A Delicious Christmas

The latest outlet in the Delicious stable – Delicious @ St Mary Place may not be easy to locate, for some, as it’s inside a block of residential condominium. However, once you drive into Jalan Tengah (which is off the busy Jalan Sultan Ismail, the road where The Lodge is) and you spot the conglomerate of high-rise residences, the unmistakable turquoise signage beckons. The cluster of buildings there comprises the St Mary Residences, the E&O Residences and St Mary Place with a collection of retail outlets and the Delicious Café, of course.

This site used to house the St Mary School which was established in 1912 (wow, imagine that!). During World War II and the Japanese occupation of Malaya, the school building was used as military hospital by the Japanese army. In 1945, after the Japanese army retreated following the end of World War II, the school re-opened and remained until 1997 when it relocated to Selayang. The old school was demolished in 2007 to make way for the St Mary’s Residences project, undertaken by the Lion Group and the E&O Group.

Opened just a few months ago, the Delicious Café spots all the standard deco – turquoise color theme, hanging decorative bird cages and simple chic furniture. I like the long concrete table in front of the cake displays – it reminds me of school canteens.

As it is now the Yuletide season, Chef Steve Allen, E&O’s Group Creative Chef, decided to come up with a line-up of special sweets and beverages. “Desserts are more exciting as they are unexpected and unpredictable, unlike the plain Christmas turkey”, so said Chef Allen.

Chef Allen’s “Bevy of Christmas Desserts” starts with the Buche de Noel – a Yule log cake from France. What’s so unique about this log cake is the creamy nutty chestnut paste rolled together with an aromatic coffee filling in layers of vanilla sponge and then coated with a chocolate ganache! I like it as it’s also not too sweet.

The Cranberry & White Chocolate Panettone is Chef Allen’s take on the traditional Christmas bread from Milan. The texture is beautifully soft and light, dotted with cranberries, white chocolate and mixed peel. It’s served with mascarpone and cream but I actually preferred to eat it on its own to totally enjoy the panettone!

Being English, it’s only fitting that Chef Allen included the English Christmas Pudding in his bevy. Using a brand new recipe customised for Delicious Café, Chef Allen omitted alcohol in it and included a whole lot of flavours from the variety of dried fruits, apple juice, almonds and Earl Grey Tea. The process of making this pudding is pretty tedious as Chef Allen explained how it’s steamed for 3 hours, then kept for a few days and then it’s steamed again! The repeated steaming is necessary to get that dark hue and of course, to mature the flavours. However, I found it a tad too sweet – I guess this would go wonderfully with unsweetened tea or coffee!

The Bibingka is a Christmas dessert that originates from the Philippines which Chef Allen has thoughtfully included. It’s made from rice flour, coconut milk, cheese, salted egg and topped with shavings of Hawaiian coconut. A bit like our local bingka ubi, minus the tapioca, I like the Bibingka for the rich Asian flavours.

Spending his first Christmas here in Malaysia, Chef Allen is inspired to develop a collection of festive beverages, themed “All Spiced Up & Ready to Go Drinks”. They are mostly European beverages tailor-made for Delicious customers and includes some of his childhood favourites.

Gingerbread Latte

Minted Hot White Chocolate

The hot & spicy range of drinks include the Gingerbread Latte, Minted Hot White Chocolate, Mulled Cranberry & Apple and the Hot & Spicy Grape Juice. Or if you prefer chilled drinks, there are the Pear & Cinnamon Ice-cream Smoothie, the Delicious Festive Iced Tea and the Ice-blended Clove Coffee.

Pear & Cinnamon Ice-cream Smoothie

The Delicious Festive Iced Tea

“A Delicious Christmas” runs from 1-31 December 2012 throughout all Delicious outlets in Malaysia. All beverages are priced at RM12.90++ while the desserts are priced at RM16.90++ each.

The promo items (except for the Bibingka) are available for takeaway in addition to traditional Christmas goodies like Roasted Turkey Crown, Beef Wellington and Roasted Stuffed Leg of Lamb. Order forms are available in the back pockets of menus at all Delicious cafes in Malaysia or you can download them from:

www.thedeliciousgroup.com

Delicious Cafe
G-7 & G-8 Tower A, St Mary Place
No. 1, Jalan Tengah, Off Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
T: 603 2022 1983 F: 603 2022 2083
MON-SUN & PH: 10.00am – 11.00pm