Nibbleish Food Crawl Event, Changkat Bukit Bintang

Time flies. I didnt realise it was more than a month ago that we attended the Nibbleish event at Leonardo's, and the food crawl in Jln Bangkung, courtesy of Julian Si, Memoirs of a Chocaholic and Nigel Wong of Nibbleish.com.

Another invite to try out the Changkat Bukit Bintang restaurants popped up, and I thought, ah, why not, in these bad times, if one has to work for one's supper, so be it. There is a whole school of thought, spawned from these complimentary food tasting events. However, let's not go into that, suffice to say, under certain circumstances, I see no harm, and in fact, and sometimes rather pleased to be called, afterall, you get to meet new people, etc etc... as was the case here. I met the delightful Alexandra of Chefspiration, the very friendly people from FoodStreet.com, the owners of Le Bouchon, Delucca and Palate Palette, the team from Nibbleish, and another member of the Wong family I didn't know existed. (Nigel's family, that is)....

We assembled at LeBouchon first, where the briefing began (similar to the one at the previous Nibbleish function) and we were served some delectable titbits, and a glass of bubbly, ...and the affable owner, Phillipe Le Francois told us about LeBouchon, and its homely concept, complete with fireplace....




We were given a tour of his upstairs tenant, Envie, a new club, complete with interactive dance floor, (can probably play twister on it), and nice rooftop garden.

To recap, how it works is, you buy the coupon online from Nibbleish, at a discounted rate, and can opt for your starter, mains and dessert at 3 different participating restaurants in the vicinity. For this particular event, starters were at FLAMS, sister restaurant, and pork free, to the famed Bermuda and Onion.

Choices available were a dill cured smoked salmon with ginger seasoning and garden salad, a beef tenderloin carpaccio with parmesan, rocket salad , and truffles soft egg laid on mashed potatoes and celeriac.






As I foresee myself careening towards a high uric acid and gout state in my older age, since I am genetically predisposed to it, I thought, heck, I might as well go for the beef while I still can.


My Beef Carpaccio was HUGE!!!!! Very generous portion indeed, and very nice. It's like eating beef sashimi, I guess. Generally, the idea of eating raw animals from the land isn't as appealing as eating those from the sea, maybe because the original cavemen discovered fire, and cooked mammoths and other meats over it....but the carpaccio was tender and succulent.






The Strawberry Bellini is basically a strawberry puree in some bubbly, I'm guessing either a prosecco or a cava. Very refreshing, and deceptively mild. It is priced at RM22++.


The interior of Flams is dotted with pictures of celebrities we are supposed to be able to identify immediately. The one above is Brigitte Bardot, me thinks.


Of course I know not who's posterior is juxtaposed against the famous Parisian landmark. Can anyone enlighten me?

After a brief tour of Bermuda & Onion, we walked over the the quieter area where No Black Tie, Palate Palette and this new place, reside.

Delucca is located on the ground floor of the spanking new building called One Residency on Jalan Nagasari, although the entrance is more on Jln Mesui.



Choices here were the Fabrizio's Home made fish ravioli with tomato zuchinni and prawn sauce. It looked good, and I didnt hear any complaints to the contrary.



The lamb and mint risotto, according to Alexandra, was a bit bland. I am not a risotto fan anyway, so it would have been an unlikely choice for me.



The other choice was the Home made fettucine with spicy seafood. They are rather generous with their prawns. Huge. Alas, a bit overcooked. But I loved the texture of the fettucine. Correctly al dente, and VERY tasty. I won't mind having it again.






Now, the next stop, is a place I've ALWAYS wanted to go, since Awhiffoflemongrass and her clan speak so much about it. So I was thrilled to know we were desserting here.






There were some really interesting drinks offered to us for trying, which are on the menu.


From the back, the Cappucino Crush, the Oh Boi, RM15 nett (calamansi assam boi with a kick), asam boi, RM7, (minus the kick), and my favourite, the CHILI PADI PASSION MARTINI RM20 nett. A whole new range of sensations as the fiery potion goes through your tastebuds. The proprietor, Paul, (I think) was explaining to us the concept behind the drinks, with his American accent.



Desserts offering included Toasted Carrot Cake.....



I am not a hardcore carrot cake fan, and I feel its too healthy a way to end the night....

A gorgeous ginger creme brulee....which I must order when I go again...thanks Alexandra for the bite,



And dark chocolate cheese cake. Contrary to popular belief, I dont eat out all that often, so I reckon, when I do, I might as well indulge.



The cheesecake was VERY rich, a bit TOO rich for me. I guess if you had had a light meal, this will definitely seal the deal.... but otherwise, I'd stick to the ginger creme brulee.

Now, this entire package is priced at an AMAZING RM51++, if you purchase it from Nibbleish. I reckon that is REALLLLLY good value for money. So, want to kill three birds with one stone, go for it!!!

Molecular Gastronomic Dinner By Chef Heiko Antoniewcz

"Taste is the Sum of Quality, Experience and Imagination" - Chef Heiko Antoniewicz

The full title of this post should be, School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (part of KDU) proudly presents .....da da da...

I was delighted when Chef Ryan Khang and the team from My Nourishment magazine invited me to join them in VERY limited places, for the above mentioned dinner. I never knew that within those hallowed halls of KDU, there is also a dining room that's set up restaurant style, for simulated restaurant dining experience, complete with full bar even. As I hesitantly walked through the gates, a group of eager beaver young chefs wannabe chirpily asked, "here for the molecular gastronomy event?", and proceed to guide me to the dining room. The place is decked out like a restaurant, complete with candlelight and centrepiece flowers. Candlelight? In this day and age? In any case, I cant understand why candlelight dinners are considered romantic. It makes for terrible lighting, there's a symbolic fire between you and your loved one, and its a waste of wax. Bring on the bright lights, where one can see what one is eating, and the expressions on your date.

I digress. Yeah, gawd, sometimes I wonder if all chefs are good looking. Life's quite unfair isn't it, they are bestowed with looks and talent. He's also a Michelin Star chef. I think he had links with El Buli, etc.... oh, yeah, this post is just a teaser... as I am supposed to be writing a proper article for MY NOURISHMENT. No free lunch, or dinner, as they say. But worth it.







My Nourishment is obviously involved in a big way, as the chefs even wear their name on their sleeves. Its like wearing your heart on your sleeve huh.



First, the preamble... launching of Chef Heiko's book. The book was encased in an ice sculpture, and the boss of KDU had to chisel at it, to launch it.



One of the best things about this was that we were privvy to the goings on in the kitchen, and were allowed to waltz in and out freely snapping away. Well, it really is a mini hell's kitchen, with the chief chef barking orders etc, minus about 98% of Gordon Ramsay's colorful language.



The one barking wasn't Chef Heiko....he seems like a rather affable sorta chef...even smiles while he works. Having said that, I do not mean it in any derogatory way, about the chief chef barking orders. It is, of course necessary. Gosh, the assembly lines are like with military precision. No wonder you need a Sergeant Major to bark away.



Truth be told, being the culinary plebian that I am, I wasn't entirely sure WHAT all this MOLECULAR stuff was about, and assumed it referred to the serving portions. After all, that looked like a pretty molecular sized piece of salmon, on a rather unmolecular sized plate.



But I was wrong, of course. You can read the proper definition as defined by Wikipedia, here. The portions are far from molecular sized actually, and I was soon to be a convert.

There's a lot of fancy gagdetry and equipment involved, so I guess it's not going to be something you replicate in your kitchen.



I haven't seen a petri dish since my last Chemistry lab class in first year uni, which was ....err....before some food bloggers were born. (1984).





The above stuff was for the starters, which is Lime Infused Smoked Salon in Facets, Green Apple, Celery & Endive. Omigoodness, the flavours!!! I haven't had such a titillating sensation for quite awhile. It was enough to make any flaccid tongue perk up in anticipation.


Our Roast Potatoes as hot pot, parsley. Floating in the soup were also potatoes that had been foamed, and a lovely piece of gelatinous green stuff, err...I forget what now, that had a lovely interesting texture that just stimulates the palate in ways I had never known.



Of course, one was left with eager anticipation to see what these rice filled (beras, not nasi) glasses were for.


More fancy gadgetry, to produce foam.

The Veal Loin and Shank, cooked for 48 hours at 72 degrees, (48/72) was DEEEEEEEEVINE. Well, the loin was anyway. I thought the shank wasn't as nice as the loin. It was served with creamed spinach, and mustard egg. Ah, the mustard egg....a little gobule of taste sensations.... I almost felt like Harry Potter eating those magic sweets, where you don't know what flavour it is, and they pop in your mouth. Of coure, throughout this sublime experience, I was texting Thamby to tell her about it, and all I got in reply was, "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU". We live n SUCH a hostile world I tell you.

Ah, food wizardry, literally. Making of a raspberry sorbet using liquid nitrogen.... at minus 120C, apparently if you put your finger in the liquid, it'll drop off faster than Bobbit's you know what. What a scary thought. I don't think I'll be stocking any liquid nitrogen at home.... mind you, what a great way to quickly get a cold drink. Or freeze your eggs, cryogenically. Or seed. Or whatever else.



My life is now complete....



Oh, another slogan on the chef's costumes..... looks good....like something from the American Civil War...FOR PRIDE AND HONOR....

We were also given a tour of the new dedicated molecular kitchen in KDU, one of a kind in any culinary school in Asia, and possibly in the world. (I have to check my facts before writing the proper article, but since the readers here...well, are hardddddly sticklers for detail and accuracy, I just whack only)...

A special thanks to:

Chef Ryan Khang, doing a Nigella pose

......and the two pretty sisters from Cooking House and My Nourishment,a nd Chef Kenneth of KDU.

And The Winner is....

The slogan contest, which was, "Going to this beef place and eating popiah is like ..... is like.... ____________________"?

[Note: actually, there's nothing wrong with the popiah, its reputedly quite good, but here we are, Ciki and I, pigging out on cow, and Chef Ryan Khang orders popiah only, hence the comment...)





J2kfm: popiah in a beef place? erm, spaghetti in china town?

Sean : going to this beef place and eating popiah is like being fbb's friend and preferring secret recipe's cakes?

Life For Beginners:Going to this beef place and eating popiah is like ..... is like.... dating Thamby and not tasting her "Thamb" at the end of the night

QwazyMonkey : errr since my england not veli good, I won't even try to attempt the slogan contest. I just shuddup now.

Ciki: I could have tongued all night.... (2X) and still have begged for more... !

Hairy Berry: Going to this beef place and eating popiah is like ..... is like.... using fingers to do things that tounges are more capable of

Ciki again: goin 2a tongue plc and eating popiah is lk watchn bovine sex.. Stilmulation, extraction, insemination but no cow to cow friction!

Girl From Abu Dhabi: Going to this beef place and eating popiah is like .....using someone else's finger to dig your nose

Henry Yeo: yay!!! beef tongues!!!!
makes one scream on the top of their lungs.
If you have not taken the plunge,
be prepared to get hung.

Henry Yeo : (in the subsequent post) Slogan:

...ordering Sarawak Laksa in Penang,
or even Dim Sum at any Dai Chao at any time.
He deserves to go out on a hang,
for ordering just french fries at Le Meridian's Prime.


THE WINNER IS.....drum roll, we (AWOL and I) both decided, is GIRL FROM ABU DHABI...but since the vouchers expire before she returns, we both decided that SHE now has to choose a winner from the remaining entries......

Second prize goes to Henry Yeo.....Henry, please contact AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS to arrange to pick up the voucher...or we can mail it to you by snail mail.

Macarons From The Young Patissier

A few months ago, Young Breadpitt (I just LOVE that nickname...) posted on his blog asking for slogans on WHY one should date a pastry chef. Well, to be honest, if I were a woman, I won't, coz I'd want to have an hourglass figure, and dating a pastry chef would be like an alcoholic dating Remy Martin or J.C. Jacobsen.

Breadpitt was offering some lovely handmade pralines as a prize for the slogans, and well, I've never had much luck in slogan writing.... If I were to write a slogan for Anchor Beer, for example, I'd say, "Is your life tossing in the sea of tribulation like a ship about to sink? You need an ANCHOR!". Alas, the person interviewing me for a copywriting job didn't even bother looking up and said, "NEXT".

So yeah, I was pretty surprised when Breadpitt announced that I was one of two winners and qualified to get them lovely handmade pralines. Alas, being the procrastinator that I am, the hours turned to days, the days to weeks, the weeks to months, and the young patissier became increasingly frustrated at my lack of commitment to make it to the appointed place. The one time I could make it, he couldn't!!! Sigh. Anyway, maybe time and tide waits for no man, and neither would handmade pralines, so I guess I could see my box sprout wings and fly away.

Then he asks, "do you like macarons?", shortly after my macaron class. Duhh. Of course I like macarons, if they're of the same quality as Natalie Arbifeuille's. We begin again the negotiation of dates for the long awaited rendezvous....and I suspect macarons have an even shorter shelf life than pralines, so finally, Breadpitt offered to deliver them to a nearby location. Aiyo, I feel so bad. I OWE YOU A DINNER, young man. Or a drink at the very least.

So, finally, I got my hands on these babies. Aren't they simply gorgeous?

Complete with gold leaf. I don't think I've eaten gold leaf before. One only hears and dreams about these things.

The texture is almost similar to Natalie's, and by extension, French. Surprisingly, VERY surprising, it wasn't too sweet either. Breadpitt told me later that he added lemon to the filling, hence neutralising the sweetness. Yeah, we've been taught and told you absolutely CANNOT reduce the sugar quantities in thes French desserts. I couldn't resist popping one into my mouth immediately, although the prescription was to let it chill in the fridge overnight.

And yup, today, it was even better!!!! It actually crisps up in the fridge. Ah, with a cup of coffee, absolute bliss.

Thanks heaps, Breadpitt. You have a new fan!!!!

My Frozen Eggs & MY Shaved Bush

Those of you who have been following my tribulations on facebook would know that I have been having royal pains in accumulating egg whites. For starters, I'd been storing 10 whites to attempt the macaroons... when one morning, I noticed they had DISAPPEARED from the fridge. The maid had used them all up ...and fried them!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

THEN, this week alone, I get 5 orders for pavlovas. That's 30 egg whites, .....which means, 30 yolks I know not how to use. A status message on facebook inviting people to harvest my eggs garnered fairly good response.... uses ranged from feeding dogs, hair masks, face masks, kuih seri muka, tiramisu, ......and the winner, SEMI FREDDO.

Initially I was told by the macaroon instructor, that you cannot store egg yolks. But according to the internet, you can, and salmonella is killed at temperatures of 59C...which isnt very high...(disclaimer here.....that's what the internet said...please do your own research)....

So I lovingly freeze my eggs for Paprika, who said she could use them for semi freddo. I give you my lovingly frozen eggs....just waiting to be in semi-nated with freddo...


Now, not content with using up my egg whites, this same maid TO MY HORROR, cleared out the entire kadok bush that I have been raving about recently!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!! In there no end to the massacre!!!

Anyway, for my impromptu "SLOGAN CONTEST", these are the "vouchers" that I'm giving away. I shall consult with esteemed flogger, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS to decide who is the winning entry. (1st and 2nd prize respectively)


Paprika, I hope you have fun with my frozen eggs.....

[LATEST UPDATE]

For the benefit of Nipple Joe, who wanted to see my shaved bush.....here's the before and after pic...

Before

And AFTER...
the rocky patches were previously covered with luscious bush....