Euro Atlantic's Launch Of Cremonini, Don Pomodoro and Idahoan

Olive oil, the magical elixir that cures all, from the era of the Old Testament to current day, when other oils are given the bad rap, olive oil remains untarnished, untouched, almost virginal, hence the term virgin olive oil. Okay, maybe not, but what is blogging if not for creative license.

Makan Fairygodmother, Marian, invited us for the launch of Cremonini, Promodoro and Idaho, (they had to choose an American brand or state ending with "O" to Italianize the whole thing), at Social, G Tower. I must be the last of the bloggers who has never been to G Tower. I'm not sure if the Tower is related to the String, but gee, if F was the pariah of the letters of the alphabet, then G must be the darling.

I digress, as I always do. Yeah, Euro Altantic, those wholesalers and distributors of imported stuff, based somewhere in Ampang/Ulu Kelang, were launching these super duper olive oils, pasta and pesto sauces, and instant mash potatoes. A strange combination, it's like launching durian with blue cheese. But if you think about it hard enough, it actually makes sense. You can afterall, use a combination of all three items and produce an almost instant shepherd's pie, for example.



Adrian Ung, group corporate affairs and marketing manager of Euro-Atlantic Sdn Bhd, distributors of these food products, enlightened us on the various types of olive oils. The pomace, which I always thought was the last press or unwanted bits, is actually a great oil for frying. Whereas the Virgins are best taken as they are. And the Pure olive oils are good for quick cooking.


Like massage oils, these eating oils are also infused with myriad flavours.


Smoked Salmon Starters...





A wonderful range of pasta and pesto sauces. We were all given a party pack to bring home, containing various samples, and my kid loved the pesto so much, I never even got to sample a teaspoon ful. He slathered it on his toast, his pasta, and ate it from the jar. Oh well, I guess I should be happy it wasnt a jar of nutella or something.








And the ultimate manifestation of the laziness of mankind...instant mashed potatoes.


The three brands being launched.


Minnestrone made from the Don Pomodoro sauces. Actually if you did not tell me it was out of a jar, I would not have known.



was Mesclun Mix Salad, served with Cremonini extra virgin olive oil and lemon dressing


, Pan seared salmon fillet with olive, basil, fennel and red pepper sauce, and ‘Idahoan’ roasted garlic mashed potato




A lovely salad, made by me, of course...I simply LOVE olives....


Adrian demonstrating his culinary skills in making instant mash potatoes. It does afterall require a LOT of precision, and skill.

Actually, after this event, I am ALL the more determined to visit the Euro Atlantic outlet. Check out their website HERE....they do have loads of other goodies too.

Head Office:
Lot 341, Jalan Pinggiran Dua,
Pinggiran Ukay, Hulu Kelang,
68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603-4251 8482
Fax: 603-4251 8481

The OMG Burger, Daily Grind

If you like LOTS of meat shoved between your buns, ....read on. Parental guidance is recommended.

Sick of birthday cake? Why not try something new, the new OMG Burger at the Daily Grind, weighing 6kg in total, and measuring 10 inches. Diameter, that is. I think this is one occasion where a picture paints a thousand words.


It takes two able bodied strong men to carry this mama to our table.


It is served with sparklers so it is perfect as a celebratory cake.


Cheapskate friends use this food review as an opportunity to celebrate Alilfatmonkey's Birthday, as we just havent gotten around to buying him a proper dinner. Well, at least I haven't. Judas Lemongrass has, I believe.


My piece I give to you.....she (Judas) says.


People do measure the dimensions of their buns and meat. And what an impressive result it is too.


Moist luscious beef patty with a generous layer of melted cheese, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. All your food groups covered.


Since it was such a wholesome meal, (wholemeal buns, beef and veggies), one can afford to indugle in dessert, and the Daily Grind does a mean SALTY CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Brace yourself. The mother of all burgers in a whopping (no pun intended) RM360++, BUT, before you clutch your chest and faint, it CAN feed 12-15 easily, I reckon. So it's actually quite reasonable.

Daily Grind is located at the LG Floor of Bangsar Village 1. Thanks Paprika for burgering us.

Melting Pot Ramadan Buffet, Concorde Hotel

Mention Melting pot, and I am transported back in time, to that nostalgic era when we'd go to Melting Pot for their supper buffet after a night out...these days, I am yawning by 10pm, so supper buffets are out of the question. When Julini Yusoff, F&B Manager invited me for their Nasi Padang pre Ramadan tasting, it was a rather opportune time to revisit I felt.

Traffic was DIABOLIC, I could see Concorde in front of me for half an hour.... joining me for the evening's soiree were Saucer, (The other half of I AM THE WITCH), J2KFM (Ipoh Motoromouth) and Memoirs of a Chocoholic. The Melting Pot was a melting pot of all the press people, including us bloggers.

Mother and son duo, Nurdeli Mansorman (Mak Deli) and Irwan Arifin are the two chefs responsible for dishing out the Padang specialities for this year's Ramadan spread.

Now, Nasi Padang is not rice eaten at the soccer field, or grown in one. It is the cuisine of the Mingkabaus, from West Sumatra, and is distinctive for its succulent coconut milk prevalent in most dishes, and spicy chilli.


Alright, sashimi is definitely not part of the Nasi Padang repertoire, but at the Melting Pot, they have to retain some constant favourites, constantly....


Ooops, neither is the Teppenyaki Theatre part of the Padang show....


More teppenyaki...okay, this is like the supporting dancers at a Star's Concert before the main show... and nowww...tah dahhhh


My all time favourite, dendeng paru. I love lung just like I love tongue. Chinese think that eating a particular organ of an animal will strengthen your own corresponding organ, so eating lung should theoretically strengthen mine, if the cholesterol doesn't kill me first.


Daging Dendeng Balado.


Terung Balado. Hmm, must find out what Balado means. It appears alot.


Ikan Goreng Lado Hijau...crispy fried fish with green sambal...





Rendang Ayam... cant really go wrong with this. These kinda foods are the anti carb squad's worse nightmare, because they go SOOO well with rice, and LOTS of it.


Gulai Cincang Kambing. Tender pieces of mutton.


Lamb stuffed with rice. The rice was gorgeous, fluffy basmati, almost like a briyani. Oh, it was briyani.


Hainanese Chicken Rice...


Dried Figs. Do you know how EXPENSIVE fresh figs are in this country? They're about RM6 per fig! WHAT THE FIG! Being the chink that I am, I love to zoom in on expensive items. So I was completely figged out.


Not even Ramadan yet, and I've already had a date!


People almost always comment, "wah, you eat ulam ah?" whenever I pile my plate with ulams, esp ulam raja, etc with dollops of Sambal Belacan. I love ulams...my favourite being ulam raja, which I am trying unsuccessfully to plant.





Kalio Hati. As we all know, hati is commonly translated as "HEART". Sakit hati, etc... but hati is actually liver.





We're back to the non Padang stuff...part of the regular buffet. The ubiquitous boiled prawns and raw oyster bar.








Ah, now this is something you dont see everyday. SOUP GEARBOX. I am mechanically un-inclined, and I couldnt tell a Gearbox from a Matchbox, so I am assuming the size of the gearbox is about the size of this boner.


That's one big bowl of soup. The soup itself is a clear broth, very wholesome and clean. You can use a straw to suck out the marrow.


A trio of bubur pulut hitam, pengat pisang and one other...pengat pisang as we know it is actually called Pangek Pisang.








An assortment of nyonya kuehs.



Operrraaa...


That's me sucking the marrow...


And that's the blogging crew. Not in pic is Memoirs of Chocoholic.

Melting Pot is offering a 20% discount during the 1st and 4th week of Ramadan. Priced at RM89++. If you ask me, its pretty good value for your ringgit. To reserve call 03-21442200.

Selamat Berpuasa To all my dear Muslim friends.