Al Amar Revisited, and the MIGF 2011 (Malaysian International Gourmet Festival)

I have already waxed lyrical recently about Al Amar Express, and the fabulous hospitality of the staff, and owner of Al Amar. They must have liked us, for we were invited back for yet another session, this time, at their Central Kitchen, and also to sample their MIGF menu.

To the uninitiated, MIGF is the Malaysian International Gourment Festival, beginning from 1st Oct - 31st Oct, for participating restaurants. The theme this year is "IT'S RAINING CHEFS". We were really very privileged to have been able to have an insight into their central kitchen facilities, and quite honestly, I was very impressed with what I saw. I had no idea that Al Amar was such a large set up, I assumed they had their two outlets at Pavilion and Fahrenheit 88 and that was it. But, they also do a lot of catering, and not necessary restricted to Lebanese food, as can be seen by this tray of canapes that greeted us upon arrival.





I particularly like the asparagus spear wrapped in beef. The anchovies canapes was a bit salty but then again, what are anchovies if not salty.


Fancy a tart or two? That pineapple ravioli thing is absolutely yummy. Thinly sliced and dried or grilled, I'm not sure, pieces of pineapple, wrapped around a piece of moist cake with a hint of coconut.

The tour begins....


The kitchen, which meets the HACCP standards, (the ISO equivalent for Food Establishments), is immaculate, and is highly professionally organised. Red knives for meat, blue for fish, green for Greens, cold rooms that are as cold as -25°C, and systematic receiving and despatching bays. Quite the dream kitchen, if you ask me. Restaurant kitchens seem to be quite hellish, and hot, but the working environment at the Al Amar Central Kitchen seems to be rather pleasant.



That's Ralph Zeidan there with the Exec Pastry Chef. Joseph Afaki,the owner, with Rusell,


The treasure house, where all the goodies are stored. From cold rooms to the spice room that stocks precious cargo like saffron. Imported Almaza beer from Lebanon, chick peas by the ton, fava beans, all the ingredients that form the core of middle eastern cuisine. It is a veritable Aladdin's cave for the foodie.

Al Amar has a fully equipped catering service, with all kinds of cuisine, and crockery and cutlery as well.

THE AL AMAR MIGF SPREAD

The Lebanese Four Seasons

Labneh Trio With Lebanese Southern Tapenade and a Brush of Thyme. Labneh is that creamy tangy yoghurty cheese dip, and these three balls of it are coated with different spices.


Silky smooth labneh that just titillates the palate. I remarked that it was a rather large pre starter. That was the for the Sunny Start.

For the summer blooms, apricot glazed beetroot tartar on mango leather and rocket coulis.


The taste of beetroot, a very underutilised tuber in our asian cuisines, is refreshing, and almost tangy. The bitter rocket coulis adds another dimension to the sweetish sourish flavours of the beetroot tartar. The mango leather is extraordinary, so thinly sliced, its almost unidentifiable, as is this piece of lotus root. (below)


The piece of lotus root, with a piece of err...dill, I think, stuck onto it, is almost transparent. How they managed to slice a lotus root like that, and where the holes of the lotus root went, is a mystery to me.


For the Autumn Flavours, Spinach bonbon, soujouk mille feuille, and herb crust filled with hommos and grass fed baby lamb fillet.


Lovely parcels of spinach, in a light filo pastry wrap.


I love these lamb sausages. They're full of flavour, almost gamey, and the texture is nice and firm.


This unique thing, I am not sure if it's made to resemble a fish, but contains lovely hommos, and those bits that are the "eyes and nose" of the fish are actually pieces of lamb fillet, which most of us missed.


For the mains, or RAINING CHEFS, a choice, the first being Pan Seared Red Mullet Fillets with Sayadieh Rice & Drops of Fish Jus...incidentally, that rice is amazing. Cooked in fish jus, similar to the way that we would cook hainanese chicken rice in a chicken broth, the flavour is quite extraordinary, and the rice is good enough to eat on its own.

The red mullet is firm and not overcooked. The chive garnishing is used because the Lebanese have a similar kind of flower.



The other choice is Braised Rack of Lamb with Stuffed Baby Marrow and Vine Leaves accompanied by a Garlic Mint Sauce.



These vine leaf wraps are absolutely delicious, different from the ones we had at Al Amar Express. Where those were sour, these are savoury, and meaty.


The lamb rack, OOOHHH MYYYY, to die for. Perfeccctly braised, a glorious pink on the inside, cooked to perfection, and so very tender. The marinade is subtle, and leaves the natural taste of lamb intact, but yet, without that lamby smell that many Malaysians cannot take. Where is the rack, you ask? Well, they lovingly carve out that chunk of meat the base of the lamb rack.


Stuffed baby marrow. Its stuffed with a meatball that has meat and rice. Rather unique.


And for the Sunshine after the Rain....Nougat Glace laid on a bed of vanilla pineapple confit. I am not a nougat fan, as I usually find it sickeningly sweet, but surprisingly, this nougat glace was not.


Spiced chocolate shell. Luscious ice cream within a chocolate shell sitting on one half of a macaron.

The thing about MIGF menus is usually, the prices are exorbitant. However, surprisingly, this menu by AL AMAR is very reasonably priced at RM98++ without wine. You can opt for the wine pairing at RM138++ per person.







Al Amar
Lot 6.10, Pavilion
Kuala Lumpur
03-21661011

Santouka Ramen, Tokyo Street, Pavilion

I've been a bad blogger. The back log of posts is piling up, and it suddenly dawned on me that deep in the archives lurked a post that is long overdue. My apologies to the organisers and proprietors, BUT, on a brighter note, I have been told that since its opening somewhere back July, the place has become a runaway success, and people even have to queue to savour a taste of this delectable ramen.

We were invited to preview SANTOUKA RAMEN, in Tokyo Street, Pavilion Shopping Centre. Everything was spanking new, including Tokyo Street, as people hurriedly rushed to meet the deadline for the official opening the next day, with the Japanese ambassador himself as the guest of honor.

The concept of Tokyo Street itself is rather fascinating. Dominating the area is the huge Daiso store, that famous RM5 store, that has taken KL quite by storm. But I digress.

Yeah, Ramen. That ubiquitous Japanese noodle, that is slimmer than the sobas and udons. Probably is to Japanese what our wantan mee is to the Chinese. (As opposed to our fat hokkien mee etc).





These replicas of the real thing do help the uninformed make an informed decision. Afterall, not many locals speak Japanese.


The pan fried gyozas. Lovely and crisp.


There is obviously some skill involved in making these type of eggs, because it is not easy to ensure the whites are all hard, whilst the yolks are soft and almost runny.





Deep Fried Chicken pieces, which are thankfully thighs, and moist and succulent. I can't understand breast eaters. Might as well eat blotting paper.


Tokusen Toroniku. Pork Cheek Char Siew Japanese style. Lovely and tender, but a bit too lean for my liking. We are mentally used to Char Siew being artery clogging with layers of divine fat.


...yup, fat like the one in that solo piece of pork belly. Apparently one bowl comes with only one slice of this precious pork. The pork broth (did I mention it was not halal? ) is tasty, and wholesome, although I am sure it is laden with that secret ingredient that laces most Japanese soups. The shio ramen's broth was lovely, light and yet chockful of flavour.


They do have a few varieties of soups, including a spicy version.

Check out the review by IAMTHEWITCH here.

They must have certainly have a winning formula, for not many establishments, apart from government departments and Maxis, have long queues waiting to be served.

Hokkaido Santouka Ramen
Tokyo Street,
Lot 6.24.03, Level 6 Pavilion KL,
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel No.: +603-2143 8878
Business Hours: Mon – Sun (10.00 am-10.00 pm)

Al Amar Express - Lebanese

I have always been fascinated by Lebanon. When I was in university, my Lebanese coursemate told me that Beirut is a beautiful city, where you can ski in the snow and swim in the sea all in the same day, less than hour apart. The few Lebanese I'd come into contact with were always friendly, and biblically, Lebanon is renowned for its cedars, which were used in Solomon's temple, and only the best building materials were used for its construction. Ravaged by civil war in the 80s, it basically became one of those places that one would love to visit but never quite dare to do so.

The war is long over, and it's time, I reckon, to have a chicha or two in Beirut. But, you'd be glad to know you do not have to travel so far to sample a taste of Lebanese hospitality and cuisine. I got an invitation from Russell Ang, (obviously not Lebanese), and Ralph Zeidan, to sample Al Amar Express, and I was intrigued, because just days before that, I had walked right past Al Amar Express in Fahrenheit 88 and thought to myself, wow, this place is packed.

It really is a whole different world here at Al Amar. Strategically located on Bintang Walk, it is a melting pot of tourists and locals, giving it a lovely cosmopolitan flavour, ...very 1 World (ala 1 Malaysia), and a very holiday atmosphere prevails. I almost felt like a tourist myself.



If you sat at the Al Fresco area, and looked up at Pavilion, you'd see the OTHER Al Amar, the fine dining one. Cumi of Cumi & Ciki suggested having a flying fox from the Pavilion outlet to the Fahrenheit 88 one. Express, as the name implies, is of course the less fine dining and more casual outlet.


Lebanon, despite being "middle eastern", is not wholly Muslim, so they do produce their own wines and beers. Ralph very kindly offered us samplings of Lebanese booze, which we of course were more than delighted to try.






I was a chicha (pronounced shee sha) virgin, and gagged a few times, but Ciki here is quite the expert, and Cumi showed his exclamation of surprise.




Wow, you suck and blow well, Cumi says to Ciki.


Meanwhile, the resident Chicha expert, Ralph, shows us how the locals do it.


On the saintly side of the table, the non smokers and non (or very little) drinkers, with the single rose.....


The hummus, was to die for. Pureed chick pee, pureed so smoothly you could almost put it as lotion on your face. Absolutely yummy with the Lebanese breads, that is basically Pita.


Warak enab, rice, saltfish, etc wrapped in vine leaves. It would probably be too sour for most Malaysian's palates, which is good, that probably means it's authentic and Al Amar did not tweak it to suit our local palates.


Pomegranates are such pretty little fruit aren't they. A few nibblets here and there light up a dish like jewels on a bride. The Mutabal is mashed aubergine with olive oil, and is also a lovely dip. Actually one could get full on these dips alone, and mind you, it's probably rather healthy. All that olive oil, grilled aubergine, boiled chick peas.


Mixed Pastry Platter - Almost samosa like, the filling, but the pastry was a shortcrusty type rather than filo.


Tabouleh. I love tabouleh, and went through a tabouleh making phase but I found out that the Lebanese one is different in that it does not have cous cous or burghul, which in a way actually makes it lighter. There's a magical synergy between the tang and the mint, it's almost like having a refreshing cocktail in form of a salad.


That is not the eye ball of some prehistoric animal. Labneh, with olive oil and olive in the centre, is a lebanese cream cheese. For a cream cheese, it's rather strong, compared to the usual philadelphia variety, and a lot more tangy.


To accompany our dinner, a bottle of white ..Savignon blanc I think it was, and a Rose. It's very drinkable, and went well with the spread.


Mixed Chawarma - This is one of their most popular dishes, and the chawarma on the grill was already almost sold out. I actually like eating chawarma in doner kebab style. The ubiquitous French fry seems to have infiltrated all cuisines around the world.


The Al Amar burger, accompanied by their special garlic sauce. A generous beef patty, nicely charred but still moist inside. I am not sure, however, apart from the garlic sauce, if this is really Lebanese fare.


Lebanese Pizza - their distinctive cheese gives it a unique flavour. The crusts are on the thin side, which is good.


Makanek - Lebanese Sausage Shoved between the buns...well, okay, I didn't really think much of this dish, as it was a bit dry, and I think the sausages be better off served in a different manner.


Say cheese now.


Falafel, chick pea and sesame paste wrapped in toasted pita. Falafel of course is a signature lebanese dish.


Monkeyboy with the owner of Al Amar, Joseph.


Backgammon is a favourite pastime with the Lebanese apparently. Probably the days before Angry birds.


This is definitely one of the main attractions of this establishment.


Yummy smooth creme caramel, apparently a legacy from the French. France and Lebanon had this "thing", like Britain and Malaysia. Achthalieh. - Pistachios, in a creamy mousse, with a lovely scent of rosewater.


Pistachio ice cream.

It really was a memorable occasion. The hospitality extended was amazing, and the entire ambience was very enjoyable. And wink, one of my favourite selling points about this place is, one of the rare places where you can enjoy middle eastern fare with alcohol. I look forward to trying the other Al Amar fine dining soon!

Al-Amar Express
Ground Floor, Fahrenheit 88
179 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2141-3814
email: info@al-amar.com
website: www.al-amar.com