Just Heavenly, Bangsar Shopping Centre

I am sure they need no introduction, those two celebrities, who between them have more facebook friends than Imelda Marcos' shoes.  Just Heavenly, that name that has become synonymous with gorgeously decorated cakes, and wedding cakes for the who's who of society, (if you do not have a Just Heavenly wedding cake for your wedding, pshaw, better not have a wedding at all...unless of course, it's from Delectable but that's another story altogether).  As usual, I digress.  Anyone who frequents Bangsar Shopping Centre, and that area around A CUT ABOVE, will notice that familiar cloud, (no, not the apple store), bearing the Just Heavenly logo.

Yup, Allan and Nigel of Just Heavenly have opened their long awaited Cafe...I mean, it seemed to be the next natural step, given their penchant for all things culinary, and their fantastic PR.  KL has been screaming out for a Just Heavenly Cafe, and well, Heaven has replied.

Adding to the duo, making it a menage a trois, is Caroline Lee, the COO, (gar) who is largely together with Allan, responsible for spearheading the birth (afterall, only women give birth) to the Just Heavenly Cafe.

So, I get an email from Nigel asking us to head over to the cafe, for what I PRESUMED was an official opening of sorts, with canapes and bubbly and waitresses floating around with harps and wings.  Unbeknownst to me, it was actually to sample the new menu, AND it was a sit down thing, and I was late, thinking it was cocktails.  In addition to that, I didn't bring my camera.  Sigh.  So here it goes, the crappy shots from the Iphone 4.

A variety of healthy fruit juice combos, Mojo Mojo, Tropical Teaser, Lemongrass Passion, and Charlie's Angels.





Smoked Salmon Wasabi Sandwich, which is served with a croissant, which I like, because croissants are buttery, and by extension, should not be healthy. 


Coconut Chicken Salad.  They try to use local stuff in their salads, which actually, is the common sense thing to do right, so it has pegaga, ulam raja, etc etc.  The local ulams give it that extra kick.


Monster Mushroom Quiche, an assortment of luscious mushrooms, and yes, really quite monstrous in size.  Not your everyday quiche is just a quiche. 


Quiche Lorraine...oh the place is pork free, so that is not pork bacon.  It's great that all their stuff come with a good side of salads and leafy greens.


Quiche


My favourite for the day, the Croaked Monsieur. 


Okay, it's actually Croque Monsieur, but Croaked Monsieur sounds so much more interesting.  I LURVE that flowy stream of yellow cholesterol lava


BLT Gamberi - A huge ass burger, with lovely triple fried chips.  Unlike the potatoes from a certain fast food chain that may have started life as a potato, but morphed into something totally different, these potatoes are still potatoes, and are totally yummy.



Soba Salad - totally healthy, with buckwheat noodles, Japanese cucumber (which are so much crunchier than Chinese cucumbers), sesame seeds, black and white,very united nations.


Penne Carbonara - those who know me long enough would know that I would never order this for myself, because the first bite is always, YUMMY, but it quickly goes downhill exponentially because it is so rich, and by the third bite, I am hovering around a food coma.  But if you like rich creamy sauces, knock yourself out with this. 


There's always room for dessert.  Tangy Key Lime Pie, though I don't think the limes are actually Key Limes from Florida, but I guess not many people knew that so it won't really matter. 


My all time favourite dessert from Just Heavenly, the chocolate durian bomb, velvety layers of durian, cream, chocolate, that sends your tongue to places I dare not mention. 


Lemon Meringue Pie - beatifully torched and finished.  (not sure if it's torched or grilled, but so very pretty).

Just Heavenly
2nd Floor, West Wing (Opposite A Cut Above Hair Salon)
Bangsar Shopping Centre,
285 Jalan Maarof,
59000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2011 4866

Nosh, Poshy But Not Doshy

Okay, since we're into colloquial speak, what I mean by not Doshy is not requiring a lot of dosh.

Nosh, the latest spot in the culinary melting pot that is Bangsar Baru, opened by two hot chicks, Ann & Judith, who are so passionate about their food, and desserts, that you can put on weight just by listening to them speak.  We were recently privileged to have preview of the menu, albeit at 4pm.  Nosh with plonk, a sure way to konk out by 6pm.  For those of you whose first language is not English, (my sympathies), Nosh is slang for "FOOD".  It's a remarkably versatile word, apparently, can be a verb, noun or adjective.  Let's Nosh.  That's good nosh.  And Oh My Nosh!! Okay, that's erroneous, maybe not an adjective.  Also, they (the two chicks) wanted a name that can be easily pronounced by people of all color and creed.  So single syllable, no Rs, no Ls, seemed a pretty safe bet.  And that, was how Nosh got its name.






Ann has a history with fondant work, for those of you who know her, so it's no surprised to see this fondant cake, not sure if it is real underneath.  (for that matter, that sentence can be applied to a lot of people).


The cosy interior, with a section that can be totally cordoned off as a non smoking area.  Seating capacity about 40-50 if I remember correctly.


A well stocked wine bar, with very good coffee.....and rather attentive wait staff. 


The salmon mango rhapsody - Salmon, mango & salad with a lovely tangy citrus dressing.  Very healthy, and if you are on a low calorie diet, I guess this could work for you. 


Feta Baked Tomato Salad - As far as possible, Nosh tries to use the lovely red plump juicy Roma variety of tomatoes.  However, understandably, anything imported can never be guaranteed in supply, so as far as possible, they endeavour to use it.  Such a simple but excellent combo.  Aragula and Feta, if they were two humans they'd be married to each other.


I Gamberetti Nel Vino Bianco.  Okay, Nosh might be easy to pronounce, but not everything on the menu is.  I understand Vino Bianco.  Basically, tiger prawns sauteed in extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic and white wine.  Hmm, lost in translation I guess, the italian name sounded so much shorter, and sexier.  The tiger prawns were very fresh, and springy, and cooked perfectly. 





Beef Tortellini - homemade, and filled with beef cheeks and mascarpone.  Gosh, so decadent, but I could possibly only eat 2 or 3 of these because they are rather filling.  I'd recommend you share this main together with something else lighter.  It is very delicious though.(RM34)


My favourite, and can easily finish one portion, Pesto Basilico....(RM21)


Ribbons of Pappardelle in basil pesto sauce, topped with roasted pine nuts & parmesan shavings.  Oh, so now I knows what's St Peter's Basilico is, its a pesto sauce!


Judith Sakata & Ann Lee, two seasoned pros each with their own respective impressive CV and with a decade of experience in the business.


Roasted Chicken Percik - on a bed of cous cous, with a lovely percik sauce.  All thigh meat, (phew), which made for interesting table conversation. This is how the universe achieves equilibrium, there was an almost 50-50 split between the thigh and breast people. (RM29)


Sheer and UTTER decandence, Valrhona Heaven, a menage a trois of luscious home made chocolate ice cream, (from Valrhona of course),....



A tart au chocolate...if this tart was human, I'd propose to her...


And this totally sinful thing that must have plucked right out of the tree of Good & Evil, ...a molten lava chocolate cake.  This platter, priced at RM32, is a STEAL, if you ask me. 


Congratulations you two, on your opening, and wishing you all the very best.

Will be back soon, as I'm just around the corner.  Literally.

NOSH
No 7 Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-22013548

A Monday Afternoon With Sharone Hakman

Who? Unless you follow the Masterchef US closely, in all probability, you would not have heard of Sharone Hakman.  Which is rather unfortunate.  Because, as it turns out, he really is quite "star quality", so I was glad I made the right choice to attend this rather last minute invite, by my dear friend Carole, of Sailena Yeop PR Company, and chose to leave the dull humdrum grindstone of Monday blues at the office.  Okay, it didn't require much arm twisting...day at the office, vs the thought of going grocery shopping with a celebrity chef, albeit one I was unfamiliar with.

We gathered at that coffee place in B.I.G. (Ben's Independent Grocers, Publika). Incidentally, I am a new BIG convert.  I used to regard that place with a certain amount of apprehension, like it was too "atas" for plebians like me, and I would tread with caution, lest I accidentally knock over a shelf of Tetsuya Truffle Salt (which costs RM100++ per jar), and spend my whole life repaying the damage.  But recently, I found actually the place does have things spread over a wide spectrum in pricing, so really, something for everyone, and the variety in B.I.G. is astounding.  My hats off to Benjamin Yong, a true entrepreneur, and my hero and idol.

Newlyweds, Aly and Lil Chef (Michael Elfwing of Senses, KL Hilton, and celeb chef in his own right) and Ciki of CC Foodtravel were also there, as were two other friends who had scored a lucky draw on FB, to get two coveted spots for this event. 


Waiting for the Star to appear.


We get to follow the guy around B.I.G. grocery shopping.  He is particularly impressed with the smoked garlic, as he's never seen that before.  At the fishmongers, he sniffs around and selects a red snapper, whilst at the greens, throws in some choy sum, snap peas, kafir lime leaf, leeks, bunga kantan (ginger flower), ginger...very random, not sure if it was orchestrated or really impromptu.  It was like following an artist going paint shopping, as we wondered what canvas lay in store for us.



I am sure if he's ever out of a day job, them Hollywood agents would come a knocking.  How nice to be able to grocery shop without having to worry about the price of stuff. 


I was thrilled to note he selected an excellent slab of Wagyu Ribeye, I think which cost RM650/kg. If you zoom into the picture of the ginger on the lower right hand corner, you'd notice is actually says PRODUCE OF MALAYSIA.  Ah, such moments make me proud to me Malaysian. 


The many faces of Sharone Hakman.  Incidentally, you can check out his official website HERE.


It's understandable that all the chicks were swooning over the guy.  But like all good men, he's taken.


Ah, luckily we had our own Celebrity Michael Elfwing in the house, to "teach" Sharone how to use the induction cooker.  (which apparently he dislikes)




He brandishes the chef knife the way a gladiator would brandish their swords.


And in the process, cuts himself, to prove that he is human, and if you prick him, does he not bleed. (Shakespeare).  Nevertheless he is lovingly tended to.   


He grates some orange zest to season the red snapper.


Benjamin in the background watches the star perform.


He's leeking...

Some gula melaka, as a substitute for palm sugar. 
For the fish sauce, he throws in the ginger, kafir lime leaf, lemon grass, ginger flower, into some hot grapeseed oil.  After sauteeing the herbs for awhile, he adds coconut milk, and palm sugar, and an ethereal aroma fills the room.  It would be almost impossible to quantify the ingredients, as he seems to go by feel, the way our grandmothers used to cook.  A little bit this, a dash of that, and cups and spoons are exactly just that, cups for drinking, and spoons for scooping.


While waiting for the fish gravy to reduce, he prepares the steak, with a healthy dose of sea salt and cracked black pepper. 






A crackly sizzling sound is what you want, when you lay your slab of meat on the hot pan. 

And, he introduces us to the special BBQ sauce...synonymous with the man himself.




He lovingly pours out dollops of the sauce to accompany the perfectly done Wagyu Ribeye.


A quick stir fry of the vegetables...


And someone is caught red-handed nicking veggies from the pan....


He's a perfectionist, when it comes to plating.  The gravy, with all the amazing local herbs and spices, followed by a layer of stir fried choy sum and snap peas, followed by the pan fried orange zest seasoned red snapper. 


The final result of the Red Snapper's plating.  The sauce was tangy, and really titillates the palate, and the fish, with the subtle hint of orange, is fried to perfection, ...our only grouse is, we only got a morsel each. 


A cut like this should be medium rare, the way nature intended it.  Totally melt in the mouth.





Some people get personally fed by the Chef....


While others have to content themselves by just standing next to him.  And does he tower over ...






Must tumpang glamour a bit la.  (translation: Need to whore around)


Fortunately, as with all Ben's events, there is always plenty of grub and plonk, and we are treated to a lovely lunch at BEN'S GENERAL FOOD STORE.  Lovely prawn on Paku Kerabu...


Reminds me of a picture in flavours magazine, where all the who's who of the culinary world in KL were seated on one table...


This is THE Ben, ...as can be seen from the sign behind him. Product placement is important.


Unfortunately for me, I had to bolt after the nyonya laksa, which was very nice.  Thick curry coconut soup, with lovely condiments. 



Trying to look intelligent and asking intelligent questions.  If Hugh Jackman were Mexican, would he be Hugh Hakman, like you?  (no, I did not ask that).

Anyway, it was a jolly enjoyable way to spend a Monday afternoon. 

Thanks Carole for the most pleasant surprise of an invite, and to Ben of course, for being the ever gracious host.