CHASING FOOD DREAMS

Authentic Sitiawan’s Favorites!

It wasn’t love at first sight for Marcus, the owner of Koufu Trendy Chinese Cuisine. It grew on him and the more he ate, the more he fell for it. A recipe homemade by his mother-in-law, he now swears by it to be his favorite!

Roping in his wife and his mother-in-law, Koufu Trendy Chinese Cuisine was born. Koufu is a moniker coined by Marcus but its Chinese meaning is actually ‘Yau Hau Fook’. It means one has good fortune to feast on great food. The owner believes in having every dishes served in Koufu to be as authentic as he can get it to be. Hence, he makes the effort to bring in almost all his ingredients directly from Sitiawan. Mother-in-law makes all the Foo Chow’s traditional red wine herself while father-in-law is a supplier for noodles in Sitiawan. The mee suah is also from a famous Sitiawan supplier while the chicken is brought in from the small farms to supply kampong chicken for his dishes. That’s not all… even the famous Kong Piang served is from Sitiawan!

I am no expert in Foo Chow cuisine but I have had red wine chicken before a few times. I was told by Marcus that the process to make red wine or Uang Chew is unpredictable. If it is a good fermentation, the red wine will have a good balance of sweetness with a tinge of sour whereas a bad one will be almost just sour. Red wine is made from fermentation of glutinous rice, red yeast and Jiu Bing (wine biscuit). If you are interested in how it is made, check out here.

Koufu serves two versions of their signature Red Wine Noodle Soup, one less potent with regular village chicken (RM10.90) and one with a stronger dosage of red wine and kampong chicken (RM16.90). It is to cater to all as some prefer a milder taste of the red wine.

Premium Koufu Red Wine Noodle Soup

Literally, the whole bowl of ingredients is from Sitiawan. From its fine smooth and velvety mee suah to the homemade red wine and kampong chicken, the premium version is flavorful and comforting. As I am fairly fond of all types of homemade wine, I took an immediate liking to this one. It has a great balance of flavors, subtle sweetness with just a nice tinge of sourness. The thickness of the red wine is pretty good as one can see how its coats the mee suah nicely. Chicken pieces are firm and there were also some pieces of ginger.

In addition, the mee suah also did not turn soggy even after a good soaking. Did I mention the portion was good too? It’s great value for a bowl of homemade comfort goodness for RM16.90!

Fried Meat Wantan Dried Noodle

Bouncy noodles nicely seasoned with sweet soy sauce were aromatic. Crowning the noodles are sliced fried lean meat and crispy bean curd sticks with some greens. It also comes with a bowl of piping hot wantan in soup. It’s simple but has great textures and simple flavors. For RM8.90, it’s a decent dish for simple pleasures.

Traditional Taste Fried Noodle

Homemade noodles are stir fried in a dark soya sauce with sliced fish cakes, prawns and greens. The savory soya sauce brings out the comfort note in this dish. It really tastes like homemade and is very aromatic. Another yet simple dish for RM7.90…

Koufu Long Yen Soup

My favorite of all the noodles I tried that night! Long Yen noodle is an authentic Foo Chow noodles made with basic tapioca starch, flour and egg. It is cooked on a pan to resemble a pancake and then sliced up and cut into noodles. Here it is cooked in a soul warming broth filled with a soothing light starchy broth with prawns, fish cake, mushrooms, black wood fungus and greens for RM8.90. The slippery noodles are just so good with a soft chewy texture and the overall flavors are just so heartwarming like it came from a mother’s kitchen. It’s my first time tasting this and I am thoroughly sold on the noodles. Simply a must for me!

Koufu La Mian Mixed with Laksa

This one is very unique. Either you’ll like it or not at all. I am told it’s quite popular in the Foo Chow community. It’s Lu Mian or braised noodles mixed with mackerel infused laksa broth for RM7.90. First taste for me had a fishy aroma coupled with bamboo shoot flavor. I can’t quite make out the exact flavors for this one because it is really unique. There is also squid and black wood fungus in it. The noodles are al dente and pretty good so I have made up my mind to order their Lu Mian alone without the laksa the next round. Give this a try if you are feeling adventurous… who knows, you might like it since I am told many Foo Chow diners enjoyed this here at Koufu!

Koufu Deep Fried Meat

This one is also a popular one with all of us for RM7.90. The meat is tender and very flavorful from the marinade. I can taste the red fermented wine flavor in this meat and it is also well fried to produce a crisp skin and tender juicy inside. The side of chili sauce is not too bad. It was so good, we had to have another order.

Kong Piang

A famous biscuit that symbolize the Foo Chow bakery, this pastry is made from flour, lard, onion and salt. It has a filling of fragrant onion mixture and some even has meat. Leaving it to the pro, Koufu gets his supply from a very famous Kong Piang maker in Sitiawan. The Kong Piang is priced at RM3.50 for small portion and RM6.90 for a large one.

The Kong Piang is very toasty when served and it has a side of garlic chili sauce. The doughy pastry is studded with loads of toasty sesame seeds and very fragrant of onions. A first for me and I do admit to liking it. Let’s hope I get to visit the baker in Sitiawan!

Koufu Tang Shui

I am familiar with this dessert as it resembles the northern Leng Chi Kang Tong Shui for me. At Koufu, it is overloaded with 10 ingredients ranging from longan, black jelly, jellies, pearls, sweet potatoes, barley, sea agar agar and crunchy basil seeds. Priced at RM4.90 for small and RM5.90 for large, it is a bowl of nice sweet ending with lots of textures!

We enjoyed some beverages like Honey Lemon, Carrot Juice and Iced Barley. Koufu also serves up hot flower teas and one of us had Beauty Tea, a sachet filled with French Rose, Jasmine Flower & Apple Flower for whitening and improvement of skin.

Hats off to Koufu in trying very hard to be as authentic as they can! It shows that every little bit counts and we can definitely taste it. As all the main ingredients are made by the owner’s mother-in-law herself, we are assured of quality dishes with homemade flavors. Though the location of this restaurant is not as strategic yet as it is a new area, I doubt this will stop foodies from sniffling this place out for a taste of Foo Chow cuisine from Sitiawan!

KOUFU TRENDY CHINESE CUISINE

B-11-GF, Garden Shoppe One City,

Jalan USJ 25/1A

47650 UEP Subang Jaya

Tel: 603 5115 0001 / 012 393 5092

Facebook: www.facebook.com/youkoufu

Website: www.koufu.my/

Business hours: Mon to Sun 10am to 10pm

*More Photos at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

Wine Cellar Sets South Sea in High Spirits!

It was a night of wine and dine at South Sea Seafood located in Kampung Baru Subang a few weeks ago. With a heritage dating back to the late 80s, seafood dining icon South Sea has been always a favorite with many seafood gourmands. Many have sought out the restaurant that is said to serve up many splendors of the sea’s treasures in various cooking styles.

South Sea pays homage to gourmands with a room filled with tanks of live seafood. Rows and rows of sea treasures in state-of-the-art aquariums are home to over 80 types of seafood livestock from the king of crustaceans to giant Alaskan spider crabs, abalone and geoduck clams to the finest of fishes and more. It’s all about freshness at South Sea!.

Now there are much added eating pleasures as South Sea Seafood has just introduced its new wine and dine concept with its recent transformation to the seafood dining scene. South Sea’s latest piece de résistance, the Sea Cellar, is an impressive construction of stainless steel and glass to mirror its gleaming row of fish tanks. Yet, this glass tank houses culinary delicacies of a different kind. Row upon row of specialty wines float in airy suspension in the cool climate-controlled interiors of South Sea’s stylish wine cellar. The Sea Cellar houses 225 varieties of international wines with its oldest one aged for 33 years. As a rule, no retail or supermarket wine brands are used and only the very best is served with the restaurant’s signatures.

At the media event that night, South SeaGeneral Manager Terence Wong announced South Sea’s rebrand into a premium seafood wine and dine haven – a notion inspired by the industry stereotype that wines are usually only synonymous with Western cuisine. ‘It’s true that wines usually accompany Western dishes, but seldom with Asian dishes, least of all seafood. Based on our observations and feedbacks from our customers, the Malaysian F&B landscape lacks an avenue to relish seafood paired with wine as a business philosophy. This is where South Sea’s new seafood wine and dine concept fills the void!’ quoted Mr. Wong.

Wine principal and expert from Miguel Torres in Chile, Gabriel Fernandez Borsch was also present to pair the delectable seafood repertoire with the most sophisticated wines in the menu that evening. Mr. Fernandez also provided an insight to all the wines served that evening at each course.

South Sea also underwent a refurbishment and the facelift boasts enhanced aesthetics integrated with practicality and functionality embodied in a stylish ambience. The interior is set in earthy hues and tones that allow guests to dine in comfort, harmony and stylish ambience. Ceiling lamps reminiscent of sea shells provides a warm lighting. Wood and rattan furniture evoked a sense of elegance while the spacious high ceiling interior allows guests to dine at ease. Private room is also available.

Our evening took off with some small bites and the very first pre-dinner wine, Miguel Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Reserve. The Rosé is exceptional in flavors, clean and fruity with a lovely aroma on the nose.

Entrée – Mediterranean Sampler of Gourmet Cheese, Oven Baked Grissini, Marinated Kalamata Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Sweet Pepper Stuffed with Greek Feta Cheese

Torres Viña Emeralda

I would describe this white as delicious! Beautifully chilled, it has a clean and crisp palate with a floral note. It paired well with the salty flavors of the tapas.

Carpaccio Delight

It was a king’s ransom all on a platter! Featuring the king of crustacean and king of clam, Carpaccio Delight consisted of fresh thinly sliced lobster and geoduck served on a bed of ice. Both prized catch are served as sashimi with wasabi or to be lightly dunked into a hot broth.

We were thoroughly impressed with this dish. Words cannot be described for its magnificence of freshness and flavors. The giant lobster meat is delectably sweet with a firm texture. Savoring it as sashimi with a little dabble of wasabi and soy sauce brings out the oceanic flavors of clean, crisp and sweet notes. I tried dunking the lobster into the hot broth for a few seconds. Lightly cooked, the lobster turns opaque and has a firmer texture but the sweetness is now balanced with a little savory note from the broth. Either way, the crustacean is still superb as the freshness reigns supreme.

The giant clam has always been extra special to me. Though it takes on an alienated form, this is one clam you do not want to miss. The huge siphon is highly prized in the Chinese community and is also often regarded to be some sort of an aphrodisiac due to its high content of zinc for testosterone production. Eaten all over Asia, there are many ways to prepare this clam. Though it is large in size, there is only a small part that is edible. I simply adored it being thinly sliced and served as it is. With a little dabble of wasabi and soy sauce, the geoduck is utterly delicious and almost intoxicatingly good! Sweet with a hint of briny savory sea flavors, the clam has a crunchy texture. The light hint of horseradish balance up the briny flavors beautifully. If you have never had it raw, do try it as one can really enjoy the maximum flavors of this clam in its purest form.

Torres Viña Sol White

It’s intense and fresh with a crisp palate, blending well with the rawness of the seafood. There is also a hint of citrus notes that matches with the seafood. This white is elegant and lingers on the palate. One of my favorite white of the night!

A Trilogy of Flavours

Lavishness on a plate, the Trilogy of Flavours has a whole abalone, a thick piece of sea cucumber, Shitake mushroom, asparagus and broccoli all braised in a supreme thick savory sweet sauce. There are lots of textures going on this plate with the tender and firm abalone, wobbly jellied sea cucumber and soft earthy mushrooms contrasting with crunchy greens. A dish that speaks of the chef’s skill in controlling the balance of flavors and textures!

Succulent Clams

I have never had a razor clam so big before. Imported from the sea of Scotland, the razor clam is broiled to just cook and crowned with loads of minced garlic and served a bed of glass noodles. The chef has dedicatedly explained that the skill of the dish lies in controlling the heaviness of the garlic by boiling it in milk to reduce the strong garlic pungency. I was really amazed at how subtle and sweet the garlic is in this dish. The clam is cut up into pieces and is soft and sweet too. The lightly soft and savory glass noodles are delicious when eaten with the clams and garlic. This dish was also paired with the same Cordillera Chardonnay.

Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay

A white from Chile, the Cordillera Chardonnay tasted of apples and nuts. It has a delicate acidity and is quite fruity. The wine also has an intense depth of flavors with citrus notes to equalize the sweet and savory flavors of the abalone and clam entrées.

East Meets West

South Sea does not only excel in seafood but manages to show off that they can do a mean meat dish as well. Serving the best of lamb from the green grass of New Zealand, the dish has a lamb cutlet coated in an oriental inspired honey glazed sauce. Caramelized bits with sticky goodness make the lamb succulent and finger-licking good. A few pieces of crinkle cut fries accompanied the lamb but I personally didn’t think it was needed.

Torres Gran Sangre De Toro

It’s a blend of a few variety of grapes and the intensity of the red is quite sharp for my palate. Though it is laced with a spice and berry note, I find the red too intense for my palate. While this was not to my liking, my partner love it as he insisted that it matches the lamb really well as both has strong flavors.

Alaskan Duet

I was on cloud nine that evening! How not to be when the exquisite Alaskan spider crab made its debut in three ways? This behemoth of the crustacean family is much sought after for its sweet succulent meat.

We were all enthralled by this giant crab with its enticing presentation. First up, the Alaskan spider crab was flavored with Salt and Pepper. Lightly coated with a thin batter and then sautéed in an aromatic mixture of shallot, garlic, spring onion, chili and seasoned with salt and pepper, the crab claws was gorgeous. One can taste the sweet chunks of crab meat laced with a nice aroma of the salt and pepper. A classic method that never fails to please when executed perfectly!

The second crab was doused in chef’s Signature Cheese Emulsion. It’s a golden pale yellow pool of creaminess glazing the crabs. Cheesy goodness matching up well with the sweet crab meat, making the dish really sexy to the very last bit!

Our third was the shell of the crab being filled with egg custard and steamed. The custard was a wee bit firm and a slight tad salty for me but others seemed to be oblivious and polished off every bit of the custard. I love how the bright red shell looks after being cook. It was certainly a magnificent experience for seafood lovers!

Miguel Torres Cordillera Cariñena

Though the red has silky tannins with a nice berry notes, I find it a bit too powerful for the crab. It’s a great red with full body and a touch of smoky edge with a long aftertaste but for me, it just over powers the sweet crab. Would have love this red with a nice piece of meat!

A Surprise!

When this dish landed on the table, everyone couldn’t be any happier! Lobster Head Braised Yee Mee is just beautiful at sight. The soft eggy noodles have been bathing and soaking up the flavors of the king of crustacean and its flavors are just deep, luscious and rich. I ate one and half bowl of this awesomeness with some donated from my foodie buddy Choi Yen!

Sweet Endings

It was a simple ending and it ended with such finesse. We indulged in a scoop of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream with Aged Balsamic Syrup and accompanied by berries. The sweet tangy rich balsamic vinegar is thick and divine, heighten the Haagen Dazs ice cream even more. I am hooked. I will be having my ice cream with aged balsamic vinegar from now on…

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro

We finished off with the sweetest of Spain, a dessert wine that is voluptuous in body and very aromatic.

The feast was unforgettable! South Sea Seafood takes seafood dining experience to another new level and now coupled with its Sea Cellar, pairing Chinese seafood with wine is set to impress gourmands from all over. Prices may be on a heavier end but bear in mind that its premium quality seafood brought in live from all over the world for the enjoyment of gourmands. Coupled with its brand new ambience, the wine and dine haven is certainly worth the journey for!

For more information on South Sea, please log on to www.southsea.com.my

SOUTH SEA CHINESE RESTAURANT

No229, Jalan Dua A Kampung Baru Subang,

40150 Selangor

Tel: 03 7846 5813 / 03 7846 1401

Email: tastebud@southsea.com.my

*More photos on my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

The Best of Both Worlds of Antique and Nyonya!

My recent food excursion landed in Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. It was probably the last place I would visit for food since I usually try to avoid that traffic laden area. However, a little bird told me there is a lovely Nyonya restaurant that has been around for a while serving up delicious Nyonya favorites. Whipping up my partner and another foodie, we brave the traffic on Saturday for lunch and to my luck, it was smooth sailing all the way!

Now we found out a little more about Precious Old China since my friend knew the owner. This six year old restaurant is the 2^nd branch of its original 16 year old Old China located nearby Petaling Street. Both restaurants are the brainchild of by an avid antique collector and a travel tour guide who combined their passion for antiques and Nyonya cuisine.

Walking into Precious Old China, it’s like travelling back in time. The atmosphere evokes an old era that has remain timeless. The décor is made up from lots of antiques, a collection that both owners have been collecting all their lives in their travels. Some of the pieces are really impressive, from its Chengal hardwood doors and bar, huge teak cabinets, various mixed of antique wooden furniture, old chandeliers, wooden lattice panels and so much more. Color glass windows, crystals from chandeliers, bold huge artworks and collections of pewter ware are just amazing and perfect for photos. One can see how much effort goes into maintaining all these antiques, it’s just a sight to behold for everyone!

Food is authentic Peranakan dishes with a combination from Northern and Southern. The menu features a great range of Nyonya dishes, snacks, single dishes, soups, and desserts.

Pie Tee (RM9.80)

Everything bit is made from scratch! Thin crispy top hat shells, jicama filling and spicy chili sauce are made in house. Simply fill up the golden shells with sweet crunchy jicama filling, add a bit of crumbed bean curd, a dollop of chili sauce and coriander leave. Pop these into your mouth at one bite if you can for the full sensation. Crispy, sweet, a little spicy, it’s a snack that never fails to please me when it is made just right!

Beef Rendang (RM22.80)

A house signature, small chunks of beef is rendered till fork tender in thick rich spiced up rendang gravy. Though the color looks lighter than our normal Malay version, rest assured that the flavors are equally delicious. It’s also not as dry as the norm and the gravy is lovingly lemak or creamy. I could taste a nice hint of kaffir lime leaves in the dish. I practically ate most of this dish alone because I love a good rendang…

Pucuk Paku Kerabu (RM12.80)

This one packs a nice punch. It’s spicy, nutty and tangy. Lightly blanched Pucuk Paku is smothered in a house chili belachan dressing and spruced up with thinly sliced shallots and lots of crushed peanuts. I like this a lot for its rich and bold flavors with a nice light crunch factor. Makes me want to eat lots of rice with this dish…

Sambal Petai Prawns (RM42.80)

Instead of using the smaller prawns, Precious Old China goes lavish and goes for the big ones with shells on. Flavors are certainly good with a nice balance of spicy, sweet and savory. My only tiny gripe is that there is hardly any spicy sambal gravy on this dish to coat the petai and of course to smother my rice.

Asam Fish Fillet (RM22.80)

Luckily for me, there is pool of gravy in this dish. It’s a burst of spices and the flavors are gorgeous. The tamarind curry gravy is superbly sour and spicy. I can taste loads of lemongrass, shallots, chili, ginger torch and the piquant tamarind all nicely balanced after a good simmer. Now the norm would be a glorious fish head in this one but there is a choice of fish fillet and fish head. We went for the fillet, feeling a little lazy. We got quite a few pieces of thick fillet, blanched lady’s finger and fried soft eggplant pieces. As usual, I flooded my rice with the gravy. Yummy!

Coconut Rice (RM1.90)

Though one can have white rice, we definitely love the coconut rice. Fluffy and rich from coconut milk, it is even tinted blue with the butterfly pea flower to get that authentic touch. The rice goes really well with the Beef Rendang and Asam Fish Fillet. Forget the white rice and go for this as an indulgence.

Santan Durian (RM13.90)

I can only take my other foodie’s ravings that this dessert is awesome since durian is my nemesis. Oh well, if there is one thing that is obvious, I can smell this dessert even after it was placed far away from me…goes to show how much creamy durian flesh is served with steamed soft glutinous rice and a good dollop of thick cream coconut milk.

Sago Gula Melaka (RM4.90)

Now this is my kind of dessert! All-time favorite wobbly sago floating in a creamy white coconut milk and lust up with syrupy thick Gula Melaka. Since the Gula Melaka is served separately, one can control the sweetness of this dessert. I am going to cut the chase and sum up this dessert in one word… Awesome!!

Our drinks for the lunch are Roselle (RM6.90), Sour Sop (RM6.90), Sour Plum (RM5.80) and Iced Local Coffee (RM6.90). We love the Roselle made in house and the local brewed thick and creamy iced coffee.

It’s the ambience that really had me hook that day. I spent quite some time admiring and capturing the décor behind my lens that day. Couple with a beautiful spread of authentic Peranakan dishes, I can see why my friend spoke highly of this restaurant. There is a little tweak in the dishes to serve tourist but the flavors are authentic and stayed true to its origin. Precious Old China also serves up a nice selection of individual dishes to cater to single diners and is pork free. If this isn’t enough, the restaurant is open 363 days a year… closing only 2 days on Chinese New Year… what dedication! Now there is simply no excuse not to head over here to get a taste…

*Psst… Old China, the original restaurant serves pork, wink!

PRECIOUS OLD CHINA RESTAURANT & BAR

Lot M2, Central Market

Jalan Hang Kasturi,

50050 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 2273 7372

Email: precious@oldchina.com.my

Website: www.oldchina.com.my

Business Hours: 12 noon to 9.30pm

Over the Moon with Mooncakes & Thursday Night Specials!

While I was moonlighting recently, I had the honors of getting my first taste of mooncakes this year at Ee Chinese Cuisine, Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya. Mid-Autumn Festival is near and mooncakes are simple a must for lunar worship and a little moon watching! Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya is proud to present its mooncakes series this year from Ee Chinese Cuisine as they have always do each year. I am thrilled to find out what’s new this year as mooncakes have gone from classic to contemporary nowadays.

Besides mooncakes, there is a Thursday Night Specials promotion going on each Thursday at Ee Chinese Cuisine from July to September 2013. Guests are to make prior reservations for this promotion. The promotion menu features a luscious array of dishes from Pi Pa Roasted Duck, Stewed Pork Knuckles, Chilled Chicken with Chinese Wine and more. Chef Yong Kam Wah and his team are set to tease your taste buds with the finest Cantonese cuisine from his repertoire. In addition to the promotion, guests will be serenaded by J Musical Live Band who will be performing evergreen Chinese and English hits from the 70’s and 80’s.

First up, let’s peak into our Thursday Night Specials for the evening!

Deluxe Twin Hot Combination

The evening kicks off with a duo of appetizers of Prawn in Yam Puff Pastry and Japanese Kurobuta Pork Skewers. Sink your teeth in crispy pastry of yam with creamy insides enveloping a big sweet juicy prawn. It’s simple pairing of yam and prawns is a nice one but what takes the cake for me was the gorgeous sexy skewer of black pig wrapped around lemongrass and topped with the house signature green chili sauce. Grilled to perfection with nice charred edges, I was wishing for more of this juicy and savory pork with a spicy kick!

Double Boiled Fish Soup with Apples

Soups are simply a must at Ee Chinese Cuisine. Every bowl denotes a great dose of flavors. Intense meat and fish broth is sweetened with a touch of apples while pieces of golden fried fish fillet are finished in the broth for textures. Little nuggets of Chinese almonds add more depth to the soup and soft stewed apples tasted almost like soft squash. This bowl is utterly soothing and comforting in my books.

Braised Eight Treasure Duck

A traditional Chinese dish that is almost endangered in most restaurants, it is a dish that simply must be preserved. It is tedious work for a dish and requires a series of marinating, deep fried, stuffed with eight distinctive ingredients before it is steamed to perfection. The aftermath of this cooking effort is reveled in its falling-off-the-bone duck filled with delicious treasures.

We ogled at the beautifully lacquered duck, inhaling in delicious aroma, while the staff works on cutting up the duck and its treasures.

Isn’t this a sight? Our eight treasures are lotus seeds, water chestnut, 2 kinds of mushrooms, ham, roast pork, chestnut and more. The duck is really tender and flavorful while the stuffing provides various textures and taste to the dish. It’s a classic for a good reason!

Deep Fried Boneless Chicken

I was told that this is another dish that is also almost extinct due to its tedious effort in preparation. One has to have good skills in deboning a chicken down to its skin before layering it with fish paste, salted egg yolk, seaweed and almond flakes. Seaweed is not the norm but chef has put a twist in this dish. The skin was also previously hung to dry to ensure a crispy skin with a nice lacquer. The dish is set to please many as the flavors of fish, chicken, salted egg and seaweed is lovely and the golden almond flakes provided a nice crunchy texture. I lost count of how many pieces I had that night.

Stewed Tian Jin Cabbage with Dried Scallops

Its dishes like this that makes me swoon at how simplicity rock always! Tianjin cabbage is an elongated cabbage that hails from the region of Tianjin, China. It is exceptional sweet and here it is showcased being braised in superior broth and dried scallops. The dish has soft melt-in-the-mouth cabbage oozing with such sweetness and savory essence of the superior broth while glorified up with precious whole dried scallops and topped with crispy deep fried dried scallop shreds. I would have gladly hog this whole dish to myself and be utterly contented!

Mini Lotus Leaf Rice

Needless to say, a Chinese meal will always have a rice or noodle dish. We were treated to little parcels of mini glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf with lots of treasure bits. Steamed till soft, we have soft sticky grains of rice studded with salted egg yolk, Chinese sausages, mushroom, minced meat and a little more. Its savory and a little sweet, rendering the traditional taste found in most Chinese cuisine.

Double-Boiled Pear with Snow Fungus & American Figs

A sweet broth always signifies a traditional ending to most Chinese meals. We had ours in the form of a delicately sweet double-boiled Chinese yellow pear with crisp snow fungus, red dates and sweet figs. Its soothing and sweet, a lovely ending as usual…

Of course, prelude to our Thursday Special dinner’s dessert, we savored Ee Chinese Cuisine’s range of delectable mooncakes!

This year Eastin Hotel’s kitchen team has prepared an assortment of delectable baked and snow skin mini mooncakes from their kitchen. These mini treats come in variety of traditional pandan paste, lotus paste fillings as well as with exotic fillings like the Dragon Fruit paste, white coffee and corn, chocolate to suite the modern palates. Mini mooncakes have been gaining its own fan base and popularity in recent years in view of its exquisite, petite appearance and its easy consumption pattern.

The mooncakes are beautifully presented in a custom designed gift box and top-carrier bags. There are more than 15 flavours for guests to choose from. Set to take center stage is Mini Crystal Durian Paste mooncakes, this year’s hero which is their special edition to commemorate the Hotel’s 15^th year anniversary celebration. Delight your loved ones, friends and business associates with their popular range of homemade mooncakes.

My personal favorite has always been the Snow skin series but this round; I was pretty pleased with Jasmine Cheesy Citrus. Its not too sweet and I can taste a lovely presence of the cheese.

Savour these delicate delights from only RM 10+ per piece and from RM 80+ per box which are available from 12 August -19 September 2013 for take-away and dine-in as well.. Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya also offers delivery service for a minimum order of 20 boxes within the Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur area. Delivery charges of RM 80 for Petaling Jaya and RM 140 for Kuala Lumpur apply. For those who need customization services, this service will be offered to you on a complimentary basis with a purchase of 15 boxes.

EE Chinese Cuisine Mid-Autumn Mooncake Promotion

Available from 12 August to 19 September 2013

Halal Superior Mooncakes (4 pieces in a box)

Red Bean Paste @ RM17+
Jasmine Cheesy Citrus @ RM1+
Precious Black @ RM18+
Low Sugar White Lotus @ RM18+
Supreme Mixed Nuts @ RM20+
Pure Lotus Paste Double Yolk @ RM20+

Pork Free Mini Mooncakes (8 pieces in a box)

Baked Skin

White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk @ RM10+

Pandan Paste with Single Yolk @ RM10+

"Kei Chi Tong Gui" Paste @ RM10+

Corn Paste with Single Yolk RM10+

Snow Skin

Crystal Red Bean Paste@ RM10+

Crystal Green Tea with Single Yolk @ RM10+

Crystal Dragon Fruit Paste @ RM10+

Crystal White Coffee Chocolate Paste @ RM10+

Special Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya's 15th Year Anniversary Mooncake (8 pieces in a box)

Mini Crystal Durian Paste @ RM105+

For more information, please call Ee Chinese Cuisine at +603 -7628 7338 or visit our website at www.eastin.com.

EE CHINESE CUISINE

Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya

13, Jalan 16/11, Pusat Dagang Seksyen 16,

46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 7665 1111

Fax: +603 7665 9999

Email: info.pj@eastin.com

Website: www.eastin.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/eastinhotelpj

It’s Full of Heart & Soul!

It was the love of two ladies that got Moustache Houze started! Over a meal, Christine and Catherine got talking and before any of them could think twice, everything was set and put in place within 3 months. The best friends roped in all help they could get but personally managed every detail. I met them through another friend and was really pleased to be able to check out Moustache Houze on my last trip back to Penang.

Located on Campbell Street in Georgetown, Penang, Moustache Houze is set in the old historic area near the famous bustling Chowrasta market. Parking is the only thing I foresee as an issue during mornings since the market attracts a huge crowd. In the late afternoon into evening, there should be plenty of parking available. Moustache Houze is set in a 3-storey linked building gorgeously restored. From the moment I stood outside the place, I saw charm… light grey walls set with white plaster, tiles and gorgeous wooden door, wood framed windows with stained glass and the cheeky house sign.

It’s a photo paradise! One will notice a mural of an old man carrying a little boy on his shoulder. I was told that this old man was actually the person whom the owners bought most of their recycled materials from. A light bulb went off and the owners got a local artist Willy Loh to work on this mural of the uncle and one of the owner’s little son. It’s a famous corner and most will stop to take a photo, including me!

The café maybe be covered in grey walls but there are plenty of colors to bring the café to life! Both owners put in their creativity and scouted for old materials to be recycled into new. I personally loved their recycled furniture where old steel chairs are covered with light wood and steel tables have old steel panels covered with glass. Another side of the wall features colored sofa chairs set and artistic rendering of metal pipes. The pipes are funky and really cool looking. It even holds books and knick knacks of sorts. Going in, more recycled materials are used while a vintage bicycle is set on a wall painted with the Tree of Life. One of the owners had her sister painted the mural to signify life as it grows and flutter off on its own respective moustache or birds. Love the concept and representation of the Tree of Life.

The bar is decked out with bricks, cement and a little wood. The bar centerpiece is the artistic rendition of the pipes again, this time as shelves for the café. Above the bar is a chalk board with the café menu. Bouncing in further, I was caught off by this pretty cozy corner with swings as seats, colored stools and wooden tables. It’s a fantastic touch and I am sure that this spot is gonna be occupied all the time. Since we were there early, we get to camp out at this spot!

I got to watch as Catherine was making a Siphon Coffee nearby. Since I am not an ardent coffee fanatic, it’s actually my first time watching this in progress. Did a bit of Googling and found out that Siphon coffee is a process of brewing coffee with a vacuum method. The siphon coffee maker was invented in 1830s. It has two chambers where the vacuum happens. Catherine first freshly grinds the imported coffee beans. Then she pours the aromatic coffee into the top chamber and let it sit over the second chamber where water is boiled over a burner. Once the water boils, the water travels up the top chamber through a long glass funnel. At this point, the coffee is left to steep in the water for a little. The burner will be turned off at this point and as soon as the pressure reduces as the heat reduces, the coffee slowly drips back down to the second lower chamber with a strainer in the funnel. Catherine then carefully removes the second chamber and serves up the coffee. Phew, all these for coffee! It’s definitely serious stuff for a great cup of Joe!

Before we chili out, we took a tour with around to check out the second and third floor. We were told that a boutique hotel was in store for the second floor. It was still work in progress but we already love what we saw. There are five rooms for rent and these are currently still work in progress with the finishing touches. We were told it should be ready in another month. Catch a sneak peek at what we saw…

I just love, love, love their interpretation of the moustache! Every room has a different moustache theme mural and colors…

The third floor is a space made for just pure hangout. Well one can also rent it for private functions too. It is kept to a minimal and offers lots of spaciousness. Open up the windows anytime of the day and one will get a nice view of the bustling street in daytime or a scenic view of the island at nighttime. Comfy bean bags and cushions are thrown over pallet platform while the other side features a sofa made from pallets. There is also a cute pallet table with wheels too. After seeing all these pallets everywhere in many restaurants recently, I can tell there is going be an increase in the price of the pallets… winks! There is also a lovely graphical poster made from two-piece that shows a moustache that has a few hidden creatures in it. This was also painted by the owner’s sister who did the Tree of Life!

The owners take their drinks and desserts seriously to the core! Enjoy lots of beverages from coffee art on coffees, teas and their signature fruit ice with sodas. I love their cute fruit ice cubes with soda for its fruity freshness. We had Pineapple, Strawberry and Kiwi Ice Cubes with Soda, all at RM11.90 each. My favorite has to be pineapple but then again who can resist heart-shaped strawberry ice cubes?

If fruit is not for you, then you should try their Espresso Ice Cubes with Fresh Milk (RM12.90). Shots of espresso is frozen into cubes and served with milk on the side. Pour in the fresh milk and watch as the espresso slowly mingles with the milk till it combines. It’s a bittersweet note as the espresso is creamy and delicious. No sugar is added so one can enjoy the true beauty of the espresso…

Hot Chocolate (RM9.90) for my little one and boy was he excited when he saw this! A first for him as his chocolate comes with a cute mustache with snowy milk foam. I also couldn’t resist and stole a sip. Its got a great dose of cocoa and wasn’t too sweet at all.

My partner had Cappuccino (RM9.90) and was thoroughly satisfied with his cup of Joe. Another cute moustache lies on the milk foam and one cannot help but to feel happy seeing this.

I just love their mugs and cups printed with the moustache! It’s just such a cute touch and one is seen posing with these mugs. Make sure to sip the foam to create your own milk moustache or you can always borrow the various sizes of wooden moustaches to pose for photos!

Though desserts are not made in house, I admired how the owners went literally miles to get these. Expressed in from various states, Moustache Houze chooses the best from various famous dessert houses. Focusing on many favorites, check out their selection of desserts that rotates on daily basis.

It was tough decision on making a selection of cakes as there were just so many on display that morning. Starting off the lot, a Chocolate Walnut Cake (RM11.90) and a Red Velvet (RM11.90) was served on wooden board. The chocolate cake was dark and rich with bits of walnuts and coated in dark ganache. The Red Velvet tasted decent to me too as it had a nice and fine crumb and the layer of cream cheese icing is just right. Both cakes are not too sweet and this is definitely a plus point.

Next up, a lovely assorted Mille Crepe cakes in various flavors all priced at RM10.90 each. We tried Neopolitan, Hazelnut and OreoMille Crepe Cakes. Hazelnut takes the cake in flavors for me. Love the nutty creamy taste with chocolate notes. It’s a silky bite that melts in the mouth. The Oreo is pretty good if you are a fan of dark chocolate with icing. There are even pieces of Oreo cookies sandwich in between the crepe and these have gone a bit soft. Neopolitan features Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry flavors all at one taste. I heard they have quite a few of other awesome unique flavors too rotated on daily basis. I can’t wait to back and try their Chocolate Mint and Black Forest Crepe Cake!

We also stuffed ourselves with Strawberry Puff with Vanilla Ice Cream (RM9.90). Though the puffs are a wee bit dry, just make sure to add a big spoonful of the ice cream. Strawberries and ice cream always works for me…

We ended on a high note! Tiramisu (RM11.90) was superb. It’s got its own unique twist on the classic Tiramisu. Fluffy coffee sponge with a thick generous layer of mascarpone cream studded with chocolate chunks and finished with crushed praline. It oozes lots of textures and flavors. From creamy fluffy coffee to airy clouds of cheese and the crunch factor from the praline makes this delicious in every bite. In fact, I believe I polished most of this cake to myself.

Moustache Houze has a lot to offer. It’s a fabulous hang out place whether you’re with a big gang of buddies or simply yourself. The whole ambience is charmingly chic with all the pop up colors and the recycled materials. For now, the café offers drinks and desserts but who knows, it has great potential for more. I also can’t wait for the boutique hotel to start operating… it’s gonna be a blast!

MOUSTACHE HOUZE

24, Campbell Street,

10100 Georgetown, Penang.

Tel: 604- 262 2228

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MoustacheHouze

Business Hour: 4:30pm to 10pm. Daily.

My Afternoon Tea with Mooncakes!

We are back at Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur recently for a taste of Mid Autumn Festival! Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur is honouring the traditioinal Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival of lunar workship and moon grazing with its opulent collection of luscious mooncakes.

This year, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur has brought back their much acclaimed sleek iconic mooncake bags in the most in-vogue luxury designs in two colors of red and ivory. Inspired by iconic designer Louis Vuitton, these bags are set to be the envy of many with the gorgeous curves and elegant material. The bold elegant bag holds a selection of five variants, perfectly formed using individual handmade hardwood moulds imported from the master craftsmen of Hong Kong.

‘An iconic symbol of Chinese heritage throughout the world, mooncakes are both sumptuously luxuriant and yet heartwarmingly familiar’, enthused Executive Chinese Chef Wong Lian You.

Chef Wong and team have pulled out all stops with three different packaging offerings with the two gorgeous bags and a luxurious 7 Stars Premium Collection which features the biggest mooncake made in Malaysia. This collection centerpiece has a span over 6 inches made from a specially commissioned hand carved mould which took five weeks of dedication to create!

As the mooncakes are made in-house by Chef Wong and his kitchen team by using authentic recipes, we got to watch two mooncake recipes demonstrated. I was really impressed by the humongous piece of Red Date Paste with Tao Almond Snow Skin and Macadamia Nuts. Its unique with a white skin and lightly baked but the process to make it is tedious as it requires a few hours of cooking the skin over low fire on the stove before being shaped and baked.

Mini Green Tea Paste with Single Egg Yolk

Red Date Paste with Tao Almond Snow Skin and Macadamia Nuts

KY had a go at making the mooncake and his was perfect!

It’s my first but I love the idea of having a tea party with mooncakes! Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur’s OneSixFive lounge offers a Mooncake Afternoon Tea set for RM128++ per mooncake stand for 2 persons that include a pot of selected house tea.

Lounging in their latest beautifully refurbished lounge in contemporary plush sofas, we first had to select our tea. The tea served is an exclusive tea sourced from Canada. One is presented with bottles of tea leaves perfumed with various ingredients. I loved my Shanghai Rose with its really delicate aroma and the tea is delicious. No sugar is served as the mooncakes are nicely sweet enough with the tea.

Our circular stand of 10 mini mooncakes had everyone admiring its presence before we dig in. I love some of the really unique creations this year and there is even an opulent mooncake with the highly-prized bird nest!

Starting with Snow Skin Selection, we savored Mini White Chocolate Snow Skin with Dark Chocolate Paste and Rice Crunch, Mini Duo Roseberry Snow Skin with Spirulina Paste and Gummi Candy, Mini Peanut Butter Snow Skin with Dark Chocolate Paste and Mixed Nuts, Mini Tiramisu Paste with Dried Mix Fruits and Raisins and Mini Green Tea Paste with Single Egg Yolk. I do admit to liking the unique Mini Duo Roseberry Snow Skin with Spirulina Paste and Gummi Candy for its flavor and the sweet touch of gummi candies as it has a fun side to the usual. My favorite of the lot has to be the Mini Peanut Butter Snow Skin with Dark Chocolate Paste and Mixed Nuts simply because I love peanut butter and nuts. DO try the Tiramisu too as it comes in second for me…

The Traditional Baked Selection offers Mini Bamboo Charcoal Paste with Pumpkin Seeds, Mini Red Date Paste with Tao Almond Snow Skin and Macadamia Nuts, Mini White Lotus Paste with Nuts, Mini Pandan Paste with Egg Cream and Walnuts and Mini Assorted Nut Paste with Chicken Ham. I love the Mini Red Date Paste with Tao Almond Snow Skin and Macadamia Nuts for the creamy sweet fragrant date paste with bits of nuts and the Mini Pandan Paste with Egg Cream and Walnuts for the creamy eggy center.

Amping up the affair, we got to also try two other mooncakes which is not part of the afternoon tea set but is available for purchase. Bringing in back their signature Mini Durian Meat with Oats, I kept hearing others raved about this one. Apparently the combination of durian and oats is really good and has a great texture to balance the heavy durian. I’ll take their word for this…

What I love is their Mini Almond Milk Cream with Bird’s Nest! I like the almond flavor presence in this piece and the creamy nutty taste has quite a nice amount of jellied strands of bird’s nest. I must say that there is quite a nice amount of the luxurious bird’s nest in this mooncake…drools…

Have you savor a mooncake yet? If not, what are you waiting for….

Sales of the distinguished mooncake selections will commence on July 1 and will be available until September 19. The stunning mooncake selection boxes are on sale starting July 1 with prices starting at RM68 per collection. For more information, call +603 2161 1111.

ONESIX FIVE and TAO CUISINE

Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

165 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2161 1111

Fax: +603 2161 1122

Email: info@intercontinental-kl.com.my

Website: www.intercontinental.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intercontinental.kualalumpur

Celebrating the Weekend with a Saturday Brunch!

Personally, I love brunch! It’s a perfect morning to get a little indulgence to kick start the weekend. Hitting the latest promotion scene in the city, Mediteca at Fraser Place is bringing an Eat-All You-Can Saturday Brunch to you. Mediteca, a Mediterranean Wine Bar, has been serving up luscious arrays of modern European cuisine since early this year. Helmed by Chef Riccardo Ferrarotti, he entices gourmands with his imported selections of the finest delicatessen products to be savored with Mediteca’s collection of wines from all over.

Walking into Mediteca, the cozy ambience filled with lots of natural lights is very welcoming and pleasing at sight. It has a lovely spacious interior filled with lots of wood partnered with steel and cement. There is an upper level dining as well to cater for private functions. A beautiful long bar counter and an open kitchen allow guests to have some kitchen action. Mediteca also has an extensive retail offering such as fresh deli produce, baked goods, fine selection of delicatessen products, sauces and more for sale. The menu offers a decent list of Mediterranean dishes, tapas, cheeses and a little more.

Mediteca’s Eat-All You-Can Saturday Brunch has guests enjoying unlimited offerings of cold cuts and fine cheeses with homemade pickles and condiments, unlimited salad bar and desserts. Select a main dish from its weekly menu that rotates to feature different European fare. It was Greek week when I was there recently whereas Italian took reign the week before.

When Greek is in themed, the salad bar took form with Greek inspired salads like Dakos Salad, Horta Salad, Chili, Cabbage & Onion Salad, Greek Salad and my all-time-favorite Tzatziki dip served with Grissini. It’s a lovely and colorful bar filled with lots of vegetables and dressing.

While I was watching a show recently, there was this hand slicer that was featured and it is said to churn out beautiful thin slices of cold cuts like no other. The hand wheel allows better control and cuts finer according to the tv show. Hence when I saw this hand slicer here at Mediteca, I was immediately impressed by the fact that Chef Riccardo brought in one from Europe!

The slicer makes perfect thin cuts of the much beloved antipasto of salami, prosciutto, jamon and more. My platter of unlimited cold cuts of fine delicatessen meat arrived with sides of gorgeous creamy cheeses. It was a delicious sight of cured Porchetta Ham, Salami, Spicy Salami Chorizo, Panchetta and Serrano Ham. There are also other selections available depending on the availability. Nestled snugly among the meat are slices of Asiago and Montasio cheeses with a big chunk of the ever funky Gorgonzola.

The cured meat melts with pure salty goodness. It has such a finesse of meaty essence and matches perfectly with the lovely array of pickles, chutneys and fruit jams. I was particularly fond of the Porchetta and Serrano ham paired with fig jam and tomato chutney.

The cheeses are really good too in their own flavors. The Montasio is really beautiful and while some may avoid the Gorgonzola, I actually had quite a bit of this. Its ultra-creamy with deep pungent flavor of the cheese.

Check out the bowls of house-made fruit jams and pickles. Almost every condiment is so good that I went back for second helpings of it all!

Working my way through, I had a soup of the day which turn out to be Chickpea Soup. Served piping hot, the chickpea soup is really a creamy nutty bisque. Dotted with bits of sausage meat, the soup is pretty fililng and flavors are rustic and comforting. Even my little one loves this lot!

For mains, it was a tough choice as I really love Moussaka but I decided on Fish in Phyllo instead. After all that delicious antipasti and salad with bisque, I wanted something light and this dish was perfect. A lovely flaky white fish encased in buttery crisp phyllo was baked till just right. Its really juicy and buttery with simple delicate flavors. On the side is Penne pasta with sausage meat in a light herb sauce.

I barely have room for dessert! The dessert counter was filled with Chocolate Fudge, Ricotta Tart and Rice Pudding and a little more. Next time I know to save a little room for desserts.

Did I mention that there are also unlimited refills of Ice Lemon Tea? None of those water down kind but nicely brewed tea with a good dose of lemons.

Mediteca showcase modern Mediterranean cuisine with great finesse! The dishes here uses minimal ingredients but made superbly to show off the quality and freshness of the produce. Their menu has also recently added porky fare to cater to lovers of the hog. Do check out the Saturday Brunch promotion as it is really a great deal if one is a big fan of cured delicatessen products and Mediterranean cuisine. They have plenty of wine available for extra pampering. Make sure to call and ask the theme for each week as one will never know which country one might taste that Saturday!

Mediteca’s Saturday Brunch is priced at RM58++ per person. The Eat-All You-Can Brunch starts from 11.30am to 3.00pm and kids below 12 years old eat for free.

MEDITECA

Lot 163, Fraser Place,

Jalan Perak,

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2181 2426

Fax: +603 2161 1106

Facebook: facebook.com/mediteca.kl

Website: www.meditecawinetapas.com

GPS: 3.154271,101.709364

Business Hours: Monday to Saturday 11.30am till late

Maxim Hong Kong lands in Malaysia with Mooncakes!

With the festive Lunar celebration around the corner, if you are still looking for mooncakes, here’s one all the way from Hong Kong by Maxim Group, Mei-Xin Mooncakes. It’s a first in Malaysia and we are certainly happy about it! The Maxim Group has attained many accolades for their superior quality, reputable brand and winning customer recognition. As per the Nielsen Research Report, Hong Kong Mei-Xin Mooncake has been the number one mooncake seller in Hong Kong for 15 consecutive years since 1998.

What makes Hong Kong Mei-Xin Mooncakes different from others? According to Mei-Xin’s representive, Mei-Xin Mooncakes are made with high quality ingredients such as creamy and fragrant golden white lotus and crystal-like top-graded salted egg yolks. They have a very extensive range of various flavours of Traditional Baked Series and Snowy Twin Cake Series.

Sampling the Traditional Baked Series, Mei-Xin Mooncakes has consistent thin skin with a smooth silky layer of fragrant lotus paste. Indeed, living up to its quality, the lotus paste is more aromatic than what I have tasted so far this year.

White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncake has a velvety paste that melts and is not overly sweet. Look at that thin skin barely encasing the filling!

Not an ardent fan of Mixed Nuts Mooncake, surprisingly, this one was much appreciated by many that night. We concluded that it was the aromatic dried orange peel that won our taste.

Premium Egg Custard Mooncake takes the crown in the baked category! We absolutely loved this eggy rich custard mooncake to bits. The 6 pieces of small golden baked mooncakes are so fragrant. Recommended to heat up the golden mooncake in microwave for 10 seconds, the filling of luscious creamy coconut milk with rich egg yolks is really heightens when it is at warm peaks. It reminds me of the savory egg flavors of my beloved ‘Lao Sar’ custard filling. We all fought for this one!

When the Snowy Twin Cake platter arrived, we all couldn’t help but squeal in delight. Pretty in pastel colors except for the brown one with a bold Devil imprinted, it is just so dainty in size as well. Though Mei-Xin Hong Kong carries over 20 flavours, we were pretty happy with 8 flavours available here.

My top favorites are the Devil Dark Chocolate Crunch and Passion Fruit & Pomelo. The Devil title is well deserved, rich dark and chocolatey with crunchy bits, it is just so tempting that one gets lured back to eating more of it. The Passion Fruit & Pomelo is refreshing, fruity, tangy and easy to eat.

Other flavours of Mixed Berries, Sesame Seed with Macadamia, Blueberry Duo, Mango and Mango with Pomelo are also really good. Instead of our usual soft snow skin that we have here, these has a chewy mochi skin texture. These are kept in the freezer till almost ready for serving before it is lightly defrosted in the fridge for 10 minutes. It is served really chilled and firm so the first taste is really refreshing on the palate.

Each of the Snowy Twin Cake has two fillings in it with a fruity or chocolate center contrasting with a denser creamy filling. The skin is thin and well wrapped so each bite, one gets a nice consistent overall flavour and texture.

Mei-Xin Mooncakes are now available at Private Kitchen at Damanasara Uptown and all Aeon and Jaya Grocers. Prices might be a bit more as these are air-flown in from Hong Kong and are made from only high quality natural ingredients with no artificial coloring added. Definitely worth a taste!

I brought home a few extra Devils that night… wink!

Website: http://www.meixin-mooncake.com/

*Stay tune for a private dinner at Private Kitchen!

Friends, Food, Film & Cocktails… in no particular order please!

I am pleased, very pleased. An ardent movie buff, it would please me if I can combine my love for food and movie with great friends or family. Of course a few cocktails thrown in would only make this even better. That said, one should head over to The Gastro Project like I did. Based on the concepts of British gastro pubs, this exciting neighborhood restaurant cum movie theatre offers a great experience to diners, drinkers and movie buffs!

Founded by Dr. Roshni Menon, The Gastro Project (TGP) echoes Hollywood chic as soon as one enters. Classic black and white checkered floor contrast boldly with off white and burgundy walls while dark furniture rules the space. Posters of Hollywood stars such as Jack Nicholson, Jean Reno, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie and more reminds you what this restaurant is all about. Choose to seat comfortably at the banquette or simply hang out at the bar. The whole ambience is warm and inviting.

Head up to the first floor level and one is greeted to the open theater armed with its own bar. Movies are projected on a wall screen as one lounge on comfy sofas. Needless to say, the best part of this movie is the cocktails to go with it. And let me tell you, there plenty of giggle juices to keep everyone happy…

As this was our media preview event, we were treated to the house signature cocktails concocted by operations manager, Jason Koven. For a start, I went straight for the Bubble Yum… and boy oh boy, I loved it! Bursting with strawberries, sparkling wine and elderflower syrup, I had a few of these refreshing cocktail in champagne flute. Other signatures include The AC Martini, Ginger Swizzle, Apple Grey Tea and more. Wines, beers and liquors are also available.

To make sure we had something to nibble with our cocktails, there were several canapés going around. Little squares of Mushroom Tarts with a polenta base, spoonful of Orrechiette with Lamb Sausages & Meatball, pieces of squares of pizza named The Indian and The TGP Pizza is like no ordinary canapés. These little bites pack quite a punch in flavors.

My top choice is the pizza… with The Indian having spicy Chicken Perratal with cucumber raita and Indian cheese and The TGP Pizza smothered in green garlic pesto with bits of squid and prawns. Both are superb in flavors and the spicy level of both pizzas rocked my world. The thin crust holds the ingredients well and the flavors are definitely bold. These fusion pizzas are simply a must-have at TGP.

After our canapés and cocktail session, we head down for dinner. The menu for the night showcases TGP’s signature dishes served in tasting portions. Each course was also paired with a series of wines.

Japanese Style Salad served with Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay 2012

It is really a wonderful and light starter. Lots of greens at sight but there is a delicate level of sesame dressing that compliments the greens, avocado, edamame, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts. It is not a creamy dressing but rather lovely nutty and toasty sesame that works great with the salad.

Paired with a lovely South Australian Chardonnay, the plush and peachy white goes well with the light salad.

King Prawn in Buttercream Sauce with Mantau Buns with Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique

Even before I savored this dish, I was told how awesome this is and true enough, it lives up to all the ravings. A huge king prawn is nestled in a pool of luscious buttercream sauce with a side serving of deep fried Mantao bun. My only gripe about this dish is the oily bun but all is forgiven when I tasted the luscious and spicy buttercream sauce. The thick rich cream is balanced out with a great kick of spicy heat and I loved every spoonful of it. Regardless of what others think, I made sure to lap up every bit of the awesome sauce. It’s an indulgence worthy of every calorie it packs!

I was surprised that our rich dish was paired with champagne of Brut Mosaique. It does work though as the bubbly provided a delicate and freshness to the heavy cream dish. Kudos to whoever decided on this pair as the unexpected pairing works beautifully on my palate.

Trio of Main with Château Darzac Bordeaux Superieur – Cuvée Reserve

As mentioned this was our tasting portion of TGP’s mains. Scrolling down, we were also presented the actual serving portion for photo session.

Served with bold red Bordeaux by Château Darzac, the richness of the berries in the red compliments the strong flavored main dishes well.

Crabmeat Aglio Olio

I happen to like Aglio Olio for its simplicity. This one is shaken up with more spicy heat and hand-picked crabmeat. It has good doses of garlic and spiciness and pasta is cooked well. I wouldn’t mind ordering this again but I hope to have more crabmeat in the pasta.

Australian Black Angus

The Black Angus was cooked to perfection in our tasting portion. It really goes to show that quality beef is crucial to a great steak. Mine was cooked medium with a nice tender texture and flavors of the beef were spot on. One has plenty of choices when it comes to sauces and sides. When one orders the beef, the sauces and sides are additional orders so that it is personalized to one’s liking. Go ahead and beef up your steak…

Slow Cooked Lamb with Couscous

The braised lamb melts-in-the-mouth like buttery silk. It has paid off from the long hours of gentle cooking, rendering a good note of spices in harmony. It’s not spicy but rather savory and a little sweet from the apricots. Served with fluffy couscous, the dish evokes hearty flavors.

Trio of Dessert with Casetta Moscato D’Asti

We ended the affair with a trio of desserts named Classic, Decadent and Satisfying. Classic is English Strawberry Trifle which is decent but nothing to shout about. Decadent is Chocolate Cake Balls with rum cocoa sauce. This one is what a dessert should be, sinful and sexy. Dark and rich, the rum and cocoa made a great impact of chocolate sensation. Satisfying shows off Cardamon Pannacotta with a caramel sauce. I like the twist of cardamom in the cooked cream, its subtle enough but you know it’s there and the pannacotta is silky and wobbly as it should be.

Our Moscato D’Asti has a gorgeous yellow hue with a fresh and sweet palate.

What they offer at The Gastro Project is pretty new to our country but that’s what makes it so cool and extraordinary. The fusion food, drinks and movies is obviously a great combination for a lovely evening out with loved ones or friends. The modern fusion food works for me as the flavors are bold and the creations work beautifully. If you dine at TGP, you get to enjoy the movie with no charge. There are movie schedules on daily basis else you can even bring your own. The Gastro Project is also perfect for private events and functions. The concept from Dr. Menon and his dedicated team is a bold and brilliant step, taking dining and entertainment to another level in our country.

Taking my word here is not enough, you simply need to go and experience this for yourselves!

THE GASTRO PROJECT

No.25, Jalan 17/56, Section 17,
46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-7931 6465
Email: info@thegastroproject.com

Website:www.thegastroproject.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/TheGastroProject

A Sweet and Spicy Mid-Autumn Festival!

If you haven’t had enough of mooncakes yet, here’s one more to add to your list to try! Back at Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant at One World Hotel, it’s a hot and spicy September with the flavor of the month showcasing Szechuan cuisine. Guests are in for a sweet and spicy treat of Szechuan and Mooncakes!

Szechuan cuisine is synonymous with pungent flavors and heat. One of the more popular regional cuisines of China, Szechuan cuisine is kick up with their liberal use of garlic, Szechuan peppercorn and pepper oil. A variety of Szechuan dishes are available for lunch and dinner at Zuan Yuan from 1 to 30 September 2013. Prices start from RM10 per dish onwards.

Our Szechuan dishes for the evening were spicy all the way…

Chilled Szechuan "Ma La" Chicken

A classic and almost always available in any Szechuan restaurant, poached slices of chicken is soaked in a pool of spicy Szechuan chili oil dressing with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. Boneless and tender, the poached chicken is also chilled to achieve its distinctive fresh contrast of the incoming heat. A very enjoyable appetizer…

Hot & Sour Soup Szechuan Style with Dumpling

I never did tell anyone but if I ever see a Hot and Sour Szechuan Soup on a menu, I‘d order it. This version has a refine balance of flavors. Not overly spicy but tangy enough, it is a bit more toned down from the classic one. It has the usual finely shredded ingredients and the broth is lightly starched up. What really shines in this soup is the dumpling. Plump, juicy and filled with a bouncy filling of seafood, I could certainly do with a few extra dumplings!

Wok Fried Prawn with Fiery Hot Szechuan Sauce

I think this dish rocks! It was my favorite for the night. Big prawn balls have great wok heat and are definitely spiced up with pungent strength of the chili. The crustaceans are cooked to perfection with a sweet firmness in every bite. Providing extra textures are lightly tossed onions and dried chili pepper. Flavors are just spot on for me as I really enjoyed the overall greatness of this dish.

Wok Fried Chicken with Dried Chili Szechuan Peppercorn

Its another classic but this one is twist up a little differently here. Boneless cubes of chicken are well seasoned and tossed up with a medley of leeks, dried chili and roasted peanuts. There is no sauce but the chicken is really well seasoned with savory flavors. The liberal use of dried chili and Szechuan peppercorn punched up the heat in this dish. The lightly soft leeks and toasty peanuts added a nice texture and aroma to the chicken. Hand me a bowl of rice please…

Wok Fried Chinese Cabbage with Black Bean and Szechuan Chili Paste in Clay Pot

It is a very simple dish with minimal ingredients but rest assured, this is a dish with big flavors. The smoky aroma is gorgeous. One gets light crunch from the cabbage with a nice sweetness complimenting the pungent spicy black bean sauce. Unless you are not a fan of cabbages, it would be hard to resist enjoying this dish with a piping bowl of steamed rice.

Szechuan "Dan Dan" Noodle

This one uses a wider noodle than the classic one for most Dan Dan noodle. It does have better texture and was cooked nicely. The sauce is fairly light with a mellow spicy hint. It has good flavors with the seafood and bell peppers. Though the flavors are fine and lovely, I thought it was a bit too light for a Dan Dan noodle. Dan Dan noodles are famous for strong and pungent flavors but nevertheless, the Dan Dan noodles here is still delicious in its own way.

Here comes the touch of sweetness after our spicy meal. This year, Chinese Dim Sum Chef Jordan Chinbrought back an ensemble of classics and modern creations. For traditional oven baked mooncakes, new flavor introduced is the single egg yolk white lotus with black sesame paste as well as the tiramisu with mung bean paste while for snow skin mooncakes include the seaweed lotus paste with single egg yolk and salted white lotus paste with single egg yolk. We tried a few mixes of classics against modern.

White Lotus Paste (Sugar Cane Free)

Pretty well made, its has a good amount of sweetness and the fragrance of the white lotus is lovely. At sight, it also looked good as the skin is thin and the white lotus paste is golden and pale. It’s a classic well made!

Pandan Lotus Paste (Sugar Cane Free)

I didn’t expect this but I have to say the Pandan Lotus Paste is spectacular! This is one of the best pandan lotus pastes I have had in all my years of tasting mooncakes. The pandanus aroma is so heady and deliciously awesome. We all raved in unison of this mooncake and this platter was also the first to be clean out. High marks for this awesome classic!!

Supreme Mixed Nuts and Chicken Ham

Again just not my cup of tea but it has great depth of flavors. Jam packed with lots of textures of nuts, seeds, ham and maltose, it is still a favorite among the elders.

Seaweed Lotus Paste with Single Yolk

A first for me but this one rates top among the modern mooncake category! The seaweed flavor is distinctive and exudes a savory sweet filling together with the salted egg yolk. Unless one does not like seaweed, there really is no excuse not to like this one. This one is savory and sweet all together in harmony.

Golden Butter Milk and Coconut Milk Paste

Mini ones but packs a luscious creamy flavor of the butter milk and coconut milk. It’s great that it comes in minis because this one is rich in flavors. A little goes a long way in this one…

Multi Grains Lotus Paste

Going healthy, it’s another first for me to savor a multi grain version. There are crunchy bits of sesame seeds and multi grains in this one. For those who are health conscious, this one may just be for you.

The mooncakes are available in beautiful gift boxes of four or eight pieces from 15 July to 19 September 2013. For orders or enquiries, please call Zuan Yuan at 603 7681 1159.

ZUAN YUAN CHINESE RESTAURANT
Lobby Floor, One World Hotel
First Avenue
Bandar Utama City Centre
47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7681-1159

Website: http://www.oneworldhotel.com.my/home/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/OneWorldHotelPetalingJaya

*More pictures at my facebook:ChasingFoodDreams

Kapiti makes a Cool Landing in our shores…

If one has ever traveled to the land of the Kiwi, then one will immediately gushed at New Zealand’s iconic premium ice cream, Kapiti. That’s also how I got to know of Kapiti when my brother-in-law raved about how delectable Kapiti is and swears to be their ardent follower. When I received an invite to attend the Kapiti launch recently, I was really excited that Kapiti has finally landed on our shores.

This premium New Zealand ice cream brand has received many accolades over the years for churning out tubs and novelty packs of luscious premium ice creams in various flavors. Kapiti is a premium ice cream by Kapiti Fine Foods ltd. famous for its gourmet cheeses, ice cream and other dairy products. The Kapiti brand started as a boutique cheese shop at the Kapiti Coast in 1984, founded on a dream to craft quality, award-winning and uniquely New Zealand dairy products, a dream that Kapiti remains true to until today.

The event was graced by New Zealand Trade Commissioner, Mr Matt Ritchie who officially launched the brand at Masak Masak in Ben’s Independent Grocer at Publika along with Mr Darren Tan of Sungei Timur Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Kapiti in Malaysia and En Shamsul Amree Salleh from Malaysia Airlines’ Head of Inflight Services.

Mr Ritchie at the launch said Kapiti is one of New Zealand’s best-selling gourmet products and is a brand that New Zealanders are extremely proud of. “When you want to feel a sense of the land and the people of New Zealand, Kapiti ice cream invokes the senses of a sunny day overlooking the beautiful New Zealand landscape. Its distinctive taste comes from the use of real fruit and natural ingredients from New Zealand,” said Mr Ritchie.

On being chosen as the sole distributor of Kapiti Ice Cream in Malaysia, Darren Tan, Head of Sales and Marketing of Sungei Timur Sdn Bhd said that having been in the ice cream business for over 35 years, the company has established one of the best distribution networks in the industry, with specialized expertise in the premium ice cream category. “Being an advocate of quality ice cream our main aim is to make this ultimate indulgence in ice cream more affordable as we want gourmet ice cream to be enjoyed by more people, and not be seen as a rare treat.”

Speaking at the event, Malaysia Airlines’ Head of Inflight Services, En Shamsul Amree Salleh said, “Kapiti is well-known for its award winning ice-cream and is synonymous with luxury. We are excited to introduce this premium product to our passengers as the ice-cream complements our brand. This is part of our effort to enhance our in-flight dining experience in our existing service.Kapiti gourmet ice-cream will tempt our guests in First, Business and selected Economy class when they travel from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Narita, London and Shanghai,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines’ Head of Inflight Services, En Shamsul Amree Salleh, New Zealand Trade Commissioner, Mr Matt Ritchie and Sungei Timur Sdn Bhd, Mr Darren Tan

Here’s a little more about Kapiti. The owners started out with cheese in a small cheese shop and boutique factory at Lindale Tourist Complex on the Kapiti Coast. Ice cream was only produced in 1997 mainly targeted for restaurants and airlines. Soon word got out on the premium quality of the ice cream and now, Kapiti produces tubs, multipacks and novelty ice creams for all.

After the speeches and official photo sessions, media and guests are treated to a sumptuous demonstration by Chef Maria Conte. It was a drooling experience as Chef Conte worked her magic on Kapiti ice creams in various desserts like Kapiti Ice Cream Cupcakes, Kapiti Ice Cream Pavlova with Berry Compote, Lemon Cup Kapiti Ice Cream, Kapiti Ice Cream Baskets and more. Topping the whole dessert list, a representative from BIG made an Affogato, Kapiti Ice Cream with a shot of hot espresso!

Everyone got a taste of most of the desserts and we were also treated to all the flavors available in Malaysia. The irresistible flavors to look out for at the frozen isles of major supermarkets are the award-winning Vanilla Bean, Triple Chocolate, White Chocolate and Raspberry which are available in 1 Litre tubs at RM 38.80. The multipacks (6 sticks in a box) will feature Boysenberry Mini, White Chocolate and Raspberry Mini and Passionfruit Yoghurt Mini (RM 22.90). The 145ml Chocolate Cup which is premium vanilla ice cream, swirled with choc flakes, topped with a rich fudge sauce and crisp shell retails at RM 7.90. For the Food Services industry, available flavors in 100ml cups are Vanilla Bean, Hokey Pokey, Triple Chocolate, Doris Plum and Crème Fraiche, and Double Cookies & Cream. Flavors for the 5 Litre tubs are Vanilla Bean, Triple Chocolate and White Chocolate & Raspberry among others.

My favorites of the day are the Vanilla Beam, Triple Chocolate, White Chocolate and Raspberry. Vanilla Bean is beautifully specked with lots of tiny minute dots of vanilla bean and is utterly creamy, luscious and filled with perfumed vanilla essence. Triple Chocolate proved that single chocolate is not sinful enough but triple chocolate takes it to another level. Deep and dark, the chocolate has a lovely light bitter edge, just my kind of chocolate. The combination of White Chocolate and Raspberry is perfect for each other, silky and rich, there is the tart swirls of raspberry to balance the white chocolate. I checked Kapiti website and found that there are about 18 flavors available in New Zealand, let’s hope more flavors will be coming in soon!

Kapiti Ice Cream is currently available in Ben’s Independence Grocer at Publika, Cold Storage, Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer and Malaysia Airlines.

For more information on Kapiti, check out their website: www.kapiticollection.co.nz or their Facebook: www.facebook.com/kapiti

A Contemporary Japanese-French Affair!

I finally understood what it takes to receive a Michelin Star! Thanks to a culinary journey set beyond my wildest expectation, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur& The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur presents The Destined Chef, Chef Yuichi Kamimura. From 24^th to 26^th October, Michelin Star Chef Yuichi Kamimura will be showcasing his contemporary Japanese-French inspired cuisine at the following dates at both The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur’s restaurants.

No longer a stranger to Malaysia, Chef Kamimura has been invited to showcase his culinary repertoire here before and also in several other Asian countries. Destined to be a chef in footsteps of his family’s bustling restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan, he also had the honors to be taken under the culinary wings of famed Australian Chef Tetsuya Wakuda. After several stints with many prominent chefs from diverse cultures, he has created his own list of degustation menus inspired from Japanese and French cuisines.

Establishing “Kamimura” a restaurant aptly named after him in Sapporo which is now relocated to Niseko, Yuichi has won himself a Michelin star and numerous other accolades and praises for his culinary skills and ability to transform traditional cuisine to a contemporary winner with immaculate presentation simply living by the philosophy of making his customers happy. In person, he is absolutely down-to-earth as he would smile a lot and appeased us by our serious interrogations of his creations that night. His current restaurant only seats 40 as he is extremely set on serving the very best to his customers.

Let our culinary journey begin with The Suntory Night Set Dinner held at Kogetsu Japanese Restaurant. The exclusive degustation dinner is paired with 6 Suntory ranges of beer, shochu and whisky. The Suntory Group in Japan consists of many products and services in the Food and Beverage industry. Our dinner that evening showcased a beer, a shochu and 4 whiskeys from the range of Suntory products. As always in most pairings, we started slowly from the basics leading up to the premium and exclusive liqueurs.

It was undyingly beautifully presented. A large white canvas held the base for every of his dishes. Our first temptation of Botan Ebi King Prawn with Tomato Powderarrived like a modern artwork. Covered in a snow of white and pale golden hue powder, a sumptuous Botan Ebi king prawn lies beneath. Hardly blanched, the king prawns was unctuously sweet, firm and filled with glorious oceanic brine in tasting notes. Sitting further beneath the crustacean, a medley of finely minced broccoli with nuts accompanied the prawns to give it a boost of textures and flavors. Though I can barely taste much of the molecular gastronomy inspired tomato powder flavors in this dish, I am not even complaining because every element was just divine. I may ran out of words just describing this dish but who cares, it deserves every bit of my mad raving of this masterpiece!

Our first piece was paired with Suntory Premium Malt, a beer made using 100% natural water drawn from the underground deep wells of Japan. A mild start, this malt exudes a light floral aroma with a refreshing taste and a dry finish.

The next course of Terrine of Foie Gras & Saikyo Miso with Port Wine features a disc of goose liver flavored with creamy nutty Saikyo miso with a crown of chives and cubes of eggplant dressed in port wine sauce. I will be biased in this case as I am an ardent fan of foie gras. It may seem to be a ‘hoity toity’ ingredient to many but I just cannot resist the lustrous flavors of the goose liver. The foie gras disc is extremely rich in flavors from the liver and miso. Intense savory with a smooth nutty note, it is cleverly offset by cubes of eggplant for which I am told that is deep fried before being washed and marinated in dashi broth and chilled. Laced with a rich sweet fruity port wine, the dish has a beautiful finesse in it!

Served with a chilled innocent looking Suntory Shocu Kuromaru, the flavors speak otherwise. Maybe I am just not familiar with shochu but this Kuromaru Shochu is fairly strong at first taste. Made with a base of sweet potato, it does have a sweet and rounded note and goes on easier after a few sips.

My partner-in-crime next to me boldly said ‘Gimme a big bowl of this dish so I can camp in front of my TV!’ He talks of this like it were mashed potatoes but we all know it takes hours to create Confit of Potato with Black Truffle & Scallop Cream. On the other hand, it’s so good, I do agree that I might want a big bowl of this dish at any time! French cut yellow and purple potatoes are slowly confit for hours till soft and sits on a pool of thick scallop cream sauce. I can literally taste bits of scallops finely minced in the sauce. The crowning glory of the dish is finely shaved black truffles arousing my senses with its famous earthy and nutty scent. Besides being such a luxury dish, I know why we all wanted a big bowl of this… comfort, pure comfort blish!

Suntory Kakubin mixed with soda water is our third pairing and this is one of my favorite. A wedge of lemon adds depth to the whisky blend. It’s refreshing and really easy to enjoy, perfect to lighten up the heavier potato dish with cream sauce.

Once again, I squealed at this prettily dressed Grilled Fish with Braised Seafood in Tomato! It is such a feminine dish with the micro edible flowers piled up on the fish. The dish reminds me of bouillabaisse, a French seafood stew. Superb crispy fish skin coupled with tender flesh has a nice punch of salty notes while bits of vegetables and seafood sit beneath in a warm light tomato broth.

Suntory Hibiki 12 Years Old was paired with the fish. I read from the Suntory website that Suntory owns three distilleries - Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita in Japan. Hibiki 12 is a whisky blend from all three distilleries and is aged in Ume-Shu casks. On the nose, I can smell wood and caramel. On the palate, I tasted an earthy note and light sweetness with a hint of plums. I prefer this with ice.

When the golden skin Duck Risotto with Mushroom was presented, I could not wait to tuck into the duck. The duck was confit in its own fat till tender and then finished off with a nice sear to crisp up the golden skin. Very moist with deep meaty flavors, the duck is cooked perfectly. The risotto is also exceptionally well done, creamy, al dente and full of earthy and savory flavors from the assorted mushrooms and ham. Now it’s my turn to want a big plate of this delicious duck and risotto!!

Paired with a Suntory signature, the Suntory The Yamazaki 12 Years Old tasted of dried fruits with oak. It has good depth on the mouth and is well rounded too. I also had this with ice since it is quite strong for me on its own.

Our last course ended with Roast Lamb Rack with Wasabi Butter. Two pieces of lean tender lamb is roasted till medium. It’s sidekick of wasabi butter is superbly well balanced, just enough hint of wasabi to entice my nostrils and has a creamy buttery edge. I am so going to make wasabi butter for my meat from now on. A little au jus with brunoise of zucchini and baby kalian completes the ensemble.

This time it was the 2^nd distillery of Hakushi with Suntory The Hakushu 12 Years Old whiskey. I must say that the whiskey paired the best with meat, hence the malty and floral sweetness with a light smoke goes so well with the lamb. I braved this one and had it neat!

Pinch me someone! Dessert ended with a high note with Ice Cream with Pumpkin & Caramelized Nuts. The name did not do justice to the dessert. Let me rephrase it with Ice Cream with Roasted Pumpkin, Ginger Pattisserie Cream, Caramelized Nuts and Caramel sauce. It was so sexy and so sinful, yet it had a warm and inviting feel to the flavors. Creamy, aromatic, luscious and sultry, I definitely want more of this dessert. I actually saw Chef Kamimura assemble this dessert and he was just so meticulous and so precise, even down right to the quenelle of ice cream. This is what passion is all about!

His creations are just mesmerizing in every way. It’s no wonder Chef Kamimura is awarded the Michelin star. It is very well deserved as his Japanese-French inspired dishes are well balanced in flavors and textures with a modern feel. Yet there are very authentic Japanese ingredients used to keep us reminded of his roots. His creations are not to be missed and his passion shows in them. Do check out other his other menus available at both The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur& The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur till 26^th Oct as per below.

24th – 26th October, Lunch at Kogetsu, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM180++ per person

24th October, Suntory Night Set Dinner at Kogetsu, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM300++ per person

25th October, Dinner at The Restaurant, The Club Saujana Resort – RM267 nett per person

26th October, Wine Dinner at Senja, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM380++ per person

For dining reservations and enquiries call (603) 7843 1234 or email dine@thesaujana.com

The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur,
Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS,
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Contact: 603-7843 1234

Email: senja@thesaujana.com

Website:www.thesaujanahotel.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheSaujanaHotelKualaLumpur

The Roof Opens for Boarding!

The latest buzz in town has everyone asking about The Roof at First Avenue in Bandar Utama. If you are not already on the exclusive guest list of the launch of the largest premium integrated dining and entertainment hub with a helipad lounge of 2013 in Malaysia, you need to be!

Set to offer many with the ultimate experience in dining and entertainment, The Roof comprises of an integrated concepts that features 5 outlets – Stratosphere, Signature, Malt & Leaf, Score and Play. Every one of the outlets is truly unique and we got to take a ‘Hard Hat Tour’ recently. Flooded by members of the media, bloggers, celebrities and distinguished guests, everyone congregated at Score for the event to be launched.

A quick summary about The Roof, it was designed under the proficient stewardship of the country’s premier drivers in entertainment, The Group (F&B) Sdn. Bhd. (The Group), in partnership with property developer First Nationwide Group under the umbrella of See Hoy Chan Holdings. The event took off with a welcoming speech by Director of The Group, Dax Lee.

“We are always looking for avenues to reinvent the dining and entertainment experience for the young at heart – both international and local clientele. We want customers to have upscale service, excellent food and creative presentations. We built The Roof to become the epitome of Kuala Lumpur’s premium dining and entertainment scene that offers the ultimate lifestyle experience.” said, Director of The Group, Dax Lee.

With our hard hats on, various groups took turn to check out the 5 concepts of The Roof. Each one hosted by notable personalities to give insights of the concepts. Though some are still work in progress, there is an element of excitement to see the final concepts when it opens this November.

SCORE

Its all about sports! Presented by Peter Davis, Score features an exciting sports bar set to let sports fans and wannabes cheer on as they hang out for some casual unpretentious fun. Major sporting events and live telecasts broadcasted on the huge screen set behind its neon lite bar will definitely score points with many. Other highlights include pool competitions and dart tournaments. With a capacity of 150pax, Score is set to let your adrenaline roll as you cheers on your games with plenty of beer and finger food.

So bring on your camaraderie spirits and let the games begin!

MALT & LEAF

A hang out for cigar and single malt aficionados, Malt & Leaf’s extensive list of international malts and tobacco coupled with its amazing view of the city is guaranteed to please. Hosting us for Malt & Leaf is Carl Graham, who explained that this bar is set to be equipped with a walk-in glass cigar cabinet filled with well curated selections of the finest cigars and a menu of exquisite single malts. Malt & Leaf’s bird eye view is perfect for the evening’s sunsets and night lights!

PLAY

Miss Malaysia 2010, Nadine Ann Thomas played host to the designer supper club, Play. Doubles as a premium dance club with local and international DJs, it’s the largest dance club in Petaling Jaya. Looking for a place to dance your troubles away, Play is perfect for you. Set with state-of-the-art staging, audio and visuals plus a patio view of the city, it would be hard not to play here!

Psst.. Lil John and DJ Tenasha are already set to rock this place in November…

SIGNATURE

Gourmands will be pleased at Signature by The Hill, a gastro-lounge serving award-winning signature cocktails and plethora of Asian and international fusion cuisine. The contemporary restaurant cum bar cum lounge offers more in the gastronomic experience as gourmands can look forward to special cooking classes, sumptuous weekend brunches and wine pairing dinners. The 350pax Signature oozes with class and offers more than what meets the eye. It will be a truly unforgettable dining experience at Signature as presented by Cay Kuijpers.

STRASTOSPHERE

Saving the best for last, we all braved the stairs leading up to Stratosphere. Truly mesmerizing, Stratosphere features an opulent rooftop bar with a magnificent 360 degree view of the greater Klang Valley.

Boasting Asia’s first and only green helipad bar, the circle roof top features neon lite bar, live DJ booth, plush white and navy sofas, grassed and white pathways, Stratosphere is definitely the place to be seen and heard.

Ingeniously design to let the sky and the city view dictate the ambience, one can simply unwind and entertain with much pleasures. Stratosphere offers exquisite drink list and scrumptious canapés.

At Stratosphere, watch the sun set or set the mood for a little romance!

A perfect backdrop for niche events, weddings, fashion shows and product launches, the sky’s the limit for Stratosphere!

*picture credits to Issac Tan

The great news is that the launch of The Roof is only just 2 days away. Snag yourselves an invite by signing up for an exclusive invitation at The Roof’s Facebook page here. You’d never know who you might meet up there…

Experience the Elevation of the Ordinary at The Roof!

THE ROOF

1, First Avenue,

Bandar Utama,

47800 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 603 7729 1628

Website: www.theroof.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRoofMalaysia

15 Years of Hospitality with Impeccable Service From The Heart

It takes years to build a dream, a dream that leads to a journey of successes. An invite, at the end of September was held to commemorate the milestone of a dream turn reality, was held at Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya. Themed with Look East. Look Eastin, the event was aimed to celebrate the visionary of Dato’ Tan Chew Piau (Dato’ CP Tan) whom has realized his dream of owning and operating hotels here in Malaysia.

Many showed up for the event held at the grand ballroom which was dressed with an oriental flair and filled with shimmering lights. As soon as honorary guests arrive, the ballroom doors were open and guests flooded into the room. A grand ice masterpiece of 15 was displayed by the stage where several lion dancers await their performances. On the other end of the room, long buffet counters decorated with more ice sculptures and hot warmers are all setup for the sumptuous dinner to come.

With the presences of Dato’ Tan Chew Piau, Datin Jane Yeoh and Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya director Su Chen and other distinguished guests, the event kicked off with the performances of 5 lion dancers ushering in the celebration with blessings.

This was followed by General Manager Ms. Jane Suppiah delivering her speech. It is a culture at Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya to serve guests from the heart. Through thoughtful and genuine service, Eastin ensures that guests’ experiences will always be pleasant and memorable. With this in mind, in honors of Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya 15^th Year Anniversary, the hotel team launched their ‘Service from the Heart’ campaign to instill passion for service among staff. Service from the Heart stands for Eager to Serve,Strive to Excel and Integrity of Character.

According to the Ms. Jane, “In the end, we truly believe it all boils down to the intangibles such as Service from the Heart – the Eastin way, the passion, planning and organization skills, the willingness to do more and delight your customers. These are the factors that our guests often highlight about us in online reviews at sites such as TripAdvisor and Booking.com”.

At the same time, it was a double celebration as Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya has just been awarded a Five-star status!

A meaningful journey of 15^th years was expressed in a special way through a sand art performance titled ‘Through the Shifting Sands of Time’ by talented local sand artist, Loong Bee. It was beautifully narrated…

The Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya is a home-grown brand which was built, owned and is managed by the CP Group. The owner, Dato’ Tan Chew Piau first arrived in Malaysia during the 1960s as a teenager from China armed with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a strong determination to success in life. From humble beginnings, Dato’ Tan founded Syarikat Chew Piau Construction in 1972. This company became his launching pad into the highly competitive construction industry.

Syarikat Chew Piau rapidly became a leading industry player. Its construction portfolio encompassed prominent landmarks in Malaysia including business and resort hotels, multi-storey commercial buildings and condominiums. Dato’ Tan was also the first Malaysian contractor to venture overseas in the year 1982 to build a national mosque in the Republic of Maldives.

The Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya was initially planned as an apartment block but ended up as a hotel because Dato’ Tan identified that there was a shortage of good business class hotels in Petaling Jaya. The Easting Hotel Petaling Jaya opened for business in 1998 and is the flagship of the Eastin Hotel Group. Encouraged by the success of the Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya, a second hotel, the Eastin Hotel Penang was opened in 2009 and has fast become one of the market leaders in the hotel industry in the northern region.

After the presentation, Dato’ CP Tan and the Board of Directors of the CP Group was presented with a 5 tiered 15^th Year Anniversary Cake by the culinary team as a gift from employees. The evening was also jazzed up a 5-piece live band and K-Pop dance performance as guests dined on the lavish spread of Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya’s signature dishes from all its restaurants.

Another celebration was also in order as it was Datin Jane Yeoh’s birthday!

Buffet generously laden with dishes from Swez Brasserie, EE Chinese Cuisine and Eyuzu Japanese, everyone dined to their hearts content while the epitome of the event was the generous lucky draws sessions that won the hearts of many. Among the top 20 prizes are dining vouchers, Hotel stays in both Eastin Hotel, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HTC Smartphone and a grand prize of travel certificate worth RM3000 sponsored by the Hotel.

Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya 15^th Year Anniversary celebration was truly a memorable event filled with many laughter and cheers, scrumptious food, entertainment and glorious lucky draws. Thank you Eastin Hotel Group for a mesmerizing evening!

*Photos without watermark are courtesy of Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya.

An Unforgettable Dinner!

Intriguing… I am aware of Buffalo Cookware since my mom has a piece of the pot she has been using for years but I didn’t realize that there is a restaurant by this cookware company. ‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens is nestled in the bustling area of Bangsar and was initially opened for marketing and promotional purposes for the cookware. Today, ‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens, a concept dining by Buffalo Kitchens, runs as a full kitchen by Danish Chef Albert Frantzen and his team with a menu filled of homemade ingredients and dishes.

A few of us met up at ‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens one evening to check out the menu. Located on the first floor, the stairway leading up to the restaurant denotes what the F is all about at the restaurant. It’s all about having a fabulous time with family, friends and food!

‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens shows off a large open kitchen the moment one enters the restaurant. Buffalo cookware dressed the open kitchen reminding us of how this started. Some are on display for sale too. Everything is prepared fresh and diners catch all the kitchen actions as Chef Albert and his team whips up the dishes.

The interior has a lot of natural wood from the furniture to the floor and walls. It echoes a warm and comfortable vibe the moment one walks in. There are air conditioned seating and al fresco ones with a nice bustling Bangsar view. A raw cement bar at one end denotes coffees, wines, cocktails and other beverages are on the menu as well. Facing the bar, a section of sofas coupled with a small library allow guests to chill out for drinks. The ambience is perfect for private events and small gatherings.

Our food journey that evening started off with a Duo of Crabs. Bound to be a favorite, one gets a whole crumbed soft shell crab with a big disc of crab cake. Served with greens and a dipping sauce, it’s a delicious crabby affair here. For those who just are too lazy to pick on the crustaceans, this is just perfect. Crispy soft shell crab with a soft center makes a great contrast to the hearty savory crab cake. A squeeze of lemon brightens up the flavors even more.

Ok, I was bowled over when the F Tapas Set landed at our table. It looks like a mini party spread. I was told it consisted of Hummus, Smoked Salmon, Tiger Prawns with Romesco Sauce, Japanese Beef Tataki, Smoked Duck, Freshly Baked Sour Dough Bread, EVOO, Olives, Salted Almonds, Grilled Bell Peppers and Smoked Sea Salt.

Garlicky chick pea Hummus was creamy and really yummy with the rustic warm sour dough bread. Smoked Salmon and Smoked Duck are prepared by Chef Albert and his team in house. I adored the smoked salmon as it rendered a creamy savory flavor without being overly salty and the texture is amazingly creamy. Served with soft boiled quail egg and a creamy sauce, I would love to hog this salmon to myself.

Smoked duck is paired with crisp apple for sweetness. Grilled tiger prawns are sweet and bouncy, paired with a bell pepper Romesco sauce while medium pink beef slices sit in a pool of ponzu sauce and crowned with crispy garlic chips. Even the almonds are warm and toasty. The rest makes good nibbling moments, especially with beer or wine.

If you’re looking for a yummy way to get your vegetables, the Mix Warm Vegetable Salad is ideal. Grilled and roasted, one gets a medley of eggplant, root vegetables, sweet peas, mushrooms and more all dressed in warm vinaigrette. Smoky and warm, the vegetables are sweet, earthy and filled with various textures for a great bite.

I’ll say, the Pot of Oriental Steam Clams certainly got all our votes that night. Served rustically in steel pot, it was kept warm for a good few minutes. It was certainly bursting with lots of aroma and flavors. I could smell the hint of Chinese wine as soon as the pot was placed in front of us. Sweet, tender and plump hard shell clams are cooked just right too. Savory and unctuously robust, there is a little hint of chili too. Needless to say, we had an excuse to request for more bread to drink up the sauce! Must-order!!

If burgers are a must for you, then check out this big hulk of Buffalo Kitchens’ Tandoori Chicken Burger. Stacked high grilled Tandoori marinated chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato and cheese, it comes with a side of chips. The chook is juicy and flavorful. I can’t taste much of the spices but no complaints since the burger is juicy, hearty and flavorful and the ratio of meat and bun is good. High points for toasting the bun too. And just like how I like it, add on a fried egg and a wedge of avocado for extra shiokness and goodness!

When I read this, I swear all I can focus on was the Duck Fat Potatoes... lol. I just have the utmost fascination with duck fat roasted potatoes simply because it’s just so good.

To be fair, it was a gorgeous plate of Beef Tenderloin with Duck Fat Potatoes & Snow Peas. 300gms of tenderloin well grilled to medium pink and a good slab of foie gras is enough to distract me from the potatoes for a bit. A lovely meaty au jus added more flavors. The tenderloin has great meaty notes while the creamy goose liver makes a nice touch with the meat. Potatoes are what I expect it to be, crispy outside, soft fluffy inside and tasted marvelous. It’s a platter of meat and potatoes jazzed up darn well with crunchy sweet peas to boot!

On a normal mode, I wouldn’t order roast chicken because I prefer to enjoy red meat and seafood outside. However, Oven Roasted Chicken Chestnut Roulade stuffed with Foie Gras, Shitake Mushroom & Velvet Mash Potatoes sounds so tempting, especially the foie gras part. A bite of the juicy roulade tells me this is what I would definitely reorder. The roulade is tender and succulent while the filling is creamy and nutty. I like the fact that a dark meat like thigh is used and the skin is so tasty. Rounded up with creamy smooth mash and mushroom sauce, its just so hearty and delicious. Seriously, I’d never thought I can go on so much about roast chicken. This dish would be so perfect for Christmas season…

I like the twist on the classic carbonara. Instead of the usual bacon thing going on, here it is made with seafood. The Soft Shell Crab and Miso Carbonara has strands of pasta oozing with a rich creamy carbonara sauce laced with miso and crowned with clams, prawns and crispy soft shell crab. The dish is best eaten hot for the best flavors.

Cumin & Paprika Marinated Lamb Shank with Greens and Mash has a gargantuan lamb shank standing tall on mash filled with a pool of dark rich gravy. Love the flavors but wishing for a more melt-in-the-mouth texture. Of course the silk smooth mash is so awesome with the gravy and lovely crunchy sweet peas to match.

I was told that this is a special of the day. I am just glad the special day happens to be the day I visited! Cuttlefish with Squid Ink Risotto is my favorite dish of the night. Though I do love a quite a lot of the dishes here, this one takes the cake. A contrastingly beautiful dish to look at, one gets pieces of tender cuttlefish served with black squid ink risotto and roasted cherry tomatoes. Chef Albert uses prawn head as a base stock for the risotto, lending it a rich oceanic flavor and its color while the grilled cuttlefish is just tender and so scrumptious.

The dish shows off simple ingredients prepared to its maximum potential. As the cherry tomatoes are roasted, the flavors intensified and render a juicy tangy and sweet tomato taste to enhance the risotto further. I am not sharing this one the next round… lol. If you ever see this dish on the special menu, make sure to order this!!

Palate cleanser, compliments of the kitchen! Refreshing…

We were all stuffed to max. The six of us polished off all those dishes and were wondering if we had space for dessert… and then we saw this… Chocolate Volcano with Vanilla Ice Cream. It pretty hard to say no to this dessert. Dark chocolate with a molten center, served with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, berry coulis, strawberries and melon seeds. The volcano has soft dense cocoa cake with gooey liquid chocolate. Sexy and sinful, this is just so good. Not just for the heart but so good for the soul!

We also had their Home made Tiramisu. A good size of light mascarpone cheese and blanketing sponge fingers soaked with coffee and completed with a dusting of cocoa.

‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens also has a long list of beverages, coffees, wines, cocktails and more to quench one’s thirst. We had house wines, Café Honey Melon, Café Watermelon and Good day to accompany our meals.

The meal ended with coffees and really cool-looking coffee art! GaBee coffee from Taiwan is served here. The brew is aromatic and I adored the crema on top of the Cappuccino.

Here’s Su Ting sipping up her kitty cat!

That evening at ‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens, time flew by. Over much gossips and laughter, it was soon time to leave. An evening filled with dishes that makes dining so memorable coupled with a lovely cozy ambience, plenty of giggle juice and great company, I know I’d love to be back for another delicious experience!

‘F’ BY BUFFALO KITCHENS

69-1 Jalan Telawi 3,

Bangsar Baru,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 22011710

Facebook: www.facebook.com/buffalokitchens

Collect all five limited edition Hello Kitty designs exclusive to McDonald’s

starting from 7^th November 2013, Thursday

Are You A Hello Kitty Fan?

Relive popular fairytales from your childhood with McDonald’s Hello Kitty Fairy Tale Series featuring the iconic plush Japanese white bobtail cat! In April, McDonald’s brought back Hello Kitty after a seven year absence with the McDONALDLAND series, and come 7^th November Hello Kitty fans are in for another treat! With five exclusive limited edition plush toys to collect, the McDonald’s Hello Kitty Fairy Tale Series is poised to excite collectors of all things cute and lovable with their arrival in Malaysia.

This time around Hello Kitty is set to entertain you and your friends by taking on the guise of characters from five popular fairy tales around the world:

7^th– 13^th Nov: The Ugly Duckling story by Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark

14^th– 20^th Nov: The Frog Prince story by the Brothers Grimm. Germany

21^st– 27^th Nov: The Wizard of Oz story by L. Frank Baum, United States

28^th Nov – 4^th Dec: Little Red Riding Hood story by Charles Perraut. France

5^th Dec – 11^th Dec: Singing Bone story by the Brothers Grimm, Germany

Each design, which comes in a special collector’s storybook-themed box, will be launched every week beginning from 7th November 2013, Thursday.

“At McDonald’s we are constantly attuned to what our customers want - providing the best value and dining experience for Malaysians in a way that is unique to us. The popularity of the McDONALDLAND designs earlier this year proves that Hello Kitty has always been popular – generations of Malaysians have been entertained by the Japanese bobtail cat,” said Stephen Chew, Managing Director of McDonald’s Malaysia.

“Fans of Hello Kitty in Malaysia, the wait is finally over. For the next five weeks beginning 7th November, you have five good reasons to enjoy a great, wholesome dining experience with your family, friends and a limited edition Hello Kitty plushy at an affordable price of RM9.95, only at McDonald's,” he added.

‘How do I get ‘em all?’

These exclusive official Sanrio Hello Kitty plushies are only available for a limited time and in limited quantities and are exclusive to McDonald’s. Each of the McDonald’s Hello Kitty Fairy Tale plushies are available for only RM9.95 with the purchase of any McValue Meal.

Purchasing Mechanics

The McDonald’s Hello Kitty Fairy Tales Series promotion is available at Front Counter, Drive-Thru,McDelivery 1300-13-1300 and Web Ordering Service.

Availability of McDonald’s Hello Kitty Fairy Tales Series Promotion

Toy designs will be available starting Thursday, 7 November 2013 from 12.00 midnight onwards for 24-hour McDonald’s restaurants.
For the rest of our restaurants, the toys will be available at the start of its business hour on Thursday, 7 November 2013.
The Hello Kitty Fairy Tales Series plush toys are only available while stocks last.

More than just Ramen!

Although I have been to this location numerous times, I didn’t know about Ramen Taiko Japanese Cuisine. It was recently through the Facebook vines that I came to know of this well-established Japanese restaurant. Little did I know, Ramen Taiko has been around for a decade and had a new look only the last 2 years ago. Run by 3 owners who kept this restaurant intimate and personal, Ramen Taiko certainly has a lot to offer to avid Japanese foodies.

Located on a shoplex in the Mont Kiara area, it certainly wasn’t hard to find if one were to keep a watch out for the small shoplex right after Mont Kiara mall. Being an avid Japanese cuisine lover, I simply love it all. Sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, tempura, ramen and so forth, I am gamed for all Japanese dishes. One evening, our foodie gang congregated at Ramen Taiko for taste of its offering. For a quaint restaurant, Ramen Taiko’s menu is large, with many photos of tempting dishes that had my mouthwatering in delight. A peek revealed lots of ramen choices with a lovely range of appetizer, donburi, tempura, itamemono, yakimono and more. Sushi and Sashimi are also available at another restaurant next to Ramen Taiko named Taiko Sushi & Salad Bar, which is also owned by the same owners.

Ramen Taiko’s ambience is fairly simply, showcasing Japanese influences in some corners. Lots of wood elements are used with natural themed colors. Japanese ornaments and decorative paintings plus simple hanging lights dressed the restaurant warmly. There are two entrances for the restaurant and both framed with a majestic rich wood panel and door.

Enough said about the interior, let me show you what we ate that night. We were recommended the Iced Lemon Green Tea. I must say, it’s delicious! Green tea has a soothing and subtle tea notes and when brighten with lemon, it’s refreshing and light. Dinner was a few appetizers, a couple of sushi rolls, four yummy porkie dishes and lots of ramen!

Taiko Gyoza (RM12) comes in 6 pieces per order and has a side of golden sear on it. A bite of this rendered yummy juices. It’s utterly scrumptious. Simply well flavored, the pork filling with cabbage and chives are so yummy. A must-order if you are a gyoza lover!

A decent appetizer, Aigamo Smoke (RM18) is simply slices of smoked duck paired with finely shredded scallion. Nothing super impressive but nothing to fault. The smoked duck is as what it should be, tender, moist with a smoky hint.

We just couldn’t resist ordering some sushi from Taiko Sushi & Salad Bar. Yes, we are glad we can order these over from there and vice versa. As soon as I saw Salmon Ginger Roll (RM30), my first thought is generous. Thick slices of salmon wrapped around crab stick, cucumber, pickled ginger and masago, its awesome. The flavors are spot on and the pickled ginger lends are different note to the salmon. A crowd pleaser that night at our table.

Another generously stuffed roll of Soft Shell Crab Maki (RM32) filled with an abundance of crispy soft shell crab, crunchy cucumber, crisp lettuce, crab stick and drenched in mayo with little mounts of flying fish roes. Nothing else to say much except yummy!!

When this arrived, there were only lots of praises and lots of ahs… and how not too when it is laden with neat cuts of my favorite part of the hog? This bowl of Taiko Buta Kakuni (RM25) that may set one’s quota of cholesterol to hit the roof at one go, I daresay I would still be happy chomping this down. Echoing our Chinese classic take on ‘Dong Poh Yuk’, the version here is sumptuous and rich. Absolutely drool worthy in taste, the slices of layers of lean and fat is soft and flavorful, showing hours of love put into the dish. Hand me a bowl of rice please…. I need to drink up all the gravy…

Don’t be deceived by this ordinary looking dish called Taiko Yakiniku Butabara (RM20), it’s delicious. Tender pieces of pork belly are sautéed with lots of onions. Love the familiar sweet and savory flavors. This one has a good dose of wok heat too, rendering it to the much deliciousness I mentioned earlier. Makes a great one dish meal with rice.

We were told that this one is a Japanese take on another classic of ‘Ku Lou Yok’. Though it is somewhat different in flavors, there are the similar flavors of sweet and sour in Taiko Subuta (RM25). Chunks of crisp and well battered pork are glazed with a lightly sweet vinegary sauce. Again there are great wok heat and flavors with onions and bell peppers to give this dish textures and sweetness.

By now, I am already convinced that Taiko whips up really great dishes of pork! Though this maybe a Japanese restaurant, apparently they managed to get the wok heat going in all their dishes, a smart move. Hoikoro (RM20) is another stir fried pork dish. Using leaner cuts with lots of cabbages, onions, bell pepper and carrot, this one has a richer and saltier flavor due to the use of bean paste. It’s more robust and rice is definitely needed to counter the heavy and salty flavors.

Ramen time! I will say this now, Goma Hiyashi (RM25) rocks! A bit weary at first, I honestly never had a ramen that looks like a salad. Lots of strips of tomato, egg omelette, pork, cucumber, crab stick, seaweed and corn cover the ramen. Drizzle in the sesame sauce that accompanies it and simply mix it up. My first bite of the ramen was oozing with such freshness. The ramen was chilled and had such a fresh and great bite to it. There is another version of this with house vinaigrette. Must order for a different experience of ramen!

Taiko Chashu Ramen (RM22) has a good portion of Chashu with bamboo shoots, spring onions and flavored soft boil egg (yolk still runny!) in a light brown pork broth. The ramen beneath is al dente and has a nice bite. The broth is not as strong as other ramen houses but it might still be a favorite with many as it is easy to finish the broth without the normal ‘jelak’ queasiness that one gets from those intense broths from famous Ramen houses.

I prefer the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen (RM20) over the earlier one simply because I adored the creamy milky white tonkotsu broth. This one has the addition of seaweed and sweet corn niblets. Portion is a good size and I love that all the ramens here are served piping hot.

It not that I don’t like this one; it’s just too ordinary for me. Gomoku Ramen (RM20) consists of clear pork broth with pork, cabbage, carrot, black fungus, bell pepper and sunny side up egg makes up the dish.

This one much better, the Kimuchee Ramen (RM22) has enough kimchee flavors in the broth. Served with pork, kimchee, bean sprouts and chives, it makes a nice change from all the regular ramens. Too bad it doesn’t come with the flavored soft boiled egg but that can easily be remedied by ordering extra egg for this bowl. Spicy too… for those who need their chili kick…

I have mentioned a few times before, I am not fond of sweetness in my curries or savory dishes. This version of Curry Don (RM 18) is pretty good simply because it’s not too sweet at all. There is a light sweet under note but I tasted more spices and it was fairly creamy. Lots of potatoes and carrots to accompany the pork which makes up another point on my score because I love potatoes. My only gripe with this one is the pork which was a bit too chewy. Other than that, it’s a big portion and the flavors are spot on with rice. Lots of gravy is also how I like it. I spotted another version of this curry with deep fried pork cutlet… I will order that one.

Ramen Taiko tries to please, offering many choices in their menu. When I was there, there are quite a few Japanese diners enjoying their meal comfortably either with a book or their gadgets. The restaurant offers a lot of single dishes which makes it easier for everyone to order and yet, there are some that one can order to be shared. Though the restaurant is obviously garnering for ramen fanatics, I find other dishes to be really good… even better that some of the ramens. To be fair, they also have the one thing that I always feel that all ramen houses should have, perfect flavored soft boiled eggs with runny yolk! If you need your ramen fix, do try the Goma Hiyashi and Hakata Tonkotsu else make sure to try other dishes like Gyoza, Buta Kakuni, Subuta and Sushi Rolls…

RAMEN TAIKO JAPANESE CUISINE

Unit 15-0-2B & 2C

Mont Kiara Shoplex

Jalan Kiara

Mont Kiara

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603-20961822

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RamenTaiko

Business Hour: 11.30am ~ 10.30pm

Tis the Season for a New Menu!

I am back at Watami for more Japanese dishes! Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant introduces an addition of new dishes twice a year to cater to foodies. Back for more new dishes this year, its always an excitement to be able to have a first taste of new dishes.

A quick recap, modern and classic Japanese cuisine is Watami‘s forte. Their menu is always filled with lots of choices and there are just about something for everyone. I arrived just on time and put in my order for my drink. Their beverage list is just as long as their dishes. Watami’s menu even has recommendation on which drink to go with their dishes for best pairing.

Feeling extra thirsty, I was glad my Green Citrus Yuzu Marmalade Soda was a big tall mug of refreshing beverage. Lovely citrusy flavor with a nice finish of tangy yuzu marmalade, it certainly took care of my thirst! I also tried the Passion Fruit Mango Tea, tangy and delicious. My other friends had Apple Yakult and Fresh Strawberry Mojito.

Dinner kicked off with Bariuma Teba Kaarage (RM10.90), translated into crispy chicken wings with a wasabi & beef consommé dip. Nicely battered chicken wings are so yummy. The dip has a nice flavor of the wasabi so one gets the tingling sensation. Great snacks with beer!

This is what I have long been looking for, a well fried Kaki Fry (RM17.90). I love fried oysters and definitely when it’s done perfectly. I must say, the fried oysters here is marvelous! Light golden and crispy, it wasn’t oily at all. A bite renders briny juices of the oysters filling my mouth. Such a contrasting texture and served with two sauces, a mayonnaise based and a rich tangy sweet tonkatsu sauce.

A squeeze of lemon brightens up the flavors and finely shredded cabbage to counter the fried food. This dish is perfectly executed in my books and if you like oysters, you must try this one!!

We had three sushi rolls that evening. A Salmon & Avocado Roll (RM21.90), a Spider Roll (RM21.90) and a Fire Oyster Roll (RM18.90). For the first sushi roll, one gets luscious slices of salmon draped with creamy avocado over sushi roll filled with cucumber and pickled daikon. Popping flying fish roes are sprinkled over the roll for texture and flavors.

The Spider Roll shows off deep fried crispy soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber and lettuce all tightly rolled up and coated with masago. It’s a bit dry on its own but I am glad Watami serve this roll with a yakitori mayo sauce, making it sweet and creamy. The Fire Oyster Roll has to be my favorite among the rolls, simply because I love fried oysters. Fried juicy oysters fill the sushi rolls before being drenched with tartar sauce spiced up with chili. I had quite a few of these as it was just so addictive.

Tokyo Meibutsu Stamina Don (RM15.90) is a one bowl dish aim to please those who loves a good comfort dish. Pork slices are marinated and stir fried sweet onions. Served with a raw egg yolk in the middle, we are told to mix this all up as the yolk will make the pork smoother and more luscious in flavors. It also has seaweed, pickled radish and is served with a light salad and miso soup.

A classic, Teriyaki Salmon (RM22.90) is probably one of the most ordered dishes. I say this simply because I always have family and friends ordering this whenever I dine with them at Japanese restaurant. Here it is served on a hot plate with potatoes, broccoli and sweet corn.

Kushiyaki Miso Onigiri (RM 9.90) is cutely skewered toasted rice ball with miso. Savory and nutty, it’s got a nice smoky crunch…

This one is loaded with seafood. Nagasaki Chanpon-fu Ramen (RM26.90) is ramen serve up Nagasaki style in a tasty pork broth. This one is quite unique as I was told that noodles and vegetables are stir fried for extra flavors before the hot pork broth is ladled on. The ramen is quite bouncy and the soup is hearty and warming.

It is a tight and delectable selection of new dishes as the variety will please many. Read about my earlier visit here. Do check out Watami Japanese Casual Dining’s new dishes, especially if you are a fan of oysters and sushi rolls!

Watami Malaysia @ 1 Utama

1st Floor, Rainforest, 1 Utama Shopping Centre,
1 Lebuh Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

T: +603-7727 1399

Watami Malaysia @ Pavilion KL

C4.04.00, Level 4, Pavilion KL Shopping Mall,
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T: +603-2141 6671

Watami Malaysia @ Paradigm Mall

Lot 07, Level 1, Paradigm Mall,
1, Jalan SS7/ 26A, Kelana Jaya,
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

T: +603-7886 9661

Facebook: www.facebook.com/watami.my

It’s All about the Sea!

Though I am supposed to be on a See-Food diet, I am certainly pretty stoke about my recent Seafood escapade with my foodie gang. Back at Chatz Brasserie at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur, this round is for their Best of Malaysia: Seafood Buffet Dinner.

Available on every Friday and Saturday from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at Chatz Brasserie, seafood lovers are treated to a kaleidoscope of sea treasures with unlimited refills of freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice. Let’s hit the buffet to see what’s in store!

It wasn’t seafood that caught my attention at first but rather this gorgeous buffet of fruits and vegetables! Simply pick as many as you want and hand it over to the wait staff to whip up your own juice. I had kiwi, cucumber, lime and mint juice while my second one was strawberry, pineapple and dragon fruit. The choices are endless so personalized it!

If you are just not bothered, no worries, there are plenty of regular freshly squeezed and chilled ones already available…

First stop for me has always been the chilled seafood on ice. What about you? What do you visit first at a buffet?

Fresh Oysters, Slipper Lobsters, Crayfish, Mussels, Prawns, Clams and more dressed the chill bar. Also present were Sashimi of Salmon, Tunaand White Tuna. A large platter of Smoked Salmon, Herring and Trout sits on one corner. Plenty of sauces are available or simply enjoy the fresh seafood with squeezes of lemon!

My platter was certainly overloaded with a little of everything…

My next stop may seem a bit cruel but it is the way to ensure that the seafood is as fresh as it gets. A tank of live prawns are meant for a little fishing job. Simply drop them into hot boiling soup in the hot pots next to the tank and you are awarded with sweet juicy Poached Live Prawns! This one’s limited so make sure to head to the tank first to catch these…

Next to the prawns are a huge steel box filled with lots of various fishes on ice. Make your choice from the catch of the day and hand them over to be grilled or sautéed with sauces. Psst…. You can even have your live prawns grilled too!

I also spied Bamboo Clams and Flower Crab. Get these turn into Fried Chili Crabs or Clams.

Going in theme with seafood, the hot carvery showcases a beautiful golden Salmon Coulibiac, salmon topped with rice and egg before being baked in puff pastry. Drools…

Hot warmers also feature various seafood dishes that rotate on weekly basis. The week we were there had Siput Sedut Masak Lemak, Black Bean Lala, Sweet & Spicy Prawns and Kung Pao Sotong. Of course there’s more…

Besides all the glorious seafood, there are always some hawker delights like Roast Chicken and Duck Rice, Hokkien Prawn Mee or Curry Mee and more.

Desserts are plenty with lots of local Kuih, Puddings, Cakes and Mini Desserts. Make sure to save room for Ice Cream in various flavors.

It’s a feast for seafood lovers! Coupled with the unlimited flow of fresh juices, this would make a nice weekend for a feast with loved ones. The Best of Malaysia: Seafood Buffet Dinner is priced at RM98++ per adult and RM49++ per child.

For reservations or enquiries, please call +60 3 2782 8301 or email chatz.prkul@parkroyalhotels.com

PARKROYAL KUALA LUMPUR

Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel:03-2782 8301

Email: chatz.prkul@parkroyalhotels,com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Parkroyalkualalumpur

*More pictures in my Facebook: ChasingFoodDreams

If you have been told that you have gum problems, rest assured you are not the only one. Many of us have this issue too. It’s fairly common these days and yet, we should not take this lightly. Myself included, I have often battled gum issues constantly. Despite visits to dentist offices and being put on medications, I often find it helps to ease the gum problems but only temporarily.

Our mouths are filled with bacteria with all our daily oral activities. Gum disease like gingivitis and periodontitis are no laughing matter. Both of these gum diseases have the ability to affect the bone and tissue which then leads to loss of teeth. Symptoms of such diseases are redness, swollen gums and bleeding of gums followed by pain. Imagine one would not be able to enjoy delicious food or drinks and of course look pretty and healthy with beautiful smiles! Horrors… to me at least!!

To fight these gum diseases, one needs constant brushing, flossing and yearly trips to the dentist. When I heard of TruCare Nano Silver Toothpaste, a toothpaste that could help to prevent gum diseases, ulcers, whitens teeth and strengthen weak enamel, I instantly volunteered to be a tester.

It sure doesn’t look like any other toothpaste I have come across. Boxed in silver, the design was themed after its formula of Nano Colloidal Silver. Colloidal Silver is actually micro or nano sized silver particles suspended in liquid. It is used in medical industry incorporated because of its ability to kill various forms of bacteria. A bio-active compound, colloidal silver in now actively incorporated into dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies such as antibacterial cream.

TruCare Nano Silver Toothpaste is specially formulated with Ag+ RapidHeal Factor that contains Nano Colloidal Silver. Said to be the ultimate all-in-one oral care solution that can heal ulcers, gum problems and sore throat, I was pleased to be able to test and confirm the results of this toothpaste. Due to the benefits of the Colloidal Silver, TruCare Nano Silver Toothpaste is able to fight microbes and pathogenic organisms which in turn can also reduce bad breath.

The toothpaste has a minty aftertaste, exuding a fresh and clean after taste. It is not as thick as most toothpaste but I find this medium thick liquid suitable as I was able to thoroughly feel the paste throughout my mouth. Prior to using this, I had redness and a little swelling in my gums. After consecutively using this for the past 10 days, I find my gums less swollen and the redness was almost lessen immediately. I am sure if I continue to use this a bit more, my gums would be better since it was only 10 days and I can feel the improvement already.

Don’t just take my word for this. If you have gum issues, ulcers or bad breath, why not give this a try? TruCare Nano Silver Toothpaste used daily together with flossing will give your teeth and gum the care it needs.

The best part of this is that TruCare is giving away free sample! Find out how to get a free sample at their Facebook and Website.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TruCareMalaysia

Website: www.trucare.com.my

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Moustache Houze, Campbell Street in Penang: For the Love of a Dream!

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Mediteca, Fraser Place: Spend Your Saturdays with a Lovely Eat-All You-Can Brunch!

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The Gastro Project, Section 17 PJ: Dining with The Stars!

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Kapiti, New Zealand’s Premium Ice Cream Lands in Malaysia @ Masak Masak, BIG

The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur Presents The Destined Chef, An Exclusive Dinner by Michelin Star Chef Yuichi Kamimura

The Roof, First Avenue: Hard Hat Tour of Asia’s First and Only Helipad Lounge, The Roof!

Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya Celebrates 15 Years of Hospitality with A Big Bang!

‘F’ by Buffalo Kitchens, Bangsar: Soul Food!

McDonald’s Begins Fairy Tale Adventure With Hello Kitty

Ramen Taiko Japanese Cuisine, Mont Kiara Shoplex: More Than Just a Ramen House!

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Chatz Brasserie, PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur: Best of Malaysia Seafood Buffet Dinner

Tru Care Nano Silver Toothpaste: Fights off Bacteria the TruCare Way!