A Pre CNY Meating at Meatology

In the chaos and mayhem approaching Chinese New Year, I complacently thought that my back log of yee sang posts had been completed, and that I had seen the last of those tossy posts behind me for now...Until I saw these two books on my desk this morning, and thought to myself, SACRE BLEU!!! I forgot to post about this place!!!!

I'm referring to the the Meatology Book and the Her World Cookbook,..not the drinks menu which I certainly do not have on my desk right now.  A brief intro, Yenni is one of the authors of the Masterclass by MPH series, which also includes the likes of luminaries like Sapna Anand, Marinah Mustapha, etc etc... But for some reason, the title of that book made me think it was an Atkins or Keto kind of anti carb book, and so I never even bothered to open it.  Talk about judging a book by its cover.  Anyway, when Makan Fairy Godmother (hereinafter referred to as MFG) invited me to sample their unique yee sang, I was quite fascinated.  Unbeknownst to me Meatology is the former Boathouse, in TTDI.

It was with eager anticipation that I visited, because I also was excited to meet famous instagrammer and blogger, Foodgazer, whom MFG described as a "most earnest person".  Yenni and partner were busy initially, as the restaurant was rather packed, which is always a good sign.

Yee Sang, a rather different take, and the most outstanding and interesting difference was the "crispy" choi pok pok stuff that adds the crunch to the dish.  In this case, it was choi Pork Pork...unbelievably light and crispy pork crackling.  The overall dish was more of a salad rather than your traditional yee sang, and looking at Yenni's svelte figure, you'd swear she was trying to health you up with a healthy yee sang salad.

The Yee Sang is priced at RM32.80, which is mighty reasonable considering it has tuna sashimi, octopus, jelly fish..

MFG's Pink Margarita...

The flaming crabmeat soup was delicious, truly... with Xiamen Mushrooms.  Flambed with brandy, I liked it already even before tasting it. Priced at RM29.80, I would actually label this as value for money soup.  Now we learnt something interesting about the huge xiamen mushrooms.  Apparently farmers of this crop have to be pure in heart, or the entire harvest will turn black and fail.

Sea Treasures, a pot brimming with the fruits of poseidon, abalone, scallops, mussels, prawns, slipper lobster, squid, razor clams on a bed of glass noodles, over and above the crispy vermicelli.  Priced at RM88.80, I also concluded that this was a very reasonably priced dish.  The glass noodles, which had absorbed all the lovely flavours of the seafood, was so good.

Blue Eyed Cod Salted Egg Thermidor, RM118.90.  Well, I'll just have to return to try this again, because this particular rendition failed to impress.  The flesh seemed tough, almost like chicken breast, and overcooked.  Blue Eyed Cod is different from your black cod which is apparently almost impossible to overcook.  I also feel that for a good piece of fish, like steak, there shouldn't be too many supporting actors to outshine the main star...

In place of the traditional lap mei fan, an amazing smoked duck risotto.  RM43.80.  Not particularly a risotto fan, I actually quite enjoyed this dish, save for the bits of waxed duck that made me wonder if salt is free in some parts of the world.  But no matter, cos those small morsels of salt licks weren't significantly damaging to the entire dish, and the smoked duck was superb.

Not many places do crepe suzettes the old way, ie, making and flambeing the sauce in front of you.  The last memory of such an occurence was at the Chalet at Equatorial (now being reconstructed and rebuilt).

I think they use brandy here, instead of Grand Marnier or orange flavoured liqeurs, which is actually good, because some crepe suzettes seem to have that "cough mixture" kind of taste.

That's us, Makan Fairy Godmother, Foodgazer, See Ling, FBB and Yenni.  What a privilege it was to sit down and chat with them and listen to her stories.  Incidentally, I bought her books after I saw that there was another one about Rice, so clearly she was not an Atkins or Keto advocate in Meatology.

Address: 16 Lorong Rahim Kajai 14 Taman Tun Dr Ismail 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-7727 4426

Lou Sang No 3 at 5 Senses Restaurant, The Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Chinese New Year 2018

Its been awhile since I've been to the Westin, the last time was a family dinner at Prego, and before that a daze of inebriation at the Champagne brunch at Prego, with some friends, who abandoned me and left me to take a cab home on a Sunday afternoon.  I don't remember if I've actually been to 5 senses, as that particular establishment has "changed" concepts many times, from EEST to West, and from porky to pork free.

I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised by the Chinese New Year set menu, prepared by  award-winning Chinese Chef de Cuisine Tan Tzaan Liing and his team.

5 senses have 3 Set Menus for CNY, namely the Happiness Reunion Set Menu which starts at RM1,888 nett for 10, the Blessings Reunion Set Menu at RM1,988 nett and the Abundance Reunion Set at RM2,298 nett.  Considering the quality of the food, and the fact that it's in a 5 star hotel, I'd say it is rather reasonably priced.

To start with we had the mandatory Yee Sang toss, with the Norwegian Salmon Yee Sang, priced at RM168 nett for the large portion.  Please note that the usual portion comes with only one "Fish" (there are two "fish" in this display portion because of the numbers at lunch).

Despite the huge receptacle in which the yee sang was served, (to contain the abundance), we still managed to make a mess, also thanks to the numerous children present who were flicking and throwing the yee sang with their chopsticks with gay abandon.

One of the best soups ever, double boiled scallops, morel and baby cabbage.  The broth was sublime, with almost a homecooked goodness, and the morel were such a treat.  RM68 nett per portion.

Braised Duck with Red Yeast Rice and Peanuts, RM138 nett for a while bird.  This was really delicious, am most impressed with what the Chef has done with the Duck.  The red yeast rice is not particularly distinct in flavour but imparts a subtle difference from the normal sauces .

Honey Glazed Black Cod, at RM168 per portion, ...this here is around 2.5 portions, and would cost around RM500, but it was huge, and really, quite outstanding.  The flesh was cooked perfectly, flaky, and oozing with the taste of the honey glaze.  Thumbs up for this cod dish.

Deepfried Prawns with Hawthorn Sauce topped with Osmanthus.  I actually had to google to see what Hawthorn looks like, it's a little red berry, when you see it you'd know it.  The prawns, compared to the Cod was pedestrian, though no complaints about the freshness. RM88 per portion.

Pan Fried Scallops Mince Chicken with Citrus salsa, and interesting combination to say the least.  The citrus salsa was like an orange marmalade.  The sweet and salty combination works fairly well here.

Stewed white baby cabbage with dried scallop and silver garlic, Yen of Westin said it reminded her of her grandmother's dish which was similar.  It does have a very home cooked feel to it, and I suppose all sets do need the token vegetable dish.

Fried Rice with Sesame Oil with Diced Chicken and Chopped Young Ginger. I'm actually surprised the rice is fried, served in a steaming basket, I assumed it was steamed together with the meats and mushroom, and the juices seeped into the rice much like lap mei fan.  It was delicious though. RM58 nett per portion.

Almost everyone got this dish wrong, as I heard the fathers at the table tell their kids it was mango  and adzuki bean, when in actual fact, it's chilled  pumpkin and black  glutinous rice. which actually has a deep red adzuki bean hue to it. Lovely dessert actually, something different for a change.  RM16 nett per portion.

...and to end, the obligatory Nian Gao, which actually over the years has been evolving into a rather gourmet dessert, served in so many fancy styles.  The good thing about this evolution is the nian gaos are generally not overly sweet.

Yee Sang can be enjoyed by dining in or to be taken away Prices start from RM68 nett per standard serving and are available from 01 February to 02 March, 2018 as are the set menus.

Discounts
SPG, Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members enjoy special discounts on the above promotion for up to 8 persons
Beyond Dining and Club Marriott members enjoy 20% discount on the above promotion for up to 10 persons
Major bank cardholders enjoy 20% discounts on the above promotion for up to 10 persons

For reservations or more information, please contact Westin Dining at 603.2773.8338 or email westindining@westin.com. Please note that All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum and Simply Dim Sum buffet will not be available from 16 February to 02 March, 2018.

Valentine's Day At Gobo Upstairs, Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur - A Celebration of Lurve (Cough, Choke)

I have to admit that I have somewhat an aversion to "commercialized" celebrations, the worst of all being Valentine's Day.  The one and only time I ever went out for a Valentine's Dinner was circa 1996, when I was still dating the current wife..... we had booked a table at some restaurant in Jln Ampang, now closed of course, (it was either Terrace Garden or La Terrase) and it was so packed, and tables were placed within inches from the next table, so much so I could not only hear every word of the couple next to me, but could have easily stroked the thigh of the person next to me.  Yes, we were THAT close.  Very unconducive, and not cheap.

Now, after almost 21 years of wedded bliss, (cough cough), I still can't get myself to deliberately go for a Valentine's Dinner, not a particularly good endorsement for what I'm about to write, BUT, having said that, if I WAS still courting and trying to impress, then Gobo Upstairs would be certainly shortlisted.  Of course, one can always argue that the celebration of lurve is a lifelong process, and true, by that token, it can be celebrated any day, not only on some vague day named after some vague dead Catholic Saint.

Ah, Gobo Upstairs however is smart enough not to confine the love celebrations to a single day, (which also happens to be too near to Chinese New Year, although admittedly not the whole world is Chinese), so their Valentine's menu is available from 7-14th, which means you can buy roses earlier to celebrate without paying an arm and a leg.

The Menu is priced at RM550 nett per couple, including of two glasses of Prosecco, to set the mood.  The Vegetarian menu is priced at RM480 nett per couple.

To start, the Starry Eyes & Butterflies, which is a fresh Pacific Oyster, with caviar and lemon essence.  My oyster was plump, juicy and fresh, as all clams should be.

The Vegetarian starter, "Beautiful Distraction", was an outstanding Gazpacho Shot, with lemon essence and cucumber pickle  We were fortunate enough to sample a bit of this, and I have to say, it was delicious.

Heaven Sent, (Vegetarian Course 2), compressed duo watermelon with wild rocket, toasted pine nuts and cherry tomatoes.  Okay, it's basically watermelon, red and yellow.

2nd Course for the Main Menu is "FIRST KISS". a seafood mosaic of marinated scallops, shrimps, smoken salmon, crab, avocado and cilantro dressing.  The medley of flavours certainly would be more than a first kiss I'm sure, unless the perpetrator was totally unshy.

HEAD OVER HEELS, the third course, is a chicken consomme soup, with crispy chicken wonton and spicy fragrant oil.  A lovely consomme, (actually Gobo Upstairs has been very consistent with their consommes), and a nice meeting of east and west with the wontons.

However, even better than the consomme, to me, was the 3rd course in the Vegetarian Menu, BURNING LOVE, blue potato soup, onion rings, creme fraiche and chives.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a blue potato, but the end product is a slight purplish colour, which made us believe it was actually purple sweet potato, but no, according to Chef Mun, it is blue potato.  Speaking of Chef Mun, ...a highly eligible, good looking bachelor, who as far as we knew, is still "available" .

ADDICTED TO YOU, a pleasing palate cleanser of lime and lemon sorbet.  Oh, in the normal menu, this is called TWO HEARTS BEAT AS ONE.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER...A choice of either pan seared cod fish with petite vegetables, potato fondant, sorrel cream or Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs, curried couscous, garlic puree, asparagus and mint yoghurt.

I personally preferred the Cod fish. The crust on the rack of lamb was rather good though.  When in doubt, always trust in Cod.

But from the Vegetarian Menu, the mains of Beetroot Risotto, ricotta, hazelnuts and aged balsamic was superb.  SOOOOO GOOOD.  And I'm not even a risotto fan.  Who knew that beetroot can impart such sublime flavours.

SWEET SURRENDER, a truly happy ending, with Raspberry Petit Gateau, mille feullie, mousse, red velvet soil, pavlova, mixed berries compote, edible white chocolate candle.  That heart shaped thing was very yummy, a mousse like panna cotta like...

The girls get this door gift to bring home.... Life is so unfair, why don't guys ever get doorgifts....

And the lovely ladies of Traders Marcomm accompanying us for the Valentine's Preview.

You can also dine on the 32rd Floor at the Club Lounge, at RM750 nett per couple, with stunning vistas of the twin towers, with two glasses of prosecco and free flow wine.  Worth it if you're a wino.

Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, 50088 Malaysia

Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, 50088  Malaysia
60 3 2332 9829  http://www.shangri-la.com/kualalumpur/traders/        

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