Showing posts with label indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indian. Show all posts

Monday, January 29, 2024

THURSDAY ASIAN BBQ NIGHT AT LE MERIDIEN PETALING JAYA

 


Asian BBQ takes centrestage at the dinner buffet (630 pm – 1030 pm) every Thursday night at Pasar Baru all day dining restaurant, Le Meridien Petaling Jaya. Priced at RM98 nett per adult and RM49 nett per child, eat to your heart’s content the plethora of barbecued fare, hot off the grill.

Chef Afifi Ghani said the idea is to allow diners to select their protein of choice: chicken, beef, tiger prawns, clams, flower crabs or fish fillet and the chefs on duty will cook the ingredients on the spot. Whether it’s Malay, Chinese or Indian style of cooking, all you have to do is pass the chefs the tag indicating your table number and once the food is ready, it will be delivered hot off the stove, wok, grill or tandoor.
While waiting for your Asian BBQ order to be prepared, scour the buffet where a myriad of appetisers, main dishes and drinks await. Curtain-raisers include a DIY salad station where salads of choice or fruit rojak can be made, or sample chilled appetisers such as Assorted Cold Cuts, Melon Salad with Prawns, Potato Salad and Smoked Duck on Skewers.

Lending substance to the parade of offerings are a huge steamer filled with piping hot bowls of Chinese soup, a range of Italian pasta and a noodle live cooking station proffering soupy noodles of your choice.

Head over to the Chinese section for crunchy Deep-fried Spring Rolls, Money Bags and nugget-size Fried Chicken. Kabsa Rice, Mutton Sukka, Butter Chicken and Palak Paneer beckons invitingly. If you fancy some Chicken Tandoori, the chef will be happy to oblige.
 
We like the comforting Duck Fried Rice, tender and slightly peppery Ginger Beef and Steamed Egg with Prawn Sauce from the Chinese kitchen.

When our platter of seafood, meat and fish arrived, we dove in and relished the various items with two different sauces: black pepper and tartar.
Dessert includes Assorted Ice Cream with various toppings, Bread and Butter Pudding, Malay Kuih, Ais Kacang, French Pastries, Lavender Panna Cotta and Strawberry Mousse. My most notable pick was a refreshing and subtly sweet Cendol Jelly. 
Don't miss refreshing and hot beverages served to accompany your meal. I like the Dilmah flavoured tea range and freshly prepared teh tarik or coffee. They make a most satisfying round-off to wrap up the hefty dinner.
For reservations at Pasar Baru, call tel: 03-7682 0000. Le Meridien Petaling Jaya is located at No.1 Jalan SS7/26A, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

 

Thursday, December 14, 2023

A REFINED TASTE OF CULTURE AT FLOUR

 

Allow spice master and culinary maestro Yogesh Upadhyay a.k.a. Chef Yogi take you on a whirlwind tour of India, culturally and gastronomically at Flour.
Throw whatever you presumably know about Indian food and let Chef Yogi change your perspective of Indian cuisine. The chef-restaurateur is redefining the food of his native land for the future in his own intrepid way, where “each and every course at Flour is a planned journey of the food feeding the body; the intention feeding the soul.”

His mind-changing, progressive French-Indian offerings are so future-forward, only adventurous and liberal diners will find his specialities acceptable.

According to Chef Yogi, “the Indian continent consists of different regions and each has its own unique flavours and ingredients. Likewise, each course in Flour’s menu is my interpretation on how Indian food has evolved whilst remaining faithful to its roots.
 
“Indian specialities are characterised by the use of spices, not chilli. You’d discover fresh narratives on the judicious and diverse use of spices here, learn about the origins of regional dishes and delve into vegetarianism which is inherent to India’s foodscape. I’m serving a taste of culture, not just food at Flour.”

Housed in a charming, white-washed bungalow in the heart of KL since 2020, Flour was initially located at Damansara Heights some seven years ago. The sleek and contemporary interior is almost monochromatic in its colour scheme, with some eye-catching artworks and a water fountain serving as key focal points.

According to the Rajasthan-born chef, “The restaurant name was inspired by flour, an essential ingredient for the making of bread. Without flour, there’d be no Indian food.”

Although Chef Yogi was roped into his father’s restaurant business in his teens, the rebel in him opted to pursue hotel management and French culinary arts. Determined to make his own mark, he relocated to Dubai and ventured into the aviation industry.

In 2014 Yogi came to Malaysia, to work for Air Asia X. He met and married his wife who then encouraged him to open Flour. “She said my culinary efforts changed her perception of Indian food and I should showcase my skills to a broader audience.”

Chef Yogi said “Flour brings the future of Indian cuisine to the present, based on my knowledge and research on the past, using modern French techniques and thoughtfully composed degustation-style menus.”

The chef will personally share interesting facts on the historical aspects and origins of the food served, with every element down to the smallest details meticulously planned. “I’m the guide on the culinary journey; to help diners gain greater understanding of Indian cuisine. Dining here is more than just an experience; it’s a taste of culture.”

From the a la carte menu, the stellar opening of smoky Quail Tikka (RM35++) left us spellbound. Spiced curd-marinated quails were tandoor-roasted to perfection, rendering the quail tender and juicy down to the bone. A side dip of housemade curd dotted with tamarind lent a lush, appetising dimension.

“Quail and game birds are native to India; in the old days, people used to forage for them as the native protein source” said Chef Yogi. “The secret lies in mustard seed oil, to give the quail deep-seated flavour and incomparable aroma.”


Unsurprisingly, his adroit skills shone through in the Vegetable Charcoal Roast (RM38++). Banking on a useful tip gleaned from the Persians, he infused rose water into the saucy base of housemade curd and bird’s eye chilli oil, letting it bring the inherent vegetal-fruitiness of the roasted baby eggplants, capsicum, and cherry tomatoes to full bloom onto our palate.

Italian Marzano tomatoes formed the backbone to Flour’s legendary Butter Chicken, listed as Spring Chicken & Tomato (RM68++) in the menu. Lightly spiced with green cardamom powder and fenugreek leaves, Chef Yogi had cooked those tomatoes to such velvety consistency, it seemed like he had unleashed a burst of brilliant sunshine onto our tastebuds, through the vermillion sauce.

Dousing that sumptuous sauce onto Jeera Rice (RM18++) then savouring the cumin-speckled rice, as we picked the bones clean off those deliciously tender chunks of spring chicken tikka, was heavenly.
How could we not lick the plate clean when the stellar dish of Konju Moilee appeared. Every exquisite bite of the charcoal-grilled prawns in mustard seed-accented coconut milk sauce and bird’s eye chilli oil knocked our socks off.
Also jostling for our attention and tummy space was Ajwaini Baingan (RM55++), cute roasted baby eggplants in a robust sauce of onion, tomato with ajwain and thyme.
 
We couldn’t help but soak up that bright, tantalising sauce with freshly made Laccha (RM15++), thin, multi-layered wholewheat bread which the chef referred to as the croissant of India.
For textural contrast, we returned to sample those irresistible dishes again with pieces of feather-light Puri (RM15++), fried wholewheat bread with semolina, with equally agreeable results.
Served with basil curd, crisp-fried shallot graced the bowl of Mutton Biryani (RM90++); a show-stopping speciality that could have easily left us replete on its own. Cubes of meltingly tender mutton embedded within the saffron-scented basmati rice, proved second-to-none in the taste department.

Wrapping up our lavish cultural passage to India came Kubhanika Meetha (RM35++), a dainty white apricot tart which the chef told us to eat in one bite. Its ephemeral sweetness was a most befitting masterstroke to conclude our insightful discovery of Indian culture through Flour’s refined repertoire.
For reservations at FLOUR, tel: 03-4065 7400, 012-9600 053. Address: No.12 & 14, Jalan Kamuning, Off Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.

 

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