Fortunately, for the tardy like me, ever since we started celebrating Malaysia Day on 16th Sept, (and I think this was quite a recent phenomenon), Merdeka celebrations can be prolonged...I was delighted to be reinvited back to Makan Kitchen, at Hilton Doubletree, to sample their Shiok Merdeka High Tea Promotion Items.
Memories of that sublime Cheese Naan occupied my mind as I mentally remembered the sheer creaminess of that naan, the last time I was
here, and the double boiled soups, and the Pansoh, that Sarawakian specialty. Alas, this was a High Tea Spread, and didn't have some of the aforementioned items.
I was honored to have Amanda and Chef Prem bring me and my lunch "attachment" on yet another private tour of the stuff available.
Starting in reverse, the ubiquitous Chocolate Fountain, which changes the type of chocolate on a regular basis, and today's was .. white chocolate, my leastest favourite chocolate in the whole wide world. So no choco fountain for me today.
Amanda exclaimed with delight that there was Nam Yue Chicken Wings in the Chinese Section, which was a sign that I must try this. Crispy Wings with that mysterious ingredient, Fermented Bean Curd, which must have taken inordinate amount of courage for the first Chinaman to try. Delicious, only missing a beer.
One of the highlights, was the Pie Tee, or top hats, ...those of us who like this dish, and go to Nyonya /Peranakan places know how expensive these little nuggets of goodness are, so at the risk of sounding cheap, this is your chance to get your buffet's worth. Just eat like 20 of these, and you'd have profited!
These are no ordinary pie tees, they're filled with crab meat as well, and taste absolutely fabulous... evidently, they were too heavy and toppled over, so chef had to make another plate for "photography" purposes.
Those in the know would know that the pie tee shells are a b**** to make. And getting increasingly expensive to buy as well. So definitely, for my next visit, I am so zeroing in on these babies.
With the advent of digital photography, food dishes are now hounded by the paparazzi, and have to look good all the time. I pity these food equivalents of Princess Diana.... always under the spotlight.
The Shawarma Kebab seemed particularly popular at lunch time.
My second visit in a few months, and I've missed again the chance to try the noodle station.
The broths for the noodles for the day were chinese soup, assam laksa, and beef soup.
Sung to the tune of "Do you know the muffin man,..." ..Do you know the Satay Man, the Satay Man, the Satay Man.... Those omelette looking things in the front are actually clam chien... instead of or chien (oyster omelette). Okay, some things were not meat to be changed.
The amazing honey cuttlefish Popiah, ... huge tentacles that warm the cockles of my heart. Well, talk about a well stuffed popiah, there you have it. A gazillion textures to tantallize the palate, from the rubberiness of the cuttle fish, to the crunch of the deep fried shallots, to the wholesome vegetableness of the traditional turnip filling found in popiah.
Care for my tentacles, the Yau Yeng fler says...
Best bud DerYk with a Y was kind enough to tag along when I didnt have a friend in the world ... sniff...
A more manageable mouthful... sans the overflowing tentacles.
Jalur Gemilang Ice Kacang... inspired by the colours of our beloved national flag, white coconut jelly, red glutinous rice, yellow mango, blue pulut tai tai, doused with some hibiscus syrup.
Warning, it's a very heavy dessert, and if you made the mistake of having it in the earlier part of the meal, ...well, you might jolly well have to forego your other favourites. The fascinating combination is available till the end of September.
Now, I am so NOT a kulfi fan, I usually find it cloyingly sweet, with alarm bells going off with one teaspoon, but this kulfi, specialty of Chef Prem, was surprisingly, not overly sweet. It was a macadamia, mango,honey, with a hint of cardamom, raisins, honey and honeycomb. Perhaps the tartness of the mango cuts across the sweetness.
Despite having a waistline that would make Jabba the Hutt look anorexic, I could NOT resist the cheese naan, which I've been craving since the last visit.
I wish MY kitchen had these spices all laid out so beautifully.
Love the grindstone... so traditional.
Very attractive, I thought, this Chilli Tree...another good thing about visiting Makan Kitchen in the day is, the bright natural sunlight really shows things in a different light.
Being chink and all, I couldn't go to a buffet that had roast duck, and not at least have a token piece.
The Cheese Naan.. so good, that despite my ridiculously full state, I managed two pieces.
Prawn 65... a special creation by chef Prem for his daughter's 2nd birthday. Inspired by the dish, Chicken 65, ...apparently the number came about... with three different explanations. One is 65 is the number of days it takes for a chicken to err...either reach the size, or gestate.. argh, I can't remember. But the most accurate story is that that dish was no 65 on the menu of a famous restaurant, so people will just point to Chicken, 65.
Durian Custard Cake...
Chef Prem, Amanda and me... and just when you thought the carnage was over...
Chef whips out his Snake Gourd...of course, discussions raged as to whether it was a loofah, or petola, but apparently this Snake Gourd, if left to its own devices, will grow in a curly fashion. So they are stretched at birth to be long and straight.
Oh my Gourd!!! It's ....err... long!
Chef deep fried some for us to try... it's reminiscent of the deep fried bitter gourd, minus the bitter, that you get at Banana Leaf Rice places. Great beer snack.
Anyway, this gargantuan merdeka spread is available till end of September for high tea (actually lunch la), priced at RM78++ per head. Definitely go for the items recommended!!!
Special thanks to Amanda and Chef Prem for your hospitality, and taking care of me and my guest, and to Stephanie for the initial invite!!! We missed you!
MAKAN KITCHEN
Double Tree By Hilton at
The Intermark
348 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
03-21727272
1 comment:
I don't think vegetableness is a word! :P hah, I do love food at Makan Kitchen.. they cook it just right.. and the natural light is a photographer's paradise indeed!
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