Top Meats and Taste of Australia by Guest Chef Greg Farnan At Gobo Upstairs, Traders Hotel KL - UNTIL 15th October

ONLY UNTIL 15th OCTOBER!!!

An invitation to dine at Gobo Upstairs, Traders Hotel KL is always a treat, because they always have these wonderful guest chefs, (apart from their own great chefs), and these evenings at these events are filled with uproarious laughter, and usually culminates in a food coma, and well, for some of us, a happy buzz.

This event is no exception, with guest Chef Greg Farnan, whose facial expressions and comical demeanour is a treat in itself.  Not one of those diva chefs, he really strikes me as a blokey bloke, and displays a passion that is evident even just by observing him.

Hailing from Perth, (although I read somewhere he is a Kiwi by birth), he is the Head Chef and Operations Manager for BWG Steakhouse, The Old Brewery & Riverside Brewhouse.

Chef Greg Farnan will be in attendance at Gobo Upstairs Lounge and Grill from 10 to 15 October 2016 (both dates inclusive). Menus will range from a 2-course (RM135 nett), 3-course (RM165 nett) and 4 course (RM190 nett). There is also a  wine menu. Ala carte menu will also be available so if you want to catch the guy who "named" the iconic Tomahawk steak, waste no time.  Yup, twas he that named that cut of meat the TOMAHAWK.  I always thought it was an American invention.  Oh well, I guess not everything comes from the US of A.

Greg and the Tomahawk

Some behind the scenes captures..... He seems to interact well with the local staff....

We started with a Grass Fed Angus Beef Tartare with quail egg, served with Grant Burge Pinot Noir Chardonnay.

The sparkling helped cut out any rawness that might have arisen from the tartare... and the tartare was a good balance of tender meat, a slight tanginess, and even a tartare averse person such as me was impressed.

Bubbly to start with

The second dish, lamb sirloin carpaccio with beetroot and coriander broth, was amazingly tender, almost melt in the mouth, without any of the lamby smell.  Paired with a very oaky Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay 2013, which I personally did not like.

Australian Rainbow Trout with blistered corn, jalapeno salsa, heirloom tomatoes.  Although it looked somewhat salmony, the trout was totally different, and so much better.  Paired with the pride of the winery, the Grant Burge The Holy Trinity Grenachr Shiraz Mourvedre 2011, which was a superb pairing.  The full bodies, yet not too heavy wine with aromas of plim and cherries complemented the fish, so who says fish needs to go with white.  Actually I would have preferred this to pair with the lamb carpaccio as well.

That's a lot of cow ribs there..... almost a small village of  Native American Indian population going to war...

I was in cow paradise, ...MARROW,.
Breaking into the iconic Annie Song

The sun'll come out
Tomarrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomarrow
Come what may

Tomarrow!
Tomarrow!
I love ya
Tomarrow!

Seriously lady, get on with it, I have some steaks to cook ya know....and a bone to pick...

Finally....

Somewhere midway into the meal, we were given a special treat by in house mixologist, Awie, with his signature NEGRONI...boy a lot of alcohol goes into a negroni....

And finally the piece de resistance...literally....THE TOMAHAWK....

Well, what can I say, it was bloody good....and those roast potatoes in duck fat are absolutely to die for.  I absolutely LOVED the marrow....

Although I didn't get to try the vegetarian dish, Mellisa who was seated across from me, the definitive carnivore, is a vegatarian so I got to ogle at her lovely looking vegetarian dishes.

Me and the Chef...

Baked Australian Brie with Quince paste, apple crisp paired with a LOVELY Grant Burge 10 Year Old Tawny...

And to end the night, a special surprise send off, a B52 shot.  Gasp.

PS Note:

The Tomahawk is one of largest steaks in Australia, weighing in at 1.3kg – 3.6kg (1.8kg
average). Each Tomahawk is a rib-eye, or scotch fillet on the bone, and comes from the
coveted Wagyu beef. Its namesake is the mammoth 30cm of rib bone left on the cut which
consists of tender intercostals meat; a carnivore’s dream.

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill seats 70. The lounge is open daily from 10:00am to 1:00am.
The grill is open for lunch, Mondays to Fridays, from 12 noon to 2:30pm, and daily for dinner
from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. For reservations, please telephone (60 3) 2332 9910 or e-mail
foodandbeverage.thkl@tradershotels.com.