Somewhere over the Skybar, Way Up High

Since I am holed up in Bangsar most of the time, it is rare that I get to venture into the city centre for lunch, so when Aly asked me to join her for lunch at the SKYBAR,



with the promise of Terry Ong also being present, (but of course, he FFK-ed as usual), I delightedly accepted the invite. Actually, we were invited, by Theresa Goh, Director of Marketing and Communications for Traders Hotel, to sample the new IN BETWEEN menu...a cross between a sandwich and a burger. These days, the lines for everything are so blurred anyway, and in betweens exist in all sizes, shapes and sizes. There's the Proton, which is neither a car nor a motorbike, there's Aly, who's both from Essex and Penang all at the same time, ...and there was also Paranoid Android present at lunch, who is in between a genius and a ....erm, android.

So, the Sandwich cum Burger... they who have been before me have already named them the Sander or the Burgwich. However, due to the stunning photos from Paranoid Android, and Aly, do NOT visit their blogs until you have finished reading here, or you'll never come back. Sob.


All this fancy waters that are served.


A rather potent Bloody Mary. (the drink, not the chick). Lovely thing to be sipping on a shiny blistery afternoon, with a stunning panoramic view of KL. This is probably one of her more flattering angles. (KL, not the chick) Reminds me of Bette Midler's song, "From a Distance".






Grilled Free Range Chicken with Melted Brie and Black Pepper Sauce. The french fries are rather good too. They must have been spawned from one giant potato, as they were very long. AT RM23++, I would find this to be a complete meal on its own, and considering the venue, I'd say it was VERY affordable.





This almost makes you want to ditch your office clothes and go in for a soak.


I digress, but I fail to see how a skybridge at the 40 something-th floor can be a tourist attraction. Why they didnt allow an observatory at the top of the building, as most "Tallest in the world" buildings tend to do, is really beyond fathoming. I'd feel really cheated, if I paid good money to enter one of the world's tallest buildings, only to be allowed to ascend to barely midway.


Ah, back to the food. An absolutely moist and yummy grilled mince lamb loin burger with pesto and sour cream. Actually, if eating according to your bloodtype is true, then according to mine, (AB+, the most recently developed bloodtype), then lamb is my thing. The fragrance of the lamb wafts up to the nostrils as one sinks their teeth into the succulent patty. RM23++


Oooh, Runaway Yolk, Runaway Yolk. I like!!! I think ALL sandwiches should come with an option of a sunny side up with runny yolks. Grilled Australian sirloin, and freshly baked cabiatta. RM32++.


Let's not forget our vegetables, chewdren. A crisp romaine lettuce caesar salad, with crispy bits of beef bacon (okay, I shall not go on a tirade on my beef with beef bacon), and healthily baked, not fried, croutons.


Grilled Black Angus Loin, Beef Bacon, Blue Cheese and Caramelised Onion. At RM42++, this is the most pricey In Between item on the menu, but for all intents and purposes, you ARE getting a good size steak, so I reckon it's value for money. Blue cheese, yum, you cant really go wrong with that can you. Except, by this time, you can imagine, all three of us were slipping into a food coma.


Pan Seared Cod Fish With Pea Puree. I swear Theresa was trying to make us pass out at the Skybar. So much to eat! We effectively were served 2 portions per person, since there were 3 of us eating, and we had 6 In Betweens to try. And that didnt include the Caesar Salad. If you are a man of Cod, then this is the dish for you. RM28++.


Scrambled Eggs, Smoked Salmon and Black Truffle.... ARGH, how cruel to serve this last, scrambled eggs and black truffle, my favourite!!!! RM23++. Heck, I feel like heading to Traders right now for lunch.


Lunch With Two Lovely Ladies, and an Android, high above the clouds, with stunning views, and delicious food. Can life get any better?

Skybar is on the 33rd Floor of Traders Hotel, and is a happening place at night too. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my first daytime experience here. And for that kind of lunch, I'd say it is pretty darn good value for money.

Thanks Theresa for graciously hosting us, and to Pawm, for asking me. Oh, Terry, Happy Lenting.

Il Lido In The Spring

I wasn't really aware that we celebrated the Four Seasons here, and if it wasn't for reminders like these, that Il Lido was launching their new spring menu, I'd probably say we were somewhere between Summer...and Hotter Summer, in our local season. Actually, someone should for the sake of variety, create four seasons for our equatorial weather, with interesting names. In Malaysia, we probably have The Moist (rainy season), The Oven (Chinese New Year Time), The Haze (once a year sure one!), and December. December seems to be a season all on its own, everyone winds down, there's a holiday feel...yeah, it's my favourite season.

I digress as usual. When the inimitable Lyla of Il Lido (she reminds me of an energizer bunny, so full of energy) asked us to pop over to taste the new Spring Menu, I was unabashedly delighted, coz I really do like Il Lido, and all my dining experiences there have been above par. For the uninitiated, its located across the Australian High Commission on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, in a building that must have been someone's house before. The company was sterling as well, with the famous Boolicious, (Masak Masak), Alison Victor (Aly's Wonderland), Ciki of Cumi & Ciki, (that famous international travel and food blog), Famed Food Writer and Culinary Guru, Marian Eu Hooi Khaw... indeed, I was amongst the glitterati of the food literary world. And of course our charming hostess, Lyla Lin. From Singapore. But is very nice.


I made a conscious effort not to fill up on the bread, which is utterly delectable. Bits and bobs of herbacious goodness in a light, moist bread that suits our Asian palate to a T.


The Elegant amuse bouche. I always marvel at teeny weeny Amuse Bouches are served in huge plates...there's something fascinating about that concept. It's like a person occupying a large palace, alone. On the one hand, it shows the importance and grandeur of the person, but on the other hand, there is a sense of loneliness about the whole thing. Anyway, one should NOT overanalyze the emotions and mental health of an amuse bouche. Deep fried camembert, if I remember correctly. One pop in the mouth and its gone. Yummy.


The Family Set Menu comes with 5 Classic antipasti, (I am assuming antipasti is the plural of antipasto, and not a relative of Paranoid Android's whom he constantly refers to), starting with a Vine Ripened Tomato Crab & Tuna Tartare. I cannot say this was my favourite, as I am not really a fan of raw tuna, even sashimi. (I do like certain varieties though like hamachi and all the bellies).



Buffalo Mozarella Cheese, absolutely yummy, and guess what? Made within our own shores. Some of you might remember that this fella started making cheeses in Langkawi.


Parma Ham with Rockmelon. Thinly sliced, and almost melt in the mouth slices complemented with sweet cantaloupe.


The elegant menage a trois.


I loved this dish of Crispy Calamari, which is also part of the antipasti platter. The batter is not heavy, and the squid is not tough. Makes for a lovely accompaniment with alcohol.





But this has to be the bomb. Eggplant Parmigiana. Something like a lasagna, and a mousakka, combining the best of both, yet not too rich, (I can never finish a whole serving of lasagna), and the egg plant is absolutely delicious and smooth.





Seafood Casserole With lobster Broth. Its like they took a section of the ocean with abundant marine life and made it into a reduction... fabulous prawny bisquey flavours, but not overly thick or creamy. This is an additional ala carte item, not part of the family menu.


Crispy Codfish & Mashed Potatoes. Well, I am not sure what kind of "FAMILY" this FAMILY menu is targetting, but this is certainly NOT your ordinary fish and chips that you'd feed your screaming toddler. Flaky but firm pieces of codfish in a light crisp batter.


Stuffed Quail With Goose Liver and Roasted Carrot Puree.... my favourite of the night I think. I recently attended a friend's birthday dinner and found out the strangest fact about another friend. He absolutely cannot get himself to eat small birds if the head etc are served intact. As is often the case with quail. Well, no such problems here. The quail is deboned, rolled up into lovely bite sized pieces, and the gaminess of the quail and the richness of the goose liver, mmmm, heavenly. And who'd have thought that roasted carrot puree could be so palatable.


Garganelli Pasta With Fava Bean Cream. Now, Fava beans are only in my vocabulary because my kid has G6PD, an enzyme deficiency apparently very common amongst Asian boys, and Fava beans are one of the items they are not supposed to eat. However, that doesn't stop the father from indulging. Actually, its very creamy, I guess just like any kidney bean that you may mash up, but the pasta, superb.


Knock knock who's there? Potato Gnocchi and White Wine sauce. What's with the Silent consonants in front of all these knocking gnocchi sounds? If it were up to me, I'd spell it noki. Like a nokia without the A. Lovely texture, but really very filling. I would never be able to finish a whole plate of this by myself.


Grilled Prime Beef With Rucola, Parmigiano Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. This was the least favourite of mine, mainly because the beef was not particularly flavourful. I don't like beef drenched in gravy, but this naked beef did not have the usual lovely juiciness that accompanies a good piece of steak.


Homemade Spaghetti With Cod, Artichokes and Mint. Lovely flavour, though we commented the spaghetti was a bit on the soft side. Turns out its meant to be that way, as the spaghetti is homemade and cant be al dente per se.


By this time, of course we were like stuffed up to our noses. But the desserts are just too good to miss. Tiramisu, well, if an Italian restaurant like Il Lido doesnt get it right, then there's hardly hope for the rest of the world. Great stuff.


Molten Lava Chocolate Cake. Not really my favourite. But that's just me, its obviously a hit with the others.


Now this, the Panna Cotta, THIS I LOVE!!!! YUMMMMY. I could finish the entire thing myself. Lovely wobbly texture without being gelatinous, creamy, melt in the mouth...mmmmmm, ah, naughty thoughts naughty thoughts!


And to end, lovely petit fours, elegant and tiny, like the amuse bouche. They must be related.

The family Sets are priced at RM148 per person, but I seriously reckon, for a family of 4, or even for 4 adults, two portions plus a couple of additional alacarte items would be MORE than sufficient.

I look forward to bringing the "FAMILY" (not my own...one that can pay their own way preferably) there for a night of indulgent cuisine and merriment.

Thanks muchly Lyla!

Sanook Promo

Martin Yan 's "8 Treasures of China" Tour

Thank goodness of AFC, who brings to us a whole host of celebrity chefs. If not for AFC, we might be still stuck in the culinary wilderness, eating rice and curry morning noon and night. Martin Yan, of YAN CAN COOK fame, not to be confused with another Yan, which is Wok with Yan. Nope, that's not him.

So, when Alice George PR company invited me to attend Martin Yan's show, it was like a kid being asked if he would like to meet Spongebob in person. The venue this time was at the swanky Ritz Carlton, and a slew of familiar faces were there, namely Pure Glutton, Alison aka Pawm Pawm, Eu Hooi Khaw, SuperWilson of Food and Places, The Nomad Gourmand, and of course, that dashing F&B Manager of the Ritz Carlton, Oliver Ellerton.



One of the first comments made by Martin was the fact that his face was NOT on the AFC poster. Gasp!

Martin's missing face.....However, I wouldn't mind, seeing as to how I have a whole full bodied poster occupying the backdrop.





Chef Martin Yan proceeds to dazzle us with his cleavage. Oops, I mean cleaver. His cleaverage skills are astounding. Chopping at the speed of lights, slicing, julienning, chopping and dicing with one fell stroke of the knife. The fella is really a born entertainer as well. Amusing, engaging, one can't help but be quite entranced by the entertaining chef.


And really, that's what its all about, showmanship. Or a large part of it anyway. The recipes in themselves are simple, as Chef Martin himself acknowledged. We are not there to look at the recipes, but at the techniques. And this is true actually.


The first dish served was a lovely chicken siu mai, (obviously no pork is served at such events), in a delicious tangy chilli sauce.


We have one satisfied customer here, who had earlier on also received a rose from the Chef himself.


Next was a demo on panfried potstickers, (chinese gyozas I guess). Again, he made it look all so effortless. Actually the proper name are yin and yang dumplings. I can't recall now which are the yin or the yang.





Finally, a lovely deep fried spring roll on an amazing avocado relish. I think this was my favourite, mainly because of the avocado.

One of his many talents, with that super cleaver of his, is the ability to chop up a chicken and debone in 18 seconds. It really all happened so fast, the minute he finished the 10 minute preamble....on how to relax a chicken, (a dead one, not a live one), before chopping it up.



Check out Aly's Post here, Pure Glutton's Post here.

Oh, I bought his book too. RM100. And got the man's autograph.

Cooking WIth Cole Thomas

The press release reads, COLE THOMAS, Chef, Innovator, Restaurateur, Communicator, ...he LEVITATES food above the dinner plate, he pairs cuisine samples of the new vintage at Hentley Farm. He founded and defined the modern Empirical Cuisine movement that is remodelling the food landscape in Adelaide.

Brought here as an ambassador of Tourism Australia, for the upcoming MATTA fair, Chef Cole Thomas was really an unexpected bonus for a humdrum Tuesday. I received an invite from the PR company for Tourism Australia, the day before the event. Usually, honestly, I'd have dismissed such a last minute invite, but the program intrigued me, coz first of all, it was to feature fresh seafood from South Australia, such as it was to be held in KL Hilton, and it also had a cooking class thrown in, whereby the results of the class would be judged by the Chef himself. Well, it intrigued me yet put me off at the same time...the last thing I need midweek is the duress and stress of having to cook under pressure.

The venue, KL Hilton. The reward, "you get to enjoy a spectacular menu of Yellowtail kingfish, Scallops, Frozen Choc Mousse,Black Olive cake", after the cooking class. No, that is not what WE had to cook for the "competition". Ours was less fancy.... a prawn salad, with asian style dressing, lamb cutlets with pumpkin risottto, and french lemon tart. All in an hour. Sounded daunting, and impossible.


To borrow a phrase from GFAD, these cooking classes are like Cooking With GPS. Everything is laid out for you, and it's rather autopilot. Even the garlic and chillies had been chopped. After the usual preamble and pleasantries and introductions, we were split into three teams. Our team comprised Esther Choi of Traveller's Digest Of Malaysia, Azli Khairi, of SANTAI, the Malay version of the same magazine, and Stephanie also from Traveller's Digest and SANTAI.


Chef Cole briefs us on what is to be expected, and what is to be done. He is highly animated and entertaining. He explains that he is actually American born, but married an Aussie and has since settled Down Under.


First he demonstrates briefly how to shell, gut and pan sear the lovely Spencer Gulf prawns, .... which obviously looks easier than it seems. Esther very deftly slipped on her surgical gloves and proceeded to shell and gut the prawns like a pro. Azli, who claimed he didnt cook, seemed to be a natural as well....it's amazing how everything just jelled in our team, without much supervision.

He also shows us how to use his modern mortar and pestle, which he lugged all the way from Australia, I think. Its that contraption with the grey lid and white body in front of him....


That's Chef demonstrating how to make a risotto. Honestly, I am not a risotto fan, and it looked impossible to make. Patience is required, and I am not listing that as one my strengths. That's when the cool and calm Azli took on the role of the quiet achiever. Actually, when Chef Cole was going around, he announced, RATHER loudly, gufffaww, that Team 3 (ours) looked like we were in trouble, as others had their pots boiling and ...well, very terror la.

It was rather exciting actually, as we all stepped up into 5th gear when the chef announced that remaining time was like 10 minutes.... quite the proverbial tortoise we were. Towards the end, the Chef actually said something to the effect, "Hmmm, I might have underestimated Team 3".... as I think we were the first to have two plated dishes ready.


Our Spencer Gulf Prawns, green papaya, shallots, lime, peanuts, chilli and mint salad. Esther had tossed in a few extra berries, which added nicely to the colour. Our dish won overall best for creativity, taste and presentation, though for actual presentation, another team's won, as it was beautifully plated, and yet ANOTHER Team won for taste. So we were like, Jack of all trades, master of none for this one.


Lemon Curd Tart. Again, a tough fight between us and Team 1 (who had added lemon zest...Aiyo, I completely forgot the zest, as it wasn't ready zested on the table, and you had to ZEST IT YOURSELF!)...


Lamb Cutlet With Pumpkin Risotto. Now, this dish really required faith, because the risotto looked like "bubur tak jadi" (congee that didn't make it), and we were honestly wondering how the heck we were going to pull this off, without breaking the chef's teeth. Miraculously, it all fell into place at the last minute. Chef liked our pumpkin. I can't remember who's was the best for this dish, possibly team 1, coz their herbs had been chopped and marinated the lamb well.


Team THREE - ...which I am proud to say, was adjudged the overall WINNERRRRRRSSSS!!!!! Wooo HOOOO!!!!



One of Chef's party tricks is to make food levitate...using a lot of liquid nitrogen. Don't ask me the science of it all. We all looked like Hogwarts students crowding around Severus Snape, ...erm, not that Chef Cole is sinister, but Snape, is, let's face it, the best wizard amongst that lot of teachers, ... unfortunately, the food was a bit stubborn and refused to fully levitate. To watch the full levitation, HEAD over to the MATTA FAIR from 11-13 March, PWTC, Hall 1, Booth 1223-1227, 1250-1259, 1282-1286, for food demos at 11-12 noon, 2-3pm, 4.30-5.30pm. Daily!


The Winning Team getting our certificates, and the prize, which was a pad, but sadly, not an "I" variety. It didnt require any batteries....


All the participants....


Lunch is served...Red Mullet with Saffron and Capers Sofrito, Peaches and Sweet Corn.... lovely fresh fish, gorgeous texture.


We had a choice of KLCC Twin Towers, (Chicken Breasts, Scallop, Miso Crumbs, Broadbeans, which I didnt take), OR



Yellowtail Kingfish With Trout Roe, and Black Squid Ink Crumbs. The fish was lovely, exceedingly fresh, but the squid ink crumbs, hmmm, is an acquired taste.


Frozen Chocolate Mousse, (a bit TOO frozen, by liquid nitrogen, because none of the assisting chefs knew how to handle liquid nitrogen), with Black Olive Cake and Salted Caramel, Goats Curd, (I nearly said Turd), and Smoked Chocolate. All very exotic, but frankly, a bit too complex for my plebian palate.


If you look hard, you can see the almost levitating piece of nori wrapped fish.


And what a pleasant way to spend a humdrum Tuesday afternoon.

So head over to the MATTA FAIR to catch Chef Cole in action, and thanks to Tourism Australia and team for the invite.