Thursday, October 07, 2010

MIGF in Chynna

THREE OUTLETS, THREE CHEFS, THREE FESTIVAL PROMOTIONS AND A MICHELIN STAR CHEF, cries the press release.

Photobucket

So when Aly of Red FM asked me if I would like to attend the MIGF thingie at Chynna, I replied, "Hmm, let me think long and hard about this. Great company, great venue, possibly great food"...think think think..."duhh, [slapping forehead], I think I have to say YES".

Photobucket
The very affable Chef HH Lam, who has been with the Hilton so long, he says his H H stands for Hilton Hilton. (His real name is Chef Lam Hock Hin).

Photobucket
Cold Black Ink Soba in Sesame Sauce and Smoked Seared Hokkaido Scallops. The soba was delightfully al dente. At first bite, I initially thought the sauce was too salty, but surprisingly, as I continued eating, it didn't seem so, and by the end of it, all of us wouldn't have minded wiping our plates clean with a slice of bread.

Photobucket
Picture of a Picture..the Canon people took this nice pic of us...our fellow diners for the night are Celebrity Penang blogger, CK Lam, (the definitive Penang Street Food Guide), Eric Yong, Aly of Red FM, and ...little old me.

Double Boiled Duck Broth With Good stuff, Radix and Yu Zhu. Since Chynna is pork free, duck actually makes a fabulous substitute, because its fattiness and red meatness imparts a distinct flavour to the broth. Since I am one of those who goes, "Give Us This Day our Daily Soup" I was delighted with this dish. Clear, but so tasty, and chock full of goodness.

Photobucket
Seafood Platter With Canadian Cod, Curry Dry Prawns and Salmon Tangy Mustard Sauce. I personally liked the Cod the best, despite not being a big fan of cod. The salmon was also very well cooked, not overdone, still moist in the centre. The interesting sauces that accompanied the trio really complemented each one.

Photobucket
The Salmon, and a crispy bit of deep fried salmon skin. Absolutely yummy.

Photobucket


Photobucket
Sous Vide Lamb Cutlet With Pepper Mint Sauce. Behold the lamb. Not something you'd make at home, coz you need to marinate, vacuum pack it, steam it, and pan sear it. Excellent dish this. In fact, Chynna is famous for its lamb. Their mint fried lamb is always a hit.

Photobucket
Wok Fried Somen Noodle With Shell Meat served in a Golden Katafi. You know, every last bit of this was good. Even the golden katafi nest. Finished every last strand. Truly inspired, this dish. The piece of shell meat gave that interesting chewy texture, the noodle the springy texture, the nest, the crispy texture. Can a tongue handle so many sensations I ask!

Photobucket
I love the setting of Chynna.... the hot steaming steamers... I am not sure what they were steaming at that hour of night.

Photobucket
Coconut Mousse Cake With Pumpkin Puree. More western than chinese, as pointed out by my fellow diners. But good, nonetheless. A bit like a panna cotta, but not as smooth.

Photobucket

The Hilton PR people were doing musical chairs, flitting between Iketeru, Senses and Chynna, and here we manage to capture the very belle Bel.

At RM168++ per head without wine pairing, I'd say this was pretty good value for money, as far as the MIGF selections are concerned. Wine pairing is RM 248++.

I'm putting this up in a hurry so ahem, it'll get longest and soonest possible exposure, since MIGF only lasts a month, and a week is already gone.

Thanks to Chef Lam, Bel, Jean for being such gracious hosts, and of course to Aly for inviting me.

15 comments:

thule a.k.a leo said...

eh!! for the price, it's not that bad! normally they charge more than 200 per head

UnkaLeong said...

That's a decent price to pay, given the quality of food being served.

J said...

Wah. That is a very good price (as compared to the other MIGF menus)!!

Ciki said...

gr8 food and a write up that does it justice.. what more u want? :P


Aly looks gorgeous.. i love the way she is wearing her hair;D!!!

boo_licious said...

I love the cod too as the topping was to die for. Took double helpings of it in MIGF's launch. Btw, which yam dish was Aly raving about? It sounded darn mouthwatering from her descriptions.

ck lam said...

It was a pleasure meeting up with you at the dinner :) It sure was an enjoyable evening.
Hope to catch up with you again.

Julian Si said...

Ah... the legendary Penang blogger, Miss Lam :-)

WELL DONE bro, another finely written and gorgeously shot blog! Cheers.

Wish I was home ...

gfad said...

Oh, you mean that picture of a picture by Canon was really a picture of one of those developed-from-film photo ar? It kinda reminded me of a photo taken in the 80s/90s during some dinner that was scanned for posterity..

Please ask Aly to ask her chef friend to do a guest stint in Hilton AD. Food here is kinda unimaginative, to say the least. :P

Then she can come. And she can invite you to come oso.. ^_^

Kiran said...

The seafood platter looks sedap :) Yum!

vialentino said...

love chynna food a lot....i remember i had my first lobster with my gf dat time...wife now....thou is super exp but a worth one

fatboybakes said...

vialentino, yeah, the food there is consistently good. and actually, if you dont order "market price" items, its okay one.

kiran, it was...long time no see. how are you?

fatboybakes said...

kat, dei, of course it wasnt from FILM la, in this day and age. but they only gave us one copy, so we had to take pic of the pic lor...looks so dated hor..i like.

jules, how long more are you gonna be there ah??? wah, how come all the abudabians comment at the same time.

fatboybakes said...

ck, the feeling is mutual, so nice to have met you finally. at least that commentor cklam is no longer just a name!

boo, yummy, yup, love the cod.

fatboybakes said...

ciki, aw, you too kind. but yeah, aly is always gorgeous ma.

J, yup, so much so, i have half a mind to return again. but aiya, even the usual food there is good la.

fatboybakes said...

unka and leo, yup, pretty decent pricing indeed.