Appreciation Grows, Hennessy XO & Michelin Star Chef, Alvin Leung

The youth of today and their single malts. In my day, the trickle of Hennessy X.O. into a glass of crackling ice, was the sign of ultimate luxury. It was a rare treat, given only during Chinese New Year and special occasions. Speaking of special occasions.....

..my dear buddy, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS (AWOL), very kindly included me in her exclusive list of invitees for Hennessy's XO Appreciation Grows, a lah dih dah event, organised by Hennessy, Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Riche Monde Malaysia), and Milk PR Sdn Bhd, (who was the one who invited us thru AWOL, thank you very much).

At RM800 per person, we were full of heightened expectation, wondering what wonders lay in store in a specially constructed dome on the grounds of the Bukit Kiara Equesterian club, actually built on the site where horses did their daily trots around the corral. We were ushered into the outer sanctum of the large marquee, in the comforts of airconditioning, while waiting for the laggard guests to trickle in. When an invite says 6.30, black tie, one would expect a bit of punctuality.

We were then ushered yet another step closer into the holy of holies, into another sanctum, where we donned on state of the art wireless headsets that didn't work, but were regaled with the story of Hennessy XO, by the dashing Regional brand ambassador, Arnaud Mirey.


The Kuala Lumpur glitterati....


Speaking of Kuala Lumpur glitterati, if you know these two, you probably know the whole of KL. The inimitable Nigel Skelchy, who takes half an hour to move 20 metres because he has to stop and say hallo to everyone.


Happiness, apart from family, good health, friendship, love and all that, is seeing bottles and bottles of expensive liqour waiting to flow down our throats.


The Man of the Hour, Michelin Star Chef Alvin Leung, sharing a light moment with Frederic Noyere, MD Of Riche Monde Malaysia, in a "press conference" like setting. The floor was open to a very shy press, to ask questions. Of the 4 or 5 questions asked, I think 3 came from OUR group, namely Nigel, of course, and our very own celebrity, Aly of Red FM.





Alil naughty monkey, with BabeKL in the background!


She looks like she's crooning, That's What Friends Are For.


Our Menus, wrapped in a black napkin, like a tuxedo laidat. So classy hor!


The circus has come to town...the main dining area is one big domed tent, a bit like Hogwarts..the ceiling changes pictures and theme according to food that is served. Rather interesting concept.


The first dish was Glass Garden, an avant garde Hong Kong interpretation of a garden dish, made from baked morel soil, dehydrated enoki, braised caterpillar fungus, and green onion puree. It's supposed to resemble a vineyard in winter? Dried vine plants on the brown soil. I thought this dish was quite amazing. The green onion puree was something very unique, and the flavours were intriguing. Familiar, yet completely new. The texture, ethereal, and light.


The combination of the dried morel soil, which was delicious, with the green mousse was also inspirationally clever.


Orchids seem to be the FOTD. (flower of the day) [cheers to you, Fratmustard]


Har Mi...or Har Mai, a perfectly executed crouton of carebinero, sauteed capellini, roasted cherry tomatoes and deep fried sage. In English, its basically dried shrimp that has been cooked for 48 hours (much like serunding), tossed together with angel hair pasta. A lot of people declared this their favourite dish. Again, it was the familiarity and comfort food element of this dish that probably appealed to the palate, but yet, with that added culinary twist that we could never quite replicate.


Of course, Foie Gras is always MY favourite. So I was delighted when the health conscious like Nigel decided only to have a morsel of his, and passed the crumbs to the waiting rakyat. Palate Fantastique, pan fried foie gras meticellulose and xantana. I like it, when I don't know the meanings of more than half the words in the description.


Melt in the mouth, and that blob of foam on the foie gras, (molecular gastronomy ma!), awesome. Incidentally, all these dishes are paired with the XO, which our in house culinary guru, Nigel, pointed out, completed the flavours. Apparently there was always a missing element that was made complete only with a sip of the XO. My unsophisticated palate could of course make no such distinction, and I thought the food tasted remarkable, with or without the XO. But there is no doubting that the XO was remarkable as well.


A rare treat, when we were given the opportunity to savour the smooth delicate moments of the ULTRA LIMITED EDITION HENNESSY X.O. MATHUSALEM, a 6 litre bottle of ultra limited goodness, created by master blender and secret keeper, Yann Filloux. Arnaud here is demonstrating how to use his rod to extract the precious fluids.





Kukomi Intrigue, an umami dish, created from boiled chicken soup, sous vide egg white, foie gras and julienne truffle. I thought the soup itself was a bit on the salty side, but you see, it had to be drunk with the accompanying egg white at the base, completing the flavours. Gold leaf floating on the surface added a nice touch to the already glittering event.





Nigel wastes no time in trying HIS hand at using the rod and poking it into the precious fluid.





Wagyu Wonders, Alvin Leung's specialty of sous vide wagyu striploin, cheung fun and black truffle. The texture of the cheung fun was amazing, springy yet not overly so, and the wagyu was simply sublime. Tender, melt in the mouth but yet with that texture of beef, that doesnt make you feel like you're swallowing pure fat. Lovely.


The very affable Frederic Noyere, playing the perfect host, going from table to table.


Dessert..probably the most daring dish of the night. Named Eastern Ascent, an unforgettable dessert of kikorangi (NZ) blue cheese, milk, cream and dried longan granita. A glamorized leen chee kang, some said. Yeah, this was definitely the most interesting dish, in the sense that it was daring step of faith, intermarrying the intense odor of blue cheese, with a basically pedesterian tong shui. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favourite for the night.


Stars of a feather flock together.


An encore dessert, basically a tiramisu with liberal doses of X.O., that wasn't on the menu. I would have preferred it served cold. Ours was at room temperature.


Our Michelin Chef, and rising comic star, Alilfatmonkey.

To read more about Chef Alvin, check out the Hennessy XO website HERE.

This event is on till the 25th of September, but I hear it's been sold out. However, if you feel compelled to attend, perhaps you can contact Adeline Ong of Milk PR at 603-20948915 to see if they still have tickets available.

A special thanks to Milk PR (and the CEO, Wei, for being such a gracious host), and A Whiff of Lemongrass for the invite. It was truly an honor.

Chef Alvin Leung, Molecular Gastronomy Meets Chinese Cuisine

This should excite the food connoiseurs out there. Firstly, let me point you to the website, that requires you to declare you are above 18 years of age, AND, a non-Muslim. Click HERE. Why is that? Well, for starters, the organisers of this event are HENNESSY X.O.

[Excerpts lifted from Presskit]
Themed, APPRECIATION GROWS, this gastronomic event features Chef Alvin Leung, whose revolutionary and award winning fusion of molecular gastronomy (YUP, MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY!) and Chinese Cuisine has created new taste sensations that give diners a unique experience everytime.


His Bo Innovation became Hong Kong's only independent restaurant to be awarded TWO Michelin stars by the prestigious Michelin Guide.

WHERE IS IT HAPPENING?
In a specially constructed dome, built at the Bukit Kiara Equesterian Club, Bukit Kiara.

WHEN?
20th - 25th September, 2010

HOW MUCH?
RM800 per head. I think its net.

MENU
You can view the entire menu on the website, but in case you can't get in because you are under 18 years of age, or alcohol is not allowed in your faith, then to give you some highlights:

Glass Garden - An avant garde HK interpretation of a garden dish, made from baked morel soil, dehydrated enoki, braised caterpillar fungus and green onion puree.

Palate Fantastique - With pan fired foie gras, metilcellulose and xantana.

Wagyu Wonders- An Alvin Leung specialty of sous vide wagyu striploin, cheung fun and black truffle.

You know its exotic when half the words show up as errors on spell check!

For further information, call 03-2178 0230 or log on to the website.

A "Xin"ful Dining Experience

Who amongst you remember going to the Merlin Hotel, in the days of yesteryear, when P Ramlee movies were the toast of the town, and our local leading ladies in the silver screen wore sarungs just enough to cover their bosoms, in bathing scenes, when life was much simpler, Malaysians more friendly to each other, when racial divide did not feature as a daily thing in the Malaysian papers. You may say I'm a whinger, but I'm not the only one... Imagine all the people, living life in peace.... woo hoooah.

Merlin, the definitive hotel, one of probably a handful, a treat to a innocent child whose eyes pop open in amazement at the ornate tortoise ponds, the dainty dim sum treats served by waitresses with cheong sam slits to their waist. Ok, perhaps it was all Imagine, but oh well, one can dream.

Today, all that remain of that era are two ornate dragon pillars, in what is known as Xin Cuisine, in Concorde hotel.



And actually, till today, I reckon dim sum in Xin is still one of the better ones in town. Xin, despite the fact that most Chinese restaurants in other hotels are halal, still serves pork, preserving its lure as a Chinese restaurant for the flers who need their porcine fix.

Again, thanks to Aly of Red FM, who has posted her review HERE, I was invited to sample the Mid Autumn Festival Menu, which is priced at RM888++, for a table of ten. We were warmly hosted by Mr KT Lee, Janet Leong and Julini Mohd Yusof, who made us feel very much at home. Alvin & his lovely wife, YY, both Aly's photographers were also there. Check out their lovely shots at Aly's post.



This was taken after dinner, actually, when the restaurant had quietened down. Xin is also used to host smaller wedding crowds, and I think can seat up to 30 tables.


Pan Fried King Prawn with Chef's specialty sauce. It was a rich creamy sauce, almost buttery, fortified with prawn roe, always a good thing, of course. The prawns themselves were fresh and firm. Actually this dish is crying out for noodles to make it into a Sang Har Mee kinda dish. Apparently the Chef does make a fabulous Sang har hor fun dish.


Braised Chinese Cabbage with Dried Seafood, mainly scallops. Very traditional, and comforting. I could eat this dish alone with a bowl of rice, and be happy.



Pomfret (Tai Tou Chong) cooked 3 ways. I thought 2 ways was impressive enough, but THREE ways! One side was steamed, another side pan fried, and the skin deep fried. Considering this is one of my favourite fish, I have to say this dish would rank as my favourite. Loved the crispy deep fried bits of skin...a healthy version of chee yau char. (pork lard)




This is an awfully taken pic, but me and soups, and me and meats...we just don't go. The soup was a superb clear broth, and a piece of chicken drumstick filled with lots of good stuff!!! It was like a child breaking open a pinata and finding all the goodies within!!!


Claypot Chicken Rice. Got my carbo fix right here. Tender pieces of lovingly marinated chicken, slowly cooked in claypot, tossed with rice, the quintessential chinese meal, I'd say.


KT Lee, Janet, the Master Chef Foong Ah Wai, who has more than 30 years of experience under that apron, Red Hot Aly, posing for Alvin, actually, hence the "not looking at my camera" pose.


Concorde is also offering a variety of mooncake, and did I mention, they throw in a complimentary box with the Mid Autumn Set menu. (Not just the box, but filled with four mooncakes)


Ah, very rare, pure almond milk, as a dessert. Different from almond jelly that uses fake almond essence, and smells like cockroaches. This pure almond milk makes you feel that if you bathed in it, you'll have skin smooth as a baby's behind. Lovely.


Lotus and sweet potato mooncake. Okay, I'll be frank, give me a good old salted egg yolk any day. A sweet potato masquerading as an egg yolk...harumph. But if you are the healthy sort, then yeah, go for it.

Incidentally, the real mid autumn festival is on 22nd September, or the 15th day of the 8th month of the chinese lunar calendar. So if you want to catch this menu, better hurry.

Thank you, Mr Lee & Janet for being delightful dinner company, and to Aly, of course!

CONTACT

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant
Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur
2 Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03 21448750/21442200 extn 2616

Il Lido

There seems to be a few "Il" whatevers popping up. Il Divo, Il Lido, Il Primo. Now, if the Ministry of Education were to set up a restaurant, it would be called Il Literate, and if MACC were to set up one, it'll be Il Legal. The President of MCA's restaurant is called Il Licit. Of course, if I were to set up one, it'll be called Il Lustrious. Ahem!

Il Lido has been touted as "could be the best Italian restaurant in KL" but food cognoscenti, Sean Yoong of Eat Drink KL. With such rare accolade, of course, I was thrilled therefore to have been able to dine there TWICE so far, once for Bald Eagle's Surprise Birthday Dinner (which I've yet to blog about), and once for an invited review, organised by our Makan- Fairy Godmother, as A Lil Fat Monkey calls her. I'm not sure if that term is endorsed by Marian or not.

We were greeted by the warm and bubbly Lyla, who is the PR Lady of the place. Il Lido hails from Singapore, (and therefore it must be good la right?).


They serve a lovely herbed bread, with olive oil and balsamico, but I being the uncultured peasant that I am, prefer my bread with butter. You have to be careful not to overgorge yourself with this bread, as it's so delicious.


The amuse bouche. I love the way that microscopic piece of salmon is placed on that gigantic plate. It's like how Seri Perdana in Putrajaya is way too big for just the PM. However, the salmon was a lovely teaser to the feast that ensued.


A platter of Parma Ham, Rock Melon and Balsamic. Lovely thin strips of parma. There's something magical about the combination of the sweet rockmelon, and parma. I know its quite a normal combo, but whoever thought of it first, must have been quite a genius.


Rucola Salad with Pecorino Cheese, Walnut and Pear. Walnuts also seem to be the natural marriage partner with pears. Its seemed written in the stars. I'm not sure what Rucola is, but it tasted like some baby spinach.


Crab Salad With Avocado and Bisque Jelly. I love crab, and anything with PEELED crab, provided it doesnt have that freezer after taste, is always welcome. Such a pretty looking starter as well.


Spinach and Endive Salad With Golden Egg & Red Onion Compote. The highlight for me was the fried egg, runny yolk on the inside, while the albumen forms a natural sac protecting the liquid gold within.


Baked Eggplant and Mozarella Cheese...a mini mousakka, almost.


Pan Seared Foie Gras with Saba Wine Must and Sweet Potatoes. I have to say that for RM59, it is a generous slab of foie gras, and seared to perfection as well. Totally melt in the mouth, the subtle sweetness of the saba wine must and balsamic in union with the sinful diseased liver, ah, we are close to heaven.


Porcini Mushroom Cream With Truffle. I've only ever heard about such things, I hear they serve a lovely version in Senses, but with no yardstick to compare, I thought this was divine. I think when I return, I shall just have this soup, the foie gras, and their BREAD!


I didnt take many human pictures this time, as I was totally engrossed in the food, but this particular one, juxtaposed against that unique background, makes for a nice shot. Of course the subjects are also photogenic.


Rigatoni with Suckling Pig, Porcini Mushrooms and Truffle. Oh my gawd, if you like rich stuff, go for this dish. It's simply choking with goodness, but it is really too rich for me. Two pieces and I felt like I was about to do a Cheras Pomelo. Bits of luscious sucking pig, in a rich creamy based sauce fill the rigatoni, the way plaque would fill your artery.


Pumpkin Tortellini with Sage. Lovely homemade pasta, so refined and yet comforting.


Linguine With Jumbo Sea Prawns. The prawns were succulent and fresh, and okay, I think THIS dish, I could eat myself. (But not if I've had the Foie and Truffle Cream).
Good old pasta, this one, though it is gourmet.





Wagyu Beef Cheek with Celeriac Puree and fava beans. The beef was worthy of its wagyu status, tender, but there was one element in the sauce that seemed to overpower the dish, which we couldn't quite place.





For the pork lover, this is a must have dish. Sardinian Suckling Pig with Plum Sauce. If Sardinia itself didn't sound exotic enough on its own, this dish conjures up images of Marco Polo returning from his travels in China, and introducing this palatial dish in his hometown. Crispy crackling, a lovely layer of fat, and the tenderest of meat.


Red Snapper Fillet With Egg plant Caviar. Honestly, by this time, my palate had ceased to function, as the brain cried out to the tummy, ENOUGH ENOUGH. Looked healthy and tasty enough.



But there's always room for dessert. Some gelato...


A gorgeous panna cotta, creamy, firm, not overly wobbly...encased in a picturesque sugar net. Such effort people take to decorate their desserts.



Four types of creme brulee, all good.


Classic Tiramisu.


Molten Chocolate Cakes.

What can I say, but WOW, what a meal. I am inclined to agree with Sean's appraisal of the situation, and having dined here twice, (once as a paying guest...well, I didnt pay, but the hostess paid), and once for an invited review, both times have been beyond expectations.

Thanks Lyla for being a gracious host, and Marian for inviting.

Il Lido is situated right across the Aussie High Commission, on Jln Yap Kwan Seng. Tel: 21612291.

The George and Dragon

I remember walking past this place before it opened, in Bangsar Shopping Centre, and thought, ooh, great, a British pub. You know la, these British pubs, always got name like The Toad in the Hole, The Crown and the Parrot, The Pussy in the Well, The Hog in the Pound, The Snake and the Lizard....

For all you non literature reading people out there, George refers to Saint George (and NOT the Georgy Porgy pudding and pie, poked the girls and made them cry, that one), and the story is actually set in Libya, in a town called Silene. As usual la, the town is terrorised by a nasty dragon, who is probably just a misunderstood reptile looking for food, and the peasants have to feed two lambs a day to the fler. Until one day, when it was the silence of the lambs, and there were no more lambs, and chewdren pulak had to be sacrificed. Then of course, you go up the pecking order, when INEVITABLE, the town's Princess is next on the menu. King offers half his kingdom to whoever can slay the dragon, and George, who happens to be galloping by, probably looking for some Colonel's Fried Chicken, (Libya mah), makes the sign of the cross, and with one fell swoop, tames the dragon. Even juicier, the princess throws him her girdle, which he uses to tie around the dragon, and then, suddenly the dragon is all subservient. What a beautiful analogy of how easy it is to control people. George brings dragon to town, townsfolk all faint, so George slays the dragon. Something like that.

I digress. Now far away from the site of that actual event, in the suburb of Bangsar, nestled amidst the affluent shops where Tai Tais roam , is George and The Dragon, all part of the happy family of establishments including Single & Available, Decanter, etc. That should clue you in as to the ownership.

Dinesh of BRDB sent a very nice invite, asking if some of us would like to sample what GATD had to offer, so why not? We were greeted by the lovely gregarious Melissa Chong, the Group Marketing & PR Manager of GATD. Her enthusiasm and bubbliness was contagious. We started off with the variety of beers they had to offer. Aly (RED FM) stuck to Tiger, I tried the Speckled Hen, (No relation to the spotted cock), while the rest tried the other stuff they had to offer. My speckled hen, an ale, is a bit sweetish, and filling. I can almost imagine myself drinking this hearty ale in a british countryside pub.


I always thought it was George and THE Dragon, but my bad, it looks like its THE GEORGE AND DRAGON.


A platter of pigs in the blanket (their version, which is sausage wrapped with bacon) and deep fried belly pork, aptly called BLANKETS AND BELLY. Pork, pork and more pork. If we are what we eat, I'd be crying wee wee wee all the way home. Lovely snack food to complement the beers.


But the porky piece de resistance really comes in the form of this PORK KNUCKLE. priced at RM65, and truly is a steal, for its worth every sen. Moist, tender pork pieces, that really descended from Hog Heaven, crispy crackling, with a base of vegetables that make it almost healthy, (brocolli, carrots, etc), swimming in a delicious gravy. I am not a HUGE fan of pork knuckles, and sometimes find it a tad dry, even the Chinese ones, but this version is excellent.


Frat and the Knuckle... another name of a pub you think?


New Zealand Lamb Cutlets. Good but truly, overshadowed by the porcine paradise. There were those amongst us who did not eat pork, or I am sure we'd have pigged out all the way.


Salmon Steak with Angel Hair Pasta. Understandably, angel hair is delicate like erm...a fairy, and any overcooking will quickly render it non al dente, which I dont like. Gimme al dente any day. The salmon was well cooked though, and the skin nice and crispy.


Well, if lamb is used for a shepherd's pie, then this is definitely a fisherman's pie. Although the actual name is smoked fish pie. Chunks of fish in a creamy sauce, topped with mashed potatoes, much like shepherd's pie, except its marine instead of land.


That's a big bone, er, Aly dear.


A liquid dessert, some Baileys concoction... and rather refreshing after all that meat.


Mah Cherry and Cherry Pom Pom


The body builder Mr Sarawak, Kabi, who is the Pub Manager, and Mel.
"When I was small, and Christmas trees were tall..."


Jek With Melissa

I really have to say I am truly impressed with that pork knuckle. It seems like a great place to hangout for casual drinks, and snack on the pork knuckle and other porky stuff. They also have a decent Bak Kut Teh served at suppertime. Not to mention an impressive array of single malts.

Thanks Mel for hosting us, and to Dinesh, for inviting us.

Read Aly's review HERE.

The George & Dragon
Lot G130, Ground Floor
Bangsar Shopping Centre
Tel: 22878316