being able to pull this off on such a large scale. A slight local twist with our local beansprouts as a garnish. The mussels were fresh, and juicy. The fish was served with a Vina Cono Sur Pinot Noir.

I guess there is no shame in taking pictures with celebrities.

For dessert, southern Chile berries sorbet with fresh fruit, a most refreshing end to a lovely meal. The tangy sorbet with those two biscuits that look like macarons, but are not.

Not all men are created equal, some got their desserts with that crown of caramelized sugar threads.

With the dessert, a dessert wine called Late Harvest.

This sketch from Haze subsequently earned her a mention in the CHILEAN newspapers as well! Sigh, such talent.

Everyone wants a piece of the Chef.

Special thank you to Marian Eu for inviting me for this lovely event.

Read CIKI's post on this HERE.

The Fellowship of the Pigs... at Chef Choi(the sequel to Hairy Crabs)

2011-11-30T10:29:00.004+08:00

This is the 2nd part of the same dinner....Read the prequel HERE.

In the previous episode of Hairy & Available, (in that deep narrator tone you get on TV Series), Hairy Crabs and their questionable sexuality....

Now here's a tail of the little pig, who built his house with straw.

I'm exhausted, he proclaims, from all that hard work......

Friends, Chinamen, Countrymen, lend me your ears...it's apparently the best part, after the tail.

Glorious glorious iberico suckling pig, crispy crackling, roasted over a spit for hours. This little pig, weighing 4.5kg, cost RM1,100-00. It may sound shocking, but don't forget, the Iberian Pig is the Wagyu equivalent of pigs.... they feed on gold lined acorns, from the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. How will we ever go back to eating the common pig after feasting on such porcine paradise. Melt in the mouth goodness.

Barbeque baby back ribs, from another Iberian pig. Now, at first sight, it might look bony and not much flesh, but boy, can looks deceive. The meat is sublimely tender, and just the right amount of fat, and with Chef Choi's (actually its Chef Thye Seng) amazing barbecue skills and seasoning, this is one of the nicest barbeque ribs I've ever sampled.

A luxurious take on a wholesome home made favourite, steamed mince pork. Everyone asked, "with ham yue ah?" (with salted fish?). But that would have been sacrilegous. The pure flavour of the pork, with a little added crunch from the water chestnuts, is simply beyond description. I could just eat this, with a bowl of good rice, and be in 7th heaven.

To break the piggy routine, Chef Thye Seng threw in some pigeon for us. I'm not sure if these were flown in (as in, after they were killed), or local, or flown in and then slaughtered here, but whatever its origins, it was delicious. Pigeon actually tastes more like tender duck than chicken, to me.

Braised pork with asparagus and XO Sauce. Simple, effective and gorgeous. You can't seem to go wrong with this pork, but I think the Chef's vision really amplifies the unique texture and taste of the Iberico black pig.

A few things sprang to mind, when we saw this:
Hey chicks, don't lose your heads
Let them eat cake, Marie says to Anne

When I first saw sweet and sour Iberico pork, my first thought was, ARGH, what a travesty! But I tell you, this is one bomb of a sweet and sour pork. Excellent, and I wish I could have more.

The most amazing tou miew. Cooked to perfection, and so plump. One excellent reason to dine here is the passion into which the owners pour into sourcing the best of ingredients. They themselves love food, so even down to the minutest detail, such as vegetables, the choicest pick of the crop.

And finally (bear in mind we also had the Hairy Crabs in the same meal, so I was really slipping into a food coma by now), red bean paste with 18 Yr old mandarin peel. What? 18 yr old? Apparently, people keep mandarin peel as old as 60 years, but those are for medicinal purposes. 18 years is still a long time, ours doesnt even last 18 days before its all gone. So take note, start keeping your mandarin peel from the next Chinese Year, and it'll be good to go in....2029. I will be 63. I hope I can sell off my stock for retirement.

So what exactly does the 18 Yr Old Mandarin Peel do? I am not quite sure really, but there is a very subtle, yet definitive taste of the peel, a bit bitterish, which complements the smooth sweet red bean paste. Definitely something for the connoiseurs to savour.

I cannot thank CS & TS enough for their kind invitation. The food at Chef Choi from the few times I've been has always been par excellence! What a privilege!

Chef Choi Restaurant
159 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2163 5866

Aman Rimba, A Gem A Stone's Throw Away From KL

2011-11-21T11:51:00.008+08:00

The great thing about living in a developing country is, well, it's always developing. Which means we can look forward to new discoveries, new frontiers, new holiday destinations, etc. Of late, (as in the last few years), there seem to be a proliferation of private holiday villas springing up all over the place, and there is no longer a shortage of places to go if you needed a quick break.

When Pure Glutton invited me to check out Aman Rimba, in Janda Baik, I was thrilled, coz I love that area, and the nearby Bukit Tinggi hamlet where time stood still. After looking at the WEBSITE, I was even MORE excited at the thought of visiting.

The great thing about Janda Baik is how CLOSE it is to KL, with the superior network of highways. It took us around 40 minutes to get there. Janda Baik is a predominantly Malay Reserve enclave, located just after Genting Sempah, and seems to be a favourite locale for outward bound type camps, and places for motivational camps etc.

First things first...upon arrival, we were greeted by a DELICIOUS home cooked lunch. Dwellers can opt to include meals in their package, and they offer a wide range of cuisine, with a chef for the corresponding cuisine. For lunch, we had fare that had a Kelantanese bias, which was so totally appetizing that I think I ate my quota of rice for a week. The fresh ulams with the divine sambal belacan, and sambal machang. Machang is a quinine like fruit, very aromatic and fibrous, that makes a lovely chutney like sambal.

Ayam masak hitam, Pucuk Paku, Curry With brinjals and Assorted Vegetables, Mango Kerabu..all these dishes just cry out for rice!

The Machang Sambal.

We were then invited by the owners, Sabri and Wati, for a short briefing at the common area. What really wow-ed me, and I'm sure everyone there, was the inspirational story of this couple, who had taken under their wing 20 or so young children, and sponsored, and molded them to become fine adults, by way of education and exposure. The story can be found in their website, the YOUNG ACHIEVERS CLUB. Those blessed lucky Malaysian youth, regardless of color or creed, were "adopted" by this warm, generous and magnanimous couple, treated as their own, and endowed with the gifts imparted to them, have all grown up to be successful individuals. I remarked that Encik Sabri should be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Having a family of 20 or so children forced them to look for larger space for weekend getaways, so essentially that spawned the birth of Aman Rimba to its current day form.

Special mention is one of their foster children, obviously very entrepreneurial, has set up an online shopping without boundaries service online, whereby you can order almost anything from London, bringing Oxford street to your doorstep. Check out the website at www.shopship.com. IF YOU ORDER BEFORE 30th November 2011, shipping is free. Just in time for those Christmas presents!

The various individual villas had been added on gradually, though the main house, SIREH, was built for the Sabri family themselves. It is a gorgeous kampung style house, on stilts, with a generous living room, and to die for bedroom. Cumi & Ciki were the lucky residents of the day.

Sireh, the main villa of Aman Rimba....

Antique sewing machine adorn the Sireh house.

The grounds, sprawling over a few acres, are a perfect retreat. Aman, or tranquility and peace, is an apt descritpion of the place. A lone cockatoo chirps, "APA KHABAR?" everytime you walk past.

Melded into the foliage, are several public toilets called Luv A Tree ...

I missed it, because I was standing at a wrong angle, but the two black swans actually made a heart shape with their necks...how romantic is that. Actually, the cool mountainous weather of Aman Rimba coupled with the love that is in the air, it makes a great place for a honeymoon, or honeymoon like activities...unfortunately you cannot rent individual villas for a quickie getaway. Did I say quickie? I meant quick.

The Machang Tree....I imagine you can make really good chutneys and jams with this fragrant fruit.

Speaking of luck of the draw, we got the Kantan Villa, which is two huge semidetached villas, overlooking the pond...

Swans are monogamous, and mate for life, apparently. That white swan in the yonder was recently widowed. (All say awwwwwwwwww)....

The love ducks....

Behold, Kantan 1...

The very happy campers, with our generous steamboat and Korean BBQ spread.

Korean BBQ

Steamboat

A lovely breakfast of nasi lemak awaited us in the morning.

Me and the friendly staff and chef of Aman Rimba. The service is excellent, the staff conversant, helpful, and friendly.

Beyond the gates of Aman Rimba, a babbling brook runs parallel, and the more adventurous amongst us did go for a dip in the refreshing waters.

Actually, in rainy season, that babbling brook can be quite a screaming stream. Apparently the day before we arrived, it broke its banks and overflowed to the road.

The road less travelled......

The main "lobby" area, which is suitable for conferences, brainstorming sessions, etc. It is fully equipped with big screens, projectors, etc.

The adjoining plot of land which is now used to plant vegetables and herbs both for Aman Rimba, and for the owners' restaurant, Kelantan Delights.

Aman Rimba is really a paradise; although the price tag of RM5,500 per day might sound shocking, it can accommodate up to 20 people for that price, so it works out to about RM275/head, but if you go on weekdays, it could be cheaper. They actually can fit a maximum up to 30 people, but that would mean no privacy for the amorous...but suitable for families.

Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.. I wish I can go back to Aman Rimba soon.

Hairy & Available, For A SHORT TIME Only, At Chef Choi

2011-11-16T13:33:00.004+08:00

Once a year, they come. Much like a frigid woman.

They adorn the posters of all worthy Chinese restaurants, inviting clients to come and sample their hairy legs, and suck out their delicious insides.

This one comes modestly wrapped under a blanket.... as if to tantalize and seduce....

She says, "Sorry, I'm tied up at the moment"...(did I steal your line, Ciki?)

Ah, the sheer bliss and esctasy of the roe. Or is it sperm? Okay, the debate raged as to whether or not these were male or female crustaceans, since both are hairy anyway. A certain appendage distinguishes the male from the female, and Chef Tai Sim insists this was male, though our hostess CS insisted otherwise. We'll take the word of the chef....so, if Sebastian here is male, ... then what are we eating?

Apart from his sweet succulent flesh, that is....

These bits of sinful goodness...that rich creamy whatever, that melts in your mouth, and slides down your throat as you go through spasms of delight. Due to lack of consensus as to the sexuality of the crab and whether it was sperm, or roe, we decided to call it HE-ROE.

Check out those succulent legs with tender meat and the hairy arms, or pincers.

Now, this elevates noodles to dizzying new heights...

Even higher than this fork is doing....

Seriously, this Braised Ee Fu Noodles with hairy crab meat (that's "HAIRY CRAB" - meat, not "HAIRY" crab meat), is to die for. That natural creamy goodness from the roe, tossed into the springy ee fu noodles, cooked to perfection, with that oh so sweet crab meet, sublime. I could just eat this and be be happy.

Now, as time is of the essence, and these Hairy babies are here but for short time, and will be gone, I can assure you, before the next General Election, hurry over to CHEF CHOI, at

Chef Choi Restaurant
159 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2163 5866

This is but PART of the fabulous meal we had...will post more on the Fellowship of the Pig

Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows With Susur Lee

2011-11-14T15:36:00.004+08:00

He kind of reminds me of a Red Indian Chief. If he was, he would probably be named Dances With Woks or something like that. The great thing about these Hennessy XO Appreciation events, that I've come to appreciate (ironically, as the name implies), is the constant surprise thrown at us, in the various celebrity chefs that grace our sunny shores.

Chef Susur Lee is honored as one of the "Ten Chefs of the Millennium", and dubbed as an "improvisational artist and culinary genius" by restaurant reviewers and international critics alike. Alas, I fall into neither category, just someone who enjoys eating, and writing....oh, and occasionally, drinking.

This time the event was held at the Live Centre, that white building at the corner of Sultan Ismail and Jalan P Ramlee. Strange choice of venue, I thought. Hennessy XO and Moet Hennessy Diaego spare no expense to make their guests feel special, starting with the free valet parking.

The entire area used for the event is draped in their signature black, and the various partitioned rooms are used for different functions. There is the holding room, and reception area, followed by "the tour", encompassing a video and narration on Hennessy XO, (I hope one day they'll bring us on a REAL tour, not just the virtual one), and the process of making the Extra Old cognac. The new nugget I gleaned from this round of lessons is that cognac starts off its life as a clear liquid. The brown comes from the barrelling etc.

The glamour crowd resplendently dressed to the nines.

Bottles of Hennessy XO everywhere you turn. There's such a high society feel, when one sips the lovely cognac and indulge in idle chit chat.

I personally like my cognac on the rocks, with no added water. There is no correct way to drink this really.

To the usual fare and pomp, dinner is announced. The emcee, Will Quah, is fast becoming a familiar face.

Now, quite honestly, one never knows WHAT to expect, with all these fancy chefs, and fancy dishes, that are usually unpronouncable. To start, we had the SASHIMI EXQUISITE, a delicate oceanic tantalizer of fresh sashimi with lightly frizzled wraps, topped with crest, paired with sea urchins in a rich edamame sauce. Wow! A real treat for the palate this dish. Every item was super fresh, and sea urchin was such a treat. The sauce was so good that we could see many people trying to spoon all the sauce. If it were not impolite to do so, I'd have just tipped the plate into my mouth and drank up the sauce. The lovely bits of edamame added an extra zing to the whole marine dish.

Now what came next was a total surprise. A brilliant SAND ARTIST, drawing a canvass of sand while a narrator had a running commentary on the history of Hennessy, its arrival in Penang etc. Sheer brilliance. At first, we thought it was a video, but it was actually live.

This brilliant sand artist guy, I am truly in awe. I doubt he comes cheap, so you can forget about getting him for your kid's birthday party.

ALLURE OF THE ORIENT - Basically deconstructed Sang Har Mee, but SOOOOO GOOOD! Cantonese wok fried king prawn, served with steamed pumpkin in savoury tomato jam. All of us polished our dishes, esp Alison, who is a Sang Har Mee fan. Problem is, where can I try this again?

QUESO AMBROSIA - Sumptuous Mexican Goat's cheese art baked with jalapenos and red capsicum garnished with minced duck sausages. Susur really marries the ingredients from East to West. I was honestly surprised at the puff pastry, which was still warm, light and fluffy, despite the mass production. In Malaysia, you'll be lucky to get puff pastry that isnt a distant relative of leather, when eating individual portions, let alone at a big shindig like this. The tart worked really well, the buttery puff pastry totally complementing the tangy goat's cheese. Gorgeous.

The upper echelons of MHD, showing of the limited edition Methusalem. (a huge 6 litre bottle).

I opted for the Tenderloin Ardour, grilled to "amorous" perfection, described in the menu, served with eggplant polenta cake in rich chu hou sauce. It was very good, but I should have opted for the Sable Sensation, which was ...

A lush palate of titillating flavours in this fusion of specially marinated sablefish and radish cake, served with miso mustard and chinese mui choi. I had a small morsel of this from Alilfatmonkey, and it was truly sublime. Drat!

Famous blogger Wei Zhi (Kgboycitygal) in her virgin attempt at using the pipette to extract the precious nectar from the Mathusalem.

Panna Cotta Serenade - Sweet creamy vanilla panna cotta together with a fruity symphony of raspberry, pineapple and passion fruit coulis. Lovely, light and refreshing and a perfect end to a perfect meal. Oh, with lots of free flow Hennessy XO I might add.

At the end, Susur greets the guests, and he really comes as a nice friendly fellow, with no airs and no pretensions. He the man! I believe he will be opening a restaurant in Singapore, so hopefully we'll get to try more of his dishes.

Thanks to them at MILK PR for extending the invitation, and thank you to Moet Hennessy Diaego for a lovely event.

Kelantan Delights, Wisma Consplant, Subang Jaya

2011-11-10T11:01:00.003+08:00

I don't know how many of you are old enough to remember that the KLCC food court used to have this warong (the first one on the left as you ascended the escalator) called Kelantan Delights. I used to love the place because it was not easy to find nasi dagang those days, and I love nasi dagang. Be it the colorful Kelantanese or the pure white Terengganunian version. And Kelantan, such a microcosm; I find the Kelantanese people to be friendlier and warmer than the rest of the peninsula, even in school, and very entrepreneurial. In fact, all the "millionaires" from my batch in school hail from that region.

Eventually the warong moved from the food court to a proper restaurant somewhere in KLCC, and I haven't visited since. I know they also opened a branch in Sooka Sentral, and has a reputation of attracting who's who of Malaysian society. Once when I was in Sooka, at another outlet, the place had been cordoned off because TDM was visiting.

Well, I didnt know they had such a HUGE outlet in Wisma Consplant, and thanks to Pure Glutton, we were invited to try out the place. The wait staff are very impressive, all conversant in English, and very knowledgeable about the items on the menu.

To start, we had these traditional Kelantanese sweets, something like Bahulus with Gula Nisseh.

Keropok lekor. The chewy kind. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Very fragrant too, and truth be told, would have been the perfect accompaniment for (GASP), beer. Alas, I don't think that combination was available here.

Sireh Daun Kadok - a bit of a misnomer, since sireh and kadok really are two different leaves. This dish is similar to their Thai cousin, the Mieng Keam. Perhaps the slight variation is in the sauce, but blindfold me, and I would not be able to tell the two apart. Afterall, Kelantan does border Thailand.

Their special version of Teh Tarik, which is called teh 3 lapis or something like that.

My folded Sireh Daun Kadok. I love this dish, its probably quite healthy, and absolutely delicious.

We have here Pureglutton and Ipoh Celebrity Blogger, who after posing for the picture, decided he was shy.....

The Puyoh Goreng was well seasoned, and also crispy on the outside, while moist and tender and succulent inside. It's a perfect accompaniment for white rice actually. There's something rabidly fascinating and primal about chomping down a whole bird. Reminds me of V, the miniseries.

Nasi Kerabu, such a gorgeous shade of blue from the dye extracted from the Clitoria (Bunga Telang). Nasi Kerabu is laborious work, that requires shredding of the raw vegetables with surgical precision and fine-ness.

The Nasi Kerabus come with a choice of beef or chicken. The beef is almost like a jerky. Gamey and chewy.

Nasi Tumpang - You can read about the origins of it here, from famed Masak Masak's blog. The rice is wrapped into a cone, for ease of transport. It is layered, and is a rather intriguing way of presenting rice.

Ah, nasi dagang. What can I say? This is the golden standard.

Siakap done either with Kadok leaves, or Serai, (Lemongrass below). The fish is deep fried before it is soaked with the sauces that burst forth into a kaleidescope of flavours.

Oh, we had each ordered our own mains, and I chose, based on the friendly waiter's recommendation, nasi gulai kawah. Judging from the exciting flavours of my fellow diner's choices, I felt I had opted for the healthiest item on the menu. Ulams, grilled kembong, and budu, the Kelantanese fish sauce. I can't really complain, as I love ulams, and the budu was vintage!

Tomyam Kelapa Muda. Spicy Tom Yam soup, cooked in young coconut. I always welcome a bowl of hot, spicy and tangy tom yam. Chock full of ingredients, one can get full on this soup alone.

Laksam, ...with an interesting noodle that is similar to chee cheong fun.

Belud with Fried Chillies. Belud is a snake like fish, presumably an eel of sorts.

Squid for dessert? Now there's a new one. Ketupat sotong. Rice stuffed into squid, in a sauce that is both savoury, sweet and spicy. I have to say this is probably my new "Dish of the Year", as in, something I've never had before. I actually wouldn't mind eating this for what it is, not necessarily as a dessert.

Lopes, something like deconstructed Onde Onde, whereby you pour the gula melaka onto the dumplings. Can't really go wrong here if you like Malay/Nyonya style kuehs. That sticky dumpling, with the fragrant gula melaka.

Pulut Durian. Again, like its Thai cousin, except our local durians are so much nicer. Swimming in a pool of santan, (coconut milk), a blob of glutinous rice with fresh durians. I can't think of a nicer combination.

The royal plate, comprising famed Kelantanese delicacies like tahi itik, (duck's poop), Akok, Jala mas (golden net), and apam. The duck's egg is separated into white and yolk, deriving different desserts from each.

Such a fascinating loom of golden threads.

The backdrop showing the famous Kota Baru market.

A special thanks to Encik Ashari who took such good care of us, and to Pureglutton for the invite. For other reviews, check out Pureglutton's Blog.

Kelantan Delights
Ground Floor, East Wing
Wisma Consplant 1
No.2 Jalan SS16/4
Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-5590-2753/019-217-4774 (Intan Razak)

Mark McEwan, Heat It Up

2011-10-31T12:57:00.004+08:00

When Oliver Ellerton of Ritz Carlton asked me if I would like to come watch this AFC Celebrity Chef chappie, I thought why not, afterall, it is my dream to be a celebrity chef, so I might as well watch and learn. Unfortunately, I have been watching more CSIs and Miniseries, rather than AFC, so like a wayward student, I am digressing from my mission, and therefore in the process, I have to sheepishly admit that I'd never really heard of Mark McEwan.

He appears on the program called HEAT IT UP.

A room full of press people, watched intently as he explained the dishes. He hails from Toronto, and has a number of restaurants there.

Risotto with Sweet Corn and Shrimp
Serves 4
Ingredients
Risotto
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 ¼ cup carnaroli rice
½ cup white wine
1litre chicken stock at a simmer
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tbsp butter
1 cup blanched sweet peas
3 tbsp sweet pea purée
Salt and pepper to taste
15 pieces of shrimp sliced in half lengthwise

Creamed Corn
10 ears of corn, cleaned and steamed until tender
1 cup milk
1 cup cream (25%)

Method:
1. To make the risotto, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions,
salt lightly and sweat, stirring frequently so that the onions do not brown.
2. After 5 or 6 minutes when the onions begin to wilt, add the garlic and cook a minute longer. Then add
the rice and stir well to coat with the oil, add more oil if necessary.
3. Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the grains of rice becomes translucent then deglaze with
wine.
4. When the wine has been reduced to syrup, add ½ cup of the hot stock and stir it. Once thickened,
add another ¼ cup stock, stir, and then season lightly. Continue until the rice is nearly cooked and the
stock is nearly finished.
5. To make the cream corn, after steaming the corn until tender, cool and remove kernels from cobs. Set
aside 1¼ cups of kernels. Cook the rest of the corn and the cobs in milk and cream for an hour on low
heat.
6. Remove the cobs from the corn cream mixture and purée, adding cream as needed. Then season to
taste with salt and pepper.
7. To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer
for 15 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, then whisk in butter, piece
by piece.
8. Purée the mixture with a hand blender and then pass through a strainer into a double boiler or a clean
pot, then add salt to taste and froth with frothing wand if desired.
9. To serve the dish: Add the shrimp to the risotto three minutes before plating. When the shrimp is
cooked, add the reserved kernels and corn puree as needed. Then fold in your cheese and butter.

Note: Due to religious sensitivities, no grapes were hurt during the preparation of this dish, nor was any wine used.

The risotto was actually rather delicious, and it really did not seem very difficult to make. The important thing to do is not to stir the mixture too much, and continuously add the stock to the rice.

Recipe 2
Orata alla Griglia con Capperie Menta
Grilled Sea Bream with Capers and Mint
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 whole sea bream (each about 1lb/500g), cleaned, scaled and heads removed
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp combined minced oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley
2/3 olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¼ loaf focaccia
3 tbsp salt-packed capers, soaked, rinsed and drained
½ cup torn mint leaves
1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 lemon, cut into eighths

Method:
1. Fillet the sea bream with the tail still attached, as if it were on a hinge. Then make 3 parallel
slashes about ¼-inch deep in the skin of both sides of the fillet.
2. Rub a generous pinch of salt into each incision, then open the fish and season the inside
with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the minced herbs with 4 tsp of the olive oil and massage the inside of each fish with it.
Reassemble the fish and set aside in the refrigerator.
4. In a skillet over low heat, gently sweat the garlic in ½ cup of the olive oil until it wilts.
Meanwhile, with your fingers, pull crouton-sized morsels of focaccia from between the
crusts until you have about ½ cup.
5. Remove the garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard it. Raise heat to mediumlow,
add the focaccia, and cook for five minutes or until the croutons are crisp on all sides.
With a slotted spoon, remove the croutons to a plate, salt lightly and set aside. Allow oil to
cool to room temperature.
6. Pre-heat the grill on medium heat. Oil the grill with the remaining olive oil, place the fish on
the grill at an angle, rotating them after 2 to 3 minutes to cross-hatch them. After another 2
to 3 minutes, carefully flip them over.
7. Cook the second side, without rotating for about 4 minutes. Arrange the fish cross-hatched
side up on 4 warm plates to rest and set aside.
8. In a bowl, combine the reserved garlic-crouton oil with the capers, mint, parsley, and
chives, toss well. Spoon the mixture over the fish. Top each fish with a few croutons and 2
wedges of lemon.

If you noticed, this dish had all the ingredients from Scarborough Fair. Parsley sage, rosemary and thyme.

Cooking fish to me is an insurmountable task. In addition to the requirement that the fish needs to be utterly fresh, and free of that fishy smell, and mercury, I suppose, there's the risk of overcooking, undercooking, etc. So yeah, I dare say I am afraid to cook fish.

Mark making Gnocchi, which he makes look so effortless and easy.

Gnocchi di Ricotta con Salsa al Pomodoro
Ricotta Gnocchi with Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
Ingredients
2lb (1kg) ricotta (preferably buffalo)
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2/3 cup (150ml) all-purpose flour, plus
additional for dusting
½ tbsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Grated zest of ½ lemon
1 batch heirloom tomato sauce
2 tbsp butter, preferably whipped
1 top-quality burrata (about 8 oz/250g)
2 tbsp fine olive oil
12 basil leaves, torn

Method:
1. To make the gnocchi, rinse a cheesecloth under cold running water, then squeeze it dry and line
a large strainer with it. Place the strainer over a bowl and add the ricotta. Then cover and
refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, discard the drained liquid, wipe the bowl dry and tip in the thickened ricotta. Press
down on the centre of the mound to form a well.
3. Add the egg and egg yolk and gently mix it into the ricotta with your hands, lifting the mixture then
letting it tumble between your fingers.
4. Sift the flour over the mixture, then add the salt, pepper, and lemon zest; gently mix together, if it
feels wet and sticky, add more flour.
5. Flour a work surface then roll the dough into a log about 2.5cm wide, working in batches. Flour a
knife and trim the end of the log at an angle. Maintaining that angle cut the roll into equal pieces
about 2.5cm long. Then transfer the gnocchi to a lightly floured baking sheet.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a vigorous boil. Add the gnocchi and stir very gently to
prevent them from sticking. After about 2 minutes, when the gnocchi floats to the surface, remove
them with a slotted spoon to a lightly oiled baking sheet to cool.
7. To make the tomato sauce, blanch the tomatoes for 60 seconds then shock them in ice water
and peel. Quarter them and remove their cores and seeds. Set the tomatoes aside.
8. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sweat the onion in the olive oil until it becomes translucent.
Add the garlic, stir for one minute, then deglaze with the white wine.
9. When the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes and simmer for no more than 7 minutes, breaking
their flesh apart with a wooden spoon as they cook.
10. Add the basil and season lightly.
11. To assemble, use either a large skillet or sauté pan on medium-high heat, bring the tomato sauce
to a simmer. Add the cooled gnocchi and stir very gently to cover them with the sauce.
12. Once heated, gently stir in the butter and divide the gnocchi and sauce among warm plates or
pasta bowls. Tear the burrata into bite-sized pieces and then divide equally them among the
servings.
13. Garnish each plate with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter with basil.
Substitution: If you are unable to get burrata, then substitute it with 1 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano or Pecorino Romano.

I asked if there was a substitute for ricotta, which is an expensive ingredient here. If I am not mistaken, a 250gm tub in the supermarket is around RM15, so 1kg worth would be RM60. That's mighty a lot to pay for carbs. Not to mention the OTHER cheeses that go in as well, like Buffalo, or Pecorino Romano. Not a dish for the austere, I can tell you.

Although he seemed a bit on the serious side, he is actually quite accommodating and friendly.

Oh, how was the gnocchi? Gnocchi gnocchi? Who's there?

It was good and not stodgy.

Do tune in to AFC to catch Mark McEwan.

Goku Raku Ramen, Mid Valley

2011-10-18T13:21:00.006+08:00

Kids these days have it good, because there is such a wide variety of foods available, everywhere. When I was growing up, the idea of eating in a Japanese restaurant was about as strange as the thought of coloured TV. I remember my FIRST ever japanese restaurant, I think it was Daikuku or something like that, in bangunan antarabangsa, for my dad's birthday. (He paid, obviously). We were spell bound, by the teppenyaki chef doing his culinary acrobatics.

So yeah, kids these days have it good. They even know what and how to order in a Japanese restaurant. But even luckier still, is the fact that prices are so competitive these days, and you can get (arguably, I know, esp if John Ishii is reading this), rather good chow for reasonable prices. I remember circa 1993, when I watched this Japanese arty ...almost porny, flick, called Tampopo, about this man's quest for the perfect ramen. Interspersed with some rather kinky (by the standard of the day) love scenes, (which till today I am unsure how it ties into the story as a whole), one was left drooling at the end of the movie, with an unquenchable desire for RAMEN. And hey, back in 1993, Kuala Lumpur wasn't exactly Little Tokyo. In fact, it was only about 10 years earlier that MacDonald's opened their first outlet in Yow Chuan Plaza. (where, I hear the young ones ask)

I digress. So till today, I have a penchant for Ramen, and always scour the menu for its availability. Recently, many Ramen places, Halal and Ha-Ramen have sprouted. It is no longer uncommon to get ramen with pieces of pork. One such place where this is available is Goku Raku Ramen in Mid Valley Megamall, on the 2nd floor, in front of the Jusco Entrance, next to Factory Outlet Store. You can't miss it even if you have half an eye.

With celebrity bloggers like BABEINTHECITY KL as our point of contact, we were given the "tour", of the very high tech kitchen, (no photos), and the ramen processing plant. (actually the public can view this as well).

With all the canggih machinery, it looks almost as simple as chucking in the noodle dough. The dough is rolled, like reams of paper.

How here comes the part I did not know. Two rolls of rolled dough are rolled into one, kinda like puff pastry, for this makes a lighter springier noodle. It is then run through the noodle slicer, to produce the ramen. (oh, the dough is actually left to sit a couple of days before this second process). And here I thought ramen was as simple as Maggi Mee. Far from it.

The soups are boiled with tender loving care, taking up to 18 hours for some of the stock.

The resident head chef, Shinichi Kanai, is a jovial, handsome fellow, and is very animated in his narrations.

The lovely Tomoko Nakano, who is the Business Admin Exec for Sushi Kin Sdn Bhd. Yes, GRR is part of that chain.

A comprehensive list of alcoholic beverages are also made available.

Ramen up close and personal.

The three main ramen stocks, with various permutations. Prices start from around RM16.90 per bowl and there's a variety of side dishes you can add as well.

With a big sign like this, how can you miss the place.

Their specialityPirikara Negi char siu, which was moist and tender, and oooh, so flavourful. Almost melt in the mouth.

They have a special gyoza making machine too, which pan fries the thing while steaming, so you get a crispy bottom, but lovely moist gyozas. Because of that complicated process, you might end up waiting a while for your gyozas. So do check if there is a long queue for the machines, or your gyoza might arrive after dessert. They come with two types of sauces, wafu sauce or original gyoza sauce.

Buta Bara Kushi, deep fried pork cutlets, with a hint of fat, (in the cutlet), breaded. A sure hit with the children, and a perfect snack with beer.

Oh, my favourite, tomato maki. Thinly sliced belly pork, not unlike bacon, wrapped around a cherry tomato. This dish screams out for an alcohol accompaniment, which our hosts and hostesses heard, so we had the Shozu set.....one with a tonic and lemon combination,

..and another orange juice with 7 up. It really packs a punch, this shozu drink, and I suspect one too many can render you quite inebriated, without you even realising.

Ishiyaki (Stone Pot) garlic rice...not your normal garlic fried rice from the teppenyaki, but a wholesome pot with a raw-ish egg, which you toss together, (like lou shee fun), and the best part is the crispy bits of "kerak" at the bottom.

Chef tells us the secret of his virility is in the STAMINA SAUCE.....(which they serve here)

Gokuraku Ramen...actually there was a tonkutsu ramen as well, but my picture was horrible. The soups have a wonderful fragrance and aroma about them, some contain leek oil, burnt garlic, that impart a really gorgeous flavour. It does not taste like you average msg laden soup, for sure. One can almost feel the passion that goes into the soup.

Gokuraku Miso Ramen, slightly lighter than the original Gokuraku Ramen soup, which really, you can stand a spoon in. Of the three we sampled, my favourite was actually the tonkutsu, without the picture. It was so good that I went back there a few days again with the brood, for a quick dinner before watching JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN...that's another story altogether, but yeah, suffice to say, the food was consistent.

I lovee lovee loveee those eggs with the soft yolks, which are only RM1 as a side dish if you order the ramen. Yummy!

Finally, assorted dessert, annin tofu, rare cheese cake and banana fritter with vanilla ice cream. The annin tofu is like the chinese almond jelly, but very aromatic, not made from fake essence that imparts that cockroachy taste. You can taste the almond here.

I am not sure what they mean by RARE cheese cake, but like the Japanese cotton cheesecakes, this one is also ethereally light, though I think its the equivalent of a chilled cheesecake. I wonder how they got it so light.

Well, I don't know what ramen in Japan tastes like, but I'd say, for my palate, this is pretty good stuff. Ah, just writing about it makes me want some again.

Remember, mid valley, 2nd floor, infront of Jusco entrance on the FOS side.

New Zealand Natural Ice Cream Revisited

2011-10-17T10:57:00.003+08:00

Surprisingly, the older I get, the easier I am to please. Give me the simple things in life, like ice cream, and lots of it, and I am as happy if not happier than say if I were dining at a 5 Michelin Star restaurant. (yes yes, I know, 3 is the max).

When I got the invite to attend New Zealand Natural Ice Cream's baking workshop, (a bit of an oxymoron...ice cream, baking?) at my 2nd favourite culinary school, (RJ, I hope you're reading this, coz you know which is my favourite), I gladly jettisoned my saturday afternoon gym plans, and headed for some palate pleasuring rather than body torturing.

The celebrity bloggers were in tow, KgBoy & City Gal, and Babe in the City KL, as well as self proclaimed Chocolate Snob, Ee Ling. Heading the class was Chin Pei Ling, one of THE COOKING HOUSE's regular chefs. I suspect she's a shareholder there.

The first dessert was Chocolate Delirious Cupcake with Stuffed Ice Cream; using White Chocolate & Raspberry Ice Cream. The cuppy cakes are premade, it's basically a pedestrian chocolate cupcake, whereby you scoop out a hole, much like when you use a melon baller to scoop out pieces of melon, insert the hard ball into the hole, and cover it with more cream. We were then dispersed to our various workstations to try our own hand at making this delirious cupcake. The white chocolate raspberry ice cream itself is lovely, with the tang of the raspberries complementing the cloyiness of the white chocolate.

It doesn't require posters like these to convince me of NZNIC's goodness. I've always been a fan.

Next up was a Tiramisu using sponge fingers and their cookies and cream ice cream.

It's a lot easier than having to whip up mascarpone and egg yolks, and run the risk of overwhipping. Dip the sponge into espresso, layer it with ice cream. Even the most unaccomplished of kitchen kutus can pull this one off.

The final touch of sprinkling of cocoa powder might be a bit challenging and daunting for the uninitiated. But take the leap of faith, I urge you. Sift that cocoa!

Pre made almond brittle.

White Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Esctasy Ice Cream. Truth be told, not being a white chocolate fan at all, I would rather eat this ice cream on it's own, undressed and naked.

Look at that rich dark chocolate ice cream.

Actually these celebrity bloggers were featured in the Star writeup on this workshop as well.

Thanks to Salina & Co PR for the invite, and NZ Natural Ice Cream for the yummy treats, oh, and for the voucher which I've yet to redeem. Choices choices. Choc esctasy it is for me!

Chalet, Equatorial, The Chef's Table

2011-10-04T12:18:00.004+08:00

There's something about the Equatorial KL. It is probably the last of the golden oldies, so to speak, with perhaps the Federal being the other one, but Equatorial is the "grander" one so to speak. Say Equatorial, and Blue Moon, L'Etoile, Golden Phoenix, and of course, the Chalet spring to mind. Who doesn't remember slow dancing to the golden oldies music of Blue Moon? I am sure the youth of today, that means 99% of the food blogging community, wouldn't remember. Thamby would.

The Makan Fairy Godmother, our dear Hooi Khaw, invited me a few weekends back to dine at the Chef's Table, in the Chalet. I've always had fond memories of the Chalet, our family used to go there for special occasions, and always enjoyed the song and dance that is thrown in as part of the entertainment. But years have gone by, with the advent of all the various hotel discount cards, and the newer spankier hotels, the Chalet was shelved into the recesses of our minds. So I was delighted at the opportunity to revisit this old haunt. Rumour has it that the hotel will undergo a massive refurbishment soon, so the Chalet as we know it, may have it s days numbered. All the more reason to quickly visit.

Even the cutlery screams "CLASSIC", those heavy types that contain so much metal, if you melt one, you can make a proton.

Personalized butter with chef's table inscribed.

They also let us sample the normal herbed butter that the chalet serves. Which was yummy.

Smoked Beef With Rock Melon.... Chef Hafizzul has certainly done justice to the beef and managed to make it almost resemble Proscuitto With rock melon. Except the beef did not have the streaks of fat their pig cousins have. Oh, obviously, Chalet is pork free.

Creamy Saffron soup, Spanish Black Mussels with Chorizo, leek and potatoes, and crunchy garlic croutons…A lovely smooth soup, rich, bursting with flavour. The spanish mussels were small but juicy and sweet, not like some gigantic ones that taste like a goodyear tyre. Paired with the buns and that glorious butter, I would have actually been satisfied to end the meal here.

Slow-braised Angus Beef Cheek and Pacific Oysters cepes, herbs and Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. The plump oysters enhanced with the lovely jus from the beef cheek, a lovely marriage of surf and turf, which was the chef's objective.

A lovely passionfruit sorbet to clean the palate.

Few places still serve dinner with these silver lids, with the waiters lifting them in unison and going bon appetit.

Grilled Barramundi & Calamari with Cannellini Bean Puree, Clams & Parsley Veloute. Actually all of us guests ordered the OTHER mains, which was Pan Roasted Duck and Foie Gras, so Carol (our hostess and Director of Marketing Communications) had to order the fish for us to have a look.

The foie gras (look at the generous portion! They assured us that that IS the normal sized portion at the Chalet) is to die for. Melt in the mouth, seared to perfection, it really is the epitome of decadence. The duck was also very good, complemented by various caramelized fruit, like cherries and apple. This was not your ordinary quacking duck from the nearby Chinese roast duck farm, but flown all the way from France and is of the Muscovy family. I love the gamey but yet tender flavour of the duck. Ah, just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.

Our glamourous hostess, Carol Chin, was very hospitable, as was the handsome Chef Hafizzul Hashim.

Now one of the highlights of dining in Chalet is the making of the Sabayon for dessert. Ever since time immemorial, the waitering crew will perform a little dance, usually accompanied by the 4 piece band that serenades the diners.

That gorgeous copper bowl must have many stories to tell....after all, the place has been around for 37 years. Ooh, I must have been in standard 3.

Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice cream & Strawberry Compote. To be honest, after all the previous dishes, this was rather pedestrian. It was good, but anticlimactic, if you know what I mean. Actually, the Sabayon with Ice cream and fruits which was made specially for us, was the dessert highlight.

The Chalet does serve a fine selection of beef steaks.

Gotta love the quaint receptacles in which the sabayon is served. Despite the sabayon having passed through so many hands, it was a case of too many cooks did not spoil the broth, but somehow, must have channelled at that positive energy. I loved the taste of it, though arguably, the ingredients are simple enough. Yolks, various spirits, (boozey ones).

Awww, and like establishments of yore, chivalry is not dead, and each lady diner gets a single rose. The accompanying box are not diamonds, but certainly close enough, and definitely more tasty. Chocolates.

Iced Pralines. Ah, I remember the Grill at Parkroyal used to serve this...a reminder of my courting days.

The Chalet is also participating in this year's MIGF. Do checkout the website here for menu details.

Check out fellow diner Pure Glutton's post here.

For reservations, call 03-21617777

Thanks so much, Carol for hosting us, Chef Hafizzul for the lovely dinner, and to our dear Hooi Khaw for the invitation.

Note: Apologies, my flash was on the blink, and the dark lighting didn't help,

Al Amar Revisited, and the MIGF 2011 (Malaysian International Gourmet Festival)

2011-09-30T12:51:00.006+08:00

I have already waxed lyrical recently about Al Amar Express, and the fabulous hospitality of the staff, and owner of Al Amar. They must have liked us, for we were invited back for yet another session, this time, at their Central Kitchen, and also to sample their MIGF menu.

To the uninitiated, MIGF is the Malaysian International Gourment Festival, beginning from 1st Oct - 31st Oct, for participating restaurants. The theme this year is "IT'S RAINING CHEFS". We were really very privileged to have been able to have an insight into their central kitchen facilities, and quite honestly, I was very impressed with what I saw. I had no idea that Al Amar was such a large set up, I assumed they had their two outlets at Pavilion and Fahrenheit 88 and that was it. But, they also do a lot of catering, and not necessary restricted to Lebanese food, as can be seen by this tray of canapes that greeted us upon arrival.

I particularly like the asparagus spear wrapped in beef. The anchovies canapes was a bit salty but then again, what are anchovies if not salty.

Fancy a tart or two? That pineapple ravioli thing is absolutely yummy. Thinly sliced and dried or grilled, I'm not sure, pieces of pineapple, wrapped around a piece of moist cake with a hint of coconut.

The tour begins....

The kitchen, which meets the HACCP standards, (the ISO equivalent for Food Establishments), is immaculate, and is highly professionally organised. Red knives for meat, blue for fish, green for Greens, cold rooms that are as cold as -25°C, and systematic receiving and despatching bays. Quite the dream kitchen, if you ask me. Restaurant kitchens seem to be quite hellish, and hot, but the working environment at the Al Amar Central Kitchen seems to be rather pleasant.

That's Ralph Zeidan there with the Exec Pastry Chef. Joseph Afaki,the owner, with Rusell,

The treasure house, where all the goodies are stored. From cold rooms to the spice room that stocks precious cargo like saffron. Imported Almaza beer from Lebanon, chick peas by the ton, fava beans, all the ingredients that form the core of middle eastern cuisine. It is a veritable Aladdin's cave for the foodie.

Al Amar has a fully equipped catering service, with all kinds of cuisine, and crockery and cutlery as well.

THE AL AMAR MIGF SPREAD

The Lebanese Four Seasons

Labneh Trio With Lebanese Southern Tapenade and a Brush of Thyme. Labneh is that creamy tangy yoghurty cheese dip, and these three balls of it are coated with different spices.

Silky smooth labneh that just titillates the palate. I remarked that it was a rather large pre starter. That was the for the Sunny Start.

For the summer blooms, apricot glazed beetroot tartar on mango leather and rocket coulis.

The taste of beetroot, a very underutilised tuber in our asian cuisines, is refreshing, and almost tangy. The bitter rocket coulis adds another dimension to the sweetish sourish flavours of the beetroot tartar. The mango leather is extraordinary, so thinly sliced, its almost unidentifiable, as is this piece of lotus root. (below)

The piece of lotus root, with a piece of err...dill, I think, stuck onto it, is almost transparent. How they managed to slice a lotus root like that, and where the holes of the lotus root went, is a mystery to me.

For the Autumn Flavours, Spinach bonbon, soujouk mille feuille, and herb crust filled with hommos and grass fed baby lamb fillet.

Lovely parcels of spinach, in a light filo pastry wrap.

I love these lamb sausages. They're full of flavour, almost gamey, and the texture is nice and firm.

This unique thing, I am not sure if it's made to resemble a fish, but contains lovely hommos, and those bits that are the "eyes and nose" of the fish are actually pieces of lamb fillet, which most of us missed.

For the mains, or RAINING CHEFS, a choice, the first being Pan Seared Red Mullet Fillets with Sayadieh Rice & Drops of Fish Jus...incidentally, that rice is amazing. Cooked in fish jus, similar to the way that we would cook hainanese chicken rice in a chicken broth, the flavour is quite extraordinary, and the rice is good enough to eat on its own.

The red mullet is firm and not overcooked. The chive garnishing is used because the Lebanese have a similar kind of flower.

The other choice is Braised Rack of Lamb with Stuffed Baby Marrow and Vine Leaves accompanied by a Garlic Mint Sauce.

These vine leaf wraps are absolutely delicious, different from the ones we had at Al Amar Express. Where those were sour, these are savoury, and meaty.

The lamb rack, OOOHHH MYYYY, to die for. Perfeccctly braised, a glorious pink on the inside, cooked to perfection, and so very tender. The marinade is subtle, and leaves the natural taste of lamb intact, but yet, without that lamby smell that many Malaysians cannot take. Where is the rack, you ask? Well, they lovingly carve out that chunk of meat the base of the lamb rack.

Stuffed baby marrow. Its stuffed with a meatball that has meat and rice. Rather unique.

And for the Sunshine after the Rain....Nougat Glace laid on a bed of vanilla pineapple confit. I am not a nougat fan, as I usually find it sickeningly sweet, but surprisingly, this nougat glace was not.

Spiced chocolate shell. Luscious ice cream within a chocolate shell sitting on one half of a macaron.

The thing about MIGF menus is usually, the prices are exorbitant. However, surprisingly, this menu by AL AMAR is very reasonably priced at RM98++ without wine. You can opt for the wine pairing at RM138++ per person.

Al Amar
Lot 6.10, Pavilion
Kuala Lumpur
03-21661011

Santouka Ramen, Tokyo Street, Pavilion

2011-09-30T12:19:00.004+08:00

I've been a bad blogger. The back log of posts is piling up, and it suddenly dawned on me that deep in the archives lurked a post that is long overdue. My apologies to the organisers and proprietors, BUT, on a brighter note, I have been told that since its opening somewhere back July, the place has become a runaway success, and people even have to queue to savour a taste of this delectable ramen.

We were invited to preview SANTOUKA RAMEN, in Tokyo Street, Pavilion Shopping Centre. Everything was spanking new, including Tokyo Street, as people hurriedly rushed to meet the deadline for the official opening the next day, with the Japanese ambassador himself as the guest of honor.

The concept of Tokyo Street itself is rather fascinating. Dominating the area is the huge Daiso store, that famous RM5 store, that has taken KL quite by storm. But I digress.

Yeah, Ramen. That ubiquitous Japanese noodle, that is slimmer than the sobas and udons. Probably is to Japanese what our wantan mee is to the Chinese. (As opposed to our fat hokkien mee etc).

These replicas of the real thing do help the uninformed make an informed decision. Afterall, not many locals speak Japanese.

The pan fried gyozas. Lovely and crisp.

There is obviously some skill involved in making these type of eggs, because it is not easy to ensure the whites are all hard, whilst the yolks are soft and almost runny.

Deep Fried Chicken pieces, which are thankfully thighs, and moist and succulent. I can't understand breast eaters. Might as well eat blotting paper.

Tokusen Toroniku. Pork Cheek Char Siew Japanese style. Lovely and tender, but a bit too lean for my liking. We are mentally used to Char Siew being artery clogging with layers of divine fat.

...yup, fat like the one in that solo piece of pork belly. Apparently one bowl comes with only one slice of this precious pork. The pork broth (did I mention it was not halal? ) is tasty, and wholesome, although I am sure it is laden with that secret ingredient that laces most Japanese soups. The shio ramen's broth was lovely, light and yet chockful of flavour.

They do have a few varieties of soups, including a spicy version.

Check out the review by IAMTHEWITCH here.

They must have certainly have a winning formula, for not many establishments, apart from government departments and Maxis, have long queues waiting to be served.

Hokkaido Santouka Ramen
Tokyo Street,
Lot 6.24.03, Level 6 Pavilion KL,
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel No.: +603-2143 8878
Business Hours: Mon – Sun (10.00 am-10.00 pm)

Al Amar Express - Lebanese

2011-09-27T11:51:00.003+08:00

I have always been fascinated by Lebanon. When I was in university, my Lebanese coursemate told me that Beirut is a beautiful city, where you can ski in the snow and swim in the sea all in the same day, less than hour apart. The few Lebanese I'd come into contact with were always friendly, and biblically, Lebanon is renowned for its cedars, which were used in Solomon's temple, and only the best building materials were used for its construction. Ravaged by civil war in the 80s, it basically became one of those places that one would love to visit but never quite dare to do so.

The war is long over, and it's time, I reckon, to have a chicha or two in Beirut. But, you'd be glad to know you do not have to travel so far to sample a taste of Lebanese hospitality and cuisine. I got an invitation from Russell Ang, (obviously not Lebanese), and Ralph Zeidan, to sample Al Amar Express, and I was intrigued, because just days before that, I had walked right past Al Amar Express in Fahrenheit 88 and thought to myself, wow, this place is packed.

It really is a whole different world here at Al Amar. Strategically located on Bintang Walk, it is a melting pot of tourists and locals, giving it a lovely cosmopolitan flavour, ...very 1 World (ala 1 Malaysia), and a very holiday atmosphere prevails. I almost felt like a tourist myself.

If you sat at the Al Fresco area, and looked up at Pavilion, you'd see the OTHER Al Amar, the fine dining one. Cumi of Cumi & Ciki suggested having a flying fox from the Pavilion outlet to the Fahrenheit 88 one. Express, as the name implies, is of course the less fine dining and more casual outlet.

Lebanon, despite being "middle eastern", is not wholly Muslim, so they do produce their own wines and beers. Ralph very kindly offered us samplings of Lebanese booze, which we of course were more than delighted to try.

I was a chicha (pronounced shee sha) virgin, and gagged a few times, but Ciki here is quite the expert, and Cumi showed his exclamation of surprise.

Wow, you suck and blow well, Cumi says to Ciki.

Meanwhile, the resident Chicha expert, Ralph, shows us how the locals do it.

On the saintly side of the table, the non smokers and non (or very little) drinkers, with the single rose.....

The hummus, was to die for. Pureed chick pee, pureed so smoothly you could almost put it as lotion on your face. Absolutely yummy with the Lebanese breads, that is basically Pita.

Warak enab, rice, saltfish, etc wrapped in vine leaves. It would probably be too sour for most Malaysian's palates, which is good, that probably means it's authentic and Al Amar did not tweak it to suit our local palates.

Pomegranates are such pretty little fruit aren't they. A few nibblets here and there light up a dish like jewels on a bride. The Mutabal is mashed aubergine with olive oil, and is also a lovely dip. Actually one could get full on these dips alone, and mind you, it's probably rather healthy. All that olive oil, grilled aubergine, boiled chick peas.

Mixed Pastry Platter - Almost samosa like, the filling, but the pastry was a shortcrusty type rather than filo.

Tabouleh. I love tabouleh, and went through a tabouleh making phase but I found out that the Lebanese one is different in that it does not have cous cous or burghul, which in a way actually makes it lighter. There's a magical synergy between the tang and the mint, it's almost like having a refreshing cocktail in form of a salad.

That is not the eye ball of some prehistoric animal. Labneh, with olive oil and olive in the centre, is a lebanese cream cheese. For a cream cheese, it's rather strong, compared to the usual philadelphia variety, and a lot more tangy.

To accompany our dinner, a bottle of white ..Savignon blanc I think it was, and a Rose. It's very drinkable, and went well with the spread.

Mixed Chawarma - This is one of their most popular dishes, and the chawarma on the grill was already almost sold out. I actually like eating chawarma in doner kebab style. The ubiquitous French fry seems to have infiltrated all cuisines around the world.

The Al Amar burger, accompanied by their special garlic sauce. A generous beef patty, nicely charred but still moist inside. I am not sure, however, apart from the garlic sauce, if this is really Lebanese fare.

Lebanese Pizza - their distinctive cheese gives it a unique flavour. The crusts are on the thin side, which is good.

Makanek - Lebanese Sausage Shoved between the buns...well, okay, I didn't really think much of this dish, as it was a bit dry, and I think the sausages be better off served in a different manner.

Say cheese now.

Falafel, chick pea and sesame paste wrapped in toasted pita. Falafel of course is a signature lebanese dish.

Monkeyboy with the owner of Al Amar, Joseph.

Backgammon is a favourite pastime with the Lebanese apparently. Probably the days before Angry birds.

This is definitely one of the main attractions of this establishment.

Yummy smooth creme caramel, apparently a legacy from the French. France and Lebanon had this "thing", like Britain and Malaysia. Achthalieh. - Pistachios, in a creamy mousse, with a lovely scent of rosewater.

Pistachio ice cream.

It really was a memorable occasion. The hospitality extended was amazing, and the entire ambience was very enjoyable. And wink, one of my favourite selling points about this place is, one of the rare places where you can enjoy middle eastern fare with alcohol. I look forward to trying the other Al Amar fine dining soon!

Al-Amar Express
Ground Floor, Fahrenheit 88
179 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2141-3814
email: info@al-amar.com
website: www.al-amar.com

It Was A Clever Ploy

2011-09-23T14:04:00.003+08:00

Don't ploy ploy. Actually, PLOY is to PLA DIB what Kung Fu Panda 2 is to Kung Fu Panda 1. A sequel, and even better. For starters, it's located in the civilised locale of Bukit Damansara, on the way to the new Agung's Palace. (or should it be the New Palace for the Agung, though New Agung is probably not wrong, as I think the current one is due to pass on the crown at the end of the year). I digress.

PLOY, the latest outlet by the Clearwater Group, in the building of the same name. Bright, new and spanking. Ploy in Thai means gems, probably like those in the family jewels. I am not sure how to categorise the food, because it's certainly not typically Thai. But suffice to say, the ambience, food and pricing are all good reasons to try this place. I mean, in this day and age, one no longer has to box and border up cuisine by geography, or culture, or religion.

The ID is rather swanky...with plush chairs to sit while you wait, a formal yet informal drawing room, which looks like those rooms where visiting dignitaries sit and talk to each other while being filmed.

Ever run out of ideas and need a light bulb moment? Enter the lightbulb moment meditation room.

We were early, so the dinner crowd hadn't arrived. You can tell from the outdoor sunlight. By dinner time, the place got pretty crowded.

The entrance looks like the backdrop of some large conglomerate.

Deep fried lotus root as a snack. I love this snack. It seems so much healthier than chips, though I am sure it's an illusion.

Pla Duk Fu - Catfish and mango salad. Normally I don't dig catfish, but this one is fried to a crisp, so you cant really tell that it is catfish. The crispiness and the tang of the mango make a lovely marriage.

Pomelo Salad. Love anything with Pomelo. And I love them Thai salads, coz its always so Zingy and Zesty.

Crispy Fried Squid. I didnt realize it at the time I was eating, but heck, there's a lot of deep frying going on. No wonder it was so good. This crisy squid, and that lotus root thing, a dietary disaster, because deceptively light, and gloriously easy to eat.

Kimchi Fried Rice - As I said, you cannot limit the nationality of a cuisine anymore. Kimchi and Thai? Actually the kimchi taste was barely noticeable, which is good, because I was skeptical about a sour fried rice.

Pretty Sushi...called Chill With Eel. Cool as cucumber for the chill, wrapped around unagi.

Tuna Tartare. Layers of tuna but not something I would order.

Mentaiko Pasta. Ooohh yeahhhh!!! Brilliant, rich but yet not sickeningly so. I could eat this again, soon.

Caterpillar Sushi - Generous layers of Avocado encasing the morsels of sushi goodness.

Spaghetti Spicy Lamb Ragout - I found this to be way too rich.

Pepper Tuna Tataki...I am guessing Tataki is Japanese for pizza, or the pizza equivalent.

Pink Lady Sushi - Pink cos of the fish. I love the sushi presentations.

Enter the dragon. Whoever named this dish must have been sitting in the Lightbulb Moment Meditation Room. Soft shell crab sushi.

Crispy Skin Salmon - Pass, not a salmon fan, though Pure Glutton in her review, loved this.

Duck Confit. I love Duck Confit. It's not easy to make a good duck confit, and the real mccoy is confit-ed in duck fat, which I don't think this was. But it was good enough. Succulent, moist, and flavourful.

One of the benefits of being friends with the Master Bakers of Just Heavenly Pleasures is the occasional (actually it's quite often) free cake sampling. That day, it was a three milk cake, a literal translation from ...errr...was it Cantonese or French? Since I couldn't pronounce it, I guess it must have been Cantonese. Kidding. French.

You can almost taste the moistness of the cake from the picture. But I am not a lactaphyte, and hardly ever drink milk in its normal form. I'm not sure which three milk types went in, maybe breast, colostrum and cow. Texture was yummy.

Durian Panna Cotta. Not an easy feat, but they managed to pull it off rather well. Lovely wobbly texture, and lovely durian flavour. Definitely must order.

Sticky Toffee pudding, with the sweet dates made even sweeter by the caramel. It's like a bride with make up I guess.

Ploy is located in the new Clearwater Building, next to UOA Damansara II, and Shell House, (thereabouts), and parking is a dream. For now. Great place for private parties, with a great bar as well.

Check it out :
PLOY
G-2, Work@Clearwater
Jalan Changkat Semantan
Damansara Heights
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2095-0999
Open Mondays-Saturdays: 12.00pm-3.00pm; 6.00pm-12.00am
Closed on Sundays

Unbelievable BBQ at Chef Choi

2011-09-15T11:19:00.004+08:00

Of all the various forms of food preparation, usually BBQs rank at the bottom of my list, faring just above camping food and army rations. Perhaps its from the psychological scars of those Oz days, where BBQs were/are the fad, with little thought put into it. Of course, since then, BBQs have become almost like Michelin star dining in some households I've been, and I've become less averse to it. I mean, if you're throwing on a slab of wagyu on the BBQ, heck, I'd even offer to watch over it myself. That's the other thing. That primordial scent of charred carbon that sticks to you.....it's all very well, if you only venture into the kitchen once a blue moon, but if you're stuck in the kitchen daily, like I am, covered with butter and flour, the last thing I want is another food smell to merge with my cheap underarm deodorant.

But, when CS invited me for a BBQ at Chef Choi, I knew instantly that we would not be setting up camp, singing songs around a bonfire and waiting for the charcoal grills to be lighted by amateurs. I knew that this was gonna be GOOD, coz 1. invites from CS always are, and 2. food at Chef Choi always is.

Roughage is important, and to make sure all the meat that was coming was balanced with some greens, they started us off with this gloriously healthy looking salad, that was accompanied with a tangy cilantro lemon dressing or sesame shoyu dressing. Those plump little cherry tomatoes made me want to just press them like bubble wrap!

To tantalize the palate even further, and to herald the coming of the beef, YORKSHIRE puddings, done to perfection. Crisp on the outside, light and soft on the inside. Some of us at the table had an obscene number of these yummy puddings.

This is really crackling me up. Roast Pork Belly.

Who needs the meat? Just give me the skin. So soooo good.

Rosemary Leg Of Lamb, with cloves of garlic stuffed at strategic locations to really infuse the lamb.

Boulangere Potatoes...Smooth Creamy Carbo that go with the meat like rice goes with sambal.

From one belly to another, and it was belly good.

Chilled Prime Rib on the bone - The very words prime and rib sends shivers of pleasures down my spine, and makes my own ribs convulse with joy.

Steak Florentine - Between the two, I personally liked the Prime Rib better, but this cut yielded an extraordinarily lovely flavour, almost gamey, and if you like the unadulterated bovine taste, this would be the better option.

Pieces of the Lamb leg sliced. The good thing about such a leg and that way of cooking, there's a done-ness for everyone. The blood averse, the blood thirsty, ...

Looking at the Steak Florentine is literally doing a Pavlov on me, as I salivate.

Paella With Kerak (not Crack, Ke-rak, Malay for the crispy bits at the base). Awesome dish, generous saffron, and done just right to my personal liking. I've said it before, having not had the privilege of visiting Spain, I have no benchmark against which to measure a good paella, so in my book, a good paella is one that I myself enjoy eating.

Spaghetti Vongole. Juxtaposed against all the other stuff, this one is almost a plain Jane. But if would have made a fine mains on its own.

Apple Tart Tartin. Lovely tangy apple on a crisp pancake of puff pastry. I have to make this soon. Love it.

Chef Choi's mooncakes are sublime. No preservatives (I know this for a fact coz I accidentally left one out of the fridge and it rotted faster than you can say mooncake), and such fine texture.

And although I am usually averse to sweet mooncakes, this ping pei, although a bit on the sweet side (quite by accident...it wasnt meant to be that sweet), was also lovely and smooth.

If I were a BBQ unbeliever before this, well, they have proselytized me successfully, for now, if future BBQs are like this, wowzer. Pricing is also quite reasonable.

Check out their website here.

No. 159, Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2163 5866
Fax: 03-2164 6463

Community Service Announcement : PINT FOR A PINT - Blood Donation Drive

2011-09-06T11:03:00.002+08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: BAKING FOR ELIZABETH MAH
(Click here for story)

TODAY'S STORY

PINT FOR A PINT - LET TOM DICK & HARRY
SUCK YOUR BLOOD FOR A GOOD CAUSE

10th September - TDH Old Klang Road ( 11am - 6pm )

11th September - TDH Tmn Tun ( 11am - 6pm )

Get a free pint of Nutrimalt or Connor's for every pint of blood donated. Probably got the usual milo and biskit also la, but I'm not sure. So, if you have blood to spare, help save a life.

And if you want to know why I'm not donating, well, I'm an old man who's on Hypertension Meds, so I'm disqualified. But you young people of today have no excuse.

Mooncakes From Li Yen

2011-09-05T11:41:00.005+08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: BAKING FOR ELIZABETH MAH
(Click here for story)

Today's Story:

It's always a treat to get invited to the Ritzy Ritz Carlton by Mr Ellerton, because he has super powers to waive the jockey parking fees. But apart from that, the quality of food at this fine establishment has always been par excellence, so yes, it IS always a treat to be asked to dine here, and this time at my favourite outlet, Li Yen.

It's that time of the year again, when kiosks spring up in shopping malls, all selling these little cakelets that the Chinese call mooncakes, presumably because they're round. There is a story associated with mooncakes of course, something about the smuggling of secret notes to revolutionaries all over the China to start a revolution. Thank goodness there was no Twitter or SMSes in those days, or we'd be one more delicacy short...afterall, why bother smuggling notes through a mooncake, and risk it being eaten, when you can tweet or send mass sms-es to rally support, regardless of colour. To the uninformed and ignorant, this festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar is more popularly known as the Mid Autumn Festival. Maybe not here in Malaysia, where its a perpetual summer, so maybe we should just call it Mid Perpetual Summer festival.

Speaking of colour, these days mooncakes come in all sorts of colors and flavours, shapes and sizes. So much so, the youth of today might grow up never realising that we used to eat those with lotus paste and egg yolk in our youth. Case in point would be Li Yen's interesting array.... Wasabi Mooncakes, Rose (Roh Say) Mooncakes, Moet & Chandon Mooncakes, and Green Tea Mooncakes, just to name a few.

The wasabi mooncakes. The flavours are rather subtle, and doesn't really hit you like an oncoming train.

The Rose ones are lovely, suprisingly the flavour of the Rose has been captured in the snow skin layer, so you can really taste hints of it. So far, what I liked about them was the fact that they were not sickly sweet.

I think these were green tea snow skin with custard filling. Not my favourite.

The dim sum in Li Yen is excellent as well. It's ...how shall I put it, rather refined. You know how there's dim sum and DIM SUM. As a friend of mine pointed out years ago, dim sum meant to tantalize your heart, with elegant morsels of goodness, not canonball sized siew mais that you can catapult to kill a pig.

Spring Rolls.

Prawn Rolls.

Scallop Cheong Fun. Silky smooth cheong fun that slides down your throat effortlessly.

Lovely siew mais....

But these buns, OMIGOOOOOOOOODNESS, these buns, I WANT MORE BUNS. Frankly, neither the pork ones nor custard buns below looked like anything special. Don't judge a bun by its cover. The dough for the pork one was so light, and moist, and the whole thing just melted in the mouth.

And these custard buns, I thought they looked dry, but boy, have I never been wronger. Seriously good stuff. In fact, I feel like having some now. How?

And finished off with my favourite type of noodle, sang mee with seafood.

[In fancy Brihtish accent], Why, Thank yew Mr Olliver. How kind of yew to let us come.

Quickly head over to Li Yen for their amazing array of mooncakes. The festival is on 12th September, so you have a week more to indulge.

Baking For Elizabeth Mah

2011-08-26T10:51:00.003+08:00

ALL PROCEEDS OF CAKE SALES FROM 1-14 SEPTEMBER GO TOWARDS THIS CAUSE

Liz, and her husband, Henry, are dear friends of mine. I am the godpa to their eldest kid, Nicholas, and they are godparents to my youngest daughter, Mei. Two years ago, Liz was diagnosed with Stage 4N Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. By the grace of God, she has managed to put up a good fight, and for a year or so, the targetted Chemo drug Tarceva seemed to work well.

Earlier this year, however, scans showed that the drug had stopped working, and the cancer has spread again. They are now embarking on a new form of treatment, which you can read about in Henry's appeal letter below.

Anyway, September is Liz's birthday month, so I would like to dedicate all dough (excuse the pun) raised from cake sales in the first two weeks of September towards her treatment. In all the years I've been blogging, I have never appealed from my friends/readers, but on this occasion, I am asking you if you find it in your heart to contribute to these dear friends of mine, please do so. The photo shows what cakes are available during the first two weeks of September for sale.

You can sms your orders to me at 012-3240988. Do please indicate if you are responding to this note, so I can relay to them who their kind benefactors are.

God Bless you all, my friends.

HENRY'S APPEAL LETTER

Dear friends

We write this in great humility seeking your help and support. As you may know, my wife Liz was diagnosed with 4th Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in June 2009. Subsequent to that we have been on this tremendous journey of faith seeking treatment while trusting God for His healing. (www.lizadventure.blogspot.com )

Since diagnosis, she has been on this targeted therapy drug called Tarceva and it had been very effective for her, helping to shrink the tumors in her lung & at one stage even removing the metastasis in her liver.

Unfortunately from the beginning of this year, the drug ceased to be effective and the tumors have continued to grow with the metastasis returning to her liver. Having prayed about it, we did not opt for chemotherapy as we understand its effectiveness to be limited against advanced stage lung cancer.

We then decided to take the path of an alternate treatment using low-dose naltrexone (LDN www.ldn.org) and most recently this herbal Taiwanese drug derived from solamargine which in itself is derived from a herb used in Chinese medicine. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014579304011962)

Recently we were approached by some friends who had come upon an exciting new breakthrough in cancer treatment which had been particularly effective in treating tumours and has been extensively used in China with very good results. This new drug is called Gencidine and is administered intravenously. (www.genetherapyhospitals.com/PatientStory2.html )

The doctor we consulted is both a cardiologist and oncologist (Dr Beh from Heartscan www.heartscan.com.my ) and when he saw Liz’s condition he proposed using it together with a cutting-edge new treatment called HITV (Human Initiated Therapeutic Vaccine - http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2010/7/18/health/6614843&sec=health). The therapy involves injecting a patient’s immature dendritic cells (imDC) directly to the tumour before and after radiotherapy (to reduce the number of cancer cells) and generate an immune response that will kill the cancer cells (through imDC injections).

It certainly looks promising and has already proven effective in many late stage cancer cases. The only flipside is that this treatment with the support treatment of Gencidine is estimated to cost close to RM500k, and as this is an outpatient treatment, insurance will be unable to cover the cost.

However, because of our friends’ relationship with the doctor, he is willing to lower the cost to RM250,000 for both treatments.

It is with this email that we humbly ask for support from you our friends to help us in our time of need. RM250k is a large sum of money but we want to keep our eyes on God whom we believe will help us.

If you feel moved to help us in any way please could you help transfer funds to my account as follows:

Henry Wong Yuen Kwong

Public Bank Berhad

Branch: SS2 Petaling Jaya

3063772934

SWIFT CODE: PBBEMYKLXXX

As soon as we reach the targeted amount, we will inform everyone so that you can stop remitting funds. In any case, we thank you for your continued prayers. God is the ultimate healer and all the glory in the end belongs to Him. We will keep you updated of her progress and the treatment as well.

Love in Christ

Henry & Liz

Hennessy XO Gastronomy - Mid Summer Night Feast with Michelin Chef Benoit Vidal

2011-08-23T21:31:00.005+08:00

The people at Moet Hennessy Diaego and Milk PR, the company that handles the PR (am I stating the obvious?) have become like old friends. After a few events together, they've become familiar friendly faces, and dare I say, everyone is less starchy, despite the black tie dress code. Fortunately, (or not), most Malaysians do not observe the propah meaning of black tie, which usually means Tuxedo, because it is not a pleasant sight to waddle around like a penguin. Nevertheless, that does not mean most of us do not wash up nicely, and all in our Sunday bests for these events.

When the invite came, to dine with a Michelin Star Chef, Benoit Vidal, of course, all other social plans for the night (probably grocery shopping at the local Tescos) went out the window. The menu sent via email sounded divine, and well, these Hennessy flers know how to host a party. Elegant canapes served on silver platters (or at least silver colored platters), glasses of Hennessy XO, as we flit around like social butterflies. Or at least Master Baker, Nigel Skelchy flits around. I'm painfully shy, so I do not flit around.

The glamour people, Foo Ken Vin of MHD, Mr Skelchy of JHP, Thamby aka Lyrical Lemongrass of AWOL, and Mr B, BFF of Lyrical Lemongrass.

Our napkins are always folded in a fancy way. No swans ala Chinese Restaurant, thank you.

The cognoscenti prepare to do their work for the night.

What really distinguishes a ladida event from say, a dinner at a roadside tai chow? Well, for starters, you certainly wont get your chilli flakes, salt and stuff served in such a style.

Oh, did I mention, the venue of the event was Syook, Starhill Feast Village.

We start with Le Cocktail Trois le Couleurs, Aches Des Montagnes. Somehow food sounds fancier when you can't pronounce it. In English it doesnt sound half as exotic. Cauliflower cream, Green Pea Mousse and Tomato Gazpacho. My limited French tells me Trois is three, from Menage a Trois. I can't really say I could appreciate this particular threesome. Blame it on the unsophisticated palate. And tongue cramp from trying to pronounce the dish.

He knows 99% of KL, and the 1% he doesn't know is probably not worth knowing. The editor of Life & Times herself, the inimitable Su Aziz.

Pot Au Feu De Foie Gras - French Stew Foie Gras. Actually, it was more like large wantan, with Foie Gras inside. It is surrounded by a lovely broth, which is poured upon serving. The combination was interesting, and foie gras is always welcome, even if it is in a pseudo wantan. ( I can see the Milk PR people going, hmmmm, let's strike this uncouth fler from our future guests list)

You know, prior to these Hennessy events, it wouldn't even have occured to me to drink XO, which I associated as an old man's drink. But really, it is EXCEEDINGLY palatable, and smooth, and so far, has not given me a hangover, while achieving the same levels of happiness and contentment. Great drink, and glad to have gotten reacquainted with it.

Fillet De Daurade Aux Carottes Nouvelles - Sea Bream Fillet With Fresh Seasonal Carrots. A bit tempura like. The carrots, I mean. Dipped in batter and fried tempura style. The bream was poached or steamed, I am not sure.

Couci Couca D'agneau De Pays Au Praline De Cepes - Melting Pot of Lamb With Praline Flavoured Mushrooms. Okay, admittedly the portions do look a bit small, and we would be lying if we denied contemplating supper at nearby Jalan Alor. However, the lamb was moist, and succulent, and the accompanying sauce superb. I seriously would not have minded seconds, but see, that's thing about a black tie function, one can't just ask for some more.

The celebrity, and Jimmy Choo.

Of course, flitting over quickly was the other celebrity.....

Tarte Chocolat Fruit Rouges - Red Berries and Chocolate Tart...ah, finally some French I can decipher. The red berries were served in two forms, a sorbet, which was tantalizingly refreshing, and a mousse.

The chocolate tart was melt in the mouth. Well, it was already melt on the plate as you cut it, so yeah, it wasn't hard to melt in the mouth. Lovely.

Hailing from France, Benoit Vidal has worked in most renowned restaurants in Fracne such as "Les Pres D'Eugenie", together with 3 Star Michelin Chef Michel Guerad and 2 Star Michelin Chef Michel Trama. In 2005 Vidal got his own 1st Micheline Star, winning accolade as the chef of the "Best Hotel Restaurant" by Conde Nast. In 2010, he decided to join L'Auberge de Marcon as Chef de Cuisine, masterminding a menu in tribute to Nature, using only seasonal products of Mother Earth that aim to emphasize and magnify a logn traditional culinary heritage with a contemporary twist.

The lovely Red Berries mousse.

As usual a big thanks to Moet Hennessy Diaego and Milk PR for a lovely event.

Godiva, Chocolatiers Extraordinaire

2011-08-19T00:19:00.002+08:00

Young people of today have it good. I think I was in my mid 30s before I lost my Godiva virginity, and even then, probably only had one miserable truffle, and went ooh and ahhhh. These days, "she's" more readily available. Godiva, the epitome of chocolate decadence. Named after the legendary Lady, who rode on a horse naked, ...for a noble cause, of course, (fun raising), you can read all about the history, and the famous poem by Lord Tennyson, HERE.

Shallow person that I am, I was thrilled to be invited for a Chocolate Event, purely for the sheer pleasure of consuming these little nuggets of paradise. Our host, Yazeed from Godiva, regaled us with tales of the origins of chocolate, the discovery of Cacao, which you can read about HERE, at the Cumidanciki blog. No point reinventing the wheel I say. Is there a more blissful way to spend a lazy Saturday morning? Eating chocolates and drinking coffee.

The Godiva Gallery at Pavilion offers a wide variety of chocolate treats, and I was LITERALLY like a kid in a candy store, drooling at the cakes, the truffles, the bars. Okay, let's face it, you DO need to have deep pockets to afford these, they're not your ordinary Cadbury (no offence) bars that you pick up in the supermarket confectionery aisle. Well, afterall, their logo IS of a ahem, woman in her birthday suit, and I wonder that got through the censors.

If you observe carefully, the logo is of the Lady Godiva on the horse.

Just look at the selection! Cakes, iceblended drinks, chocolate bars, ... I was near heaven.

During Yazeed's briefing, we were given these to fill our stomachs.

After learning about the Azetcs and Mayans and the aphrodisiac qualities of Cacao, we were then shown how to make our own chocolate lollipops, biscuits dipped in chocolate and corn flakes covered in chocolate. We were divided into groups...wearing the lovely Godiva aprons that kept slipping off like a loose bra.

The finished products, which we got to wrap with the gorgeous Godiva ribbon, and bring home.

We were also amongst them celebrity bloggers.

Delectable Su, and Ciki.

Yazeed, our most affable and delightful host, from the Valiram Group that owns the Godiva franchise here in Malaysia.

And, if you are looking for a great gift for RAYA, Godiva has the most beautiful hampers. I wouldn't mind receiving one.

It was a great morning, and I can honestly say I am so looking forward to the next event hosted by Godiva. Thanks Godiva people.

Simply MMMMMM at Simply Mel's

2011-08-12T11:04:00.005+08:00

It's exciting enough when friends open cafes and restaurants, but when close friends, who are food bloggers as well, open restaurants, WOW, that sets the bar wayyyy up high.... I can't imagine the stress they have to go through, knowing that all these food bloggers will be descending on you en masse. And not only is the friend a normal friend, (no offence to the rest), she's a CELEBRITY. Phwah.

Drum rolll......presenting SIMPLY MEL'S, at the SPHERE, Bangsar South. Easy parking, great ambience, excellent food, charming hostesses, you see, the set up is run by the Victor family. Aly's mum Mel, (Melba...like Dame Nellie) is the chef behind the fabulous cuisine. In order to preserve her Eurasian heritage and family traditions, she embarked on this mission to celebrate family recipes that have been passed down over 4 generations. In case you're wondering what genre of food we're talking about here, it's Portuguese Eurasian, similar to Peranakan, in some ways. And for those of you closer to schooling age, do you know what year this is? Well, yeah, 2011. What happened 500 years ago? That year that was seared into our minds like a branding iron? 1511?

These Portuguese flers were loading their ships, preparing to sail the vast seas, circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope (Tanjung Harapan).....

Presenting Mrs Vasco De Gama and Mrs Alfonso De Alberqueuque...no la, joking only.

All the way from Aboo Dhabi Doo....

For starters, yummy crab cakes,

And Crispy Chicken Wings. It's screaming out for a beer. If you held it close enough to your ear, you'd hear them flapping, TIGERRRR, TIGGGERRR...

Kangkung Belacan. Now, this place is Anti Carbo's Nightmare, because all this food goes SOOOO well with rice.

Lemongrass Chicken. (and it's not just a whiff).

Assam Prawns. Actually my grandmother used to make something like this. A caramelized assamy sauce, imparting a hint of tang to the prawn.

Chuan Chuan Fish. Black pomfret in black bean sauce. I love this dish!

Devil Curry, I think which has since been renamed Logan's Curry. See Video Below.

Who knew condiments can be so pretty. I think the famous Nigel Skelchy is trying to get this named after himself, since all the other dishes have been bestowed names of Aly's good friends.

Black pulut dessert....

Gorgeous Glutinous Rice Colored by the Clitoria...slathered with homemade Kaya.

And my all time favourite, Sago Gula Melaka.

The gorgeous mural that adorn the place were apparently painted by fellow blogger's fiancee, Haze Long. Such talent that girl. Wonder how she fits all that brain into her slim head.

Unfortunately her madge, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS couldnt stay for the group pic, so we just had to photoshop her in.

PART 2 - The Food Review Session.

Now, I am jumping queue in my blogging backlog, because Simply Mel's has RAMADHAN buka puasa specials, and we're already halfway through RAMADHAN, so I thought I better do this quick. There are three sets, RM38++ for Serai Chicken, Kembung Rebus, Kangkong Belacan and Rice, and Sago Dessert,
RM48++ for Beef Curry Malayu, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Bendi Udang Kering & Rice, and Pulut Hitam, and
RM58++ for Pineapple Curry With Prawn, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Botol Sambal, & Pulut Hitam & Fruits for Dessert.

A hot date, to buka with? Glutinous rice, and ondeh ondeh. Sugar rush after a long day of fasting.

Actually, we were split into two groups for the sampling, one group had the buka puasa sets, while we had the alacarte.

Some ulams with sambal belacan.

Crab Stuffing. Such a labour of love. Peeling crab and serving them to someone is definitely a labour of love. Crab shells stuffed with fresh crabmeat, diced turnip, carrots, prawns and onions! Soooo good.

Chicken Seybah. Normally made with oink, but this chicken substitute is also very delicious. Traditionally served for festive occasions, because it goes well with plonk.

Mel's Malacca Laksa. Lovely thick curry gravy. I would have preferred yellow mee than meehoon though. Don't know if there's such an option.

Buah Keluak Curry. Ah, my favourite. The nuttiness of the Keluak Nut, a tough nut to crack, with the curry, simply divine. Jason, the supernutcracker, managed to crack the keluak with his bare hands. He the man.

Lemak Assam Prawn. Rice with this dish is a must.

Apparently this dish has been named Meena's Ketiak. Oops, Keluak. Grrr...

Sambal Kacang Botol.

Sambal Terung. A must for brinjal lovers.

OHHHHHHHHHHH, TONGUEEEEE!!!! Ox Tongue Semur. Mel simmers the tongue for hours until it is tender. I want this dish named after me. I love tongue. I must have tongue.

Eggs are always welcome.

Deconstructed Keluak.

The uncooked Keluak upclose. What does it look like?

Mel's Traditional Butter Cake and Chocolate Cake below. Very homemade, very comforting.

That there is a gorgeous antique pic of Mel as a baby, and below, ahem, Mel with you know who.

Somehow, I have this feeling that I am going to see a LOT more of Aunty Mel, AT Simply Mel's. Might as well start a buku tiga lima.

Address:
Unit 1-1A, 1st Floor, The Sphere,
No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South,
No. 8 Jalan Kerinchi 59200 Kuala Lumpur

E: inquiries@simplymels.com
W: www.simplymels.com
T: +6 03 224 14525
GPS: 3.11142,101.66748

Euro Atlantic's Launch Of Cremonini, Don Pomodoro and Idahoan

2011-08-11T00:07:00.004+08:00

Olive oil, the magical elixir that cures all, from the era of the Old Testament to current day, when other oils are given the bad rap, olive oil remains untarnished, untouched, almost virginal, hence the term virgin olive oil. Okay, maybe not, but what is blogging if not for creative license.

Makan Fairygodmother, Marian, invited us for the launch of Cremonini, Promodoro and Idaho, (they had to choose an American brand or state ending with "O" to Italianize the whole thing), at Social, G Tower. I must be the last of the bloggers who has never been to G Tower. I'm not sure if the Tower is related to the String, but gee, if F was the pariah of the letters of the alphabet, then G must be the darling.

I digress, as I always do. Yeah, Euro Altantic, those wholesalers and distributors of imported stuff, based somewhere in Ampang/Ulu Kelang, were launching these super duper olive oils, pasta and pesto sauces, and instant mash potatoes. A strange combination, it's like launching durian with blue cheese. But if you think about it hard enough, it actually makes sense. You can afterall, use a combination of all three items and produce an almost instant shepherd's pie, for example.

Adrian Ung, group corporate affairs and marketing manager of Euro-Atlantic Sdn Bhd, distributors of these food products, enlightened us on the various types of olive oils. The pomace, which I always thought was the last press or unwanted bits, is actually a great oil for frying. Whereas the Virgins are best taken as they are. And the Pure olive oils are good for quick cooking.

Like massage oils, these eating oils are also infused with myriad flavours.

Smoked Salmon Starters...

A wonderful range of pasta and pesto sauces. We were all given a party pack to bring home, containing various samples, and my kid loved the pesto so much, I never even got to sample a teaspoon ful. He slathered it on his toast, his pasta, and ate it from the jar. Oh well, I guess I should be happy it wasnt a jar of nutella or something.

And the ultimate manifestation of the laziness of mankind...instant mashed potatoes.

The three brands being launched.

Minnestrone made from the Don Pomodoro sauces. Actually if you did not tell me it was out of a jar, I would not have known.

was Mesclun Mix Salad, served with Cremonini extra virgin olive oil and lemon dressing

, Pan seared salmon fillet with olive, basil, fennel and red pepper sauce, and ‘Idahoan’ roasted garlic mashed potato

A lovely salad, made by me, of course...I simply LOVE olives....

Adrian demonstrating his culinary skills in making instant mash potatoes. It does afterall require a LOT of precision, and skill.

Actually, after this event, I am ALL the more determined to visit the Euro Atlantic outlet. Check out their website HERE....they do have loads of other goodies too.

Head Office:
Lot 341, Jalan Pinggiran Dua,
Pinggiran Ukay, Hulu Kelang,
68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603-4251 8482
Fax: 603-4251 8481

The OMG Burger, Daily Grind

2011-08-05T10:55:00.002+08:00

If you like LOTS of meat shoved between your buns, ....read on. Parental guidance is recommended.

Sick of birthday cake? Why not try something new, the new OMG Burger at the Daily Grind, weighing 6kg in total, and measuring 10 inches. Diameter, that is. I think this is one occasion where a picture paints a thousand words.

It takes two able bodied strong men to carry this mama to our table.

It is served with sparklers so it is perfect as a celebratory cake.

Cheapskate friends use this food review as an opportunity to celebrate Alilfatmonkey's Birthday, as we just havent gotten around to buying him a proper dinner. Well, at least I haven't. Judas Lemongrass has, I believe.

My piece I give to you.....she (Judas) says.

People do measure the dimensions of their buns and meat. And what an impressive result it is too.

Moist luscious beef patty with a generous layer of melted cheese, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. All your food groups covered.

Since it was such a wholesome meal, (wholemeal buns, beef and veggies), one can afford to indugle in dessert, and the Daily Grind does a mean SALTY CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Brace yourself. The mother of all burgers in a whopping (no pun intended) RM360++, BUT, before you clutch your chest and faint, it CAN feed 12-15 easily, I reckon. So it's actually quite reasonable.

Daily Grind is located at the LG Floor of Bangsar Village 1. Thanks Paprika for burgering us.

Melting Pot Ramadan Buffet, Concorde Hotel

2011-07-29T11:24:00.004+08:00

Mention Melting pot, and I am transported back in time, to that nostalgic era when we'd go to Melting Pot for their supper buffet after a night out...these days, I am yawning by 10pm, so supper buffets are out of the question. When Julini Yusoff, F&B Manager invited me for their Nasi Padang pre Ramadan tasting, it was a rather opportune time to revisit I felt.

Traffic was DIABOLIC, I could see Concorde in front of me for half an hour.... joining me for the evening's soiree were Saucer, (The other half of I AM THE WITCH), J2KFM (Ipoh Motoromouth) and Memoirs of a Chocoholic. The Melting Pot was a melting pot of all the press people, including us bloggers.

Mother and son duo, Nurdeli Mansorman (Mak Deli) and Irwan Arifin are the two chefs responsible for dishing out the Padang specialities for this year's Ramadan spread.

Now, Nasi Padang is not rice eaten at the soccer field, or grown in one. It is the cuisine of the Mingkabaus, from West Sumatra, and is distinctive for its succulent coconut milk prevalent in most dishes, and spicy chilli.

Alright, sashimi is definitely not part of the Nasi Padang repertoire, but at the Melting Pot, they have to retain some constant favourites, constantly....

Ooops, neither is the Teppenyaki Theatre part of the Padang show....

More teppenyaki...okay, this is like the supporting dancers at a Star's Concert before the main show... and nowww...tah dahhhh

My all time favourite, dendeng paru. I love lung just like I love tongue. Chinese think that eating a particular organ of an animal will strengthen your own corresponding organ, so eating lung should theoretically strengthen mine, if the cholesterol doesn't kill me first.

Daging Dendeng Balado.

Terung Balado. Hmm, must find out what Balado means. It appears alot.

Ikan Goreng Lado Hijau...crispy fried fish with green sambal...

Rendang Ayam... cant really go wrong with this. These kinda foods are the anti carb squad's worse nightmare, because they go SOOO well with rice, and LOTS of it.

Gulai Cincang Kambing. Tender pieces of mutton.

Lamb stuffed with rice. The rice was gorgeous, fluffy basmati, almost like a briyani. Oh, it was briyani.

Hainanese Chicken Rice...

Dried Figs. Do you know how EXPENSIVE fresh figs are in this country? They're about RM6 per fig! WHAT THE FIG! Being the chink that I am, I love to zoom in on expensive items. So I was completely figged out.

Not even Ramadan yet, and I've already had a date!

People almost always comment, "wah, you eat ulam ah?" whenever I pile my plate with ulams, esp ulam raja, etc with dollops of Sambal Belacan. I love ulams...my favourite being ulam raja, which I am trying unsuccessfully to plant.

Kalio Hati. As we all know, hati is commonly translated as "HEART". Sakit hati, etc... but hati is actually liver.

We're back to the non Padang stuff...part of the regular buffet. The ubiquitous boiled prawns and raw oyster bar.

Ah, now this is something you dont see everyday. SOUP GEARBOX. I am mechanically un-inclined, and I couldnt tell a Gearbox from a Matchbox, so I am assuming the size of the gearbox is about the size of this boner.

That's one big bowl of soup. The soup itself is a clear broth, very wholesome and clean. You can use a straw to suck out the marrow.

A trio of bubur pulut hitam, pengat pisang and one other...pengat pisang as we know it is actually called Pangek Pisang.

An assortment of nyonya kuehs.

Operrraaa...

That's me sucking the marrow...

And that's the blogging crew. Not in pic is Memoirs of Chocoholic.

Melting Pot is offering a 20% discount during the 1st and 4th week of Ramadan. Priced at RM89++. If you ask me, its pretty good value for your ringgit. To reserve call 03-21442200.

Selamat Berpuasa To all my dear Muslim friends.

Community Service Announcement - AFC Looking For Celebrity Chef

2011-07-26T18:54:00.003+08:00

In a Nutshell : (My Words)

AFC & E&O (those Delicious fellas la..who bought over from the original Delicious fella) looking for celebrity chef... doing it reality show style. Then after that, got contract one. Maybe can go to Hollywood. But like JPA Scholarship, got bond...have to sign contract with E&O for a year. (unlike JPA Scholarship, which is usually 10 years) So if you have the penchant for such things, and you think you look good on screen, and the camera doesn't add 10 kg to you, then this is your calling!

THE OFFICIAL
PRESS RELEASE (Don't Yawn la)

The Judges, Anglo..oops, Michael Saxon, Hian Goh (Now HE's one of my idols, and I would LOVE to meet him) and Chef Bruce, ...you can read all about them in the press release.

THE ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL PREMIERES ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
“E&O SEARCH FOR AFC’s NEXT CELEBRITY CHEF”

AFC and E&O Kickstart the First-ever Asia-wide Reality Television Contest in Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef
21 July 2011, MALAYSIA – Calling all food lovers and aspiring chefs! For the first time in Asia, the Asian Food Channel (AFC) is conducting a region-wide search for Asia’s next Celebrity Chef through AFC’s first-ever reality television series called the “E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef”.
Joining AFC in this search for Asia's best shining new chef talent is luxury lifestyle group Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O), with interests in property development, property investment, hospitality and lifestyle. Together, both organisations will leverage their resources to put contestants through a gamut of culinary challenges that will test even the most seasoned chef or passionate foodie.
With contestants from across Asia and auditions to be held in 5 countries – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore – the programme promises to capture the best of Asia’s diverse talent. All aspiring chefs, individuals with culinary training, or those simply with the passion for and knowledge of cooking are invited to sign up for auditions and take up the challenge to be crowned “AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef”.
The winning chef will also be signed to an exclusive one-year contract as an AFC Celebrity Chef with AFC. In addition, the winner will be awarded the opportunity of a year-long employment contract with the E&O Group, taking on the mantle of Creative Director and Head of R&D for the E&O Gourmet Group.
Auditions will run from 3rd to 16th August 2011 in the five respective countries.
Contestants who are shortlisted from the auditions will be put through a series of intense cooking tests and trials, to identify who has the right ingredients to hold the title of E&O and AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef!
The exciting eight-part series will unveil the top 12 finalists in its premiere episode. Each week, one or more participants will be eliminated from the running based on the decisions made by the esteemed panel of judges.
AFC and E&O have appointed AFC Celebrity Chef and star of TV series Tablescapes, Chef Bruce Lim and Mr. Michael Saxon as the judges on this show. Mr. Saxon, Director of Group Hospitality & Lifestyle of E&O Group, is not only a well-known hotelier, but also author of his famous professional memoir, Chef’s Tales.
A host of international and distinguished celebrity chefs will also be invited to make surprise guest appearances in selected episode(s) throughout the series as guest celebrity chef judges.

Ms. Maria Brown, Co-founder and Managing Director of the Asian Food Channel, expressed her excitement at this AFC original production, “We are so proud and honoured to be able to create our own search for a celebrity in show in Asia. It has been something we have been planning for a long time and as Asia's premier Food Channel we are delighted to be able to develop talent from across the region. Asia can now begin to have its own home-grown celebrity chefs that the region can take pride in.
“As this is AFC’s first-ever fully produced and filmed reality television contest, we want the different backgrounds and personalities of the contestants and judges to add to the mix of culture and character dimensions to the series, which – as our loyal viewers will know – is what AFC has always been about!”
The entire series will be shot on location at E&O’s numerous hospitality and lifestyle properties such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Lone Pine Hotel in Penang, the Martinique seafront villa and Straits Quay Retail Marina at E&O’s masterplanned township of Seri Tanjung Pinang, Penang, the St. Mary Residences in Kuala Lumpur as well as at some of the popular Delicious restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
“AFC has always supported local Asian talent, through our many other original productions featuring legendary chefs such as Chef Wan and Chef Martin Yan. We feel this series is the perfect opportunity now to give our viewers not only high quality Asian content, but also for them to have the very real chance of a lifetime to be a Chef on our Channel,” added Ms. Brown.
E&O Group’s Deputy Managing Director Mr. Eric Chan commented, “E&O is all about luxury lifestyle experiences, and we are excited to bring this to life in a new and different way. This is Asia’s first home-grown reality show centred around talented chefs and great food, and we are proud to be working with AFC to make it happen.
“With their production expertise, and the range of challenges we can offer across our different properties and businesses, we are confident we can inspire aspiring chefs across the region to become AFC’s next celebrity chef and be a part of the E&O team.”
This production follows the great success of True Passion – Martin Yan, which premiered on 13 July 2011, featuring Chef Martin Yan cooking his signature Asian dishes which he pairs in eight (8) episodes with his favourite wines. This show was shot on location at vineyards in Australia and at the AFC's studio in Singapore.
This programme comes after several other AFC original productions such as Best Wan! with Chef Wan, and several other documentary programmes covering topics from the use of palm oil in cooking, to the well chronicled visits made to Asia by notable chefs such as Chef Daniel Boulud, Chef Anna Olson, and Chef Robert Rainford.
The E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef series will be complemented with online updates and information, as AFC will be launching a microsite dedicated to the production of the series. Please visit http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/nextafcchef for more information.
The site will provide up-to-date information about contestants and carry weekly updates of the latest happenings as contestants go through challenging rounds (with some of them failing!) until we are left with the last chef standing!
- END -

ABOUT ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL
The Asian Food Channel (AFC) is the region’s first 24-hour food channel dedicated to airing the best food and lifestyle programming from around the region and the world.
Based in Singapore, AFC’s wide Asian distribution footprint covers eight territories and 45 million viewers, on basic tiers of all the major pay TV platforms across Southeast Asia.
The channel leads the ratings in its territories, regularly achieving the #1 lifestyle channel in terms of popularity and loyalty. It has achieved a broad following from young teenage food lovers and empty nesters to trendy urban females and aspiring male chefs.
AFC’s online presence supports the channel with programme information, recipes, original content and an e-commerce store. As such AFC regularly executes 360 degree advertising and marketing campaigns and solutions for leading FMCG, Financial and Travel brands.
AFC broadcasts on:
- Astro Channel 703 (Malaysia and Brunei)
- StarHub Channel 435 (Singapore)
- First Media Digital 1 Channel 76 (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Telkom Vision Channel 33 (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Prime Indovision Channel 22 (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Aora TV Channel 318 (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- now TV Channel 527 (Hong Kong)
- LIVE TV Channel 6 (Thailand)
- Skycable Channel 22 (Philippines)
Please visit www.asianfoodchannel.com for more information

ABOUT THE E&O GROUP
Eastern & Oriental Berhad (collectively referred to as ‘The E&O Group’ or ‘E&O’) is listed on the Main-board of Bursa Malaysia. The Company is involved in three core business activities; namely hospitality and lifestyle, property development and property investment.
E&O undertook the meticulous refurbishment and upgrading of the heritage Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O Hotel) as well as Lone Pine Hotel in the late 1990s. Since it was established by the Sarkies Brothers in 1885, E&O Hotel has charmed travellers from near and far, creating a reputation to match its sister hotels – The Raffles, Singapore and The Strand, Rangoon – also founded by the Sarkies. Lone Pine Hotel, established in 1948, is the oldest beach hotel along Penang island’s famed Batu Ferringhi tourist strip. A major refurbishment and expansion of the hotel was completed in 2010.
E&O Concierge was set up in 2010 to provide pay-on-demand bespoke hospitality services to E&O’s serviced residences. Efforts are ongoing to further capitalise on the Group’s hotel management expertise and extend this service towards the management of a portfolio of hotels and resorts in Malaysia and around the region.
In 2007, E&O embarked on a new lifestyle food and beverage (F&B) venture, via the acquisition of a substantial stake in The Delicious Group. Today, this thriving F&B brand is wholly-owned by E&O. Named after the original “Delicious” concept restaurant, the group now operates in some of the most vibrant spots of Kuala Lumpur and Penang. With F&B closely linked to lifestyle in the modern mindset, synergies arise from the strategic positioning of Delicious Group outlets in E&O’s prime commercial / retail properties.
E&O’s reputation as a premier property developer is built across a series of exclusive addresses in Kuala Lumpur and Penang Island. Its track record includes prestigious residential projects such as Sri Se-Ekar and 202 Desa Cahaya (202 DC), whilst at nearby Kampung Warisan, Malaysia’s celebrated cartoonist Datuk Lat successfully conceptualised a traditional Malay village ambience within the heart of the capital.
E&O’s more-recent landmark developments include the high-end condominium Dua Residency, located within the vicinity of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) as well as Idamansara, located in Kuala Lumpur’s upscale Damansara Heights. Seventy Damansara is another E&O signature development with 12 exclusive detached homes within a gated and guarded community. Located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s central business district is E&O’s chic Manhattan-style St Mary Residences. On Penang island, E&O’s masterplanned seafront development Seri Tanjung Pinang is one of the most sought-after residential addresses among locals and expatriates especially with its signature development, the Quayside Seafront Resort Condominiums, the first condominium in the region with a sprawling 4.5 acre private waterpark. The development also includes the popular Straits Quay retail marina, a popular F&B and shopping haven, and home to Penang’s first Delicious restaurant.
The Group’s Property Investment division forms a vital complement to the other core businesses and provides E&O with steady, recurring income flow and opportunities for capital appreciation in the longer term.

ABOUT CHEF BRUCE LIM
Chef Bruce Lim is a Filipino-Chinese, who was born and raised in America. Recently, he made the decision to go back to the Philippines to trace his roots and get culinary inspiration from native Filipino cuisine.

Bubbly and conversant in nature, Chef Bruce has distinguished himself from other Filipino chefs by immersing himself in various communities thus removing the elite image of chefs. With him, he brings along the message that food is universal and must be shared by everyone.

Although he has a host of specialties —from traditional French and Italian cuisines to Euro-Asian and international food— he is also a master of creative food presentation. Moreover, Chef Bruce also has thorough knowledge in sugar pulling and chocolate work.

Chef Bruce Lim took up Superior Level of Cuisine and Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in London. At a relatively young age, he already has a decade of experience in food preparation. He worked in popular Philippine establishments Century Park Sheraton Hotel and Jollibee Food Corporation, which also has international branches. Chef Bruce has also partaken in food preparations in various hotels and establishments across the US: Hyatt Regency in Monterey CA, Fish Hopper Restaurant, MGM Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, E & O Trading Company in San Jose, California.

His TV career began when he hosted segments for a health drink in the show "Magandang Umaga Pilipinas" (Good Morning Philippines), a daily magazine show in the Philippine's largest broadcasting network.

When not in the kitchen, Chef Bruce enjoys playing online games and kickboxing.

ABOUT MICHAEL SAXON

Michael Saxon was trained in the United Kingdom and draws on more than 30 years’ experience working in the top hotels around the world in both operational and managerial positions.
These include postings at the The Four Seasons Yorkville Hotel (Canada), Resorts International Hotel & Casino (Paradise Island, Bahamas), the Regal Riverside Hotel (Shatin, Hong Kong) and the Taipei Hilton Hotel (Taiwan). He also oversaw hotel refurbishments and introduced new restaurant concepts during his stints with The Grand Plaza Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur and The Royal Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza (Singapore).
Mr Saxon was the General Manager of the luxury heritage Eastern & Oriental Hotel in George Town, Penang prior to taking on the position of CEO, The Delicious Group and Director, Group Hospitality & Lifestyle, Eastern & Oriental Berhad in January 2011.
Mr Saxon is also the author of Chef’s Tales, a book on his life as an international chef, and a blog by the same name.

For further information please contact:
Alice George (on behalf of the Asian Food Channel)
Principal Consultant
ALICE GEORGE COMMUNICATION
Public Relations, Communication & Event Counsel
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mobile: +6016 319 5320
Blackberry Mobile: +6019 600 8157
Tel: +603 7620 9917
Fax: +603 7620 9918

A Royal Dessert Experience with MAGNUM

2011-07-25T12:19:00.005+08:00

The press release says: (It's nice when you don't have to crack your head on what to write)

"Belgian chocolate (yummmm) is appreciated as the finest and most premium chocolate (amen to that sistah), born to indulge the royalties. (and plebians alike). To give that touch of luxury and even MORE pleasure for ice cream lovers, MAGNUM (the Ice Cream, not the 4D fellas), will be introducing premium ice cream later this year which will feature Belgian chocolate in every bite. We wanted our guests to experience the wonders and quality of Belgian chocolate, and thought what better way than to experience it through this royal dessert class", explained Hugo Verkuil, Foods Director of Unilever (Malaysia) Holdings Sdn Bhd.

It's strange, in all my years as a food blogger and after numerous invitations, chocolate events hardly ever came by, but that particular week, I had TWO invitations to chocolate events. I felt like Johnny Depp...well, okay, I know the resemblance is startling.

On top of the promise of an afternoon of indulgence, an added bonus was the dessert making session at SENSES, under award winning Chef De Cuisine ....drum rolll......CHEF MICHAEL ELFWING. (Who? I think I may have met him somewhere before).

I'm not sure what chocolate the current Magnums use, but to me, its pretty good as it is, so I can't wait for when they coat it with BELGIAN chocolate.

Welcome remarks by Mr Hugo Verkuil, Foods Director of Unilever (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd.

We are given samples of Belgian chocolate to try, from milk, to dark to very dark, (above 75% cocoa solids)

The many faces of Lil Chef.... contrary to initial impressions, he's quite the joker!

The kitchen is abuzz with activity as we're split into various groups, making "My (his, as in Michael Elfwing) One Minute Chocolate Tart...misleading, coz it actually goes into the oven for a minute, it doesnt take 1 minute to prepare, Belgian Chocolate Truffles, Dark Chocolate Parfait and Chocolate Leather. My group was tasked with the One Minute Chocolate Tart, which we did pretty fast, to the surprise of Michael, who gave this look of disbelief when we were done. Actually, I have newfound admiration for chefs who slog away in the kitchen. It is definitely not all cosy and cool as it would seem. Perhaps the hordes of people added to the temperature, but it sure felt like a sauna in there, I am surprised the chocolates didnt just melt from all the body heat.

After the dessert making thing, we were treated to more ice cream, together with a rarely seen naked magnum, to be dipped into freshly melted Belgian chocolate, and topped with topping of choice.

You gotta get your hands dirty if you want to make them Belgian Chocolate Truffles.

Lovely ladies showing off their truffling skills.

Michael & Hugo weaving in and out of the chocolate sauce to make their own creations.

Can there be a more decadent sight.

That's what a naked virgin looks like. (the ice cream, I mean. These white untainted popsicles were specially made for this occasion. You cannot buy them retail).

Pure, dressed in white, like a bride waiting for makeup.

I had to rush off before the proceedings ended, but here is a half finished plate of the dessert. The blotches of chocolate are meant as an adhesive to stick the finished tart and truffles onto the plate.

Michael Eflwing's One minute chocolate tart.

I have to thank AWhiffoflemongrass for reminding Carole of Salina & Associates PR SB that I love chocolate, and hence scoring me an invite to this lovely afternoon soiree.

Can't wait for Magnum to unveil their Belgian Chocolate range!