I confess: I am not a great fan of ramen, generally. I find that eating ramen (in many Japanese restaurants here) is akin to eating instant noodles. That’s why on any other day you won’t ever catch me in a ramen shop. Not much anyway. Not until I heard that Menya Musashi is opening right here in Petaling Jaya, right next to where I work.

Back in February this year, the good people from Menya Musashi Japan actually did a market test in Isetan KLCC by having a temporary kiosk in the food court. I heard there were huge crowds and the queues stretched over many corridors with people clamouring to grab a bowl of those ramen.

OK, so what’s the big deal here?

Well, Menya Musashi has just opened an outlet in Isetan’s Eat Paradise – that spanking new little food court on Level 2 of Isetan 1-Utama. It’s only about a few days old and slowly but surely, people are finding this out. Step into the outlet and you will be impressed by the very enthusiastic rigorous greetings from their crew, from the usher and cashier at the front right down to the kitchen crew. You can see they are all very energetic and happy doing their stuff! The decent-sized outlet is just so full of positive energy and that’s not surprising because their head honcho there is none other than Master Chef Daisuke Yamaguchi.

The uber cool-looking Master Chef Yamaguchi hails from their iconic Shinjuku outlet in Japan. Yes, they sent their best to start-up operations here in Malaysia. Since they opened in 1996, they have been voted as Japan’s best ramen store. So, still fairly young, what sets Menya Musashi apart from the thousands of other similar joints is that somehow they have concocted a very contemporary twist to their broth and ramen which appeals immensely to their customers, both young and old. According to the 29-year-old Master Chef Yamaguchi, the secret lies in their broth – known as “tonkotsu”, (not tonkatsu, ok!) which he explained is “boiled for many hours, 10-12 hours and pork belly and chicken feet are the main ingredients, seasoned with Japanese wine and shoyu”. But why chicken feet, I asked. Well, the good chef merely gave an enigmatic smile and said “ahhh… it’s good for the collagen!”. OK, so collagen is good for your skin and all… and also for ramen.

Meet Master Chef Daisuke Yamaguchi… yes, this is him!

Here… a clearer picture…

The name “Musashi” takes inspiration from Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman of double swords from the Edo-era who authored a book on kenjitsu – an ancient Japanese martial arts. Menya Musashi incorporates some of the values depicted in that book into their bowls of perfect ramen. And that also explains the various paintings of Japanese warriors you see decorating the walls of the restaurant in 1-Utama. Right at the entrance, you will also see a full-length painting of Master Chef Yamaguchi … so darn cool!

I had a bowl of their signature item – Kuro Musashi Ramen (RM26) and I’m sold. The ramen here is thicker than most you would find, and very springy, thanks to the eggs in the recipe. I love the al dente texture which didn’t soften even as the noodles were soaked in the soup for some time. There were 2 large pieces of cha siew (Japanese style) which are essentially slices of pork belly which had been braised in shoyu (they really melt in the mouth, as cliche’d as that may sound!); half an egg with soft wobbly yolk, some bamboo strips and a handful of chopped spring onions. The noodles were submerged in a layer of porky oil made more aromatic from ginger & shallots – yes, you get to choose the oil topping!  I shook in some pepper and drops of chilli oil and I was in for an orgasmic ramen experience. Each slurp of the ramen was covered with a glistening sheen of tasty lardy goodness, I kid you not.  The rich and earthy umami broth can be a bit overpowering if taken on its own, but slurp it with the springy chewy thick ramen and all is good. Comforting and good.

So, am I a ramen-convert now? Yes, but only for Menya Musashi, at the moment.

Despite the crazy hustle-bustle pace during lunch time, Master Chef Yamaguchi took some minutes, sat down with me and chatted, with some help from an interpreter. He told me the ramen that I was slurping just minutes ago came directly from Japan and we share the same ramen as their customers in Japan.

Besides Malaysia, they have outlets in Singapore and Hongkong but the ramen for these 2 countries are from a different source. And what’s even better news is that Menya Musashi plans to open up more outlets here in Malaysia this year!

Yes, exciting ramen times ahead, people!

Uber-cool chef!

Menya Musashi
Level 2, Eat Paradise
Isetan @ 1-Utama
Bandar Utama City Centre
Petaling Jaya

It’s exactly a year ago that I wrote about Chef Debbie Teoh and her delightful Nyonya specialities. It was also at the same venue – Chatz Brasserie at Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur. Read about my post one year ago here.  The authentic Nyonya fare served up by Chef Debbie must have been such a hit that Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur has decided to bring her back again this year and timely too – for the upcoming Mother’s Day celebrations!

Nasi Ulam

I had a sense of deja vu as I walked into Chatz Brasserie – everything seemed almost the same as last year. Even Chef Debbie herself. She looks exactly the same as when I first met her last year. The same welcoming smile, that warm demeanour and her signature kebaya top with the sarong-turned-harem pants bottom … something which is so totally unique.

“I can’t be running around the kitchen in the tight sarong kebaya, you know, so I have adapted it to something more practical!” explained the enterprising Chef Debbie with a laugh.

Ulam Platter consisting of fresh cucumber sticks, four-angled beans and mint leaves

To whet our appetites, we had the Nasi Ulam which is cooked rice tossed with a variety of local herbs. Very thin shreds of daun kunyit, lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, bunga kantan, chillies are mixed with fried dried shrimps and bits of salted fish and these are tossed together with rice, resulting in a super aromatic dish. This is such a laborious dish as all the herbs have to be sliced by hand. Back in the old days, Nyonya matriarchs used this to test out potential daughters-in-law… the finer they can slice the herbs, the more qualified they would be!

The mouth-watering Sambal made with dried shrimps and belacan (shrimp paste)

I love the Ulam Platter as this particular version has mint leaves in it. Taking a stick of fresh cucumber, I wrapped it with some mint leaves together with some of that delightful sambal, popped the bundle into my mouth and I had this refreshing crunchy textures doing a tango on my tongue. I did the same with the four-angled beans and thoroughly enjoyed the affair.

Aubergine with Dried Shrimps Sambal

The Aubergine/eggplant fried with a sambal made from chillies, shallots and dried shrimps calls for white rice, and a lot of that is needed as dinner progressed. That’s because I realise all the rest of the dishes served were so good that one simply has to add on the white rice.

Itek Tim – savoury duck soup with salted mustard leaves

The Itek Tim – duck soup is so well flavoured by the salted mustard leaves and bombay onions which impart a sweetness to the soup.  I can finish off a big bowl of this, all by myself.

Lemak Nenas Ikan Sepat

There’s such a contrast of flavours in the Lemak Nenas Ikan Sepat which is essentially fresh pineapples cooked in a coconut curry with salted fish. The sourish tangy pineapples balances out the creamy sweetness of the coconut milk and the ikan sepat just adds on that “more rice needed” factor.

Ayan Buah Keluak

The Ayam Buah Keluak is the only repeated dish from last year’s repertoire. The repeated feature is justified as this is such a typical Nyonya speciality. The “buah keluak” or Indonesian black nuts is somewhat scarce here and Chef Debbie actually sourced her supply from Melaka. As Chef Debbie explains it “You have to soak the buah keluak overnight before you can crack them open to dig out the dark brown filling inside”. It is the dark filling that gives this dish its special identity: the taste of the filling is a mix of earthy mushrooms and rich chocolate, as strange as that may sound! This particular dish is best eaten, not freshly cooked, but should be kept for a couple of days, so that the buah keluak flavours can truly infiltrate the gravy and chicken!

Fried Fish with a Mango Sambal

Gulai Tumis Ikan Pari

Chunks of stingray cooked in a spicy sourish gulai (gravy) is really irresistible.

Chunky Seafood Otak-otak

One of my favourites for that night is the Otak-otak. Instead of the usual fish slices, Chef Debbie has put in chunks of succulent squids, prawns and fish fillet. All these encased in a rich spicy coconut custard and wrapped up in banana leaf parcels – really good. I had 2 of these aromatic leafy parcels all to myself.

Chendol with Coconut Milk

Special Seri Muka

Chef Debbie really spoiled us with her delightful desserts. First up, we each had a bowl of icy Chendol in thick creamy coconut milk and gula melaka. The chendol here is of a dark green hue, thanks to the thick freshly-made pandan juice used. It’s a far cry from the anaemic-looking chendol we usually get elsewhere.

Then we had this basket of Kueh Seri Muka which is very unique. Instead of the usual coconut cream layer on top, Chef Debbie used mashed taro (yam) instead. I wish I was not so stuffed then that I could only manage to eat two pieces of these because they were just absolutely yummy.

Pulut Panggang

We had this plate of petite Pulut Panggang served before us and the lovely chef explained that she scaled down the size so as not to overwhelm her guests. How thoughtful… and as it turned out, those banana-leaf-wrapped-and-grilled glutinuous rice rolls filled with spicy shrimp sambal were such a blast that most of us took 2 pieces each! As a special treat, each of us also got to take home a Nyonya Bakchang made by the Chef herself.

The lovely Chef Debbie Teoh

Now, if you want to get a taste of all these Nyonya delights, be sure to head over to Chatz Brasserie @ Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur from 11 May to 10 June 2012. From Mondays to Fridays, you get to indulge in Nyonya cuisine in Buffet Lunch priced at RM62++ per person while Buffet Dinner is available every day at RM82++ per person. For weekends, there’s the Nyonya Weekend Hi-Tea priced at RM59++ per person.

For Mother’s Day on 13 May, there is the Mother’s Day Brunch priced at RM68++ (adult) and RM34++ (child). With an additional RM10, fathers and kids can cook for mothers in a cooking session assisted by Chef Debbie.

Guests staying at Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur and Parkroyal Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur are entitled to 20% discount off the Nyonya cuisine promotion while senior citizens above the age of 55 enjoy 50% discount. UOB and CIMB cardmembers also enjoy special discounts.

Chatz Brasserie
Lower Lobby Level
Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2147-0088
Fax: 03-2147-0099

Mother’s Day is just round the corner. Have you thought about how you’d like to bring that one very important person in your family to a special meal on this specially-dedicated day? I know one should never wait for a “special” day to show love and appreciation to one’s mother – it should be done every day! – but then this is one day where many restaurants and hotels would be featuring special menus, so why not seize the opportunity and go for a great meal?

Over at Zuan Yuan, the Chinese restaurant of One World Hotel, Chef Michael Chew has come up with several set menus in celebration of Mother’s Day. The 3 set menus feature both traditional and contemporary dishes which are specially concocted by Chef Chew. Traditional dishes with a “home cooked” feel to them – that should touch mothers’ hearts and palates.

Wok-fried Kailan with Chicken & Preserved Vegetables

When I saw the Kailan wok-fried with minced chicken and preserved vegetables, it immediately brought back childhood memories to me. This is one dish which I relished very much back when I was a kid in Ipoh. My mom used to cook this dish for us as a special treat because back then, kailan was considered a “pricey” vegetable and we could only afford to have this on special occasions. It’s a simple dish but it works very well and I used to pile my bowl with lots of rice for this!

Roasted Crispy Chicken in “Pattaya” Sauce

Roasted Crispy Chicken – this is a dish that you’d never go wrong because it’s so traditional… every Chinese banquet would have this on the menu. Here, Chef Chew has given it a little contemporary twist by pairing it with a “Pattaya” sauce which comes across as spicy, sweet and sour… with tinges of Thai chillies, citrussy lime and garlic.

Stir-fried Tiger Prawns “Gui Zhou” style

I like the “Gui Zhou”-style Tiger Prawns as the huge prawns were really fresh and the sticky slightly spicy sauce clinging to them was also sweetish, thanks to the maltose used.

The chef’s really generous with the seafood in the noodles dish. As you can see, there’re chunks of fish fillet, squids and prawns smothering the wok-fried crispy noodles.

Wok-fried Noodles with Seafood in Broth Sauce

Dessert’s a delightfully light and refreshing soya milk (freshly made) with hasma, gingko, sea coconut, white fungus and longan. It’s really nice to dig into the bowl and see what comes up on your spoon!

What I tasted above are just some of the dishes available in the promotion. There are other items to pamper your mother and family with – like Deepfried Softshell Crabs with Spiced Salt, Steamed Canadian Codfish with Preserved Vegetables & Garlic, Braised Abalones with Spinach & Beancurd in Superior Stock, Braised Fish Maw with Bailing Mushrooms, just to name some of the dishes.

Mother’s Day Set Menus are available from 6-13 May 2012 and are priced at:

RM428++ per table of 4 pax
RM628++ per table of 6 pax
RM1,088++ per table of 10 pax

*Available for lunch and dinner

Please call Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant at 03-7681-1159 for reservations

Over at the Cinnamon Coffeehouse, there will be a Mother’s Day Hi-Tea Buffet on Sunday, 13 May 2012 from 12.00noon to 4.30pm.

Hi-Tea Buffet at Cinnamon (photo courtesy of One World Hotel)

The stylish award-winning Cinnamon Coffeehouse will feature a series of “show kitchens” – an open live cooking kitchen concept. You can see their chefs in action, whipping up your favourites … take your pick at the salad bar, pasta corner, noodles section, Western/Japanese/Indian counters and of course, the yummy desserts section.

Price: RM78++ for Adults and RM39++ for Children

Please call Cinnamon at 03-7681-1166/1157 for reservations.

One World Hotel
First Avenue
Bandar Utama City Centre
47800 Petaling Jaya

I’ve been baking this Marble Cake several times the past couple of weeks to experiment with the swirling. Using a basic Butter Cake recipe (which is so easily Googleable), I take out one-third of the batter and mix it with a paste made from chocolate and instant coffee powders. It’s important to add in that half-teaspoon of instant coffee powder as it really enhances the flavour, and darkens the colour too.

In the first attempt, I used a skewer to swirl the batter. It wasn’t effective at all. There was hardly any swirl when I sliced the cake. There was just this dark chocolatey layer in the middle. My cake was skewed.

Then I tried using a fork. That’s much better. Finally I had a marble cake with some pretty swirls in it! The trick is to turn the fork in circular motions to create the swirls. Try to do it all in one direction, either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Don’t swirl anyhow in any direction because you will end up with very messy swirls! And, be consistent. The sides of my cake weren’t swirled well enough, as you can see.

I guess my family members and colleagues will have the opportunity to eat more marble cakes in the days to come. I need the sides of the cake to be evenly swirled!

Recently I had the privilege of attending a very special event. Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Kuala Lumpur and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty program announced a mix of new culinary benefits at over 500 restaurants and bars for SPG members globally to enjoy at home. In conjunction with this announcement, SPG launched a new website:

www.SPG.com/restaurantsandbars

where SPG members can take advantage of these exclusive discounts at more than 500 restaurants and bars worldwide, including Prime, Favola and Latest Recipe at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, Villa Danieli, Celestial Court and Essence at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur as well as Prego, Splash, FiveSen5es, The Living Room, Qba Latin Grill & Bar at The Westin Kuala Lumpur.

At the exclusive casual lunch event, Chuck Abbott, Regional Vice-President for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in South East Asia said “We are thrilled to present a platform that showcases our award-winning portfolio of restaurants and chefs from around the world”. Just to prove that point, the few selected media guests that were present were treated to a gorgeous array of signature appetizers prepared by chefs from Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, The Westin Kuala Lumpur and Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. These were served right before lunch as guests mingled with the good people from Starwood.

iPads were provided for us to browse through the new SPG.com/restaurantsandbars website. Fingers were kept busy sliding on the iPads. You can see that the website features an opportunity to register and win an around-the-world VIP culinary journey with an SPG Member-Only Sweepstakes “Around the World in 5 Meals”. Members can earn Starpoints for these dining experiences and turn a night out into a weekend getaway! Through the SPG Moments program, SPG members will have access to VIP culinary experiences with world-renowned chefs such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Masaharu Morimoto. Currently this is available for members residing or travelling to North America, exciting culinary moments in nearby cities around Asia Pacific will be announced later.

To get a taste of the culinary magic created by Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ chefs in Kuala Lumpur, our lunch showcased dishes created by chefs from 3 different properties.

Starter: Prawns, Haloumi & Watermelon Salad
Served with a signature mocktail “Solel” from the award-winning Qba bar team

Our above starter was prepared by Chef Garth Welsh who is the Director of Kitchens @ The Westin Kuala Lumpur. This was a very generous portion indeed… when it was served, we were wondering if that’s the Main Course! There were 3 huge prawns sandwiched between 3 pretty thick slices of grilled haloumi (semi-hard unripened brined goat/sheep cheese) and 3 juciy slices of watermelon. Sprinkled all over were pomegranate and more grated cheese. There’s no way I could finish off everything on that plate… I only managed to eat the prawns (super fresh), watermelon and pomegranate! The flavours of the starter were fresh, simple and uncomplicated and this is clearly the cooking philosophy of Chef Garth. He explained “Keep it simple and let the ingredients do all the talking. I try not to overcomplicate things as you usually end up confusing the flavours and ultimately the diner anyway!” This charming chef has just joined The Westin KL for 6 months and he totally believes that “you are only as good as the ingredients you use and the team that’s working with you“. Very wise words indeed.

Mains: Roasted Beef Tenderloin
Served with Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva

This amazing main course by Chef Antoine Rodriguez, Executive Chef of Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur actually showcased beef cooked in 3 ways, all served on the same platter. Provencal crust with crushed pink peppercorn, clear beef jus, poached oyster blade in rich beef consomme (served in that little shot glass), braised beef cheeks stuffed in a hollowed-out carrot trunk, fresh goat cheese and pistachio in beetroot jelly tube and apricot chutney. Oh, and that Yukon gold and orange sweet potatoes cake, with garlic & chives cream sauce. Chef Antoine, ever-smiling, has done a superb job with this gorgeous mains. Nothing can be faulted here – the pink tenderloin was gloriously tender and juicy, the beef consomme was sublime with bovine richness and the poached oyster blade swimming in it… too good to describe as it slid down my throat. Fresh from being awarded “Executive Chef of the Year” and “King of the Kitchen” where he defeated 16 other high calibre nominees in the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards 2011-2013 Regional Series recently, Chef Antoine’s delivery of this dish is testament of his talented creativity. Since joining the Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur in 2004 as Executive Chef, his venues and catering department have been receiving many accolades.

For Desserts, we were pampered by not one, but four from Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur…

Desserts: Tiramisu (from Villa Danieli), Chilled Mango Cream with Pearl Sago, Pomelo & Vanilla Icecream (from Celestial Court), Chocolate Madagascar topped with Poached Vanilla-scented Apricot (from Essence) & Black Sesame Macaron (from Toastina).
Served with Torbreck The Bothie, Barossa Valley

Helmed by the boyish-looking Executive Chef Rajesh Kanna, the 4 restaurants from Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur each showcased a signature dessert. I can’t say which was my favourite as all of them are so different! What a lovely diversified end to a memorable lunch

And here are the chefs who prepared the awesome canapes and lunch…

Left to right: Executive Chef Rajesh Kanna, Executive Antoine Rodriguez & Chef Garth Welsh

Here they are again, without their chef hats…

SPG Members will have the opportunity to explore new restaurants an bars as well as discover new venues around the world. In Kuala Lumpur, SPG members can receive 15% discounts at Prime, Favola, Latest Recipe, Villa Danieli, Celestial Court, Essence, Prego, Splash, The Living Room, Five5enses and Qba Latin Grill & Bar as well as over 300 participating restaurants and bars in Asia Pacific. Not only that, they continue to earn Starpoints on all eligibile food & beverage spend to get even closer to their next dream vacation. As part of SPG’s continued commitment to provide one-of-a-kind experiences for members, SPG.com/restaurantsandbars will also feature chef cooking classes and videos with SPG chefs demonstrating how to create their signature dishes!

There are lots of features included in the website, like access to venue event calendars, menus and exclusive SPG member promotions, videos and more. To learn more about this exciting program, please visit:

SPG.com/restaurantsandbars

OK, the word is out, has been out quite some time now, that Chef Steve Allen, E&O’s Group Creative Chef and new consultant chef to The Delicious Group has been rustling up some pretty neat dishes at DISH. He has revamped the menus there as the brand new a la carte menu now features 34 stunning dishes which were launched recently. DISH – The Delicious Group’s unorthodox fine-dining establishment that is luxe in spirit but casual in practice, now spots a few new “tweaks”, not only in the menu but even down to its table settings.

“One of the first few things I did was to do away with those cone-shaped folded table napkins!” said the affable Chef Steve. It works… now the ambience in DISH has taken on a more casual and relaxed tone.

Rosemary butter to go with the bread

Chef Steve has flown in direct from the camp of London’s Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s where he was Head Chef. Of course the burning questions that everyone asks him are “What is it like to work with Gordon Ramsay?” “Is he as temperamental as depicted in the tv shows?” According to Chef Steve, Gordon Ramsay is not as bad or merciless as shown on tv – “that’s just for tv“. In real life, Chef Steve says his former mentor is very down-to-earth, and hardly screams at anyone in the kitchen… but if he does, then whoever’s at the receiving end will know that it’s time to make an exit!

Looking at Chef Steve busying himself in DISH’s kitchen, I can see that he has the same quick energetic pace as his former boss. Dashing in and out of the kitchen, in between showing the other chefs how to do some tasks and supervising the others, Chef Steve even posed a bit here and there for our cameras. Then he shoo’ed us to our tables as he was about to serve some of his signature dishes for our tasting.

From 2001-2011, Chef Steve Allen was with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s London, starting from chef de partie up to Head Chef under Mark Sargeant, the Executive Chef. Chef Steve certainly made good use of his time in this renowned restaurant, running all aspects of the business including finance, recruitment and business development.  It was in Claridge’s of London that Chef Steve Allen’s path crossed with Datuk Terry Tham, E&O’s Managing Director (who is a regular diner there)  and from there, like they say, the rest is history.

Complimentary dual amuse bouche of Eggplant Fritters and Goat Cheese with Watermelon sprinkled with pine nuts and drizzled with balsamic dressing – a great way to tease your palate!

Chef Steve’s style of cooking swerves towards modern and trendy yet retains a good dose of “heartiness”. Take his Pumpkin Soup with Mushrooms, parmesan and truffle (RM22), for example. The soup is very thick, rich and smooth (like all good hearty soups should be) and I love the earthy combination of mushrooms and parmesan, not forgetting the truffle, of course.

The Seared & Marinated Tuna is served with Pickled Radish & Crispy Quail Eggs (RM42). The quail eggs are coated in a thin batter and deep-fried (hence, the “crispiness”) yet you can see the yolk is still runny – very well executed! The tuna has been seared a mere 2mm, nothing more than that so that it retains its sweet succulent centre and if you think it’s going to taste “fishy”, fear not – those strips of pickled radish does an excellent balancing job. See also how careful the chef is, in ensuring that every piece of tuna and egg on that plate is of almost-equal size!

The next starter - Sauteed Scallops with Cauliflower Puree, Turkey Bacon and Almond Crumbs (RM48) is a big hit with us. Everything about this dish is so delicate. The scallops have been saute’ed just right… they’re smooth and sweet and delicately balanced on a bed of pureed cauliflower in between crisp slices of apples. The turkey bacon bits and almond crumbs are sprinkled carefully on the scallops and there are these pretty little cauliflower florets and purple wasabi shoots giving it that aesthetic sparkle. Take a piece of scallop and a bit of everything else on the plate and you are in for an explosion of tastes and beautifully contrasting mouthfeel!

While the scallops were delicate, the ensuing starter of Vitello Tonnata (RM36) is arresting in its visual effect. The thin pink slices of marinated veal form the base and a bunch of fresh crsip arugula is arranged on top and tuna mayonnaise is poured over in even spirals, forming concentric rings on the veal. Feast your eyes on this before you feast on the dish!

Vitello Tonnata

My favourite Mains is surely the Salt-baked Cod with red pepper andd lemon sauce (RM69). The cod fish is encased in a salted pastry and baked. The inedible pastry is then cut, revealing the steamy hot cod inside. Meanwhile a plate of roasted vegetables is ready, with pureed red peppers in the centre and that’s where the chunk of cod is placed. I love those sweet roasted capsicums, zucchini and lemon slices.

Cut open the pastry and see the perfectly baked Cod inside!

Amazing colours!

All the above dishes are from the A La Carte Menu.

Chef Steve has also created a totally new Lunch Set Menu wtih 8 tantalizing options andd weekly updates. You can opt for 2 courses (RM65) or 3 courses (RM75) from gems such as Ravioli of Wild Mushrooms and Chickent (from Starters), Chargrilled Rump of Wagyu Beef with either Truffled Mac ‘n’ Cheese or Triple-cooked Chips (from Mains) and Pineapple Carpaccio (from Desserts).

Steak set from the Lunch Set Menu

Seared Breast of Duck

Duck lovers can also choose this duo: Seared Breast of Duck with Braised Duck Leg, creamy potato puree and ginger carrots as one of the mains in the Lunch Set Menu.

Braised Duck Leg

For desserts, we tried the Caramel Chocolate Delice with Lime Ice Cream & Raspberries (RM21) – a great combination of rich chocolate and tangy lime with the raspberries giving it a sourish lift.

Caramel Chocolate Delice with Lime Ice Cream & Raspberries

The Cold Chocolate Fondant with Poached Mango & Yoghurt Sorbet (RM21) may look mediocre but once you dig into that glass, you will be quite blown away with the smooth creamy decadent chocolate fondant! I wished I didn’t have to share that, really.

Cold Chocolate Fondant with Poached Mango & Yoghurt Sorbet

Pineapple Carpaccio with Yoghurt Sorbet & Coconut Crisp from the Lunch Set Menu

The Chef at work

The many faces of Chef Steve Allen as he chatted with us

The 3rd menu that Chef Steve is developing is for DISH’s Weekend Lunch and I’m sure many are eagerly waiting for this. As of now, I believe that menu has been launched. The next task for Chef Steve is then to look into revamping the E&O Group’s iconic Delicious cafes. That’s something to really look forward to, as of late, this chain of cafes has been a bit lack-lustre and now seeing what Chef Steve has done for DISH, I believe there will be exciting and delicious days ahead for us.

For reservations at DISH, please call 03-2164-1286.

DISH
Lot 1-1 Ground Floor, Dua Annexe
211 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours:
Mon-Sun & PH: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch) & 6.00pm-11.00pm (Dinner)

Website: http://www.dishfinedining.com

The very first time I stepped into Watami was at their 1-Utama outlet and that was for a hurried lunch. I had a bowl of ramen and I was good to go. I believe I do have some photos of that meal somewhere but I haven’t had a chance to blog about it. I told myself I’d blog about it when I have revisited the place to try out more of their dishes. That was like almost 4 months ago and this was during the time when the Old Wing of 1-Utama was undergoing some massive renovations which resulted in many new dining outlets and I was madly busy…busy with the year-end, beginning-of-2012 and of course trying out the many new food outlets there!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, recently I had the privilege of tasting more of Watami’s offerings but this time it was at their Pavilion Kuala Lumpur outlet. Watami is the original creator of the “Ishokuya” dining concept in Japan – one that features delightful modern Japanese cuisine which are evident in all of Watami’s original dishes and signature beverages.

Watami Salad (RM19.90)

With over 700 outlets in Japan and 50 across Asia-Pacific, Watami has now reached the Malaysian shore with the 2 outlets: one in Pavilion and one in 1-Utama. The Malaysian franchise-holder for Watami here, ChasWood Resources is excited and poised to pamper Malaysians with Watami’s tantalising array of Nippon fares.

Anago Tempura Maki (RM18.90)

Miki Watanabe, the founder of the Watami Group, conceived the concept of “casual restaurant” – a lively, pleasant tavern offering an extensive menu and of course, a comfortable environment. If you can’t already guess it, WATAMI comes from the name of the founder, WATAnabe MIki. In Japanese Kanji, “Wa” means “harmony” and “tami” means “people” therefore, “WATAMI” comes together with a most apt meaning “gather people to dine in harmony”!

Watami’s Anago Tempura Maki sets it apart from most other similar makis by using unagi done tempura-style. This gives the sushi roll a nice crunch, a contrast of textures from the soft rice.

Gomuku Kamameshi (RM21.90)

As elaborated by Amritpal Singh (Watami’s Director of Operations), the food philosophy at Watami includes involving their guests in the whole experience of eating there. By this, he meant that some of the dishes are cooked at the table and guests are invited to participate in this. Take for example, their Gomoku Kamameshi. This is a traditional pot rice whereby a steel pot is placed on the table, filled with rice, bonito, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, tofu pouches, root vegetables and topped with salmon, shrimps, scallops, chicken and flying fish roe and all these are cooked in broth for 20 minutes. This is something like having a Chinese-style claypot rice done at your table but in Watami, the pot is made of steel and the ingredients are all different! I love it that after 20 minutes (and in between that, the most appetizing aroma wafting out from the pot), I get to enjoy piping hot flavoursome rice right from the pot!

A Watami signature dish – oven-baked scallops and shimeji mushrooms served on a sizzling hotplate, topped with butter (RM14.90) … is it surprising at all that this was a big hit with all of us?  Scallops, mushrooms, butter – that’s really the best combination, ever!

Beef Sukiyaki (RM26.90)

The Beef Sukiyaki is another tableside-cooked dish. This pot of bubbling broth is filled with nage negi (Japanese mushrooms), tofu, enoki mushrooms, carrots, garland chrysanthemum leaves, cabbage and of course, thin beef slices. I was careful to dip the beef in for just 20 seconds only so that it’s not overcooked and I was rewarded with deliciously tender beef.

My portion of Sukiyaki with beef that’s cooked just right!

Wafu Pizza (RM17.90) – Thin crispy pizza base, topped with teriyaki chicken, mayonnaise and nage negi (better known as Japanese onions).

Chicken Katsu Tamagotoji (RM19.90)

The Chicken Katsu Tamagotoji came in a claypot on a stove and an egg by the side. What we had to do was break the egg, beat it up and pour it gently over the sides of the claypot and let the egg omelette slowly cook and encase the chicken cutlets. The chicken cutlets remained crispy even though the bottom part of it was covered with smooth omelette – nice!

Tompeiyaki (RM17.90)

Now my favourite for that evening is the Tompeiyaki. This speciality dish from Osaka had beef, shredded cabbage, tempura flakes and spring onions stuffed inside a wobbly cheese-filled omelette and drizzled with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce and mustard. Even before I took a slice, the good people at Watami assured me that I would love this and they were so right! This will definitely be a must-order item for me at Watami and you shouldn’t miss this either

For desserts, we tried the Matcha Tiramisu – tiramisu with a twist with green tea! We also had their Strawberry Parfait and I was told there’d be a surprise inside the parfait. As I dug my spoon right into the centre, it came up with a dollop of creamy cheese! What an interesting twist and definitely a delicious one.

Matcha Tiramisu (RM9.90) and Strawberry Parfait (RM12.90)

Looking at the Grand Menu, there are lots of other dishes that I want to try in my next visit. The BBQ skewers look darn good, so do the various stone-pot rice and if you love ramen and udon, there’s a good selection too. And of course, sashimi as well as some carpaccio items.

Interior of the restaurant showcases a natural and warm setting with the use of wood and earth colors combination, resulting in a traditional yet holistically contemporary and chic ambience.

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant
C4.04.00 Level 4
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2141-6671

Lot F355/356/357, 1st Floor
Rainforest
1-Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 603-7727-1399

Fang Xiang Bah Ku Teh in Setia Alam must be the only bak kut teh business I know that’s run by a young lady. And run it, she does, from A-Z! I couldn’t believe it myself when I met the owner and chef of this restaurant – a sweet and demure-looking young lady by the name of Syvonne Lee. Hair tied up in a ponytail, fresh-faced and ever smiling, she looks hardly 25, let alone owning and running a bak kut teh business!

See – the caricature on the shop signboard is a perfect replica of the owner, Syvonne Lee!

“Ever since I was a little girl, I have been following my parents to eat bak kut teh and yes, you can say I really love it!” Syvonne enthusiased when we were chatting. Her father owns a butchery business and supplies her shop with the best cuts of pork. She gets up at 4am every morning to start cooking the herbal broths and when the first customers stroll in just after 7am, the pots of bak kut teh would be ready to be served.

Piping hot Bak Kut Teh served in a claypot

I couldn’t help but notice that there are 2 types of bak kut teh soup served here. One is lighter and the other is a darker hue with a more concentrated herbal taste. Syvonne explains that she offers 2 different concentration of the soup to suit her customers as the younger set usually prefers a lighter soup while the older die-hard BKT fans go for the stronger version.

I enjoy the Bak Kut Teh here as the meats have been boiled thoroughly and fork tender. Every piece of pork has been totally infused with the BKT herbs, a slow boiling process which takes at least 3 hours. Declaring that her BKT is Hokkien-style, Syvonne has perfected her recipe after months of testing out countless recipes given by friends, family members and even people from the market she went to!

Dry-style Bak Kut Teh

For those who like the Dry version of Bak Kut Teh, Syvonne also has come up with her own recipe for this. I’m not a fan of dry BKT but I could see that a lot of ingredients have gone into this pot. The strong aroma of Chinese herbs, dried chillies, dried cuttlefish, onions and garlic all come together in one hot fragrant pot.

I was happy as a lark when I saw that Fang Xiang serves “deng kia” – Hokkien for pig intestines that have been stuffed in many layers. These layered cholesterol-laden intestines have been boiled in the herbal soup till tender and they are a must-order!

Signature Speciality Pork

The menu at Fang Xiang is multi-pictorial with photos of many cuts of pork available. The one must-have order is their “Signature Speciality” which is a superb cut of meat from somewhere behind the ribs of the pig. According to Syvonne, each pig only has 2 of these cuts, so you can see supply is really limited. The meat is finely textured with a thin layer of fat beneath the skin and it tastes really good. You can see there’s some kind of marbling in the meat, which when boiled with the BKT herbs, becomes really tender and delicious.

Black Vinegar Pig Trotters

To provide a wider selection to her customers, Syvonne also serves other dishes like Black Vinegar Pig Trotters, Assam Fish, Tofu and Vegetables. My preference is to go for the Bak Kut Teh. Prices are reasonable, depending on the cuts of pork (which by the way are listed by their Hokkien names in the menu!), starting at RM10 per portion.

Fang Xiang Bah Ku Teh
13A-1 Jalan Setia Prima SU13/S
Setia Alam
40170 Shah Alam

There’s another outlet in:

13 Lorong Batu Nilam 21C
Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2
41200 Klang

Business hours: 7.00am till 3.00pm daily

It was a 1-night affair. For a brief night, I got to taste and experience a delightful affair – a marriage of Italian and Chilean flavours. I had the best of both worlds.

I’m talking about the 1-night-only event at Tosca at DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur which featured a 5-course wine dinner, partnering Italian cuisine and Chilean wines from Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

I was told the restaurant was fully-booked for this special wine dinner. Hardly surprising as Tosca only holds such dinners 4 times in a year and when they do, every event is a sellout. Upon entering this homestyle Italian restaurant, we were given a warm welcome and quickly ushered to our seats. Even before I was properly seated, the service crew were already at my side offering me trays of canapes and pouring me the 1st wine for the evening – the Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2011! Talk about fast and efficient service!

Far right: Cristian Zuleta, Export Manager from Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery

As we teased our palates with canapes such as Smoked Salmon on Potato Blinis & Dill Cream, Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Bruschetta with Pesto, Deepfried Lamb Shank & Mushroom Arancini, Tuna Tataki with Mango & Avocado, Cristian Zuleta, the Export Manager from the winery shared with us on Cono Sur wines and some tips on wine appreciation in general.

I like the Cono Sur Bicycle Sauvignon Blanc 2011 for its fresh crisp citrussy aroma. The pale yellowish-green young wine is very easy on the palate. I think I had 2 glasses of this because it just went so well with the canapes I was munching on.

Dinner started soon after and a plate of beautiful fresh Hokkaido Bay Scallops Carpaccio was served as the appetizer. Very pleasing to the eye, the fresh scallops were translucent, bathed with a light garlic shoyu dressing and decorated with baby cress, crunchy garlic chips and dotted with salmon roe. I love popping those salmon roe on my tongue and tasting that burst of marine sweetness shot on my tongue! And then wash it down with sips of the Cono Sur Chardonnay 2011. This is a 100% Chardonnay from their Central Valley, the yellow golden wine is both floral and fruity with a pleasantly balanced acidity – another delicious easy wine in my books. Both the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay  retail at around RM140 per bottle.

Appetizer: Hokkaido Bay Scallops Carpaccio

As soon as the appetizer plate was cleared, we were served the Boston Lobster Bisque. Cognac-flamed, this thick bisque was divine! Biting into that wantan-like crispy parcel revealed a scrumptious chunk of succulent lobster meat and those bits of Avruga caviar enhanced the whole blissful bisque experience. The soup portion was really generous and there were more lobster meat in the soup too… and even so, being the glutton that I am, I wished there was more! But then I remembered I had to pace myself as there were more dishes to come.

Next was the entree of Roasted Atlantic Cod with Crumbed Cod “Mantecato”, green pea puree, braised radish, tomato beurre blanc and crispy potato noodle. A codfish fan, I had absolutely no complaint about this pristine dish. The fish was firm and fresh and just look at that mesh of perfectly-fried potato noodles! DL, who is generally not keen on radish, totally loved that long strip of braised radish!  I like it too – it’s a perfect accompaniment to the cod.

Pairing with the codfish was the Cono Sur Reserve Pinot Noir 2010. It’s a 100% Pinot Noir and comes from the famed Casablanca Valley. The bright ruby red with hints of purple hues
in the wine are reflections of the raspberries, cherries and strawberries aromas andd if you sniff it deeply, you will find that there’re lovely subtle hints of coffee and cacao too. The Pinot Noir has a full palate and fruity with beautifully soft tannins.

The 2nd entree of the evening was a plate of Wagyu Beef done 2 ways: Grilled Wagyu Sirloin and Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks sitting on top of truffle polenta and plated next to these is a stuffed cocktail tomato and splashed with Barolo sauce. I’m not particularly inclined towards beef cheeks as they are usually braised till very soft & tender (which should be the way) – it’s just that I prefer to have some “bite & chew” in my meats. I really enjoyed the grilled sirloin as it’s done just the way I like my beef: almost medium! You can see that by this time, we’re all stuffed to our faces… a 5-course dinner tends to do that to you, you know!

To go with the beef, we had the Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, which is an excellent wine to go with red meats. Deep plum in colour, it comes from the Maipo Valley, known as the most traditional origin in Chile. The nose displays ripe raspberries, strawberries and plums, combining with some underlying spices. The fruity full flavours of the plums linger on and there’re hints of toasted oak which is not surprising as this wine has been aged 80% in French oak barrels for 10 months.

Dessert was a delightful chocolate affair. There’re chocolate & hazelnut mousse, cocoa icecream, Limoncello cream, sesame croustillant, passion fruit jelly, red velvet soil and raspberry sauce. The chef has really orchestrated this symphony well… everything comes together in harmony, in terms of tastes and textures. The passion fruit jelly has this really tangy and tart flavour which did a good job of balancing the richness from the chocolate components of this dessert platter. The Cono Sur Reserve Merlot 2010 was the last wine served for this dinner. Coming from the Colchagua Valley, it’s a beautifully dark and intense red; the aromas of the black and red fruits are well set-off by subtle hints of black pepper, coffee and sweet oak. Yes, I do realise this is not exactly a dessert wine… a recommended dessert wine would be their Cono Sur Gewurztraminer 2011.

The Cono Sur red wines as served in this dinner are priced at RM160 and above per bottle – very decent wines at affordable prices.  I’m a white wine fan… I’d definitely go for their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc!

A bit of background on Cono Sur:
Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1993 with the vision of producing premium, expressive and innovative wines conveying the spirit of the New World. The name Cono Sur represents wines proudly made in South America’s Southern Cone, on which western edge lies Chile and its gifted wine valleys. Their quest if to present the world with the finest grape expression and character, from Chile’s varied wine regions. Right from the beginning, Cono Sur has applied new ideas and technology to winemaking traditional methods with a goal to create expressive and innovative wines from the world’s southernmost land.

Their Philosophy:
The cornerstone of Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery is innovation. The company defines itself by 3 main features, which are: creative use of technology, orientation towards quality an respect and commitment to the environment. Their philosophy is the starting point of every one of their innovative and expressive wines.

Read more about Cono Sur on their website here.

Here in Malaysia, Cono Sur wines are distributed by:

AsiaEuro Wines & Spirits Sdn Bhd
No.1 & 3 Jalan PJU 3/49
Sunway Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7883-2828
Fax: 03-7883-2929/28
website: www.asiaeurowines.com.my

This lavish Wine Dinner was held at:

Tosca
DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
The Intermark
182 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2172-7272
Fax: 603-2172-7270
email: KULDT.Doubletreekl@hilton.com
website: kl.doubletreebyhilton.com

I love eating at places which are off the beaten track. It’s always exciting to check out a new place, at the most obscure of places and then discover the food there is not bad at all. I’ve been passing by this simple and basic looking restaurant for many months now, on my way to have my massages. It started out as more or less a shack and then the owners kinda did up the place to make it more “presentable” and the business has improved. They even have a parking attendant stationed in front, to direct you to the exact location where you should park your car.

We first ate there several weeks ago and to be honest, I didn’t feel very confident about the place so I didn’t even bring my camera along. The first 5 photos below were all taken with my iPhone 4S – I must say the camera in iPhone 4S is pretty good – I’m amazed at the quality of the photos, actually.

Sweet Sour Crabs

Feeling “crabby” that evening, we ordered 2 different crab dishes… a Sweet Sour version and another one recommended by their staff – their Butter & Salted Eggyolks Crabs but with a little “corny” twist. The crabs, although a bit on the small side, were extremely fresh and the sweet sour sauce was piquant but thankfully, did not mask the fresh marine sweetness of the crustaceans. We love the Butter & Salted Eggyolks Corn Crabs… the sweet corn is a good touch, giving the crabs an added creamy sweetness and the thick aromatic butter sauce sticking to the shells was all licked and sucked out! Exceedingly sinful combination of crabs and salted eggyolks, I know… but who cares, as long as one doesn’t indulge in this every day! Prices for the 2 plates of crabs came up to RM104.

Butter Corn & Salted Eggyolks Crabs

On the recommendation of the staff who took our order, we had their Hotplate Spicy Fish and it turned out to be a good choice. The plump golden pomfret (RM40), crunchily fried, came sizzling hot on a metal plate, doused in a very fragrant sauce. I could detect lemongrass, turmeric, in addition to chillies, shallots and garlic in that thick sauce. We dug in and happily spooned the spicy sauce over our rice and I had to muster a lot of resistance not to heap on more rice! I also love their Kerabu Pucuk Paku (RM8 for a very decent portion, good for 4 people!) as they used only the youngest part of the ferns and there was no chewy stems at all. The sweet sourish dressing was very light and it made the whole kerabu dish very refreshing and addictive. On our second visit to Hai Jing, I was extremely disappointed when told that they didn’t have pucuk paku available that day.

Hot Spicy Fish

Kerabu Pucuk Paku

For carbs, we tried their King Noodles (RM12, good for 3 pax) and LL declared it was very good noodles indeed. The noodles were springy and there were lots of baby lala (clams) and crunchy taugeh (beansprouts) tossed in. Definitely a noodle dish to re-order!

King Noodles

Total price for that dinner was RM164 for 3 persons. Pretty reasonable, considering that we had 2 crab dishes and a fish too.

On our 2nd visit, because we were so enamoured by the Butter & Salted Eggyolks Corn Crabs we had the first time, we ordered their mantis prawns done in a similar style. At RM15 for a medium-sized portion, I’d say this was really good value for money. Just like the crabs version and equally sinful, this did not disappoint.

Mantis Prawns in Butter, Corn & Salted Eggyolk Sauce

Deciding to have a steamed fish this time, we tried their Thai-style Steamed Gold Pomfret (RM28). There’s a variety of fish you can choose from. Our was a gold pomfret and it came in an iron steamer-plate, with hot burning coals. A huge bowl of soup was also served and at first, we thought that’s a complimentary soup for our dinner. We were about to ladle the soup into our individual bowls when one of their service staff came over and showed us that the soup was actually meant to replenish the hot bubbling gravy for the fish! As the coals were burning fiercely, the gravy for the fish was evaporating quickly and we kept ladling in more soup onto the fish… we had a good time slurping that super hot fishy soup!

Thai-style Steamed Fish

Their signature Home-styled Tofu (RM12) was silky smooth and the minced chicken topping was very good, especially with rice. Since there was no pucuk paku that day, we settled for a Deep-fried Brinjals with Chicken Floss (RM12) which didn’t impress me much. I felt there was too much batter covering the brinjal strips and all I could taste was crunchy flour.

Signature Home-styled Tofu

Fried Battered Brinjals with Chicken Floss

No pork is served in this place. Go for their seafood.

The place is pretty easy to locate: if you take the Kesas Highway heading to Klang, take the first exit to Kg Jawa after the Bukit Rimau Toll. Turn right after the traffic lights at that exit, go straight till you reach a roundabout – Hai Jing is just at the left corner. This is a 5-prong roundabout, Hai Jing is located at the “7 o’clock” junction. You can’t miss it – it’s all brightly lit up – if you’re going for dinner, that is.

Restoran Makanan Laut Hai Jing
28-31 Lot 10517 Jalan Nenas
Off Jalan Kg Jawa
41210 Klang
Tel: 019-3440999/019-6669199/03-51610999