Fatboybakes' Eating Jaunts, Occasional Travels and Occasional Recipes.
For Cake Menu, (Yes, Fatboybakes actually makes cakes) go to http://fatboybakes.blogspot.com/
Okay, Hennessy XO as listed in the title of this post, is not a person, (at least not that I know of, but I wouldn't put it past some people to name themselves that), though Michael Han is. And is also Singaporean celebrity chef of FIFTYTHREE.
Despite getting on in years, I still enjoy the odd party or two, and if anyone knows how to throw them, it's Moet Hennessy Diageo and their PR Companies. So, it was with great interest when I read about their latest "thing", which basically entails this Michael Han to savour the food to Penang to deconstruct (seems to be the word dujour. Deconstruct. It's great for desserts, coz if a cake falls apart, just call it deconstructed) and create a dinner menu. What fun, following a celebrity chef around, (I wonder if they'll be filming him), getting to eat all that stuff, and see that the experts have to say. Much like that previous Chef who went to Penang, Edward Lee, as per my previous post HERE. (Jalan Jalan in Penang)
I quote verbatim from the press release:
Penang cuisine is a melting pot of diverse, varied influences, and it is certainly ripe for reinterpretation and deconstruction. It is with this intention in mind that Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows invites celebrated Singaporean chef Michael Han of FiftyThree to Penang to “deconstruct” local Penang favorites to a privileged audience of gourmands. Sourcing from the heritage of Penang cuisine, chef Michael’s innovative cooking techniques is expected to break new ground.
So this will be actually part 1 of a two part event. Now part 2 sounds very exciting as well, ...
The second Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows Gastronomy event for the year is slated to be held in Penang within the chapel of St. Joseph’s Novitiate from September 26th to 28th 2012. Flanked by Gurney Drive and Kelawai Road, the historic building was built in 1925 as quarters for novices for St. Joseph’s Training College. As part of its restoration process, emphasis was given to stabilizing the foundation. The whitewashed and terracotta-tiled building has been faithfully restored and updated in keeping with its contemporary surroundings at Gurney Paragon, a physical embodiment of the values that encompass Hennessy X.O.
Like Hennessy X.O Michael is constantly in search of innovation, refining time-honoured skills and techniques for a modern audience. His broad range of training, coupled with his knowledge of local Asian cuisine, makes him a prime candidate to approach the task of deconstructing Penang cuisine with an inspired sense of originality.
The deconstruction of Penang cuisine by celebrated chef Michael Han, the stunning locality of St. Joseph’s Novitiate and the original cognac – Hennessy X.O expresses its mysterious soul, like a classic, writing its future by drawing on the beauty of its present, without ever discarding its past.
The above collage was last year's dinner at Suffolk House with Chef Chong Liew. What can I say? It was certainly a glamourous event, and we felt very privileged to be there.
I can't wait to see what Michael Han will deconstruct from this reconnaissance trip.
MICHAEL HAN BIODATA - Paraphrased
Law degree holder turned chef, soft spoken, apparently shy. Owns the restaurant, FIFTYTHREE in Singapore, (hmm, must find out the significance of that number, coz it definitely isn't his birth year), after stints at Au Jardin before moving on to The Fat Duck, L’Enclume and Anthony’s in England, Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain and Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Decided to open restaurant in Singapore, because it's home to him. (Awwww, peanut did not forget skin - literal translation of Malay proverb)
Accolades (cut & pasted) - Since it’s opening in 2009, Michael has been nominated for the Would Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence ‘Rising Chef of the Year’ in 2010 and 2011, with FifityThree nominated as ‘Best Restaurant’ in 2011. Notably, FiftyThree was featured as one of World’s 50 Best Restaurants ‘Regional Spotlight – Singapore’, and on CNNgo.com Best Eats 2010 as Singapore’s Best Gourmet Restaurant of 2010.
Okay, time to do some intensive workout before that intensive eating spree this weekend. Penang here we come!!!!
I love the way Will Quah, that mat salleh sounding emcee for all the Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows events, describes all the local dishes with a slang, but best of all was Assam laksa, which sounded like Awesome Laksa...ladida....
Ooh, and check out when Will says LONG -UN...my mata kuchings nearly rolled out. A very entertaining segment, I have to say.
For Part 1, check out the post here...and also if you want to know more about Edward Lee.
Do you realise that in KL, there is a dearth of restaurants housed in nice surroundings, as in, stand alone houses, or lovely old colonial bungalows. I feel for the restauranteurs, who attempt to set up establishments like that, to their peril, because of the changing whim and fancies of the powers that be. I mean, honestly, look at ONE BANGSAR, a marvellous concept, if you ask me, and should have been totally accorded commercial status. But nooooo, barely a year after some had ploughed money into extensive renovations, their licenses were all revoked, rather cruelly if you ask me. Yes, it is difficult being a restauranteur in KL.
So, when a well kept hidden gem, exists, well within the grounds of an entire non residential area, it is nothing short of a miracle, almost a fairy tale, in a land far far away. And well within that YTL Kingdom of Sentul West, and the KLPac area, lies SAMIRA BY ASIAN TERRACE. It honestly feels like a different world out there.
Thanks to an invitation by Ken (Food Point of Interest) and Bok (Taufulo), we were shown extreme Thai hospitality by Joanna, Marketing & Operations Director and Josephine, Business Develoment Director of Samira By Asian Terrace. The ambience of this place is really one aspect that is a great selling point.
They are launching a new Vietnamese menu, in addition to the existing Thai menu. To start, we had this yam salad, which was quite special. The yam strips are fried to almost crispy texture, and amalgamated with the other tangy vegetables, it makes for a refreshing starter. Now this was something new to me. And at my age, that's quite rare.
Thai Pomelo Salad. Loved the fresh squid and combination of sweet, sour, hot, that always characterizes the thai type salads.
They also have a comprehensive cocktail and mocktail list. Initially, being a bit shy and "hak hei", I only ordered a soft drink, which was Ginger & Lemongrass, which I am sure is designed to expel wind. Then the orders for booze started, so I wasted no time and shamelessly ordered a mojito. Which was very good.
Their signature cocktail, which is definitely a chick's drink is labelled Inner Sense. It contains eggwhite, and grenadine I think. None of these colorful chick drinks for me thank you.
Traditional Thai Tomyam and Seafood (RM30). A thick broth, that made me wonder if there was coconut, but there wasn't. I liked the sourness and heat of the dish, but it wasn't piping hot. Or maybe because by the time the bloggers were done photographing the soup, it had cooled down.
Grilled Norwegian Salmon With Basil Leaf. Another rather unique method of preparation, and I believe is more Vietnamese than Thai. Surprisingly, despite being embalmed in sauce and herb, the salmon was not overcooked, and remained moist.
Southern Thai Masaman Curry With beef. This dish is really the perfect soul mate for rice and rice lovers. Not very spicy, if compared with the other Thai dishes that are chilli padi minefields, and bordering on sweet.
Seafood Tomyam, Mojito, in that setting, made me almost feel I was on vacation.
Grilled Fish Fillet in Banana Leaf...almost like an otak otak. Probably the Thai equivalent.
Steamed Squid with Chilli and Lime Juice...sounds simple enough, but the combination never fails. Their squid supplier seems to be quite good, as the squids we had thus far were all very fresh.
A closer look at the Thai otak otak.
This must be the star of the show, River Prawns with Lemongrass Sauce (RM35). However, as with prawn dishes, some prawns were better than others. Gasp, did I just reveal I had more than one? I had more prawn than brain. No, I had two, but the second half was better than the first. Much like a lot of musicals.
The first of many encores, not included in the original menu. Pineapple fried rice. A hint of curry powder and tumeric. Pineapples really do make a nice receptacle for food hor.
I was obviously with a table of hungry youth, for they ordered more items....like this Traditional Thai Tom Kha with Chicken. A tom yam with coconut, or something like that. I refer the non coconutty version.
The ubiquitous pad thai. Basically fried kueh teow, Thai style. Love the large omelet that blankets the dish.
Another very unique dish, deep fried catfish. The meat of the catfish is shredded finely and battered and fried, ..so much so, if you didn't tell me, I thought I was eating batter.
Pineapple Lamb in Coconut Gravy. Another non spicy dish, despite the crimson chilli floating around. I also found this dish a bit too sweet for my liking.
There came a time when dessert and dinner overlapped, because of the sheer number of additional dishes that were ordered. Mango with Sticky Rice. Alas, these additional dishes must have caused the kitchen to run out of coconut milk, so I couldn't get my red rubies.....nor could Isaac Tan.
Spicy Chicken With Chef's Special Sauce. I was very stuffed at this stage, and was lapsing into a food coma so have little recollection of how this tasted. In addition the host also served a lovely Chilean red, called PRIMUS.
Okay, to get there, turn into Jln Strachan from Jln Ipoh, (the way to KLPac...for the more ahem, cultured), and justtttt follow the road. Until you get to KL Pac. Ha, there la. On the other end.
If you go on Thurs, Fri or Saturday, best to make reservations, ESPECIALLY if there is a show going on in KLPac, as the place does get crowded.
SAMIRA BY ASIAN TERRACE Lot 268 Sentul Park Jalan Strachan Off Jalan Ipoh 51100 Kuala Lumpur
Friend of ours, who used to work with Fried Chillies, has ventured out create and supply healthy lunches delivered to your doorstep, ...or into the office if you let them in. Now, usually the words HEALTHY FOOD send alarm bells off in my head, much like sex would to a Catholic priest, but since Alex is such a sweetie, I thought I'd give her the benefit of the doubt, AND furthermore, to simulate how it would normally be done, she had the food delivered to my office.
I love the way the food is labelled with the amount of calories, and surprisingly, some of the dishes were actually lower calorie than what I'd expect. Anyway, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and quite honestly, the dishes were delicious. Really. Not just saying it.
Thai Journey, basically red rice salad with baked chicken breast. Now, okay, I hate chicken breast, and still do. I'd much rather pay for the calories and eat chicken thigh. But the delicious rice salad more than compensated.
Love me Tandoor. Now this was the surprise. This is only 331 calories. Or maybe 332. Delicious, almost creamy, so really, I am shocked that the calorie (hmmm, is singular for calories calory or calorie?) count is lower than a bowl of cereal.
Pasta Pasta, a tasty medley of Tri-colour pasta served with tuna, red and yellow capsicum, oyster mushrooms, and red onion, tossed with a mustardy lemon vinaigrette. (Description from website). I loved this tangy combo, which was bursting with flavours.
This is the typical packaging, a description, calorie count, in a microwavable container.
Moroccan Dream, cous cous and chickpea salad. Totally filling, and totally yummy, and totally healthy. You can feel the health.
Anyway, prices are very reasonable, averaging around RM13. Check out the LUNCH2U.MY website, and when you're in the mood for healthy, ...you know where to go. For now, ordering is purely online.
LUNCH2U DELIVERY SDN BHD 12-2, 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: info@lunch2u.my
To be honest, before receiving the invite from Alice George PR Company, for this AFC event, featuring a special media preview session with Malaysian Celebrity Chef Malcolm Goh and Malaysian Talent Tham Zher Peen, the hosts of AFC’s Back to The Streets, I can't say I've actually heard of Malcolm Goh, so I actually googled him to find out what it's all about. I was quite fascinated with what I read, so I thought yes, I should skip work for the afternoon and make my way to Berjaya Time Square for the privilege of meeting this celebrity chef.
Photo courtesy of AFC Press Kit
One of the highlights of the event was a sneak preview of the first episode of BACK TO THE STREETS, where,as secret agents, Malcolm and Zher Peen go undercover to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, searching for local culinary delights where they then revamp inspiring dishes from the streets of Kuala Lumpur, working together with students from Berjaya University College of Hospitality.
It's always quite fun visiting this Berjaya University College of Hospitality. It reminds me of my halcyon days, when young, innocence, bright eyed idealism ruled the day, and looking at the young students with eager hunger to learn the tricks of the trade. Back in my days, culinary schools weren't even an option in our career paths, or who knows, I might be a chef by now. But honestly, I have great admiration for chefs, slogging away in hot kitchens, on their feet all day, it's quite a tough life.
The event's emcee was Daphne Iking, and and the co founder of AFC, Maria Brown, also said a word or two, and heaped praises upon Malcolm Goh, and how he was a natural, etc etc and so forth.
The preamble leading up to the introduction of the Chef himself. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the co-host of the Back to the Streets program could not make it. I have to say, Malcolm has a very likeable personality, like someone who is actually quite real.
He does a brief demo on a LENTIL SOUP WITH POACHED EGG recipe, which involves cooking the egg sous vide style, some fancy smancy method where the temperature is kept constant at 63C to yield the most beautiful poached egg one can ever hope to lay eyes upon.
After that, we are given a tour of the university culinary school, from the oenology department (wine! ooohhhh, what fun..) to the pastry kitchens to the serious cooking place. Students were dotted around everywhere, looking very chef like in their uniforms.
Finally, we get to sample the Lentil Soup With Poached Egg, along with some other finger food.
To end it, we were given a preview of the first episode of Back To The Streets, where Malcolm and Zher explore beef noodles, roast goose and using that as their muse, create something totally new in the Berjaya kitchens. Stay tuned to AFC to catch these fascinating Malaysian based episodes.
Actually, this Edward Lee fellow was in town quite a while back, and the wonderful meal that was hosted by Moet Hennessy Diageo was in the now closed Equatorial Hotel in KL. A fascinating choice of venue, as the hotel had already closed its doors to the public, for its big rebuilding project, ...but in typical Hennessy Style, one last hurrah seemed befitting for this old KL Dame, and the place was transformed beyond recognition, inside. We were left to guess where we were in relation to the original layout....as the place was totally camouflaged with the dark drapes that have become the Hennessy XO Appreciation Dinners trademarks.
I digress, and will post about the meal eventually, but we have recently been fed with some interesting video footage of the Chef's tour around KL, starting with a visit to the Selayang Market. To be honest, I am very surprised that he could not identify galangal, and nor has he ever laid eyes on tumeric in its original form. I mean, he's a "Lee" you know. I love his description of petai, ...funky ....
Check out Chef Edward Lee's Biodata here:
Chef Edward Lee’s story – and his food – could only happen in America. One part Southern soul, one part Asian spice, and one part New York attitude, Lee is a Korean-American who grew up in Brooklyn, trained in classical French kitchens, and has spent the better part of a decade cooking in Louisville, Kentucky.
Lee’s passion for food is only surpassed by his sense of adventure; it is, after all, what took him to Louisville from a successful career in New York City. In 2001, on a cross-country road trip, Lee wound up in Louisville during Derby Week, the busiest dining week of the year. On a tip from a friend, he sought out the eccentric chef of a local gem called 610 Magnolia, finagling an invitation to work in the kitchen for the week. Impressed with Lee’s passion and skill, the chef offered him the restaurant less than a year later, and his Southern adventures began. The rest is history.
Chef Lee’s idiosyncratic culinary style draws inspiration from his Asian heritage, his classical training, and his adoptive hometown, while celebrating the best ingredients from local farms. But far from relegating him to the realm of the outsider, Lee’s patchwork cuisine has attracted attention and acclaim. A James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2011, he has been featured in Gourmet and Esquire magazines, defeated Iron Chef Jose Garces on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” appeared on the CBS “Early Show” preparing an eclectic three-course
meal for a family of four for under $40, and was most recently seen on “Top Chef: Texas.” Chef Lee enjoys and continues to explore his writing career as a contributor to Gastronomica, Organic Gardening, and others in addition to penning an upcoming cookbook of recipes and stories chronicling his unconventional journey from Brooklyn to a lauded Southern Chef.
Lee continues to seek out adventure, whether fishing bare-handed in a Kentucky creek, hunting for venison, working in a slaughterhouse or dropping in on a friend’s restaurant to cook for a few days. He approaches his professional and culinary life with candor, humor, and – most importantly – the same spirit of adventure that was the original impetus for his success.
To learn more about Chef Lee, please visit www.chefedwardlee.com and follow Chef Lee on Twitter.
HENNESSY X.O APPRECIATION GROWS GASTRONOMY 2012 PAIRS HERITAGE WITH INNOVATION FROM CHEF EDWARD LEE
With appreciation comes true knowledge; quality cues are discovered and connoisseurs created. This is true of luxury products, including cognac and Hennessy X.O. This journey towards understanding the quality of Hennessy X.O begins with Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows – a series of events related to gastronomy, where at every stage the potential connoisseur will further his understanding of the making of cognac, the understanding of the history of the Hennessy brand and the quality of Hennessy X.O, a result of which would be his greater appreciation of Hennessy X.O. “Hennessy X.O is a very complex drink and it goes well with many different dishes,” said Frederic Noyere, Managing Director of Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia, “The reason being that Hennessy X.O is a blend of hundreds of different eaux-de-vie; some are younger, some are older, some have more floral notes while others possess woodier notes.”
This year Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows Gastronomy finds a true match in three-time James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Edward Lee, who trained in classical French kitchens, and has tempered this experience with the better part of a decade cooking in 610 Magnolia. “Heritage is the ability to source from your past but then re-invent it, give it a twist and as a result, make it contemporary. At Hennessy we have 250 years of heritage but at the same time Hennessy has always been at the forefront of innovation. Chef Edward Lee’s journey draws a similar parallel to Hennessy X.O in that he endeavours to modernize the various influences – Asian, French and the Deep South in his cuisine,” added Noyere.
Prior to the upcoming Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows event to be held in mid-April, Korean-American Chef Edward Lee, who has challenged culinary royalty on Iron Chef America and won, spent a week immersing himself in the heritage and cultural diversity of Malaysia by literally “eating his way through Kuala Lumpur” in a journey taking him from one revealing mouthful to the next.
Key highlights of his gastronomic journey included: Selayang Wholesale Market: Catching the market just as it is picking up, Chef explores a veritable hub of raw ingredients collected from various local sources as they are about to be distributed to smaller traders, and residential markets in and around Kuala Lumpur. Key highlights include sampling raw petai (bitter bean) and chillies, getting acquainted with the diversity of local produce from a variety of limes, and the smell of fresh of fresh lengkuas (galangal) and kunyit (turmeric) – a key ingredient for many Malaysian dishes.
Jalan Tun HS Lee: Stepping away from the market, Chef primes himself for a taste of the local street food which has developed and refined over generations of Malaysian tastebuds. Here, he tucks into hearty serves of curry laksa, assam laksa, chee cheong fun, yong tau foo, washing it all down with a helping of cendol. For a chef used to mostly salty and sweet flavour profiles, the amalgamation of different ingredients in assam laksa into the perfect balance of salty, sweet, spicy, sour and bitter reminds the chef of the complex layering of the precious eaux-de-vie that results in the perfectly balanced Hennessy X.O cognac he has come to love. . Petaling Street, Chinatown: Key to Chef’s interest here are the fruit stalls hawking local fruits from mangoes, bananas and papayas to the queen of all fruits, mangosteens. Of course another ‘must try’ is the local mata kucing drink – sweet, refreshing and restorative in the afternoon heat. Salted roast duck from Sei Ngan Chai (Four Eyed Man) is a fiercely guarded local secret, but Chef’s charms on the stall proprietor earn him an extra bonus treat of braised duck liver wrapped in its own intestine.
Brickfields: In the heart of Little India, a stop is made to indulge in a Malaysian institution, banana leaf rice followed by a spot of teh tarik (pulled tea) – where Chef gets hands on as he tries a hand at banana leaf and then pulling his own cup of tea.
Publika: To experience how urban Malaysians live their lives in the city, Chef takes a brief pause from the heritage trail to indulge in contemporary coffee culture.
As the day draws to a close, Chef Edward Lee finds himself absorbing, understanding and reformulating all he has seen, heard and tasted in this whirlwind nonstop eating journey through the city for the upcoming Hennessy X.O Appreciation Grows dinner. The journey through the gastronomic heart of KL has certainly sparked key moments and generous insights into Malaysia, her diversity of food influences and contemporary take on classics serving as a launch-pad for conceptualizing his much-anticipated menu come April. About Hennessy Hennessy is the world’s leading premium cognac brand. Founded in 1765, the house of Hennessy has continually strived to create the world’s finest cognacs.
Hennessy is a master of the art of blending fine aged cognac eaux-de-vie and has been creating fine cognac for seven generations. This heritage and savoir-faire has earned Hennessy Cognac world-wide renown and the appreciation of today's greatest cognac connoisseurs, making the brand the world’s number one cognac and one of the world’s most sophisticated spirits.
About Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia Sdn Bhd Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia (formally known as Riche Monde Malaysia) was set up in 1980 as a joint venture between Jas. Hennessy & Co. in France and the local partner, Boustead Holdings Berhad. Now its shareholders include Moet Hennessy (LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) and Diageo PLC. MHD is the recognised industry leader in the marketing and distribution of premium branded spirits, champagnes and fine wines in Malaysia. Our portfolio includes some of the most well-known premium brands such as Hennessy cognac, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon and Krug champagne. Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskies, Glenmorangie Single Malt, Belvedere Vodka, Grand Marnier, Gordon’s Gin, Smirnoff Vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream as well as a wide range of quality wines from traditional and New World countries. For further information, kindly visit www.hennessyxo.com.my and www.mhdm.com.my
For more information, please contact: May Sze Tan G2 PR E-mail: maysze.tan@g2.com Tel: 012 555 2462
I always thought MUESLI was a kind of grain, and assumed there must be a muesli plant growing somewhere. Of course, that's just plain stupid, since I now know that there aren't such things as muesli plants any more than there are spaghetti trees. Straps there are, but not trees.
An old friend of mine, this Tai Tai, whom we shall call KTT for short, one day surprised us all by producing the most lovely homemade muesli ever. She lovingly made it for the man who brought home the proverbial bacon, and rightfully so too, if I had someone who brought home the bacon, I'd gladly make him ...or her...any cereal I can possibly conjure.
The years passed, and I doubt this fad lasted very long, as do all fads, in tai tai dom. It's precious stones one day and soup kitchens the next, to placate the hungry soul. Like the Dead Sea Scrolls, I also lost the recipe that KTT gave me. I never really thought I'd have use for it actually; but who knew, my baby girl who once was a baby, is now a teenager, and of course, is going through that health conscious calorie counting phase.....phwah, and boy, are cereals expensive! Especially MUESLI.
Thank goodness for the internet these days, that infinite fountain of wisdom and resource. Google muesli, and muesli recipe apears...just like when I googled "how did they..." and the suggestions were "how did they make captain america thin". Which oddly enough, WAS the topic I was researching.
The raw stuff, consisting 5 cups rolled oats (as opposed to unrolled) 1 cup chopped almonds 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup honey 1 cup pumpkin seeds and basically any other stuff that may tickle your fancy. There is no hard and fast rule for muesli, much like dating. Toss everything (I did this in a large bowl, since tossing can be messy), making sure everything is coated with the honey...its not so much for the sweetness, but for the caramelized crunch after baking.
Bake at 150-160C for about 30 minutes. But, you gotta toss the thing every 8 minutes or so, so that it doesn't stick. Now if you want muesli bars, it'll be a different story.
Finally, when the muesli is cooled, you can add in your dried fruit, before storing in an airtight container. As you can see, I added dried apricots and raisins.
Drat, actually, after adding up the cost, I might have saved a princely sum of RM5, for the same amount of commercial muesli. Oh well, I do it for love.
Firstly, my apologies to my host, that British fellow, (with the Olympics, British must be flavour of the month), Mr Ellerton of YTL Group, for losing all my photographs from the preview of the Marriot Buka Puasa Event which was held about a month ago. The perils of digital storage. Secondly, thank you also for the photographs, courtesy of ...the organisers.
Before you gaze upon the official press release photographs, let me use my narrative skills to impress upon you the actual atmosphere itself. Held at the poolside, the food stalls are dotted everywhere, so do take care not to fall into the pool, when grabbing your succulent roast lamb on the spit. The aroma of perfectly charred lamb that Mary had, and the beautiful charcoal smell of the satay pit assail your nostrils, and no doubt, would be quite tough on the faster who is waiting to break fast.
The array of food, especially Malay food, is staggering, and interesting as well. Where else would you get a platterful of Tongkeng Ayam, (known as the Bishop's Nose, but I am not sure it's politically correct to refer to a bishop in the same breath as Ramadan), aka Chicken Buttocks. A lot of chickens had to be sacrificed for this dish, I can tell you. At least for Chicken Feet, each chicken yields two, but for the buttocks, only one.
Tongkeng Ayam Goreng Bercili.
Has anyone noticed how EXPENSIVE petai is these days? Especially in the City. I mean, don't compare with the Orang Asli selling it on the way up to Cameron Highlands lah. So, in any buffet, I tend to go for these things that are expensive. I'd load up on Petai. Sambal udang petai. Oh, even better, got udang also.
Another platter that I simply loved was the ulam platter, together with their vast variety of condiment sauces, from sambal belacan to tempoyak. Ulam raja, pegaga, kacang botol, petai, ....the usual fare, but with a good amount of accompaniment.
Rendang Daging. Always a favourite.
Masak Lemak Chilli Padi.
And, for the official press release: KUALA LUMPUR – Ushering in the holy month of Ramadhan, the city’s happening hotel has prepared a wide variety of traditional Malaysian delicacies for guests to experience. Geared towards “preserving heritage”, the Ramadhan Buffet will feature 108 of the best traditional dishes from various states of the country customarily served during Ramadhan.
The Poolside area on the 6th Floor and the Starhill Conference Centre on the 4th floor of JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur will be transformed into a Ramadhan bazaar, to replicate a “kampong” ambience.
Aside from the spectacular set up and displays to recall the nostalgia of breaking fast in a “kampong”, another unique feature is the scrumpt ious menu. With a spread of over 130 different dishes from all the states of Malaysia, the feast will almost certainly delight every member of the family. For those who yearn for the tradit ional “kampong” experience, the Gerai Makanan Tradisi dan Selera Kampung highlights typical Malay dishes that are less commonly served nowadays. Some of these dishes are Tongkeng Ayam (Bishop) Goreng Bercili, Daging Salai Masak Lemak dengan Bachang and Kupang Masak Rampai.
The extensive spread of authent ic Malay cuisine includes the ever popular Malay ulam or salad select ion such as petai, kacang botol, ulam raja, and Jantung Pisang, complemented by local versions of dressings such as sambal belacan, cincaluk, budu and tempoyak. Local appet izers to whet the appet ite are acar buah, acar jelateh, and keropok ikan. Some of the local favourites featured at the happening hotel’s Ramadhan bazaar stalls are nasi dagang, satay, ikan bakar, ayam tandoori, rot i canai, chicken rice, ais kacang, a fresh fruit stat ion and more.
Priced at RM60.00++ per person at the Conference Centre and RM70.00++ per person at the poolside area, from 7.00pm to 10.30pm, guests are invited to experience yet another beaut iful Malaysian custom which is the “berbuka puasa” tradit ion with family and friends.
The above collage was last year's dinner at Suffolk House with Chef Chong Liew. What can I say? It was certainly a glamourous event, and we felt very privileged to be there.
