Seng Kee, Rat's Tail Noodle and Cuti Cuti KL

Although our Ringgit is strengthening, its still expensive for us to travel abroad, so since I struck out London, New York and Paris as potential weekend destinations for the kids, I decided to do the next best thing, and bring them on Cuti Cuti KL. The pros of a KL holiday is, no need to change money, no need to pay taxi fare to get to LCCT (KLIA? Forget it, with four kids, I haven't stepped foot into KLIA since 2005), no need to apply passport or visa. It's great. Best of all, we could reach our destination in 15 minutes. With traffic.

We check into KL Hilton, (got free room voucher from the Hilton Card, which expires end May, so no choice lor, die die oso have to use), and head straight for the pool. Actually, it takes very little to entertain children. All they want is the loving company of their parents, and a pool, and they're happy campers. No need for PSPs, and expensive toys. I should start a parenting blog. My first tip would be..... I shall save that for Fatboybakesparentingwordsofwisdom.blogspot.com. Don't click on the link...it's not set up yet.
Maybe I should abbreviate it to FBB-WOW.blogpsot.com

Where was I?


The twin towers of Meridien and KL Hilton. They share a common pool, BUT have different water. I kid you not. There is a barrier underneath the bridge, and that separates the two pools. Water from Meridien does not flow into the KL Hilton side.

There is also a RM50 cash voucher that we had to spend. Snack time. Damn, I am a good planner. Designer french fries, pizza, and club sandwich. Of course, it's more than RM50. Drat.


Club Sandwich and Pepperoni Pizza, and very hungry boys.


If you can't be at the beach, put your imagination to good use.... reminds me of the Alleycats song...."Kuala Lumpur, Senyuman mu....di pagi ini, sungguh bererti". (Kuala Lumpur, your smile, this morning, is most meaningful)


As I said, give the kids a pool and they'll be happy. Or any form of water. Even a public waterfall will do.



As the sunsets, and we gaze out our window to the gorgeous view of shanty buildings of Brickfields, to the modern skyscrapers in yonder, I plan the next step of our itinerary. An LRT ride from KL Sentral, to Pasar Seni, and a walkabout of Petaling Street.


The famous air mata kuching. I often wonder...1. how much protection money they have to pay the triads, 2. where is their mansion....and how many luxury cars they own. They must be raking it in!!!



There is something festive about Petaling Street, although the moniker Chinatown is highly suspect, now that most of the stalls are run by foreign workers. Who speak Cantonese quite well.




Lower the bar. Tell the kids that designer clothes from Petaling Street are good enough for them. That'll save you from an embarrasing, "I WANTTTTT THISSSSSS" the next time they walk past Ferragamo in KLCC.


A fascinating eclectic mix of people, and products. From monks asking for alms, to crowds of tourists, to the locals who actually go there to shop. Some sights like the old bicycle with the China Press board does remind me of the World War II era...when we only ate tapioca and sweet potato.

And for dinner, a rare treat for the kids....

The famous claypot rat-tails. Lou Shee Fun, at Seng Kee. Actually, the last time I was here was probably about 8 years ago. The stall has expanded, and now occupies the shoplot that used to be the dwellings of the owners. Makes sense. They can probably afford a penthouse in KLCC, with the brisk business they do.


The rat's tails are soaked with mincemeat, a raw egg, which cooks in the heat, liver, and doused in a delicious sauce. As Aly in her post pointed out, the flavours of the sauces haven't really had time to seep into the noodle, but nevertheless, it is delicious.


The other signature dish. The siu yoke mee. Actually, the noodle is nice, but the meat is nothing to shout about.


Fried Water Dog. Easy snack.


I love their deep fried foo choke, (beancurd skin), which is crispy, yet not oily. So very light.


I am a sucker for intestines, and though alarm bells went off in my head, when the lady recommended this, (more like FORCED it upon me, she could see the weakness in me, chis), I ordered it, knowing I would be the only one eating it. It's sang cheong, which according to I can't remember who, is actually the FALLOPIAN TUBE of the pig, and not the intestine. We try not to think about its history, and its passage of time...oops, passage of sperm.

Dinner for 6 came up to slightly above RM60, with drinks. Could've been cheaper if I was not co-erced into ordering the fallopian tubes.

A great itinerary, if I may say so myself.


Footnote:
Okay, those of you intending to do the same thing, and take the LRT to PASAR SENI, be warned, the walkway from Pasar Seni station to Chinatown is VERY dim and dingy. It is a robbery, rape/murder site WAITING to happen. Bring along a bodyguard. I don't understand WHY the powers that be can't even get this right. Pasar Seni station is meant to be a tourist stop. It is a disgrace. Why is our Tourism Minister touring the world for ideas, and can't even get this right? And the Transport Minister as well. We PALE in comparison to Singapore and BKK...

Lunch With Michael Elfwing, Senses, KL Hilton

As at the time of writing, I can safely say that this meal I'm gonna blog about is the BEST meal I've had this year. It was already thrilling enough to get an invite, courtesy of MY NOURISHMENT magazine, (thanks, Chief Editor Ryan Khang) to have lunch at Senses, with Chef de Cuisine of Senses, Chef Michael Elfwing. (who is Swedish).

Are all celebrity Chefs good looking, or do they become celebrity chefs BECAUSE they are good looking? And how the heck do they remain so slim? I guess life in the kitchen can be quite gruelling, on your feet all day, in a perpetual sauna, ..... but oh, when you see the chef at work, like an artist brandishing his paint brush to create a masterpiece, you can't help but develop a certain awe and newfound admiration for these gurus who bring so much joy to our palates.

Today's meal was indeed an attack on ALL the senses. Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Oh, and a bit of the sixth sense too, as I had a premonition that I would be sinfully full after that meal. As the Director of Markeing Communications, Sally, very kindly briefed us on what to expect, by the sheer variety, we were expecting bite size morsels of every dish, ..... kinda like those portions in degustation menus that leave you wondering if you need Hokkien Mee later on.

Boy were we wrong!

The original guests were supposed to comprise A Whiff of Lemongrass, A Lil Fat Monkey, Frat Mustard, Ryan and me. [Ciki was invited too but was off to Singapore] But as the event was postponed, Lemongrass had already arrived in London, Monkey had a working lunch, leaving Frat and Me, together with the two lovely sisters of THE COOKING HOUSE, photographer Ah Po, and Ryan, for this decadent lunchtime soiree.

I am sure most readers by now have met Frat.


I like this place already. They serve REAL butter with their buns, which were incidentally, excellent. My rye bread was yummy. But in retrospect, I should have laid off the bread completely!!!!


Excuse me while I hide behind these cards, I need to loosen my belt.


SMOKING ALLOWED ....





.......that's the name of the dish. Sous vide Tasmanian Ocean trout smoked at the table, new season potato salad, cucumber cress and sweet mustard dressing. Those little leaves that look like weeds, taste like cucumber skin. The trout was amazing. Look at that glorious color, which bears testimony to the excellent farming methods in Tasmania. Chef said that ideally, of course, he would prefer WILD, but WILD being WILD, isn't always available. The slight hint of smokiness on the trout, which wasn't too salty, was delicious. As assailing of Sight, Smell, and Taste.


Beetroot & Scallop Salad....The scallop on the right, is the MUKI HOTATO, while the other two on the left, Hokkaido scallops. Chef had given us both to taste to contrast the texture of the two types. Indeed, one was chewier, but so very flavourful, and sweet. The Hokkaido ones were more normal, but also seared to perfection. Who'd have thought the beetroot mash could be so delicious.


Organic Butternut Pumpkin & Perrier Soup. Oh, did I mention the main purpose of the meal was to showcase organic stuff as well? Of course, organic in my mind equates to healthy and bland. Hence, the GENIUS of Chef Michael. How is it possible that pumpkin and perrier can taste so good????!!! Superb!


Chicken Terrine, with Beurre Bosc Pear Chutney and Rock Melon Salad, Summer Truffles. And yes, those thin slices ARE truffles. The terrine has some foie gras in it, as a replacement for fat. How decadent is that?!!! My limited culinary vocabulary can't even think of adjectives to describe the kaleidoscope of flavours.


Frat and his Truffle.





Queensland Goldband Snapper with minute cooked coz lettuce, Boston Bay mussels, tomato basil beurre blanc. As you can imagine, by now, we were getting pretty full. The snapper, though it looks ordinary, was super fresh, and cooked just right. Nothing like the taste of fresh, good fish, cooked well, to almost convince you that you can give up meat.


As the Photographer was vegetarian, .... hmmm, did he say vegetarian? I am sure fish is not a vegetable.... Chef served him this delicious looking Loch Fyne Scottish Salmon, pan roasted, with grilled razor clam and garlic butter. Apparently he's a pescitarian, ie, can eat things that don't move, like scallops, razor clams. Anyway, whatever his culinary beliefs were, that dish looked good.


At this point, we nearly keeled over when Chef Michael brought out these platters of meat, a mixture of Kagoshima, Wagyu, Mayura Station Platinum Wagyu, Angus cross Wagyu, with marbling scores from five to TWELVE!!!! TWELVEEEEE!!!!!! The highest I've ever had was nine, and that already made me ahem.....


Our accompanying vegetables to go with the beef.








Without a doubt the Wagyu Rib Eye, from Darling Downs Australia, with marble score 12, full blood wagyu, AND the Mayura from Limestone Coast, South Australia, Marble score 12, 600 days grain fed, ...WITHOUT A DOUBT, has KILLED it for me. HOWW, I ask, HOWWWWW will I ever eat normal beef again??!!!! It was sheeeeeer heaven. I salivate at the very thought of it. It's almost obscene. I daren't even ask the price.

Melt in the mouth took on another meaning. Every single sense was assailed. The sight of that marble, the tongue tingling taste, the glorrrious texture (touch), the aroma that makes you want to live in a kitchen forever, and the SOUNDS of everyone going ooh and ahhhh..... and FRAT muttering incoherently as if he had just "arrived".

Thank Goodness for the "there's always room for dessert" theory, which by and large, is true.


Manjari Emulson, ...need I say more. Valrhona, 56% I think, not too bitter, not sweet, AMAZING texture, made only from Manjari and....water, apparently. I am soooo going to order this the next time I visit KL Hilton.





Lime & Gooseberries, lime curd with hazelnut and sable crumbs, Valrhona Ivoire Chocolate Emulsion, Physalis Compote and sorbet. Not a white chocolate fan, I didn't prioritize to try the white chocolate emulsion, and it was gone by the time I did want to try. The physalis sorbet was refreshing.


Mango Parfait Cannelloni....perfect for a hot summer day, which is every day in KL, except we were blissfully unaware all the heavens had opened outside, and it was pouring! Lovely texture, and strong definitive mango taste.


Pink Kiss Apple, orangic apple variation with crepes, vanilla espuma, fresh donuts & cinnamon sugar. At a glance it looked like some local dessert. Well, with all the other sinful offerings, this one, being organic and all, seemed rather tame, although the apple crumble was delicious.


Twisted Ganache, pink guava & passionfruit sponge, orange creme and toffee ice cream. The ganache was splendid, and eaten all together, really creates whole new sensations!



Grand Marnier souffle. I usually don't like airy desserts.... I mean, if you're gonna indulge, it should be solid right. Not eating air. But this souffle was sooo yummy.


Bread and Butter Pudding, for those who want something familiar and homely. Delicious, but not something I'd order especially with SOOO MANY OTHER FASCINATING CHOICES!!!!


TRUFFLE ICE CREAM. The height of decadence!!!! Eggs that had been sitting together with truffles, so that the truffle aroma permeated into the eggs.... wow!!!! This finished in a jiffy.




And at the end, Frat pengsan-ed.

Thank you Chef Michael for the real treat. It really was a memorable fantastic lunch. Oh, and thank you Sally too for your hospitality. Of course, thanks to Ryan and team for securing us an invite. (Sounds like an Oscar acceptance speech).

Reminds me of the song, A LOVE SO BEAUTIFUL...Michael Bolton...except, this was A LUNCH SO BEAUTIFUL...Michael Elfwing.

My First Food Blogger Wedding Invite....Kang Lianne & Jurgen

No, this isnt the bridal couple, though I have more pics of them than the bridal couple. Somehow, the lens always gravitates to them. It's the star quality, I tell you.....

In the land of the blind, the one eyed woman is QUEEN.....

See what I mean about the paparazzi stalking the stars....



Once upon a time, in a faraway land, from KL, somewhere in Germany, a baby (German) was born. He grew up, surfed some Malaysian food blogs, chatted up the authoress, and lived happily ever after....

Yeah, that about sums it up. And as a result, one table of us very privileged people were invited to the wedding reception of our dear Lianne, also known as Imbi & Itchy, (No, its not an extension of I'm Bitchy and Itchy), who's whirlwind romance is stuff that romance novels are made of. I am pleased to announce at this juncture I have NEVER EVER read a single Mills & Boones in my life.


Very da posh venue, KL Hilton no less. A cosy soiree of 5 tables, including the main tables. Such a far cry from the 70 table weddings where you can barely hear yourself fart... and people belting out hokkien karaoke. Nothing against hokkiens...

Our table of 12 comprised old friends from the food blogging community, the famous Masak Masak, A Whiff of Lemongrass, Teckiee of Eat First Think Later, WMW of You Get What You Give, Precious Pea, the inimitable Nigel Skelchy, and the dashing Allan Yap, of Just Heavenly, Young Boy Jason of Ipoh Mali Tak Sombong, Serene of Food Cookies and of course, our dear Hairy Berry all the way from Singapore.


Interesting wedding favours. Cute magnetic photo frames with a pic of the bride and groom.


There was a brief tea ceremony before the start of dinner.....



The free flow beer and red wine had certainly worked, and everyone was in a chirpy happy mood.... nah, actually I tell a lie. It wasn't the alcohol that created the mood. How not to be chirpy and happy in the circumstances? Nice venue, good food, good friends...good occasion. No need beer also can have fun la.....well, maybe.









The four seasons platter was unusually good. It had scallops, with lovely bits of pistachio, in a mayonaissey kind of sauce, and were very fresh. The cold cuts, chicken roll with jelly fish was also good... in fact, yeah, they were all good. Usually it's quite a hit and miss thing, for 4 seasons platters at wedding dinners.


Of course, the diligent food bloggers live up to their reputation, and whip out their respective equiment to perform their tasks.....

....INCLUDING the bride....


Hmmm, that must be a first. A bride taking pics of her wedding food to do a food review.

There was a lovely soup, which I forgot to photograph...


The lemon chicken was EXCELLENT!!!! Tender, but not supermarket frozen soft and textureless, moist, and not drowned in sauce.


Fish in the net....[Man in the Net music humming in the background] Steamed sea bass...not too bad. Lovely presentation though.


The bride is delighted to see the cork fly so high...and the fluids spewing forth...


Again, the lens is focused on our party's livewire....





She's looking shy and demure.... didnt have time to whip off the glasses, but well, they matched her shawl, apparently.

Okay, we've focused enough on the guests, ..... a collage of the bride now....



Isn't that laughter and happiness almost contagious? !!!!

Seeing pics like these, the collage below, always makes me think of Neil Armstrong's It's a Wonderful World....

The man is truly dedicated to his art, and will stoop to any level....

The vegetable dish, lovely bak choy with kei chee, (wolfberries, good for the eyes, according to grandmothers), and some abalone clam thingie.



And the individually wrapped glutinous rice... yummy.... perfect to cap it off. All that running to and fro from the table to the stage to capture pics of the bride and groom is rather tiring...and the carb fix was most welcome.



Desserts were these lovely deep fried buns, with custard and corn filling....very nice. Crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside.


Hey, check out the insides of my buns....


Hey, isnt that the Mandarin Oriental Logo? What's it doing inside a KL Hilton dessert?

Thamby signing the guest book....


I think I daresay I speak for all our table, Kang Lianne...we had a WONDERFUL time, and thanks so much for inviting us. We wish you and Jurgen all the happiness in the world together, and may your love for each other grow even more, so that when we're invited to your 25th wedding anniversary, there will be so much love flooding the ballroom, that we'll be overdosed!

God bless you both.