CHASING FOOD DREAMS

This year, Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows returns to enthrall connoisseurs with a gastronomy experience unlike any other. To be held in Johor for the very first time ever, the Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows will port into Danga Bay from 16-18 April this year. Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows is a platform that delivers the ultimate Hennessy experience through a journey of great cuisine and fine cognac that truly showcases the legacy of Hennessy X.O.

Honoring superior savoir-faire, craftsmanship and innovation in creating an elegant cognac, Hennessy X.O. captivates cognac connoisseurs today just as it did the world when it was first created by Maurice Hennessy in 1870. Pioneering the class of X.O, Maurice Hennessy established a world-renowned benchmark of quality, now prominently appreciated by discerning drinkers worldwide.

By exclusive invitation only, this year’s Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows will feature culinary masterpieces wonderfully composed by three times James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest and “Iron Chef Winner”, Chef Viet Pham.

Chef Pham was born in Malaysia and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from California Culinary Academy in 2002. With sufficient experience and culinary techniques under this belt, he went on to open his own restaurant in Salt Lake City, Forage, which was quickly well-received, winning Salt Lake City Magazine's Best New Restaurant in Utah in 2010 and Best Restaurant in Salt Lake City in 2011.

“Chef Viet’s conquests and dedication for perfection mirrors our own. Just as he has spent years perfecting his craft, refining recipes for the modern palate, Hennessy X.O has evolved over centuries to create the world’s finest and original X.O from the Cognac region in France enjoyed by the most discerning,” said Mathieu Duchemin, Managing Director of Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia.

Chef Viet makes his presence at a recent media pre event preview of the Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows Danga Bay Dinner to be held on April 18, 2014. At the event, distinguish guests and media were treated to a sneak peak at Chef Viet’s culinary skills as he whipped up a dish with an ingredient chosen by the attendees. It will definitely be an exciting night!

Through the years, Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows has developed a reputation as a series of intimate engagements for the enjoyment of true connoisseurs of the World’s number one cognac. Hosted through an immaculate gastronomic experience, Hennessy X.O A.G is aimed at enhancing guests’ true knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Hennessy X.O, the world’s first and original X.O cognac.

*Stay tune for a night of Chef Viet's creations and fine cognac!

For further information, kindly visit www.hennessy.com and www.mhdm.com.my

Breakfast Made with Lots of Soy Goodness!

Earlier two weeks ago after attending the F&N Seasons NutriSoyBreakfast Love Campaign cooking demo here, I was inspired to take on the challenge to make delicious healthy breakfast with soy milk for my family. With my crazy work hours, it’s only fair I take some time out to make sure my family gets taken care the right way.

At the cooking demo, my eyes were open to the endless possibilities of using soy milk in breakfast recipes. In fact, after the Breakfast Love demo, my brain was just running wild with all sorts of recipes that I can whip in no time at all for my little one and it would be a nutritiously balanced breakfast too!

I came up with 3 simple recipes that really don’t take much time and effort at all. One only needs basic ingredients that most families have in their fridge and the recipes are also simple ones that we enjoy often. The only difference is a little tweak in the ingredients. Simplicity is the way to go, especially for mothers like me who are trying to balance a family and a career.

After rummaging in my fridge, I decided to make a smoothie, scrambled egg with salad and French toast. Recipes like these can easily substitute dairy products with F&N Seasons NutriSoy as a healthier option and the best part is this substitution does make the breakfast recipes delicious and healthy. F&N Seasons NutriSoy has no cholesterol and is low in fat. Its protein helps to build new tissues especially for young ones. There are also no added preservatives, flavouring and coloring in the F&N Seasons NutriSoy as well.

First up, gather your favorite fruits available. I had blueberry and plums that day. Add in your favorite yoghurt and F&N Seasons NutriSoy. If you like icy smoothies add in some ice and blend it all up. Multitask and whip up two fresh eggs with some F&N Seasons NutriSoy. Scramble the egg in a pan with a little butter or oil and serve up with a side of salad. It’s easy-peasy and you’ll have some Breakfast Love in less than 20 minutes.

On Saturday, my little one enjoyed creamy Scrambled Egg with a Blueberry & Plum Fruit Smoothie. The F&N Seasons NutriSoy really makes a lovely smoothie. He enjoyed it a lot and since there is enough sweetness in the soy milk and fruits, I didn’t need to add any sugar. The fruits blended really well in flavours and the yoghurt added a tangy and creamy note to the smoothie.

BLUEBERRY AND PLUM FRUIT SMOOTHIE

Handful of Blueberry

1 Plum

135gm Plain / Fruit Yoghurt

125ml F&N Seasons NutriSoy

Ice cubes (optional)

Method

Clean the fruits and cut them or remove their seeds if needed

Add in all the rest of the other ingredients in a blender and blend it up

Serve chilled

*replace the fruits above with banana, apple, melon, kiwi and more

SCRAMBLED EGG WITH ROCKET SALAD AND TOMATOES RECIPE

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp F&N Seasons NutriSoy

Pinch of salt

Butter or Vegetable Oil

Handful Rocket leaves or Mixed Greens

Dash of Olive Oil

Dash of Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to dress

Fresh Baby Tomatoes to serve

Method

Whip the eggs with the F&N Seasons NutriSoy and salt till airy and bubbles surface.

Heat up pan on medium heat and add in butter or vegetable oil.

Pour in the egg and use a spatula to gently scramble the egg till just set.

Turn off the heat before it cooks completely as the rest of the heat will complete the cooking.

Dress the rocket leaves with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.

Serve the rocket salad with tomatoes and the fluffy scrambled egg.

On Sunday, I whipped up my little one’s favorite French toast. I substituted the milk for soy milk and it produces similar yumminess. The toast was meant to be sweet so the soy milk helps to reduce the sugar that I usually add into the egg mixture. My little one was definitely a happy camper and polished off his French toast with great happiness!

FRENCH TOAST RECIPE

2 Eggs

3 slices White/Wheat Bread

3 tbsp F&N Seasons NutriSoy

Pinch of salt and cinnamon

Butter or Vegetable Oil

Maple Syrup / Honey (to serve)

Method

Whip up the eggs with F&N Seasons NutriSoy, salt and cinnamon powder.

Soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture for 30 seconds to make sure the yummy egg is soaked into the bread.

Heat up Butter or Vegetable Oil in a pan and cooked each side of French toast for a few minutes on low fire till golden brown.

Served with maple syrup or honey and a glass of F&N Seasons NutriSoy

Besides the above, there are just plenty of other dishes to enjoy with a glass of chilled nutty and creamy F&N Seasons NutriSoy all day. Even our local food like half boiled eggs and toast, Kway Teow Soup, Wantan Noodles, Nasi Lemak, Chee Cheong Fun and more goes well with soy milk. For a healthier breakfast, warm up F&N Seasons NutriSoy and serve it with soda biscuits for a sweet and savory combination!

A little effort goes a long way. My Breakfast Love recipes are easy and simple, taste good and are a great way to kick off the day with the much needed energy. It feels really good to be able to feed my family a healthy and nutritious breakfast on some days when I can. On days when I working, I also find myself replacing my cereal and milk with cereal and soy milk for a healthier option. Thanks to F&N Seasons NutriSoy for the Breakfast Love campaign that sparked my awareness on the importance of feed my family with soy goodness!

For more information about F&N Seasons NutriSoy and more tips on breakfast recipes with F&N Seasons NutriSoy, check out their Facebook at www.facebook.com/NutriSoy.MY

The Original Charcoal BBQ Yong Tau Foo

I love Yong Tau Foo… its simple street food like this that never fails to satisfy my tummy in times of hunger pangs. I even admit to eating yong tau foo at least once a week simply because it’s cheap, easily available and delicious with its choices of vegetables or soy stuffed with a minced filling of fish paste, pork or both. Of course, there’s the partner-in-crime, the long thin slivers of rice noodles or Chee Cheong Fun that is splashed with various sauces to go with the yummy yong tau foo that makes this street food even more delectable.

With all that said, I heard about the latest grapevine that there is new age yong tau foo that has been smoking up Taman Desa literally. Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo in Taman Desa is serving up their creation of yong tau foo grilled over charcoal. It started with the owner, Mr. Ray’s father who has been serving up traditional yong tau foo in his tricycle stall under the name of Choon Kee at Pudu for more than 55 years before Ray took over now. Ray decided it was time to amp up the flavors of his dad’s recipe to another level by grilling the yong tau foo.

Choi Yen and some of us headed over one evening for a taste at Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo. The open air street café was not difficult to locate for those who knows where the famous Japanese BBQ in Taman Desa is as Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo is located right next to it. Plastic tables and chairs are spread all over the back alley a la alfresco. If there is rain, tents are placed over the tables.

At a glance, the food is prepared in a small shop lot corner. A bright lite signage denotes that one has arrived at the street café. The night we were there, a light drizzle of rain provided a cool note to the ambience. We saw pots of charcoals being fired up outside the shop. Tables were almost filled up and some staff was busy scurrying around with plates of food and also helping out on the individual charcoal grills as well.

What stole the attention and is probably a must photo op is a 3D mural of Ray’s father selling yong tau foo on his tricycle stall! Ok… by now, this photo would have been splashed all over the World Wide Web but I would not do justice if I do not add my addition of this beautifully painted mural in this post.

We adored the concept of using old serving wares at Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo. There is just something so wonderfully beautiful when old memories are brought back to life. Our drinks were served in steel painted mugs just like those good old days. These mugs are so popular back then and were usually coated with enamel. The ones used here are now mostly used in weddings, hence the wedding design and colors. We had lovely cold mugs of Kumquat (Honey Lime), Fuzhuk Barley and Cincau with Basil Seeds to quench our thirst that night. The drinks are refreshing and perfect for the BBQ fare. Drinks are priced at RM4.50 each.

Dishes were brought out quickly on a weaved-bamboo serving tray. The dishware is also the enamel kind that was used back in the olden days. We practically had their whole menu while soft crooning of nostalgia songs are play throughout the night. The experience really brought those good old days where life was basic and simple. Enjoying a simple meal outside where the world was more innocent and less complicated was much missed and will always be appreciated.

Our tray of goodies had a large platter of assorted yong tau foo pieces that are coated with some sauce. This is a set order where one can try a little of everything on their menu. Alongside the yong tau foo is a smaller plate of fried fuzhuk or stuffed bean curd sheets with sweet dark sauce and chili sauce. Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo currently offers eggplant, bittergourd, chili, lady fingers, beancurd, long beans, tau foo pok, capsicum, pig skin, bacon, beancurd sheet and meatball.

We rolled up our sleeves and got busy with some grilling actions. The hot coals sizzle and smoke raises up to the air as we placed the pieces of yong tau foo on the grill. Soon after, a light smoky aroma permeates through the air and had us lusting after it excitedly. A staff came by and brushes some oil on the pieces to avoid it from sticking and help us out with the grilling action. The pieces that were ready cooked never made it to a plate for our photos because we polished it off as soon as it was ready.

I was particularly fond of the capsicum stuffed with fish paste and wrapped with bacon and the stuffed bacon roll. These really stood out in maximum flavors. A little sweet, a little savory and juicy in each bite, we had to reorder these. The rest was great too with the added smoky grilled flavors and the sauce on the yong tau foo was lightly sweet so it caramelized beautifully. Between the six of us, we walloped countless pieces of the yong tau foo after reordering twice.

Though the fried stuffed beancurd was already yummy when it was served, we were told that a light toast on the grill would make this even better. And it did, the fried beancurd sheets are addictive but one really needs to keep an eagle eye on it on the grill because it burns quite easily.

There are 3 sizes of set menu with small set of 15 pieces YTF for 2-3 pax (RM 30.00), medium set of 25 pieces YTF for 4 pax (RM 48.00) & large set of 35 pieces YTF for 5 pax (RM 65.00). A la carte is also available in case one only likes certain types of YTF. A la carte pieces start from RM1.80 onwards.

While waiting for the yong tau foo to be grilled, we devoured plates of signature Chee Cheong Fun laced with different sauces. Old Tricycle offers 4 sauces from Soy Sauce & Fried Onion to Sweet Sauce & Dried Shrimp, Curry Sauce with Pig Skin & Dried Shrimp and Curry Sauce with Sambal with a price tag of RM3.50 onwards depending on the sauce. It was a unanimous decision that we all really enjoyed the Curry Sauce with the Sambal.

Though we went back home smoky and sweaty, our appetites were thoroughly satisfied. Old Tricycle Yong Tau Foo proves to be a classic dish turn new age done well. Simple food made well gets extra points in my books. The place gets filled up early so head over as early as you can for dinner. Make sure to order their stuffed bacon for extra satisfaction!

OLD TRICYCLE YONG TAU FOO

Plaza Faber

Jalan Desa Jaya
Taman Desa, off Jalan Klang Lama
58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6012-218 1352

Business Hour: 6.00pm – 11.00pm(Closed on Tuesday)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oldtricycle

*More photos available at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

…and this time, GCB™ is back for good!

Because you ask for it, it’s back! McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Burger (GCB™) fans can now enjoy the whole tender grilled chicken thigh GCB™ burger from April 2014 onwards. Available now for 365 days a year, it was due to overwhelming suggestions through its communication channels to make GCB™ available on a daily basis ever since it was introduce to Malaysians in 2010.

I took my little one together with Choi Yen and her family for a taste of GCB™ at the McDonald’s outlet at The Curve recently. Needless to say, the kids were jumping with joy at the first sight of McDonalds. This outlet also has a large kids’ playground area and a private room upstairs for any private functions.

D got his usual Happy Meal of Chicken Nuggets with Milo and French Fries with a small toy. I have to admit, I am also a fan of the nuggets… crispy chicken bites dipped with their BBQ sauce makes a nice snack for me.

Feeling ravenous, I was told of the Double PattyGCB™ and went straight for it! My soft golden toasted but held two thick pieces of nicely grilled chicken thigh with shredded lettuce and their groovy chargrilled sauce. Savory and sweet, the flavors are familiar and delightful. Of course, I had their fries and soda too…

The kids had a great time at the playground while I enjoyed my must-have Chocolate Sundae…

The GCB™ is now available at all McDonald’s restaurants. Get your fix 365 days a year… J

To celebrate the launch of the grilled chicken permanently on the menu and reward their most passionate customers, McDonald’s is organizing “The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Lover” contest from 15 April to 14 May 2014. To prove that they are true grilled chicken lovers, customers can grab GCB™ at McDonald’s, collect their receipts, and mail them by 20^th May 2014 to “The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Lover Contest, Suite 505, PG-15A, Jaya33, Jalan Semangat, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.”

The top 5 customers with the highest number of GCBs™ purchased will win 1 year’s supply of the GCBs™. The 6^th– 15^th placed winners will win 1 month’s supply and the 16^th– 50^th placed winners will be rewarded with 1 week’s supply of GCBs™. Contest details are available on www.facebook.com/My/McDonalds and via in-store leaflets.

Carry Small, Capture All with the new Samsung NX Mini SMART Camera

Last Saturday, quite a few bloggers and myself were treated to a glorious experience by Samsung Malaysia Electronics at the latest ultimate selfie camera, the Samsung NX Mini Camera! I have been hooked to photography ever since I had my blog and to be able to explore the city with the latest Samsung NX Mini camera was definitely a treat.

Samsung Malaysia Electronics had launched the NX Mini, Samsung’s slimmest and lightest interchangeable-lens camera to-date. The portable and sleek design of the NX mini SMART camera is the coolest device for great photography with its NFC and WiFi capabilities, stunning image quality and easiest camera for selfies or wefies.

We congregate early at NU Sentral for a quick briefing before we were group up and themed up for our tour of the city’s iconic heritage spots. After a light breakfast, we group up and headed towards the LRT station to head down to Central Market and Petaling Street. I was ecstatic about my theme and no prizes for guessing that I got Gastronomical Food.

Of course before we head on to our journey, some of us had to test out our selfie or wefie!

Certainly is the easiest and coolest camera to maneuver a selfie as the Samsung NX Mini has a 75.2mm (3.0 inch) Flip-up and Touch Display that rotates 180-degrees. Never been able to master a selfie, I was pleased with this feature as selfies have now become effortless and easy-breezy!

I was told by other bloggers that the NX Mini also has a new Wink shot feature that makes it the perfect hands-free device for selfies or wefies. In addition, after one has downloaded the Samsung SMART Camera app, one can even control the NX Mini from your phone… isn’t that the coolest?

Traveling with the NX Mini has never been easier… it’s slim and sleek design weighs only 158g for the body alone with a width of 22.5mm. Depending on the lens, the NX Mini is still really portable and one can easily slip this into a small bag or pocket.

Check out our city shots with the NX Mini…

The colors are amazing and the quality is pretty awesome for such a small camera. One can even choose manual mode or control the various aperture or ISO to suit the environment.

There are also various SMART features that allows one to choose the best option for food, macro, speed and more. Imagine all these pack into the tiny NX Mini!

Hand-pulled ice cream looked so good and I managed to capture the seller’s extremely quick reflex when she deftly pulled the ice cream on to a cone!

I adored the vibrant colors of the camera with this photo.

Some of us even tried selfie jumpshots photos…

Using the Panaroma feature, I managed to capture an amazing shot of the city!

After exploring the streets, we group back and head on to Johnny Rockets at Avenue K for lunch. While lunch was served, there was plenty of selfies and wefies. We just can’t help it, NX Mini was simply made for it!

Samsung Electronics Malaysia was also generous and held a competition for the best Instagram photo that best suited the assigned themed. The SMART camera feature allows us to transfer our photos from the camera to our phone right away. It was instant gratification as I can post up my photos to my Facebook and Instagram with just a few clicks. The features are user-friendly and it certainly didn’t take us long to do this…

A lucky blogger walked away with a brand new NX Mini that day!

The Samsung NX Mini Camera comes in 5 colors – Black, White, Pink, Mint and Brown. The Samsung NX Mini is priced at RM1399 with 9mm f3.5 lens and Rm1699 with kit lens.

There are endless possibilities that the NX Mini has that I can’t wait to discover. Stay tune with me as I explore the journey of capturing priceless moments with my Samsung NX Mini Camera within the next few months on my Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks again to Samsung Malaysia Electronics and Manoah Consulting for this exciting journey with the NX Mini!

You would not want to miss the ‘SNAP & SHARE’ TO WIN A 3D/2N STAY FOR TWO IN LANGKAWI with this Seafood Trail!

Seafood aficionados will be pleased as New Zealand Cloudy Bay kicks off their famous Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc wine pairing this year with a Seafood Tasting Trail. In pursuit of last year’s success with a duck trail, this year’s participating outlets are racking a seafood escapade to be paired with elegant and refined white from the world renowned Marlborough region of the land of kiwi. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is ranked amongst the top five in the Drinks International ‘Our World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2013’ supplement for its fresh and light flavors, making it the quintessential accompaniment for seafood. Starting from May 1 till June 30 2014, head over to the participating outlets for a taste of the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Seafood Tasting Trail and you might just win a trip to Langkawi while dining.

An invite to trail some of the participant outlets for a taste of the seafood wine pairing needed no encouragement at all. I took time off from work this round since I missed the duck trail last year. Together with some media, we were chauffeured in a Starex and pampered all the way on the trail with glasses of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Now that’s what I call dining with style!

There are total 13 participating outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya while other states have 5 outlets. My route of that day was to visit 5 restaurants in Kuala Lumpur while some of my other friends took on the Petaling Jaya route.

Our first stop was at Traders Hotel at their exclusive Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill where guests dine with an amazing view of the city’s skyline.

We started off our seafood gastronomy journey with a gorgeous Atlantic Cod Bouillabaisse. The big thick white cod is exquisitely cooked and sits in a puddle of luscious broth filled with seafood essence. Plump mussels and cubes of potatoes accompanied the sweet succulent cod. The flavors are robust and rich, pairing well with the crisp notes of the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill

Atlantic Cod Bouillabaisse paired with a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013, RM124++

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, Level 6, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T. 03- 2332 9888

Our next stop is a personal favorite of mine, Tujo Bar-sserie & Grill. My soft spot for the retro cool restaurant and its fusion cuisine is further enhanced by its ambience. Set in a busy spot in the city, Tujo makes a great hang out after a long’s day of work.

Tujo is featuring a Platter of Pan Seared Scallop with Marinated Konbu, Medium Rare Crusted Tuna & Salmon Duo to go with the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy this whole platter to your heart’s content as a main or simply share. It’s a sea of delicious pieces of barely seared tuna crusted with spices and herbs and top with alfalfa sprouts, barely seared sweet scallops crowned with pickled seaweed and salmon with juicy salmon roes.

I was particularly fond of the scallops for its sweetness and juicy flavors and the salmon for the salty vibrant flavors. It was a clever dish as the three seafood compliments the Sauvignon Blanc’s vibrant citrus aroma really well.

Tujo Bar-sserie & Grill

Platter of Pan Seared Scallop with Marinated Konbu, Medium Rare Crusted Tuna & Salmon Duo paired with a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013, RM260++

Tujo Bar-sserie & Grill

Ascott Kuala Lumpur, 9, Jalan Pinang 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. 012-210 3055

We hit some traffic as we moved on to our next destination at Starhill Gallery. Our first restaurant was Shook! Walking into Shook!, we were immediately attracted by its spacious décor filled with quirky fun décor with a touch of elegance. There are various stations spread all over serving up different cuisine.

Shook! chose to serve a beautiful and light course of Seared Yellow Fin Tuna Salad with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette with the wine. Echoing the wine’s tasting notes, we were delighted with thick quality lightly seared tuna nestled among a mix of greens, asparagus, onions, green beans, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, olives and artichokes all dressed in a vibrant tangy grain mustard dressing. The dish is light, fresh and very enjoyable.

Shook! @ Starhill Gallery

Seared Yellow Fin Tuna Salad with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrettepaired with a glass of Cloudy Bay

Sauvignon Blanc 2013, RM196++

Shook! @ Starhill Gallery

Feast Village, Starhill Gallery, 181, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

T. 603 - 2719 8535

After Shook!, we moved on to another restaurant, Fisherman’s Cove in the same location. It’s my first time and I must express how unique the interior is. Designed to seat guests in two levels and with an interior completed with lots of wood, the whole ambience exudes certain exoticness about it. Lightings are low and guests are treated to open kitchen and tanks of aquarium filled with live seafood.

The dish of Pan-fried Fillet of Coral Grouper, Pipi Clams and Blue Mussels with Citrus Butter Sauce was my favorite of the lot. It has such finesse and the flavors are magnificent. Bold citrus butter sauce takes the sweet crispy seared coral grouper to new heights. Succulent Pipi clams and blue mussels are cooked to tenderness. What accompanied the fish was a thick wedge of grilled Portobello mushrooms to give the dish a nutty earthy flavor. It is a dish perfectly executed and brings out the Sauvignon Blanc tasting notes beautifully.

Fisherman's Cove

Pan-fried Fillet of Coral Grouper, Pipi Clams and Blue Mussels with Citrus Butter Sauce paired with a glass

of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013, RM146++

Fisherman's Cove

Starhill Gallery 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Starhill Gallery, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. +60 3-2782 3848

The journey ended at French inspired Brasserie Enfin located at Oasis Ara Damansara. There was an evening drizzle and it was a lovely way to end our day. Brasserie Enfin takes on the European touch in its menu, also including the interior and ambience. The restaurant is richly decorated with bold colors, wood, checkered floor and soft warm lightings. We love how guests can enjoy the scenic evening views of the plaza and the sky.

It was a very pretty dish at sight. Pan seared mackerel with beurre noisette of walnut and almond served with crispy roots was created with lots of thoughts and effort. A stronger flavored fish, the mackerel was rendered with a crispy skin and soft firm flesh. It was a cleverly mix of various flavors and textures. Fondant potatoes and beetroots together with a tempura batter chrysanthemum and herbs mingled well together with the lightly burnt butter sauce. I also spied walnuts, almonds and caper with a crispy parmesan wafer in the dish. It’s a complex dish that showed much thought goes into every little ingredient to ensure a well-balanced dish. As the dish is quite rich, the Sauvignon Blanc’s crisp and fresh notes balance it well.

Brasserie Enfin

Pan seared mackerel with beurre noisette of walnut and almond served with crispy roots paired with a

glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013, RM50++

Brasserie Enfin

Lot R-07, First Floor, Central Piazza, No. 2, Jalan PJU 1A/ 7A, Oasis Square, Oasis Damansara 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

T. 03-7832 2969

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Seafood Tasting Trail Instagram Contest

The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc & Seafood Tasting trail features an exciting Instagram contest from 1^st May to 30^th June 2014. This is a chance for wine lovers to taste the perfect pairing of wine with seafood at participating restaurants and win a 3D/2N stay for TWO at an award winning 5 star hotel in Langkawi.

Follow #cloudybaymsia on Instagram and simply share your best Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and paired seafood menu. Remember to hashtag #cloudybaymsia and tag @cloudybayseafoodtrail. The instagrammer with the most photos of paired seafood menu from as many participating restaurants WILL win.

It’s a yearly affair that one should not miss. For more information about the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Seafood Tasting Trail, please visit their Facebook: www.facebook.com/cloudybay

Listed below are the other participating outlets in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur with their own seafood creations:

Signature @ The Roof

Sky level, 1 First Avenue, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

T. +6016 229 1505

Las Carretas Damansara

Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant 10 Jalan Semantan, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Damansara, Malaysia

T. +60 3-2093 0380

Black Market

Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. +60 17-321 8686

Caffeinees

16 Jalan Kampung Pandan, Desa Pandan, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. +60 3-2144 8686

WIP

Lot G 111, Ground floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 285 Jalan Maarof, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. 03 2094 1789

The Point Bar & Dining Room

First & Second Floor, No. 122, Jalan Kasah, Damansara Heights, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur

T. 03-2011-8008

Tanzini

GTower, 199 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. 60 3-2168 1899

Bistro A Table

6 Jalan 17/54, Seksyen 17, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

T. 03-7931 2831

*A full list of participating outlets can be viewed on #cloudybaymsia Instagram site. Terms & conditions apply.

**More photos available at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

A Home-Classic Swine Affair

I could never say no to a few things in life. One of them would have to be pork. There is something utterly satisfying about the swine. It’s the most versatile meat that takes on creativity to endless possibilities and the ability to absorb flavors injected into it is equally divine. Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide and is practically worship by the Chinese community by appearing in any Chinese communal feasts. The whole pig can literally be consumed and is cooked fresh or in preserved dried form. A recent visit to savor a list of porky fare be fitted with touches of home-cooked style was tempting and heart-warming.

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant has been serving up Nouvelle Cantonese with classic Chinese cuisine and Hong Kong Dim Sum at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur to its loyal guests. Dining at Xin is quite the grand affair as the restaurant is dressed with an illustrious interior of gold trimmings and grand Oriental décor. The huge 360 seating capacity makes Xin a favorite for celebrations and special occasions. My previous experience at Xin was last year’s CNY feast here. This round, we are here to savor a list of Xin’s home-classic pork dishes.

Available from April onwards, savor Chinese Chef Wong Pak Seng along with Barbeque Chef Kou Kim Hai’s 10 signature pork dishes at Xin Cusine. Its home-cooked classics served with flair and perfect for a lovely and warming meal. From succulent Crispy BBQ Suckling Pig Hong Kong Style, Deep-fried Spare Ribs with Lemon Sauce or Red Wine Sauce to classic favorites like Crispy Pork Belly with Salted Fish, Stewed Pork Belly with Dried Chili, Wok-Fried Pork Belly with Dried Chili, Braised Pork Knuckle Mongolian Sauce, Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables, Slow-cooked Pork Tendon with Garlic and Braised Beancurd Stick with Pork Knuckle. Available for lunch and dinner, prices starts from RM35++ onwards except Suckling Pig which is RM80++ (half portion) and RM160++ (whole)

Our Chinese dinner had to start with the customary soup to warm up the appetite. The Herbal Chicken Soup exudes comfort and warmth. Filled with essence of Chinese herbs and chicken, the broth is soothingly flavorful, something that reminds me of my mom’s cooking. Classic and heart-warming…

BBQ Crispy Suckling Pig Hong Kong Style with Steamed Mantao never fails to hold all attention at any table it lands on. The prize is the crispy crackling executed with tender care and hours of slow roasting on the traditional open fire. No easy feat, this dish requires lots of effort and attention to produce amber crackling that many would openly fight for at any feasts. Every suckling pig is hand-roasted by BBQ chef to ensure the roast is even and well roasted.

Enjoy the sumptuous crackling with Steamed Mantao, chili threaded spring onion and a dollop of sweet rich hoisin sauce for the swine sensation. At Xin Cuisine, their suckling pig is so well crafted that there is only a light layer of fat and everyone gets to enjoy the crackling at a lesser guilt. This platter left our table with only the head left. And even so… one might even beg for the head to be doggie bagged up for another classic dish of Braised Preserved Vegetable!

As mentioned previously, every part of the swine have been dissected, cooked and savored by many. The tendon receives no less the same attention as other much favored part of the swine. Tendons are air dried and reconstituted through a slow process before it can be cooked. Here, tendons are turned into Slow-Cooked Pork Tendon with Garlic. The dish may look a tad brown and plain but flavors are otherwise. Soft gelatinous tendons has absorb the rich brown gravy and are accompanied by soft sweet garlic that simply melts-in-the-mouth. The dish simply begs for a bowl of piping hot white rice if you asked my opinion.

The next dish is a favorite of mine. Wok-Fried Pork Belly with Dried Chili has thick pieces of pork belly braised and wok-fried in an aromatic brown sauce with garlic. The chef has also cleverly deceived us all as the dish is non-spicy but one can taste the subtle undertone of chili in the pork belly. The belly has the right texture, soft and yet fairly firm for a nice bite. I lost count of how many pieces I had as this dish is very tasty and quite addictive. A must-order in my books…

Deep-Fried Beancurd with Minced Meat will be a favorite with every one of all ages. House made egg beancurd is deep-fried till a crispy skin is achieved but retained its soft and smooth texture inside before it is being covered in savory minced meat sauce. The addition of bits of dried shrimp, sweet onions and aromatic curry leaves gave the dish another boost in flavors.

Greens are also given a lavish treatment here as our Fried Seasonal Vegetable with Crabmeat and Salted Egg had all the checkmarks of lush flavors. The green pak choy has a lovely crunch while the luscious egg sauce with lots of sweet crabmeat is simply a joy to eat. The sauce stole the show in this dish and I heaped on lots of it on my rice that night.

Hokkien Noodles showed up in our meal and we were mighty pleased. Crowned with lots of crispy lardons, the thick yellow noodles have been braised with a well-balanced of savory and sweet dark soy sauce. The noodles have all the classic ingredients that made this street dish a much-ordered one. Despite being full, I managed to savor a little of this and was satisfied with its flavors.

I was glad dessert was Chilled Aloe Vera. The dessert is sweet and light. Lots of soft chunks of aloe vera with jelly cubes, longan, orange and strawberry is simply refreshing and enjoyable after our meal of swine laden dishes.

It’s lovely to be able to savor such home-classics at Xin Cuisine. The dishes bring back nostalgia flavors and are perfect for daily enjoyment. Xin Cuisine also serves up a lovely feast of Hong Kong dim sums. Head over to Xin Cuisine for a taste of their top 10 home-classic pork dishes and more!

For reservations, please call +603 2144 8750 extn 2338.

XIN CUISINE CHINESE RESTAURANT

Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur
2 Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur,
Tel: +603 2144 8750 or +603 2144 2200 ext 2338

Fax: +603 2144 1628

Website: http://kualalumpur.concordehotelsresorts.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/concordehotelkualalumpur

Bringing Authentic Thai Flavors to the City!

I haven’t been back for a while and I was pleased when the invite was extended to check out their promotion. The Mill at Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur was one of my very first few reviews when I first started this blog. I do admit to having a soft spot for this restaurant simply because of its famous buffet spread. One evening, I maneuvered my way through the traffic in the city for its Land of Smiles promotion.

The Mill Café is an all-day dining restaurant serving up sumptuous spread of local and international cuisine. This month, The Mill brings cuisine from Thailand with its theme of ‘Amazing Thai-talising Food Journey’ closer to all here. Commencing from April 23 to May 25 2014, diners are treated to one of the most beloved cuisines in Malaysia. Everything about the neighboring country is an art form by itself. The Thai cuisine together with its culture and economy holds a representation of balance of everything sweet, spicy, sour, salty and bitter in life.

To ensure the authenticity of flavors, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur has brought in a culinary team from its sister-property Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok to prepare the tantalizing buffet spread. Working closely with Executive Chef Laurent Lherisson, Chef Suksan Phontun (Noi) has whipped up a kaleidoscope of Thai dishes that will have diners salivating with much delight.

In conjuction with the commencement of this promotion, Grand Millenniium Kuala Lumpur Management, Peter Gibbons, General Manager and Trudy Moreno, Director of Sales & Marketing had the honour of hosting His Excellency Krit Kraichitti, the Ambassador of Thailand as well as dignitaries from the Thai Embassy to the ‘Amazing Thai-talising Food Journey’ dinner.

During the dinner, diners are entertained by Thai classical performers as well as a Muay Thai demonstration. It was an exciting evening as Thai dancers were graceful and dressed in their national costumes. Following the graceful performances, Muay Thai team took the stage to show off their Thai martial art skills as they combat each other depicted through a story.

Without much further delay, here is a preview of what the ‘Amazing Thai-talising Food Journey’ has to offer by Chef Suksan Phontun and the kitchen tea.

The Appetizer and Salad station is heavily laden with a large spread of Thai classic small bites and salads. The colors of the salads will tease one’s appetite while the flavors will satiate the senses. Expect rotation of menu and classics of Hor Mok, Yam Som-O – Pomelo Shrimp Salad, Larb Nua – Spicy Minced Beef Salad, Hoy Shell Nug Manao – Steamed Scallop with Lime Sauce, Seafood Smoked Chili with Lemongrass Salad, Laap Pla – Fried Snapper with Ground Rice Salad, Yum Woon Sen Talay – Spicy Glass Noodle Seafood Salad, Yum Pla Muk Yang – Grilled Squid Salad, Som Tam – Green Papaya Salad, Nam Tok Nua – Spicy Grilled Beef Salad, Yam Kai Yang – Grilled Chicken Yam Salad, Larb Hed – Thai Spicy Sour Mushroon Salad, Yam Polamai – Spicy Mix Fruit Salad Green Mango Dried Shrimp Salad and more. The list is quite mind-boggling to begin with…

Though Thai cuisine features many soups in their repertoire, the most classic ones are Tom Yam Kung and Tom Kha Gai. Savor both Tom Yum Seafood Soup and Coconut Chicken and Galangal Soup at The Mill. The Tom Yum is spicy, sour and a little creamy while the Tom Kha Gai has a sweet coconut broth spiced up with herbs and chili. Both are equally delicious!

Main course features lots of authentic dishes to be savored on its own or with rice. There are just so many choices that I didn’t even have the stomach space to enjoy them all though they looked mighty tempting. Enjoy the Tom Yam Fried Rice and Seafood Fried Rice with Cashew Nuts Fried Chicken, Steamed Garoupa with Spicy Seafood Sauce, Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin with Red Curry, Pad Krap Pao – Wok Fried Seafood with Hot Basil, Stir Fried Chicken with Garlic Pepper Sauce, Stir Fried Minced Beef with Hot Basil and Chili, Baked Mussel with Thai Herbs, Roasted Chicken Lemongrass, Chicken Coconut Thai Green Curry, Green Pepper Beef, Fried Red Snapper with Thai Celery, Gaeng Phed Ped Yang – Barbeque Duck Curry, Wok Fried Fresh Clam with Smoked Chili Paste, Thai Massaman Chicken Curry, Steamed Sea Bass with Spicy Lime Sauce, Sauteed Squid with Salted Egg and so much more.

Besides the Thai spread, there are the usual Japanese Station, Seafood on Ice Station, Indian Cuisine, International Cuisine and local dishes as well. The Japanese station is laden with favorites of Sashimi, Sushi and Soba Noodles while the Seafood on Ice Station features succulent Fresh Oysters, Poached Prawns, juicy Poached Scallop and Mussels. The Indian cuisine station is also a must-visit with Chef Markhan’s famous Tandoori, Naan and other robust curries and pickles. International corner has Pizza, Satay, Seafood and Meat dishes and more.

Though I highly doubt one will have room for desserts but one simply must, especially if you are a Thai dessert fan. Chef Suksan has filled the station with authentic Thai desserts such as Mango with Sticky Rice, Tab Tim Krob, Banana in Sweet Coconut Milk, Thai Pumpkin Custard, Lemongrass Jelly in Ginger Syrup, Fresh Corn in Rose Syrup, Fresh Coconut Jelly and more. There are also Fresh Fruits, Chocolate Fountain, Ice Cream, Cakes, Puddings and local Kuih.

The ‘Amazing Thai-talising Food Journey’ promotion is available every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 23^rd April to 25 May 2014. Available from 6.30pm to 10.30pm, the buffet is priced at RM88++ per person for adult and RM44++ per child above 6 years old.

Diners patronizing the promotion will also stand a chance to win attractive prizes in a Luck Draw. Prizes include return air tickets to Bangkok courtesy of Thai Airways and luxurious stays at Millennium Resort Patong, Phuket and Grand Millennium Sukhumvit, Bangkok.

The Mill Café is open daily from 6am to 11pm. It is located on the first floor at Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur. For reservations, please call +60 3 2117 4163/4164 or email enquiry.gmkl@millenniumhotels.com

Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

T: +60 3 2117 4888
F: +60 3 2142 1441

Facebook:www.facebook.com/grandmillenniumk

Hotel Website: http://www.grandmillenniumkl.com/

Global Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.com/

*More photos available at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

Mother’s Day Set Menu Awaits!

Mothers are indeed special and though I do love to honor and celebrate this coming Mother’s Day with my mom, I think every day should be a Mother’s Day! It’s hard to describe what every mother goes through for their family but once you become a mother yourself, everything will fall into place and make sense on how much a mother always does for her family. If my mother says she is going to bed now at night, here’s what she does… she goes into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for tomorrow for us, then she puts her daily load of laundry to soak, check and fill up all the water bottles, check her fridge on the ingredients needed for morning market shopping, make a grocery list, turn off all the lights in the house, check the locks on doors before finally heading up for bed. And so you see, every mother is truly precious in her own way…

This Mother’s Day on Sunday May 11, do take time and spend it with her since it is a special day to commemorate her as a mother. There are plenty of things to do with her and one of them would be to take her out for a lovely meal. Of course let’s not forget all the mothers and grandmothers of the world…

The Emperor at Grand Dorsett Subang is having a Mother’s Day Special where Chinese Executive Chef Loh Jiunn Voon will tempt your queen of heart on this coming Mother’s Day with his creatively crafted six-course menu. If you have never been to The Emperor, the restaurant serves up Cantonese cuisine crafted with refine flavors. Dim Sum is one of their specialties among other Cantonese dishes and there is a weekend Dim Sum going on currently. Dine at their spacious main dining hall or reserve their private dining rooms for a personal ambience.

For this Mother’s Day Special 6-course at The Emperor, diners start off the brunch or lunch with Two of Happiness Ensemble featuring a Smoked Salmon Fish with Apple Sauce and Steamed Prawn Paste with Crystal Dumpling and Ebiko Sauce.

The Smoked Salmon Fish with Apple Sauce was made from scratch where the salmon has been smoked in-house at the restaurant before being paired with a moreish soy and apple sauce. The sweet and tangy sauce really compliments the smoked salmon very well, lifting it off the heavy salty flavors. Bits of chopped apples provide a little texture to the dish.

All of us enjoyed the Steamed Prawn Paste with Crystal Dumpling and Ebiko Sauce a lot. The dumpling has a crystal translucent skin enveloping a bouncy filling of sweet prawn paste. A light starchy egg white sauce with a little heaping of flying fish roes provides extra flavors to enhance the dumpling.

The soup course is a Double Boiled Flower Cordyceps with Bamboo Pith and Dry Scallop. It’s a course everyone would certainly appreciate for its warming and medicinal benefits. One can tell by how much effort goes into making a soup by its flavors. Our soup obviously has been slowly boiled for hours with lots of chicken essence as a base. Then it’s double-boiled again this time with flower cordyceps, black chicken, dry scallop, bamboo pith and wolfberries. Brimming with soothing flavors, the soup is a sure winner to many…

Deep Fried Spring Chicken with Prawn Crackers is really hard to fault. Lovely juicy spring chicken with a beautiful rich brown skin to be savored with delicious crispy prawn crackers had everyone at the table enjoying this quietly. Served with a side of pepper salt, the dish is a classic, making me wanting to ditch my utensils and pick it up for gnawing pleasures. A classic well executed!

I simply adored the Braised Homemade Spinach Beancurd with Shimeji Mushroom and Vegetable. The spinach beancurd is made in-house using black soy beans, egg and spinach. Deep fried to produce a lightly crisp skin and a soft wobbly center, the beancurd itself is yummy and light. The lightly sautéed Shimeji mushrooms and asparagus in the rich brown sauce perked up the beancurd flavors. I would indeed be happy to enjoy this dish with a bowl of rice alone.

To complete our savory courses, we had Fried Rice with Crab Meat and Pine Nuts. Fluffy fried rice with a nice breathe of wok is studded with crab meat and pine nuts. The flavors are quite light and subtle with the crab meat taking the main role and the pine nuts adding a nutty note. I had no issues polishing this dish completely.

Our night ended on a very delicious high note. Chilled Mango Cream with Pomelo and Sago is simply magnificent. The mango cream is utterly thick, luscious, tangy and I can taste the fruity mango in every little spoonful. Using Thai or Australian mango, the quality of the mango cream is divine. To add more flavors and textures to the chilled mango cream are bits of crunchy water chestnut, tangy strawberries, fresh mango cubes and little pearls of sago. The combination works like a beautifully orchestrated symphony! I was told that this dessert is priced more than RM30 in the a la carte menu so the Mother’s Day Special set menu is well worth its value.

The Emperor’sMother’s Day 6-course Special menu is priced at RM70++ per person and comes with attractive door gifts. Make your reservation for this special available on May 11, 2014 from 10.00am to 2.30pm at +603 5031 6060 extension 1954.

Check out another Mother’s Day Hi-Tea buffet at Terazza Brasserie for RM80++ per person for all mothers’ from 12.00pm to 4.00pm. All mothers will also stand a chance to win amazing lucky draw prizes. For reservation on the Mother’s Day Hi-Tea, kindly contact: 603 5032 6060 extension 1912.

THE EMPEROR

Grand Dorsett Subang

Jalan SS12/1,

47500 Subang Jaya

Tel: +603 5031 6060

Fax: +603 5031 8686

Website: www.dorsetthotels.com/malaysia/subang

*More photos available at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

A Ducky Affair!

Fans of the succulent Beijing roasted duck will be pleased to know that Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur kicks off its Beijing Roasted Duck promotion today till mid of June. It’s literally a ducky affair throughout the meal as the whole duck is prepared into a variety of courses from its famous crisp skin to its bones and meats.

As soon as we arrive, Si Chuan Dou Hua famed Tea Connoisseur proceeds to deftly served us our Eight Treasure Tea with his tea-pouring skills. Although I have witness his talent quite a few times, I am still pretty impress with his talent as it requires such precision and speed.

Heading down to our ducky business, the Beijing Roasted Duck promotion is priced at RM99nett per duck and is available from May 13 to June 15 for lunch and dinner.

Our succulent Beijing Roasted Duck stand in full glory as it waits for its carving master. The skin will be savored with pancakes, the bones boiled into soup and the meat is dishes out 7 ways where diners will select their choice of a meat dish from the 7 varieties.

As our chef swiftly carves out the golden amber crisp skin, we can only salivate at how beautiful this duck looks!

The skin was then quickly rolled up in thin pancake together with shredded cucumber and spring onions with hoisin sauce before wrapping it in an unconventional ingredient of seaweed.

Our first course of Duck Skin Wrapped with Seaweed and Julienne Legumes was super yum! Soft thin flour pancakes wrapped pieces of crispy skin with bits of succulent fats together with fresh cucumber and spring onions before a smear of hoisin sauce lightly coats everything together and a strip of seaweed tightly seals the roll is so addictive. The seaweed added a lovely touch of nutty flavor to the duck. I would gladly polish of this whole plate happily that night but at last, yummy food is meant to be shared…

There is also the traditional method if you do not happen to like seaweed. After our duck was carved, it disappeared into the kitchen for our next course.

A piping bowl of Duck Bone with Salted Vegetable and Bean Curd Soup appeared. A sip of the broth brings me back to my mom’s rendition of this soup. The soup is lightly sour and quite savory from the salted vegetable while the duck bone lends its meaty essence to it. Soothing and delicious, it makes a great course to open up one’s taste bud even more for the next course.

The next course for the duck meat had the chef and kitchen team going all out on creativity and coming up with 7 dishes that can be prepared with the meat. Simply choose one dish to your liking although I personally think it’s a hard choice since I do like quite a few of them.

Sounds like a strange combination to me at first but Sliced Duck Meat with Mango and Spicy Sauce is a brilliant pairing. The duck meat is rich with a deep meaty flavor but the tangy sweetness of the fresh mango seems to counter the richness of the duck beautifully. The spicy fruity sauce also compliments both duck and mango well, giving it a kick of flavors. Try this as if you are the adventurous kind!

The Stir-Fried with Young Ginger and Spring Onions sits on the other side of the earlier dish with mangoes. This one has a cleaner taste of the duck meat itself together with ginger and spring onions. It’s quite a classic style and usually cooked with beef but duck works really well here too. The duck is tender and juicy so each bite is aromatic and tasty.

For bolder flavors, the Stir-Fried with Fragrant Black Pepper Sauce would be ideal. The duck meat is glazed with lots of peppery notes from the black pepper sauce. Themed up with lots of celery, bell pepper and onions, this dish has lots of textures as well as flavors.

Si Chuan Dou Hua is famous for their Sichuan chili dishes and it was a no-brainer to have the duck cooked in Wok-Fried with Sichuan Spicy Chili. Here, the duck is chopped into cubes, deep fried till crisp and wok-fried dry style with loads of dry chili and Sichuan peppercorn. The dish is lethal in spiciness so savor this carefully because if you bite into the Sichuan peppercorn, your mouth and tongue gets that tingling famous numbing sensation. Eat this at your own risk…

There are also noodle dishes prepared with the duck meat. Dan Dan Noodles is one of them. Another popular Sichuan dish, the noodles are topped with a spicy minced duck meat sauce. It looks innocent at sight but there is a lovely spiciness in the minced duck meat sauce. The flavors are robust and moreish, making each slurp a yummy one!

Longevity Noodles might be more suitable to those who enjoy soft braised noodles. Sang meen is braised in a lightly flavored stock with lots of shredded duck meat, carrots, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Since I prefer a stronger flavor note, the earlier spicy noodles win a higher vote from me.

Crispy Noodles is fairly similar to Longevity Noodles except the noodles are deep fried till crispy before being laced with the similar shredded duck sauce.

Don’t miss this Beijing Roasted Duck promotion if you enjoy duck in many ways!

Besides the Beijing Roasted Duck promotion, do check out Si Chuan Dou Hua’s signature dishes. We had a platter of cold appetizers to start off that night and it was decent. Our cold platter had Jellyfish, Japanese Idako, Pickled Cucumber, Bang Bang Chicken and Sautéed Mushrooms. I was particularly fond of the Bang Bang Chicken which has a thick nutty bean sauce.

Desserts are simply a must at Si Chuan Dou Hua! The most popular would have to be the Si Chuan Dou Hua Tau Foo Fa with Wolfberry Syrup. The silken soft bean curd is warm, sweet and inviting. Other desserts such as Mango Pudding and Gwai Lin Ko with honey syrup fared pretty well too.

For reservations or enquiries, please call +603 2147 0088 or email douhua.prkul@parkroyalhotels.com

SI CHUAN DOU HUA RESTAURANT

PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel:03-2147 0088

Website: www.sichuandouhua.com/Pages/default.aspx

**More pictures at my Facebook @ChasingFoodDreams

Home Cook Sarawak Noodles and Hakka Delights!

Two best friends put their talents in the heart of Kuching Noodle House with their recipes. Located at Garden Shoppe at One City, Kuching Noodle House serves up Sarawak street food and Hakka dishes fit for daily enjoyment. Opened from less than half a year, looks like words has gotten out as the café was packed for lunch when I visited during the weekend with my family.

My niece and my family visited one Sunday lunch since she lives very near this café. Although it was after 1pm, the café was packed and people kept walking in. The crowd can only mean one thing, good food with value for money. We check out its simple but sufficient menu which consists of Sarawak street food noodles, some rice meals and some side snacks. After our orders were taken, I was pretty happy to notice that there were plenty of staff and so service was very efficient.

The café is really pretty and comfortable at sight. Lots of space, and the mix of wood, white washed walls and ceilings and cement is further enhanced by its creative lights hide in rows of bubus. Bubu is an Asian traditional fish trap basket that is shaped like a long barrel and is made from bamboo and rattan. The kitchen is partially open and so diners can get some kitchen action if you are seated at the back area of the dining room. The ambience is bright and clean and I was particularly fond of the old school rattan and bamboo stools.

We took on the recommendation of the staff for our food and drinks since it was our first visit. Kuching Noodle House imports their coffee and other ingredients from Sarawak frequently. So we opted to try their Ice Sarawak Coffee White, Home Recipe Pineapple Drink and Cucumber Lime Juice. The Sarawak Coffee White is decent and sufficient for non-coffee drinkers like me. Maybe I should enjoyed it hot because it certainly tasted better with my partner’s hot Sarawak Coffee Black as it has more aroma and body to the coffee. For me, I really enjoyed the boiled Home Recipe Pineapple Drink and Cucumber Lime Juice simply for its freshness and fruity flavors.

We ordered some side snacks simply because we were starving. The two-piece Cai Kueh came with a side chili sauce. It’s delicious and even more so because that little side of chili sauce is super appetizing. The Cai Kueh has soft rice flour skin encasing cooked sweet jicama and carrot. It is very simple fare but that chili sauce rocks for sure because we asked for more…

Nyonya Lobak came next and this one fare decent as well. It came with the same yummy chili sauce and some pickled radish and cucumber. The lobak was more sweet than savory due to the vegetables in the roll. It was soft and not as firm as my mother’s recipe. The lobak still fared pleasant as its flavors matches well with the awesome chili sauce.

Hakka Stuffed Bittergourd fared better than the lobak as the stuffed bittergourd had all the authentic flavors in it. Two pieces of beautifully stuffed bittergourd is cooked till soft and remains juicy and savory. As my mother-in-law is Hakka, this dish is pretty close to her recipe when she makes it. Hakka clan uses more minced pork in their stuffed Yong Tau Foo rather that others who uses more fish paste for a bouncy textures. This one also had more minced meat hence it had a softer and sweeter texture and flavor to the dish.

I barely tasted Kuching Noodle House’s signature of Kolo Mee Char Siew. My little one loved it so much, he polished it off happily and in fact asked for more. With my one bite, the noodles are really delectable as it had a lovely bouncy texture and the minced meat and char siew was pretty flavorful. The fried shallots added an oniony aroma and some crispy lettuce accompanied the noodles. There are other variations with prawns and smoked duck if char siew if not your thing. There are two sizes for the noodles and these are priced between RM6.90 to RM8.90 depending on the variation and sizes.

I was told that Kuching Noodle House makes their noodles from scratch every day. When I had walked to the back of the café, I did spy a little enclosed room with some noodle machines. This is another good sign as it can only mean no preservatives in the noodles. I almost wanted to order this again but we decided to try other dishes.

The reason that had me walking into Kuching Noodle House was Sarawak Laksa. I have developed a crush on the unique Sarawak Laksa broth from my other food escapades and was craving for a bowl of piping hot and spicy Sarawak Laksa. The café’s Sarawak Laksa was pretty decent and satisfying. The laksa broth had sufficient spices, lending a full bodied taste of spices in a thin broth. The only difference here is that this is a healthier version as milk was used instead of coconut milk. For a healthier version, its definitely very enjoyable without the guilt. The laksa comes with chicken, prawns, egg omelette and coriander. Add the dried chili paste with a squeeze of lime on the side to add more oomph!

My other niece and other half enjoyed the Ginger Wine Chicken with Mee Suah. A traditional Hakka dish, this one uses the yellow ginger wine as its base for the broth. It’s a warming dish as the yellow ginger wine is not overwhelming here but sufficient enough to make its presence. The overall flavors are earthy, a little tang with lots of ginger essence. The soft mee sua noodle has chunks of chicken and shredded wood ear fungus with wolfberries. I think it’s perfect when you want some comfort food.

The Steamed 10 Grain Rice with Minced Meat and Salted Fish is very value for money. For RM9.90, one gets a big bowl of nutritious steamed 10 grain rice topped with blanched greens and fried shallots, a side of clear consommé and a scrumptious patty of steamed minced pork with salted fish. It’s a complete dish where you get your carb, veggie and protein. The steamed minced pork with salted fish is absolutely yummy, so much so we all ended up fighting for this dish. My little one also had some of this and love it’s too!

Kuching Noodle House appeals to those who misses home cook food and wishes for comfort dishes like these. Prices are very decent and those seeking value for money meals at any time of the day will find this café suitable. The owners were present that day and were very friendly and approachable. Both happen to be named Helen and they were seen scurrying around to assist their staff in ensuring diners is well taken care off. We talked to them a bit and found them to be very passionate about their recipes by making sure that everything is homemade as much as possible and as fresh as possible. If you looking for Sarawak Laksa and Kolo Mee, do head over and give Kuching Noodle House a try!

KUCHING NOODLE HOUSE

B-08-GF, Ground Floor, Garden Shoppe @ One City,
Jalan USJ 25/1A, Klang Valley

47650 Selangor

Tel: 019 378 6933

GPS: 3.0438738, 101.5817349

From Nachos to Tacos, It’s Latin American at The Shepherdoo!

In pursuit of its successful outlet in Centro Mall, Klang, The Shepherdoo opens its second outlet at Sky Parkin One City recently. This outlet screams Latin American all the way from the moment one walks into the restaurant cum lounge. The six of us was here for a magazine shoot as The Shepherdoo is gorgeously decorated with a Latin American ambience to match its menu.

There are two levels at The Shepherdoo. Enjoy your meal at the dining area below or simply head up to the next level for more privacy and comfort. There is also the casual bar area that has a huge mural of bodacious sceneries in Latin America. The stairs leading up to the next level is brightly painted a sunny yellow to mimic the colorful houses in that region. Choose your dining in the restaurant or al fresco on both levels.

The upper level has a large sofa area for chilling while dart machines will keep many busy. A large wall covered in a beautiful poster of houses from a certain area in the region provides the backdrop for the ambience. Its’ all about bold colors to create a happy and easy-going ambience that makes diners want to hang out there.

Enough about the ambience, let’s see what the menu has to offer! The Shepherdoo team takes their food and drink list and amps it up with loads of fun flavors. We were recommended some of their signature cocktails and mocktails that evening to unwind the day. The Shepherdoo’s mixologist makes pretty cool drinks.

I love the Passion Fruit Heineken. It’s a beer smoothie! Pretty fresh and delicious… and I don’t even like beer. We also had their Classic Mojito, Mango Margarita and Afrutado. The Mango Margarita is lovely too but it’s more of a ladies cocktail because of its fruity sweetness.

The team at this restaurant takes their drink list seriously… there’s about 10 pages of drink list alone! From Freezing Smoothies, Hot Sun Coolers, Coffee, Tea, Mocktails and Cocktails to Beers, Shooters, Wines, Champagnes and Liquors, there’s plenty of giggle juice to keep everyone pretty happy. Happy hours are even better… with Buy 1 Free 1 deals and more.

The menu is filled with lots of choices too. There are plenty of appetizers, snacks and tapas while mains are plentiful as well. We had Pollo Nachos, Mexican Buffalo Wings and Quesadilla de Hongo.

Even Nachos alone, the menu has several options. Our Pollo Nachos is a pile of crispy tortilla chips covered with a beautiful mess of cheese sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, pico de gallo and crowned with a scoop of housemade guacamole. This version has grilled chicken pieces for that extra protein. It’s a mount of flavors and textures and a great one to be shared!

The Mexican Buffalo Wings is really awesome. Ticking off the essential checkmark of crispiness, kicking tang and spicy flavors and the meaty wings, this one disappeared pretty fast off the plate.

Quesadilla de Hongo has sautéed garlicky mushrooms and cheese as a filling before it’s sandwiched with tortilla and chargrilled for a toasty texture and finished off with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It makes a nice snack when shared or one can even have this as a main course if you are going meatless.

Our mains had us starting off with Pizza de Mexicana. It’s a fairly simple pizza made with tortilla topped with sauteed sweet and soft bell pepper, sweet onions with a light red sauce and plenty of cheese. This one makes a great bite with cold beer. I like the light and crispiness of the tortilla pizza.

We also had Taco-Taco, The Shepherdoo’s rendition of crispy tortilla shells stuffed with fish and the standard taco filling of shredded greens, pico de gallo, guacamole, chipotle aioli, cheese and sour cream. We had three orders here as each order has two tacos. This is very flavorful as one gets a burst of sour, creamy, savory and a little heat together with its various textures of the tortilla and fish. I daresay it’s a little messy to eat but hey… it’s a beautiful mess!

We were told that their fajitas is a popular choice and we must their Combo Fajita which had wild mushrooms, chicken and beef all piled up into one sizzling plate! The fajitas had mixed peppers and onions for sweetness while the spices in it jazzed up the flavors. Simply take the accompanied soft flour tortilla, heaped on the fajita and dressed it with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. I usually piled on a lot of the condiments since I love them. It’s a hearty taste of Mexican cuisine. These are also the heart of the street food in Mexico and one can literally see them on every nook and corner in the country.

I am no Gringo but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try The Shepherdoo’s Gringo Burger! Thick beef patty has a blanket of melted cheddar cheese and is dressed with turkey bacon, sunny side up egg, lemon mayo and greens with a sesame seed bun. This one was tasted decent and the fact that the sunny side up egg had runny egg yolk makes the burger better than other regular ones.

We also settled for Chicken Parmigiana ala Mexicano, a breaded chicken breast baked and sauced up with a spiced tomato sauce and topped with melted cheese. This one comes with curly fries and side salad. Despite it being a breast, the chicken is really moist and flavorful. The sauce is tangy and tomatoey with a good dose of spice undernotes. Not usually a chicken parmigiana fan, I seemed to enjoy this a lot as the chicken is really juicy and tender.

The next dish was my favorite of the night. Pasta ala Pollo features a French cut Mexican rubbed chicken breast nicely chargrilled. It lies on a bed of pesto sauced pasta and is crowned with a chargrilled caramelized pineapple. The aroma and flavors are simple marvelous. The pesto sauce has such great depths of herb and cheese flavors that make it so scrumptious. The chicken again is utterly juicy and tender while the spice rub makes it very flavorful. What seals the dish had to be the caramelized pineapple, adding a little fruity sweetness to the chicken to remind us of its Latin American flavors. A Must-Order!

Pierna Rojo Vivo is also top in my list of Must-Order. Spicy marinated chicken thigh is beautifully chargrilled and comes with a fruity and tangy papaya salsa with potato salad and greens. The flavor combination worked really well. A squeeze of orange juice from the orange wedge does more wonders for the chicken.

The Shepherdoo does have some desserts and we had their signature Cinnamon Wafer Tortilla. It has crispy golden tortilla chips served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream before being drizzled with lots of caramel sauce. Sweet and crispy, it’s really easy to enjoy, especially when I am such a fan of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

It’s fun all the way at The Shepherdoo. The ambience is groovy and colorful while the food and drink is as bold as the ambience. Prices are decent too for the food and drinks. It’s perfect for hanging out with family or friends and definitely a great place to unwind…

THE SHEPHERDOO RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

A-GF-07, Sky Park, Ground Floor,

One City, Jalan USJ25/1A,

47640 Subang Jaya

Tel: +6018 337 8828 / 6018 656 8828

Website: www.theshepherdoo.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theshepherdoo

Loving My Selfies and Wefies with Samsung NX Mini!

Selfie… I don’t think I have to explain what it means because by now, the whole world accepts this new power word with much excitement as the latest ‘In’ thing to do. Just for fun, I tried to Google the word ‘Selfie’ and Google came back with 47 million results! This powerful word has also been inducted into all the dictionaries of the world and Wikipedia. Yes, many have really brought up this word to a whole new ball game… especially for those who love seeing themselves so much… wink wink!

My lovable niece and her awesome expression when I told her to take selfies of herself with my Samsung NX Mini… priceless!

I will admit, I for one was never into that word. Much to my own thoughts, I always thought it was difficult to take a photo of myself. Come on… it’s already so difficult to take an awesome portrait photo of someone much less take a nice one of myself. Well here’s where new technology comes in and our mobile phones with camera started this power phrase of selfies. Many beautiful people obviously took on the skill of selfies and mastered them well. Don’t get me wrong but selfies are no easy task. Ask those who have mastered it and they will tell you it’s about lighting, angles, length, focal and so forth. Some even mastered the art of selfie without even having to look at any screen and come out with amazing photos of themselves… kudos to you! You know who you are…

Ellen DeGeneres taking the spotlight with her megastars wefie at the recent Oscar! *photo from Ellen DeGeneres of course…

Then there’s the Wefie, not yet as famous as its relative but catching up pretty fast. Wefies are group selfies. Brilliant innovation if you ask me because everyone wants to be in the photo and no one wants to be left standing behind the lens. With all the recent movie stars and politicians (remember seeing Obama wefie with our PM?) taking on their own wefies, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon of selfies and wefies if you still haven’t…

In the recent weeks, I have taken on a different side of this word. Involved in the recent Samsung NX Mini expedition, I must say, I have been enlighten to a whole new world of selfie. Though I have used my phone to take a selfie once or twice, I was never as enthusiast as I am now. Reason is simple, it was never as much fun or as easy as it is with the Samsung NX Mini.

From my previous post where I went a little city hopping here with the coolest and slimmest camera equipped with lots of SMART functions to now learning and getting a grip on taking selfies and wefies, I confessed, I am a little hooked to both. Yes, I am also getting vain… ha ha ha… but oh what fun it is… don’t judge me till you tried it for yourselves. And yes, for this post, I handed over my Samsung NX Mini to many and they too had fun… the above collage has a few of those happy selfies and wefies…

I love wefie more than anything. Most of the time, I am always behind the lens. I love being there but I also realize I don’t have much photos of me and my family or friends. Especially with my little one, I find my own albums of him and my other half but never much of me. Now with the Samsung NX Mini, I love how I can take photos of me and my family or friends anytime, anywhere and anyhow.

I have lots of fun with my little one now because I can have precious moments captured with him. Even my little one can do a selfie now of himself! *proud parent mode on*

The Samsung NX Mini is currently holds the title for the world’s slimmest interchangeable lens camera. It comes with the 9mm f/3.5 lens or one can purchase the kit lens with 9-27mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS lens.The modern svelte design of the Samsung NX Mini has garnered quite a fan club. Available in pastel colors of pink and mint, brown, black and white, Samsung tries to cater its appearance to everyone. The Samsung NX Mini has a 3-inch touchscreen that flips up 180 degrees that takes one to selfie or wefie paradise. Once the screen is flip up, the SMART camera automatically takes on the ‘Self Shot’ mode. Just touch the screen to focus and let the timer do its magic countdown before it shoots!

Piece of cake right?

In addition to that, the Samsung NX Mini has many SMART functions and other DSLR functions. One can opt to shoot at Auto or Manual, use its Wi-fi function or the 17 SMART features that best fit your situation. For selfie or wefie, I recommend the Beauty Face SMART feature to beautify your portraits. It does wonders and turns your skin porcelain and glowing minus any acne or marks. If I am going to share my face to the world, I might as well be looking my very best right?

Of course there more features for selfies and wefies… you may want to check out the face detection where there are three modes – Normal, Smile Shot and Wink Shot. Normal mode countdowns like a timer while the Smile and Wink mode actives a shot with its actions respectively. Recording video is also made easier.

Well there you go… it’s my take on how easy and fun it can be to now take a selfie or wefie the Samsung NX Mini way! Honestly, if you were to tell me I would be hook on selfie or wefie before this, I would be laughing at you but now the laughter is on Me… loving my selfies and wefies!

So what do you think… are you into selfies or wefies yet? Maybe it’s time to own a Samsung NX Mini and find out…

For more information about Samsung NX Mini, visit www.samsung.com/my/

*All photos of selfies and wefies are taken with Samsung NX Mini.

Hennessy X.O Conquers Johor with the World’s First and Original X.O Cognac

Life is made a little sweeter with all the fine things in life. A recent voyage took me on a gastronomical journey all over the world at the first installment of the Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows 2014 that took place at Danga Bay, Johor Bahru from the 16th to the 18th of April 2014. From my previous post here, distinguished guests and media experienced the ultimate Hennessy experience through an evening of fine cognac paired against the culinary brilliance of three times James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest and “Iron Chef Winner”, Chef Viet Pham.

The journey took off with a short air trip to Johor where the magnificent dinner was held for three days consecutively. Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows is a series of intimate engagements aimed at creating a core of true connoisseurs of the World’s Number One cognac through immaculate gastronomic experiences enhancing guests’ true knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Hennessy X.O.

As this was my first experience at the Hennessy Appreciation Grows 2014, it was pure adrenalin running through my veins that evening as I put on my best evening frock to set sail on the event themed the ‘Spirit of Conquest’. Gastronomical connoisseurs set sail in an elegant journey charting the birth of Maurice Hennessy’s Original X.O in 1870 in France, to its global conquest of iconic countries around the world that evening.

We had a short cocktail hour where guests were then invited to join Mr. Chong Wai Keng, Moët Hennessy Spirits Brand Ambassador for an intimate technical tasting of Hennessy X.O, where guests deepened their appreciation for the world’s most loved cognac Hennessy X.O.

As we were ushered the holding lounge of the ‘ship’, I couldn’t help but notice that there were screens around the room. Our Spirit of Conquest was further heighten by the replication of the dining room of an early 19th century steam liner, filled with Chesterfield sofas, paintings from Maison Hennessy, illuminated with chandeliers, and completed with a vibrant arrangement of flowers on each table.

As the event kicks off, the screens come alive as we set sail off into our voyage that evening with our host for the night, Mr. Will Quah. We set sail off for France, the birthplace of the Original X.O in 1870 as our ‘ship’ moored in France next to its famous landmarks.

Mathieu Duchemin with Chef Viet Pham

“Just as Hennessy X.O took to the high seas in 1872 to explore new horizons, this year's Appreciation Grows platform explored new grounds, venturing to Johor for the first time - providing connoisseurs there with more than just a food and cognac pairing, but rather an unforgettable platform for where their appreciation for life’s opulent experiences deepens” expressed Mathieu Duchemin, Managing Director of Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia.

Our first course of Sweetness on Seine makes its debut on the romantic notion of France. Sweet diver scallops lightly roasted over embers are accompanied with an onion almost ‘burnt’ cream and is a romantic starter to tease our appetite for more. The subtle caramelized flavor of the onion burnt cream is very well controlled as it did not over power the gentleness of the scallops. The melodious flavors of the sea and the onion meld beautifully with the Hennessy X.O cognac’s smooth and luscious notes.

And what better way to bring a little France to us than a performance of French Cabaret… oo la la! These ladies had almost everyone’s attention that evening for their elegant and glamorous dance routine and costumes.

Moving along from the chic French waters, our Hennessy X.O gastronomical journey set sailed to East towards the Orient where China sets the next course with Yellow River Richness. Chef Viet’s ingenious use of Chinese classic ingredients of mushrooms and duck eggs is obviously a tribute to the Chinese cuisine. The dish looked contemporary and reflects a gorgeous barely poached duck egg yolk sitting on a bed of intense shitake mushroom mousse. The mousse has a luscious silky texture albeit its saltiness. The lustrous egg yolk flows over the mousse, making it even richer in flavors. Every spoonful lends a robust earthy note with bits of crunch from the lightly toasted sprouted grains. The richness of the dish seemed to intensify the tasting notes of the elegant cognac, served neat, to another level, rendering an even longer finish of spice and fruits.

Our Oriental excursion was accompanied by a mesmerizing performance of Shanghai jazz.

After its stint at the East, the Spirit of Conquest headed back West to the land of the free, America where our third course of the night awaits. Arriving in a period of American history- known as the Gilded Age, Hennessy X.O made its timely debut, as an elegant and sophisticated way to enjoy values of luxury and heritage. The Mild Hudson, a tribute to the Great American Dream, showcased a luscious piece of sea bass wrapped with savoy cabbage and sauced up with tiny black pearls of Osteria caviar. The sweet delicate sea bass is partnered with fondant potato and pretty pink pickled shallots. The salty burst of caviar pearls matched well with the powerful complexity of the Hennessey X.O cognac.

A jazz quintet belts out smooth and silky tones of jazz as guests enjoyed the third pairing of the night with the finest cognac.

The Spirit of Conquest moves on and arrived at Italy where she welcomed the Original X.O with open arms in 1893. Italy, famed for its passion for culture, fashion and food is represented by Spicy Mediterranean, our fourth and final savory course. A dish that truly represents Italy, Chef Viet serves crispy crumbed chicken parmesan topped with a vibrant tomato and mushroom ragu to be paired up with the Hennessy X.O. Though not as elegant as the other courses, the rich tangy sauce does provide a strong match with the cognac.

What won the hearts of many was the outstanding performance of an opera performance that had the whole room experience the passion of Italy together with the cuisine and the Hennessy X.O.

As the night draws near, the Spirit of Conquest set its course back to East towards the Land of the Rising Sun where traditions and customs exist seamlessly within modernity - just like Hennessy X.O, a perfect counterpoint for all those who acknowledge that with time, Appreciation Grows. Our gastronomical journey completes its course of the night with Osaka Bay Freshness, where Japanese plum Umeboshi sorbet is married with Yuzu mousse. A match-made in heaven, the salty sweet notes of the plum sorbet is heightened with the vibrant tang of the creamy yuzu.

The triumphant voyage with Hennessy X.O concluded with a spectacular Japanese drum performance by the Wadaiko Syo troupe that ended with a big bang.

MHD team

Photo session with Bok, KampungboyCitygirl, Missyblurkit, myself and Brand Ambassador

A night to be remembered, this year’s Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows 2014 truly takes everyone on a journey of gastronomic and entertainment around the world. Echoing the elegance and class of the finest cognac by Hennessy, the Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows 2014 exudes no boundaries but rather a class finer than the finest of its own and sets the bar for future installments to come.

A Priceless Experience…

Back for a Taste of Old and New…

I was impressed with The Gastro Project (TGP) from my previous visit here and I still am with the restaurant that combines two of my favorite passion of movies and food. Based on the concept of British gastro pubs, The Gastro Pub is the place to dine on great pub food and catch a movie while one is there. The Hollywood themed restaurant has recently had some new dishes added to their menu and so a few of us foodies were invited to have a first taste of it.

We certainly had a feast that evening and the ambience is pretty cool as usual. The Gastro Project is like the neighborhood’s favorite place where one feels absolutely at home while dining. The food has bold flavors and features an interesting list of fusion dishes that has attitude.

We started the evening with their signature appetizer of Mushroom Tart where caramelized mushrooms and onions sit on a bed of golden crispy polenta cake. Earthy and sweet, both mushrooms and onions are the perfect duo to go with the crispy corn polenta. The polenta is very well executed and I really enjoyed the contrasting crispy outside and sandy creamy inside. A little green lightens up the dish. The dish is perfect for those who wish to go meatless and it is quite filling as well.

Our two salads were equally delicious! TGP Mozzarella Salad and Japanese Salad prove that salads can be flavorful and good for you. I had the Japanese Salad before in my previous visit and am still pleased with it this round. Mix mesclun salad has cucumbers, avocado, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds are all tossed with nutty and light vinaigrette. I like the lightness and the texture combinations of the salad a lot. The Mozzarella Salad is a hearty combination of luscious creamy hand torn buffalo mozzarella, basil, fresh tomatoes and pine nuts drizzled with balsamic reduction. I love the creamy mozzarella and the balsamic combination as it yields a beautiful and rich flavor combination.

There was also a Lamb Kebab platter featuring skewers of grilled minced lamb kebab served with a light vegetable salad and a sauce of tasty pesto twist.

The pastas at TGP is really good. Previously, I had their Crabmeat Aglio Olio and love it a lot. This round, I had the Orrechiette and Fettuccine Grilled Chicken. Both pasta dishes are cooked to a perfect tee! Cooked al dente, the Orrechiette pasta or often called ‘ear pasta’ as it resembles one, is baked with cheese and came piping hot. Underneath the blanket of ooey gooey cheese sauce is pasta with homemade meatballs and tomatoes. The flavors are just so inviting and comforting. The silky smooth cheese sauce makes me want to lick the plate clean. The Fettuccine Grilled Chicken took me by surprise. The spiciness in the pasta sauce is lovely and so addictive. I like how the sauce coats every strand of the fettuccine and keeps the pasta moist and tasty. The chicken is tender and moist too. Extra point to TGP for incorporating spicy flavors into their dishes.

Now what I had also previously raved at TGP was their TGP pizza. Simply unforgettable, the TGP pizza had a spicy pesto sauce that rocks. TGP pizza is still available in the menu so make sure to order that. Indian Pizza and Moroccan Pizza were the pizzas we tried that evening instead. The Indian pizza features spicy chicken perratal sauce with pieces of chicken and cucumber raita. Personally, I love how spicy the chicken perratal is and the cucumber yoghurt that toned down the heat. There are also cubes of paneer cheese and sliced red chilies on it. The Moroccan Pizza is so pretty with its pink jewels of pomegranate seeds. This one has tiny lamb meatballs with mint and pine nuts in a cheesy tomato sauce. We really enjoyed both pizzas as the crust has the perfect thickness with a crisp base while the flavors are really unique and tasty. It seems that TGP has mastered pizza creations to near perfection!

The Hearty Beef Pie was the only dish that I thought could use a little adjustment on the pastry. The short crust pastry was a little hard and didn’t have the melt-in-the-mouth pastry that evening. The filling of the slow cooked beef and caramelized onions in black pepper gravy was good and flavorful though. I also like the fact that they serve extra gravy on the side.

The TGP Cheese Burger features a thick patty of lamb nicely charred. It comes with beef bacon, melted cheese, the regular burger condiments and a side of potato wedges. The lamb patty is very flavorful and well-seasoned. I would love more sauce on this burger to make it even more succulent. TGP is quite generous with the portion and this burger is quite a substantial size.

I love Duck Confit. When it’s executed slowly and beautifully, Duck Confit will win the hearts of many. TGP’s Duck Confit looks a tad shade darker than the usual and comes with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a beautiful orange reduction. The meat is tender enough and quite flavorful though I did wished for a crispier skin. The orange reduction sauce is just so good and compliments the duck really well with its sharp sweetness and sourness.

Our Sirloin Steak was delicious too. 220gm of sirloin well grilled to medium pinkness and serve seasoned with salt and pepper. I like the way it is done here as I can taste the beef flavors. If you must have your sauce, try asking for one but a good beef should be enjoyed for its beefy flavors.

Our last main dish was Stuffed Chicken Mascarpone. Looks are deceiving here as it looked rather plain. One bite of the tender moist chicken with oozing mascarpone cheese will surely have you hook… at least I was despite being so full. Rather unique as I have never had mascarpone cheese with chicken. Simply and delicious, I would order this again.

We ended on a high note with Intriguing, a tall martini dessert that really had us intrigue with its combination. Learn something new that day, pumpkin and mango goes superbly well. Add on a big dollop of whipped cream and yes… your taste buds will be intrigue!

I like how we really ended that night. Bubble Yum is the bomb! Fresh strawberries, sparkling wine and elderflower syrup is blended into a delicious fresh and vibrant cocktail. I wouldn’t mind have several glasses of this cocktail while catching a movie.

What I love about TGP is their bold flavors in their fusion dishes. I like how they take local favorites and amp it up like the pizzas and main courses. If only TGP was nearer to my house, I would visit them more often since I really enjoy their food. Of course a movie thrown in would make my day even better…

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

Croisette Café Goes Oink-Oink!

Here’s another reason to visit Croisette Café if you haven’t. The French café has taken on the hog and vamp up its menu with new pork dishes. Of course there are many reasons as to why one should visit this café hidden in Cascadium Condo in Bangsar besides the new swine attraction.

Croisette Café is helmed by Chef Pierre C. with his wife, the lovely Michelle. It is a cozy and personal place to enjoy French soul food whipped up by Chef Pierre himself. The dishes are hearty and delicious and dining at Croisette won’t burn a big hole in your pocket. The biggest reason for me would have to be the desserts. The desserts are handmade by Chef Pierre and they are just so damn sexy and good. Saving room for desserts at Croisette is a requirement and not an option!

Our evening meal kicked off with pate on toast… Pork Pate to be exact. This amuse bouche is a French classic turn miniature bite. The homemade Pork Pate is cut thick and lies on a golden piece of crostini before being crowned with baby gherkin, tomato and herb. Despite its miniature size, the flavors of the pate are marvelously rich, creamy and nutty.

A brilliant amuse bouche that left me wanting more…

Savor the Pork Pate with wine and your senses will be elevated even higher… after all, the French savors the very best of their cuisine with wines.

If I can raved a whole paragraph about their amuse bouche, imagine what other dishes would entail. So please bear with my mad ravings of what Croisette has to offer…

The Salad Landaise served with duck confit, gizzards and smoked duck looked so pretty at sight. All at once, I can see colors and textures in the salad. Mixed mesclun greens provides a soft bed for slices of pink smoked duck, crunchy gizzards and shredded rich duck confit. Cubes of croutons, tomatoes and a light citrus dressing seals the deal. Despite all the meat and offal, the salad is light and easy to enjoy.

We moved on to another French dish that uses butter to its maximum effect. Baked Mussels with Herb Butter, Escargot Style is just as good as I had remembered on my last visit. Plump orange mussels literally swim in a glorious pool of luscious herb and garlic butter. A light squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens up the rich butter sauce and the sweet mussels.

Simple and so good!

There really is nothing to hide with scallops. If cooked well, the bivalve mollusk is a sea treasure to enjoy. Here, the Pan Fried Scallops with Leeks Fondue has nicely seared scallops enjoyed with slow braised creamy leeks. One can feel the love in this dish. Pretty on the plate, the flavors are sweet and creamy with a delicate leek fondue that is so yummy.

You may not want to share this dish… I know I didn’t.

Bavarois Prawn Bisque, Avocado Cream and Cream ‘Grelette’ seems to be a mouthful. And yet, it is simply a dish that has three main components. Savory chilled prawn bisque set with gelatin is accompanied by pureed avocado cream and a cold savory cream sauce.

Texturally unique, the bavarois has a mousse consistency and a bit of crunch from crushed cracker base. The dish overall is very creamy from the prawn bavarois to the avocado cream and another cream sauce. I don’t mind the richness of the dish and find myself spooning a few happily. I do like the intense flavors of the prawn in the bavarois. This dish could be debatable since many may not succumb to its chill savory factor of mousse since we are used to sweet ones.

Grosse Raviole Crèpe is one big ravioli stuffed with mushroom and duck foie gras, scented with truffle oil cloud. It’s a dreamy dish… one that I could just keep savoring endlessly.

Thin soft pasta enrobes earthy sautéed mushrooms with creamy and nutty foie gras. What takes the ravioli to another level is the highly prized truffle oil and perfumed the dish as we savor it bite after bite. The sauce has earthy mushrooms essence and goes well with the ravioli, making it extra juicy. This dish won the thumbs up among our table that night.

Chef Pierre’s Duck Confit with Potato Sarladaise and Mesclun Salad is a proven fact that the French does the best duck confit. I have enjoyed this several times and each time is always a delicious moment. The duck leg is rendered slowly in its own fat till it is soft and rich in a wonderful meaty duck flavor. Just before serving, the leg is crisp up in a pan till golden brown.

As what I had also raved previously, the Potato Sarladaise is really good. Cooked in duck fat with lots of garlic and parsley, the potato is flavorful and a perfect accompaniment for the duck.

We also enjoy the Salmon Fillet with Braised Green Lentil du Puy and Merlot Reduction Sauce. The salmon is nicely cooked but I would have love a crispy skin. The lentils are braised till just tender and cooked with a deep robust sauce. It’s pretty much a comfort dish that evokes French fair cooked with lots of care.

Another main course that really exudes French soul is a piece of good beef prepared well. Our Beef Rib Eye Flambéed with Brandy, Black Pepper Sauce and Gratin Potato has all the elements of a great dish.

Rib eye with a little fat is seared to medium raw and flambéed with brandy for the oomph flavor note. Though the rib eye is already good enough as is, the black pepper sauce gives the meat another flavor. It is creamy and rich, peppery and bold. The last check would be the potato gratin. Baked till tender, it has a lovely crust and is creamy and tasty.

Simply a beautiful plate of flavors…

We finished our main course of the night with a Fillet Mignon Pork with Grain Mustard. Using the fillet mignon of pork, the eye fillet is cooked to a medium pink. The pork is tender and moist. The grain mustard sauce really goes very well with the pork. I like the bold mustard sauce as it gives the pork such a punchy note. Another dish that takes minimal ingredients and elevates them into a scrumptious dish.

Desserts are definitely Chef Pierre’s forte. Choosing one would be almost impossible. So why not savor a few? We had Bavarois Pear and Chocolate, Gateau Fraisier and Chocolate Parfait with French Macarons. The Bavarois Pear and Chocolate had a dark rich chocolate mousse with a light ginger cream while the Chocolate Parfait oozes with dark bittersweet chocolate cream and candied orange peels. The Gateau Fraisier with Patissiere Pistaches has sponge sandwiched with fresh plump strawberries and a pistachio crème pâtissière.

There are more awesome desserts on Chef Pierre’s repertoire so make sure to try as much as possible. I still remembered fondly of his Passion Indulgence where passion fruit meets chocolate indulgently.

I like Croisette Café a lot. Having a meal there is always a pleasure. Everything is laid back and inviting unlike most French restaurants where they tend to go fine dining. Now that Croisette Café has taken on the oink, there is even more reasons to visit. In addition, Croisette Café is heading up north where Chef Pierre and son are opening a branch in Penang. So folks up there north, do follow their Facebookfor updates on the Penang branch… you won’t want to miss this!

CROISETTE CAFÉ

Level 3, North Block Cascadium Condo

28, Jalan Penaga Bukit Bandaraya

59100, Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 016 330 4477 / 014 665 7944

Email: croisettecafe@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Croisettecafe

Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club Rocks!

Call it what you Iike, underground supper club, closed door restaurant, guestaurant, it is basically a dining establishment run from one’s home. It’s fairly new here in our country but supper clubs have been storming the food scenes in other countries like Europe, America and even Hong Kong. I have pure admiration for the people who run underground supper clubs. To run supper club, one has to basically cook and serve to a small group of diners in the privacy of his or her home. Diners pay a fee and sometimes may even dine with unknown guests at the same dining experience. While there are quite a few here that is gaining popularity, we heard of a new one blooming in Sri Petaling.

One evening, we head over to Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club to meet up with brothers-in-crime, Eddy and Raymond and his wife, Muk. The three owners are the passionate cooks behind Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club run in the vicinity of their home.

We were thoroughly excited about this dining experience. The moment we walked into Chyuan’s, we immediately felt comfortable as Eddy and his team were so welcoming and friendly. Conversations launched like we were all old friends. While Eddy is the outgoing one, Raymond and Muk were shy and more reserved. The three of them were seen scurrying around to prepare out dinner that evening.

Their home is really very beautifully decorated. Eddy and Raymond have a Baba Nyonya heritage while Muk is from Thai. The three of them designed their home filled with influences from both culture.

The kitchen stole the limelight. Designed with an island in the middle of the kitchen, the kitchen has that back-to-basic look. Although it is small, the kitchen is neat and well-spaced with minimal kitchen items. There is a wet kitchen where all the cooking is done beside this dry one.

The dining room shares a space in the living room area. I love the old wooden cabinet filled with knick knacks from the past. Tables, chairs, mirror and other décor stuff are also a blast from the past. The living room is simple but bold. I really love the red entertainment cabinet that sits at the tv wall. Soft Shanghai 30s and 40s music softly pipes in the backdrop, providing more nostalgia moments.

It’s like being transported back in time to those days when I was so much younger living in my parent’s home.

While we waited for other guests, we do what we do best. Our lens zeroed in on the food.

Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club has a self-serve concept for bigger groups while small groups of four or less will enjoy a sit-down dinner menu. Eddy and his team offer different dishes each time to showcase all their repertoire of Nyonya and Thai cuisine. If you have some specific dishes you like, you may also want to check with Eddy while making your reservations. We let Eddy have his creativity when it came to our menu that evening.

For appetizers, we had a Thai Fruit Salad and Fried Chicken with Lime Leaves & Lemongrass. Served in miniature cups and plates, the appetizers make great small snacks.

The Thai Fruit Salad was fresh and bursting with juiciness from the lightly spicy and tangy dressing, something a little similar to our rojak but with Thai influences.

The Fried Chicken with Lime Leaves & Lemongrass is very fragrant from all the herbs used. It’s very tasty and the herbs are all fried to a crisp where we could also enjoy them.

Moving on to main highlights of the night, our menu consisted of a Salted Fish Tofu, Raw Prawn with Thai Pesto Sauce, Stir Fry Petai with Prawns, Herb Steamed Fish and Thai Sardine Laksa.

Our mouths were literally drooling already when we first saw the spread. Though many of us were a bit hesitant when it came to the Raw Prawn with Thai Pesto Sauce, after a first taste, this dish became the star of the night! Fresh chilled raw prawns are nicely presented on a bowl and serve with a kick-ass Thai green pesto sauce. That sauce rocks!! Made from herbs and Thai bird eye chilies, a little of it goes a long way.

The raw prawns had a light firm bouncy texture and the spicy sourish pesto sauce compliments the light sweetness of the prawns very well. I loved the Thai pesto sauce so much, I spooned it on almost everything I ate that night. It has the perfect balance of sour, sweet and savory coupled with a high level of spiciness that makes your senses go wow… I think we polished off Eddy’s large stash of sauce that night.

Long fingers of Salted Fish Paste Tofu is fried to golden brown and served with a bowl of pinkish Cincalok Sauce. An interesting combination with salted fish and fermented dried shrimps. The tofu has a firm texture. It’s very flavorful from the salted fish and tends to be a bit more salty with the sauce. I did the unthinkable thing and soak this in the sardine laksa gravy… yum…

Everyone obviously enjoy petai and so the Stir Fried Petai with Prawns was a much welcome dish. Instead of the usual heavy spicy chili sauce that goes with petai and prawns, we savored the petai in its original flavor. Though it is often called the stink bean, when you eat it, it has a unique flavor so you’ll either love it or hate it.

When the Herb Steam Fish came out, the room was scented with a fragrant herb aroma. A large red tilapia sat snuggly on banana leaves in a bamboo steamer stuffed with bits of herb paste. Eddy showed us how to savor the dish. Best enjoyed piping hot, simply take a lettuce leaf and top it with a chunk of the fish. Add on the fresh herbs like mint, coriander, daum kesom and a generous dollop of the Thai pesto sauce and its ready to be enjoyed.

We loved it. It’s fresh and sweet with a nice spiciness. The lettuce provided a lovely crunch texture to the soft sweet flesh while the herbs added body and aroma. I lost count of how lettuce cups I ate… all I know is that it was super scrumptious.

The main course with carb that night was the Thai Sardine Laksa. A basket of thin white noodles boiled and laid nicely coiled for easy pick up. A claypot filled with luscious spicy thick laksa gravy made with sardines. Combine these and add on herbs of coriander, mint and daun kesom for more oomph.

My bowl of Thai Sardine Laksa had awesome flavors of sourness with savory and spicy notes. The gravy of Sardine Laksa is robust and very appetizing. It seems to attract my sense of taste, luring it with comfort and satisfaction. Of course, I added on the Thai pesto sauce again for extra heat.

It is indeed a very satisfying bowl of laksa! My second bowl, I had the Salted Fish Paste Tofu soaked in it and it taste pretty darn good too…

Eddy confessed to his passion in making desserts. He made all the 3 desserts we had that night.

A lovely white Coconut Cake is filled with green peas paste and coconut flesh. Though the cake sponge is a little dense, the flavors are sweet and delicious. I just couldn’t resist and had two slices because I love the coconut taste in the cake paired up with a creamy green pea paste filling.

The Santan Marshmallow Pudding won everyone’s vote with its utterly soft and cloud like texture. A clever use of coconut milk as it made the marshmallow creamy and dreamy without the heaviness. Covered in fresh shredded coconut, this dessert was polished off in a jiffy.

Little packets of Steam Banana Cake with Coconut Milk are decent too. It has a kueh texture. The banana flavor is further enhanced by the coconut milk with fresh grated coconut.

We literally polished the whole lot of dishes between the eight of us that night happily. New friends made, new dishes tried, new found loves… that is what makes Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club a fabulous dining experience.

Towards the end of the evening, most of us were still lingering there as we all happily chatted like old friends, sharing food experience and taste, interrogating Eddy and team for their creations… especially for that awesome Thai pesto sauce. This is one of the best supper clubs I have had. It’s the personal touch from Eddy, Raymond and Muk that really sums up the whole dining supper club.

I heard Eddy telling us he makes a mean Roasted Pork with Pickled Leeks… can’t wait to come back for that alone!

To enjoy Chyuan’s Tiffin Underground Supper Club at Sri Petaling, make your reservations with Eddy:

Phone: 012 917 6268

Email: chyuan.tiffin@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.com/pages/Chyuans-Tiffin-Underground-Supper-Club

*Full address to be revealed upon confirmation

**More photos available at my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

A Chaozhou Oscar Dining Experience!

Just like every culture in the world is different, the cuisine is also very distinctive to its people, geographical map and weather conditions. We take a journey this time to the land of Guangdong Province in China to feature a truly unique cuisine of Chaozhou, Chiu Chow or Teo chew in other dialects, with the Han Chinese group that lives in the eastern coastal area of this province. Chaozhou is rich in culture, from its unique part of the world heritage and history to its music, opera, Ganghu tea and cuisine.

I have only savored Chiu Chou cuisine once when I was studying abroad where we accidentally stumbled into a Chiu Chow restaurant serving up delicate and unique flavors of the cuisine. Chiu Chow cuisine features a splendor of seafood and poultry coupled with its own distinctive cooking method which also leads to a healthier alternative. Famed for preparation using slow fire, stewed, steamed, stir-fried and pickled, the signature dishes of Chiu Chow makes a play on the importance of preserving the freshness and quality of the ingredients. The cuisine does use lavish ingredients like abalone, shark’s fin, bird’s nest, goose and lots of seafood.

Pak Loh Chiu Chow at Starhill Gallery is one of the very few restaurants in Malaysia that is serving Chiu Chow cuisine, echoing its renowned Pak Loh Chiu Chow in Hong Kong. A first visit for me, Pak Loh Chiu Chow is the epitome of elegance just like its cuisine served. The restaurant is design with an air of modern elegance filled with minimal décor. Holding everyone’s attention is the glass enclosed kitchen that sits on the front of the restaurant where between the kitchen action and sumptuous braised goose makes its attempt to lure one’s appetite.

This year, Pak Loh Chiu Chow has been garnering quite a buzz with its triple victory win with the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA) 2013 – 2015 Malaysia Series, taking home a total of three prestigious HAPA awards of HAPA Restaurant of the Year, HAPA Flavours of Asia and HAPA Masterchef (Asian Cuisine), Chef Alex Au. In honor of the win, Executive Chef Alex Au has created a special six-course set menu for Pak Loh Chiu Chow themed TheOscars of Hospitality Set Menu.

Executive Chef Alex Au is born and bred in Hong Kong. Since young, Chef Alex had learned to cook for himself and his siblings while his parents were at work. Chef Alex joined Hong Kong’s famous Pak Loh Chiu Chow restaurant 16 years ago where he learned the ropes from the famous Master Chef Chan Tung. He was selected to lead Pak Loh Chiu Chow’s opening in Malaysia in 2004 and has since then created a list of sumptuous Chiu Chow signature dishes like his Cold Flower Crab and mouth-watering Slow Braised Goose together with his own modern take dishes.

The Oscar of Hospitality Set Menu is available to the public throughout June and July 2014. Enjoy six- course set menu that starts with a combination cold platter, to a soup, a fish course, a seafood course, a rice course and a lavish dessert course. Two glasses of wine, Hunter’s Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and Grant Burge Chardonnay 2012 will be paired with the set menu.

Chiu Chow cuisine is known for its chilled dishes. Chef Alex has created a trio of Combination of Cold Platter to showcase the beauty of Chiu Chow chilled appetizers as its first course. From his passionate explanation of this course, I can truly see how much effort goes into the three dishes of Shredded Cuttlefish with Cucumber, Pork Jelly with Chinese Wine and Chilled Bitter Gourd with Plum.

It is truly a testament to the sharp knife skill with Shredded Cuttlefish with Cucumber. Finely julienned vegetables with cuttlefish is carefully seasoned and bundled for our enjoyment. The lightly dense texture of the savory cuttlefish is beautifully lifted by the crisp vegetables all nicely seasoned with a light hint of sweet and sour flavors.

The Chilled Bitter Gourd with Plum is refreshing and quite divine. Going through several processes to soften the bitterness of the bitter gourd, Chef Alex matched the gourd with vibrant flavors of the salty sweet pickled plum. One actually tastes the full-bodied plum notes while the gourd provides a light crunch and sweetness.

Pork Jelly with Chinese Wine is even more tedious to prepare. The small terrine like dish showed off Chiu Chow cuisine’s brilliant cooking method in preserving pork and using every park of the hog. This dish goes through hours of tedious boiling, marinating, soaking, chilling before it can be served. A little bite renders soft savory gelatinous pork flavor enhanced with the distinctive Chinese wine. The meaty bite is really unique. This dish goes really well with the white wine served.

I wouldn’t mind trying more…

Our second course of Fortune Parcels of Prawns in Double-Boiled Superior Almond Soup won many hearts that night. In fact, we were all very intrigued with this dish. Myself for one, throughout my gastronomical journey, have never even tasted something with a one-of-a-kind flavor.

Paper thin skin made from egg white encased prawns poached in superior broth, tied up into a bundle and crowned with bright orange fish roes. The dumpling sat in light cream bisque made from three kinds of almond imported from Hong Kong and blended with superior pork broth. Strips of crispy fried fish skin and black sesame completed the ensemble.

The Double-Boiled Superior Almond Soup or bisque is so silky and lusciously gorgeous. The hint of almonds is very controlled and I can still taste the pork essence in this soup. We break open the dumpling to reveal juicy firm sweet prawns to be enjoyed with the almond soup. Together, the dumpling and the almond soup is a brilliant masterpiece of a gastronomical dish. I also like how the richness of this dish is soothed out by the fruity Hunter’s Sauvignon Blanc.

The dish shouted elegance from every spoonful. If anyone were to ask me ‘what is the most unique dish that I have ever had in my gastronomical food journey?’ this would be it for now.

Now I have had Teochew style steamed fish which is pretty easily available but I never knew the dish can be so refine. At Pak Loh Chiu Chow, Chef Alex has carefully balanced the flavors of preserved salted vegetables with tomatoes, plums and superior broth in his creation of Steamed Fillet of Imperial Sea Grouper Rolled with Vegetables in ‘Chiu Chow’ Style. Using imperial sea grouper, the fish fillet is tightly rolled up with julienned vegetables and wrapped in Chinese Wong Ah Bak to protect the delicate fish.

The broth is pretty intense with a lovely sense of refine flavors of sour, savory and sweet. Bits of preserved salted vegetables, tomato, carrot, straw mushroom and scallion added texture and depth while crispy fried julienned ginger tops the fish. If only you can see, the carrot is cut into a little goldfish shape for presentation. The fish is cooked perfectly and flakes easily. It’s delicate and sweet too. I made sure to polish off all the broth of this dish because it is so delicious.

Our fourth course is almost too pretty to be eaten. Steamed Quail Egg Accompanied with Sun-Dried Scallops is like a little flower sitting prettily on a bed of vegetables. The base of the little flower is a prawn paste topped with quail egg and capped with dried scallops. It is steamed and accompanied with a lovely scallop sauce and soft baby Bak Choi. Little green frisee contributed to the presentation together with Ebiko.

The dried scallop flavor is very notable here and the texture varies with soft and bouncy sweetness. I would wish for the quail egg to be cooked just till the yolk is set but not firm so it can ooze out and add more lusciousness. Maybe it was but of course, my lens had to capture this hence by the time I ate this, it was set. It is still a very scrumptious dish to the sight and taste.

Our fifth course is rice, a must in every Chinese household. ‘Village Style’ Wok-Fried Fragrant Rice with Assorted Seafood, Duck Egg and Shrimp Paste is also beautifully presented. Using imported shrimp paste from Hong Kong simply because of its unique flavor, which is milder than our local version, the fried rice is lightly perfumed with a subtle flavor of the shrimp paste. The rice is studded with small chunks of prawns and fish, perfumed and seasoned with fried shallots and spring onion water. It is then wrapped with a thin net crepe made with duck eggs.

The duck egg flavor is fairly strong and provided a rich eggy note to the rice. I also like that there is a sprinkling of crushed peanuts with crisp lettuce served for more flavor and texture. I am also surprise at how well this rice paired up with the Grant Burge Chardonnay.

Dessert, the final course of the night, ended on a high note. Though it may be deemed simple, the Chilled Osmanthus Flower Jelly Served with Fresh Aloe Vera and Bird’s Nest is such a treat. Chef Alex personally selects the Osmanthus flower himself from Hong Kong and carries it back here to prepare this dish. Talk about going all the way…

The floral subtle hint of osmanthus is really enjoyable and aromatic. The jelly has a medium wobbliness to match the soft fresh aloe vera and the jellied texture of the bird’s nest. Wolfberries cooked in sweet syrup add color and flavor while mini cubes of strawberry and melons sat beneath the jelly. It fresh, sweet and provided a delicate ending to the courses.

The Oscars of Hospitality Set Menu is priced at RM138++ per person with two glasses of wine. Available from June to July 2014, make sure to check this promotion at Pak Loh Chiu Chow.

In addition to the set menu above, we had to have a taste of Chef Alex’s signature Slow Braised Goose. The goose is imported from Hong Kong due to its specific taste and texture. Using Chef Alex secret master stock which comprises of lots of spices and herbs and soy sauce, each goose is braised for an hour and half (depending on its weight) and carefully prepared to let the flavors infused thoroughly into the goose meat.

*The Slow Braised Goose is not part of the Oscars of Hospitality Set Menu

The goose breast meat is thinly sliced to let diners enjoy the texture of the goose meat. Beneath the goose meat is braised bean curd and other dark goose meat with a splash of the braised master stock.

A side of chili with garlic and vinegar added a different flavor dimension to the goose. I like it both in its original taste and with the garlic vinegar. The braising liquid is so good as it would make a bowl of rice or porridge really yummy. A Must-Order at Pak Loh Chiu Chow!

PAK LOH CHIU CHOW RESTAURANT

Feast Village, Feast Floor, Starhill Gallery

181 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 2782 3856

Website: www.feastvillage.com

Operating Hours: Daily 12 noon to 11pm

**For more photos, please visit my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams

‘SNAP & SHARE’ TO WIN A 3D/2N STAY FOR TWO IN THE DATAI, LANGKAWI

From my previous Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Seafood Trail escapade here, diners are in for a lavish treat! This year’s Cloudy Bay showcase its finest Sauvignon Blanc 2013 paired up with a list of scrumptious seafood dishes by all the participating outlets all over Malaysia.

From 1^st of May till 30^th of June 2014, the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc & Seafood tasting trail will take wine lovers on a journey where 18 dining establishments will take part in showcasing their interpretation of near-perfect pairing of a generous glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and seafood. The flavours of the palatable dishes matched with a glass of Cloudy Bay’s 2013 Sauvignon Blanc vintage will lend to a delightful dining experience.

The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc & Seafood Tasting trail features an exciting Instagram contest from 1^st May to 30^th June 2014. This is a chance for wine lovers to taste the perfect pairing of wine with seafood at participating restaurants and win a 3D/2N stay for TWO at the award winning 5 star hotel, The Datai Langkawi. Simply share your best Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and paired seafood menu.

Remember to hashtag #cloudybaymsia and tag @cloudybayseafoodtrail. The instagrammer with the most photos of paired seafood menu from as many participating restaurants WILL win. Et voilà, you are on an exclusive holiday!

It’s not just any hotel but the exclusive The Datai at Langkawi!

*Photos credits of The Datai, Langkawi are from The Datai, Langkawi site

THE DATAI, LANGKAWI

A nature’s lover ideal destination, the Datai Langkawi is the perfect destination even for city dwellers to unwind, offering lush rainforests and pristine beaches, amidst a lovely tropical weather. This award-winning 5-star resort nestled in the heart of an ancient rainforest, situated on the mystical island of Langkawi, offers guests a variance of room, suite and villa with a stunning view of the breath-taking Andaman Sea.

Experience The Datai Langkawi; a perfect escape promising a tranquil experience with top class dining and amenities living up to its name of a luxurious resort. Reconnect with nature, rekindle your spirit and reignite your soul in this serene natural haven.

Head over to my review on the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Seafood Trail for some temptation!

**A full list of participating outlets can be viewed on #cloudybaymsia Instagram site. Terms & conditions apply.

My First Taste of Myanmar Cuisine!

It’s fair enough to say that Myanmar cuisine deserves as much limelight as other cuisine. After all Myanmar is the largest country in mainland South East Asia. It also share borders with many popular countries like Thailand, Laos, China and India. Myanmar borders the coastline of Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Despite its earlier façade, Myanmar has begun to open its doors to many tourists now and is even celebrated as the Land of the Golden Pagodas.

I for one, never had Myamnar cuisine before. My closest interpretation of Myanmar cuisine was that it should resemble Laotian cuisine. However, I was thoroughly wrong. As Myanmar is so rich with all its borders and oceans, its cuisine is thoroughly influenced by all its countries nearby. After a recent invitation by award winning cookbook author Mohana Gill, did I know that Myanmar cuisine is a combination of Chinese and Indian cuisine with a little Thai influence. Myanmar cuisine does feature lots of meat and seafood from its rich borders but it also incorporates lot of ingredients such as dried prawns, dried prawn paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, herbs, chilies and coconut milk. And yet, its cuisine is very unique in flavors.

I have already known Mohana Gill way before I met her this round. Being an ardent fan of cookbooks, I have read her cookbooks when these were available on bookstores. Her cookbooks reflect her personality, truly unique, detailed oriented and very intriguing with beauty as well. Our invite couldn’t be more warm and gracious as we were invited to Mohana’s home to have a taste of Myanmar cuisine from her repertoire of recipes.

Her humble abode has lots of welcoming touches. From the walls and the tables, photos of her family are reflected proudly through the years. She has touches of handcrafted furnitures to a lush garden filled with beautiful greens. Her pets roamed freely and everyone happily paid some attention to them.

We were also introduced to Thanakha, a tree bark that when ground and mixed with water can help keeps the skin cool and offers protection from the sun. This is used everywhere in Myanmar.

All Mohana’s cookbooks were on displayed, from the award winning Fruitastic to Vegemania and children’s cookbook named after her granddaughter Hayley’s Fruitastic Garden and Hayley’s Vegemania Garden.

Her latest cookbook, Myanmar Cuisine, Culture and Customs recently was awarded Best in the World Asian Cookbook by Gourmand Work Cookbook Award 2014. I took one look and was sold. We got a copy and had Mohana autographed it for us proudly. The book is priceless… filled with more than just recipes. It really gives you an insight of Myanmar, its people, its history and culture and its cuisine.

Mohana even had a Myanmar photographer captured all the gorgeous photos in the book to keep the book as authentic as possible. The fact that she took so much effort and showed so much love in compiling this book is already a distinction itself. Do make sure to check out her cookbooks available at all major bookstores like MPH and Borders or if you need a copy, you may even want to email her to purchase a copy directly. Her contact details are at the end of this post.

We had the honors of sampling her recipes from her Myanmar cookbook that evening. A glance at the menu showed comfort dishes. Accordingly to Mohana, Myanmar cuisine is meant to be shared communally and savored with rice. One will definitely have a soup as Myanmar people do not drink during their dinner but prefer to have a soup instead. Dishes feature minimal ingredients as possible while most of their vegetables are lightly cooked or served raw with various relishes and condiments. These relishes and condiments often stole the limelight as they are made with robust flavors that one can even enjoy them with just rice.

Myanmar family savors their meals on a low and round table. There are usually no chairs so everyone has reed mats for seats. The elders still eat with their fingers while the younger generation may now prefer cutlery over the recent years.

Before I go on and on forever about how much I found out about Myanmar cuisine over one evening, I should probably move on to the delicious meal I had. We had a vibrant and refreshing Roselle Punch to start the evening meal. The recipe is available at her Fruitastic cookbook but I forgot to take a photo of it. It was so good, I had another glass…

We had a snack to start the meal in the form of Fried Gourd Fritter (Boothee Kyaw) and Onion Fritter (Kyethun Kyaw). These snacks are popular street food and are seen available all over Myanmar. Though there are many varieties, we tried these two that night.

The Fried Gourd Fritter is light and sweet while the Onion Fritter had a stronger flavor from the sweet onions. The batter is very thinly coated and rendered a light crispy note. Served with a side of fiery red chili sauce, we couldn’t help but to raved about the chili. Such a contrasting flavor to the fritters, the chili sauce was fiery in heat and bursting with a moreish flavor. I loved it so much, I asked for more as I wanted to savor this with my rice. The chili reminds me of my heritage’s Sambal Belachan where the more you eat, the more you are hook to it.

A little goes a long way and yes, I was also hooked on it…

Thanks to Mohana again we found out that soups are categorized to four styles of sweet soups, sour soups, bitter soups and bean soups in Myanmar cuisine. We had a sweet soup of Clear Drumstick Leaf Soup (Dunt Salun Ywet). I never knew what a Drumstick plant is but the fruit is used in soups or curries while the leaves are cooked in soups. The leaves are also known as Moringa and it is believed that the leaves are packed with so much nutrients.

Using only five ingredients of drumstick leaves, onions, garlic, ginger and water, the soup is really delicately light and only a hint of sweetness. I can see why it is easy to consume as it tasted almost like sweet water with hints of garlic and onions. The lightness balanced out the heavier dishes to come.

We had all the following dishes together with rice. First up, Crunchy Cabbage Salad (Gorbe Douk Thoke) has a colorful attraction and only has eight ingredients. Mohana used finely shredded white and purple cabbage, dried shrimp powder, onion, chili, lime juice, garlic infused oil and crispy fried shallots. Its crunchy and lightly tangy. The sweetness of the onions brightened up the salad while the fried shallots added more robust flavors.

I was indeed curious about Lab Lab Beans. These beans are also known as Hyacinth or Egyptian beans as per Mohana’s cookbook. Here, the Simmered Lab Lab Beans (Pae Gyi Hnut) is cooked in turmeric and cooked till just tender. Fried shallots provided the aroma to the dish. The beans are nutty and a little creamy with a firm texture, something similar to edamame beans.

The Fish Balls in Curry Gravy (Nga Soke Yay Cho) was our only fish main course of the night. I do admit, this curry is good enough to hold the fort with its lovely rich savory flavors. It has a nice balance of spices and is not overly creamy or tangy. It’s not too spicy either. Mohana uses Tenggiri fish paste and cooked it directly in the curry so the fish balls have a softer texture unlike other bouncy fish balls. I like the curry flavors and so I flooded my rice with this curry. I like how the curry is not heavy and how wonderfully light it is yet the flavors are so robust.

Here comes my favorite part of the meal, the relishes and condiments. These little small bowls packed quitea big punch of flavors. I did what Mohana recommended, try them separately and then mix them up as well. To me, these relishes stole the show that night.

My favorite has to be the Crisp Fried Dried Prawns (Balachong). It also just happens to be the most sought after condiment in Myanmar. Mohana lovingly called it her lifesaver as she always has a bottle stashed at home. She jokes about never ever going hungry as long as there is a bottle of Balachong and a bowl of rice. This condiment can be eaten as it is or added to many dishes to enhance the flavors.

Balachong reminds me of my mom’s Dried Sambal Hae Bee and yet somehow there is a difference of taste. It is crispier in this version. The dried prawn flavors are more pungent and shine better with a tinge of sourness. It is very aromatic from the dried prawns and the shrimp paste with lots of fried shallots and garlic. I love how the spiciness makes me want to eat even more.

I finally understood why Mohana lovingly named this her lifesaver… she is right… a bowl of rice with Balachong is enough to save anyone’s life, including mine…

The Grilled Tomato Relish (Kha Yan Chin Thee Pan Htway Hpyaw) is pretty much as delicious as the Balachong. Though it looks pale and light, I assured you the flavors are not. The smokiness of the grilled tomatoes is unctuously beautiful. It resembles salsa but has more of an Asian note. The local flavors in the relish are fish sauce and a little dried prawn powder. Sweet, spicy and fresh summed up the flavors of this yummy relish.

This dark looking dipping sauce has flavors that will knock your senses at first try. Sour Dipping Sauce (Achin Yei) has an intense sourness from the tamarind liquid which is balanced out with palm sugar, ginger and garlic. It is then punched up with lots of chili. Since I love spicy and sour flavor, this dip is perfect for me. A little goes a long way…

Mango Pickle (Thayet Thee Thanak) is another yummy pickle that we like. Apparently it’s a recipe from Mohana’s friend and this condiment also packs quite a punch. It is sour and sweet with hints of spices and garlic. Eating this alone is quite intense but with rice and other dishes, it seems to pull one’s taste bud to keep eating on.

We also had a plate of Raw Vegetables (To Sa Yar) to enjoy with all the dips and relishes.

Our meal was so yummy… I ll admit, I had two helpings of rice. Myanmar cuisine is not only flavorful and fresh, the colors are just so pretty. Don’t you think so? My plate is like a palette of colors…

Dinner was really satisfying. Just when I thought I know what Myanmar cuisine is all about… I got another surprise. Mohana has been mentioning about another Myanmar dish that is truly unique and only available in Myanmar. Though tea is consumed in many parts of the world and some countries are using them in some dishes, here in Myanmar, it is pickled. According to Mohana, Pickled Tea Leaf is a national delicacy that plays a significant role in society and no special occasion or ceremony is considered complete without this dish.

Pickled Tea Leaf Salad (Lephet Thoke) can be categorized as a salad or an after main meal course in the cuisine. Now that got me worked up. I have never heard of Pickled Tea Leaf much less in a salad. It sounds unique. All of us got our interest peaked up when we saw this whole platter of ingredients. Though there are many variations, Mohana uses a traditional recipe consisting of 8 ingredients.

Clockwise: Lemon or Lime, Fresh Garlic, Roasted Yellow Lentils, Dried Prawns, Roasted Lab Lab Beans, Roasted Sesame Seed, Bird Eye Chili and Pickled Tea Leaf (middle)

The Pickled Tea Leaf is often sold in packages like this. Mohana mentioned it’s quite difficult to find this here but it could be available in places where there is a lot of Myanmar community in KL. Usually a platter like this is served and guest helps themselves to which the amount of ingredients they like. Simply mixed them all up and season with salt.

I was a bit hesitant simply because I am not a fan of raw garlic. And the ingredients are really one-of-its kind. I only took a small bite because the aroma is so pungent of raw garlic. It’s really not bad for a first taste. I tasted strong raw garlic, spicy chili, and a sharp vinegary tea flavor. There is also a piquant dried prawn flavor while the beans provided a lovely crunch factor. After that little bite, I had a few more bites… it kind of grows on me… before I knew it, I was enjoying this. What a pretty looking dish too!

We were told that hot tea is usually served with the Pickled Tea Leaf Salad to help cleanse the palate and its strong flavors.

Myanmar people don’t often have desserts. And so, dessert dishes are few and mostly served when there are special occasions or when there are guests. Mohana prepared a Myanmar Pancake (Bien Mont) with Ice Cream and Fresh Watermelon for us. Usually the pancake is served as is but Mohana thought it would taste nicer with ice cream.

The Myanmar Pancake has a batter of flour and is filled with grated coconut, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. It has a light chewiness in the pancake but is so aromatic from the filling. I was reminded of my favorite local Ban Chang Kueh when I ate this. The ice cream is lovely with the pancake. I should now add a scoop of Ice Cream when I enjoy my Ban Chang Kueh… hehehe.

The meal is such an eye opener. Yes, the long post seems to have me rumbled on but the fact is I have so much to share on my first experience of Myanmar cuisine. The cuisine itself is very humble, a reflection of the nature of Myanmar and its people. Simple ingredients are kept to minimal in each dish and I like how they make them stay fresh and vibrant in flavors. The cuisine is also very colorful and healthy with most dishes using very minimal oil. It was indeed an unforgettable night.

Thank you Mohana for your warm and beautiful hospitality and the lovely dinner as well. Congrats on the recent award for the Myanmar cookbook… it is indeed a gorgeous cookbook!

*For those who are interested in having a taste of Myanmar cuisine, I heard that Mohana will be working with Plate Culture on a Myanmar dining experience. You can also email Mohana to enquire at mohanagill@gmail.com

**More photos available on my Facebook:Chasing Food Dreams

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