Wednesday, December 18, 2013

MUCH ADO OVER CHRISTMAS



 
Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad...like the recent preview of Sheraton Imperial KL's (SIKL) Christmas, we were simply inundated with food, food and more food. How not to slip into a culinary stupor amidst that extravagant surfeit?
 
 Dainty portions of canapés: Duck Foie Gras Lollipop with Crunchy Pistachio and Pineapple Sauce, Tandoori Fish Bruschetta with Mint, Seafood Pasta Aglio Olio and Pasta Arabiata paved the way for the lavish feast ahead.

 
Buffet fans will enjoy Essence's extravagant Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner that proffers interesting starters such as Wild Mushroom with Lamb, Grilled Leek and Yellow Tomato, and Watercress & Soya Milk Soup with Sundried Tomato Nougat.

 
The inspiring Seared Cod with Crusted Coconut Chili and Citrus Cinnamon Reduction will reel you in as it did us; the fish's rich sweetness a joyful match with the chosen robust yet tangy components.

Wrap up your festive meal with some berry special Litchi and Raspberry Mousse Yule Log; its fruity sweetness rounding things up on a light, sweet note.


The Christmas Eve buffet dinner at Essence is priced at RM118++ per person (food only) and RM158++ per person inclusive of free flow of house wines or 3 bottles of beer.
If you prefer a leisurely Christmas Brunch, the Essence team will tempt you with a lavish line-up that includes Dill and Peppered Ahi Tuna with Capellini Pasta Salad and Grilled Baby Fennel, Cream of Spinach with Salmon Flake, Skewered Salmon Medallion with Apricot-Olive Couscous and Sautéed Baby Greens, and Caramel Fudge Chantilly with Apple Crepes.



Priced at RM188++ per person (food only) and RM368++ per person inclusive of free flow of sparkling wine, draughts beer, white and red wine.
More sophisticated palates may prefer the homely yet elegant confines of Villa Danieli where an exquisite Christmas Eve 5-course set menu awaits. Chef Rajesh whips up a storm starting with Gorgonzola and Pistachio Parfait with Apple, Celeriac and Raspberry Salad, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and Warm Ricotta Cheese Croquette.

An equally imaginative Potato and Fontina Cheese Ravioli with Sautéed Spinach and Parmesan Cream appetiser primes the palate for the hearty main of Crusted White Pepper Beef Tenderloin with Buche de Chevre Gratin, Pear Compote and Celeriac Mille Feuille.

Ending the celebratory dinner on a sugar high is White Chocolate Parfait and White Chocolate Mousse with Pistachio and Raspberry, Orange Gelatin Sheet.



Villa Danieli's exclusive 5-course dinner priced at RM220++ per person is only available on 24 December 2013. Pair fine wines with your dinner for an additional of RM120++ per person.
We were also treated to sneak samplings of the New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner at Essence. Great eats that ramp up the festive feel range from Rolled Eggplant Cannelloni filled with Vegetable Caponata and heartwarming Prawn Bisque to Harissa Marinated Chicken Roulade with Mushroom Stew and Poached Cinnamon Pear William Sabayon with White Cranberry Shaving.



The appetizing New Year’s Eve dinner buffet will be served at RM118++ per person (food only) and RM158++ per person (inclusive of free flow of house wines or 3 bottles of beer).
Alternatively, jump start 2014 with Essence's New Year Day Brunch, an appetite-whetting parade featuring sublime viands of Octopus Pickles, Soft Bean Curd and Wakame with Ponzu Dressing, Roma Tomato Soup with Pesto and Seared Duck Breast with Grilled Pineapple and Berries Balsamic Sauce. Luscious options such as Berries Mille Feuille with Gingerbread Patisier are perfect for sweetening the first day of a brand New Year.

Reminisce over the old year while ushering in the new one over a splendid New Year’s Eve 5-course set menu at Villa Danieli. Recount the year's successes and achievements over mouthfuls of Mediterranean Octopus Salad with Tomato Gelatin, Olive Dust and Chick Pea Mousse.


Continue your walk down memory lane with Creamed Cod Squid Ink Ravioli with Thyme, Tomato Fillet and Prawns in Tomato Coulis Sauce. Then dig deep for fresh resolutions to keep as you savour the chef's specialities: Beef Tenderloin stuffed with Foie Gras, Sautéed Mixed Mushrooms and Honey Glazed Jus, and Seared Snow Fish Medallion with Leeks Puree and White Asparagus, Sprouts and Ash Sauce.

Remember sweet success comes with effort and after indulging in Raspberry Panna Cotta with Crispy Almonds and Lemon Mousse.



The exclusive 5-course dinner is only available on 31 December 2013 and is priced at RM220++ per person. Treat yourself to some fine wines paired with your dinner for an additional of RM120++ per person.



For further enquiries or table reservations, please contact Villa Danieli at 03-2717 9900 or email restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com or visit www.sheratonimperialkualalumpur.com to find out more.



Note: Photos depicted here may differ from actual dishes as some servings were sampling portions prepared for the preview.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

MEAT-TING CHAMBERS


After 13 years of food writing, there will always be something new and exciting to discover. The latest to pique my interest is the custom designed Himalayan Salt Tile Dry Aging Cabinet at Hilton KL's spanking new Chambers Grill.
Like a proud papa (he is one by the way) showing off his new baby, Chef Michael Elfwing was brimming with enthusiasm over the restaurant's sleek, custom-built showcase where prime cuts are hung and dry-aged from 14 to 36 days.
According to Elfwing, the temperature and humidity-controlled cabinet extracts excess moisture from the meat to bring out its intense flavours while tenderising it throughout the aging process. These dry-aged cuts, when coupled with different grilling techniques that have just been introduced at Chambers, produce an alchemy of flavours and textures that are guaranteed to please the most discerning of palates.
Amidst the kitchen's shiny outfittings, a circular sandpit where choice meat curs and skewers of meat and viands can be grilled “a la minute” around a charcoal pyre, on lava stones or following the traditional “robatayaki” style to exact desired doneness is almost a prehistoric throwback to the beginning of time. A simple “back to basics” concept that will undoubtedly attract serious carnivores who yearn to sink their molars into perfectly cooked cuts of their favourite meat.
We started with some bewitchingly black charcoal bread - they were so irresistible that we had a difficult time trying to stanch our enthusiasm for them. But tummy space needed to be made for the feast that was to follow.
As expected, Elfwing and his team outperformed themselves, plying us with skewers of moist, smoky and to-die-for Black Angus Tenderloin (RM45) that made for an incomparable first impression. The sides of grilled plump Portobello, Tomato, Grilled Feta & Spanish Onions, and skewers of Grilled Vegetables (onion, red, yellow and red capsicums) and Asparagus provided ample albeit brief distractions that enhance rather than detract.
 
 
Black Angus Tenderloin (RM45)
For dining parties of four or more, I'd suggest opting for the impressive Tomahawk (RM798) - a hefty aged for 21 days masterpiece starring a 1-kg bone-in Wagyu. Served with Natural Beef Jus, every forkful would unleashed a lusty flood of primal flinty, irony and flabby accents on the palate. Daubed a little of the house sauces: Mushroom & Hennessy XO or Herb & Spice Hollandaise for different flavour dimensions but the meat tastes best with a mere pinch of sea salt and if you like, freshly cracked black pepper.
Those who eschew beef fret not. Sample scrumptious pink-centred Dorper Lamb Cutlets (RM58) or the gamier but no less delectable Lamb Rump with Guacamole (RM38). Tender to the bite, there's nothing namby-pamby about the latter's assertive flavour profile that one either love or loathe.
Also on Chambers' meat-ting agenda: 350G Black Angus Prime Rib Dry Aged for 36 days, 250G Black Angus Ribeye Dry Aged for 28 days, 350G Black Angus T-Bone Steak, Dry Aged 36 for days and 250G Marble Six Score Wagyu Ribeye Dry Aged for 14 days.
Seafood aficionados will find treasured gems like Gindara Fillet with a Light Curry Dusting (RM30) and Fresh Water Prawns (RM58). We were pleasantly surprised at how well the fish's inherent sweetness was amplified by the aromatic curry spices.
At a whopping 300g each, the prawns gave us no cause for complaints; their springy freshness and natural sweetness lifted to heady gastronomic heights by a squeeze of warm lemon juice from the slightly charred, half a lemon that came served on the side.
 
 
In between the meatier servings, we were tempted with Asian and European inspired side dishes (RM16-RM18 each) like Smoked Rice with Salted Hand Churned Butter, Roasted Three Onion Rice, Sand Baked King Edward Potato with Spiced Sour Cream and Grilled Eggplant with Garlic and Oregano among others.
The beauty of Chambers lies not only in its gentlemen's club-like interior (think distressed leather seats and wood-topped tables, slender fluted pendant lights, reflective copper tinted satin metal ceiling and polished timber flooring) but also its menu flexibility that allows for endless possibilities - you decide how much you want to eat, how the offerings should be prep, what tipples you want to pair your food with, etc.
An impressive glass wine wall display separates the Grill from the hotel’s new main Bar; resurrected to double up as an entertainment area with a sweeping canopy slightly cantilevered off at the back for the creation of a private and intimate space. A great selection of champagne and wines, premium spirits, cigars, liquors alongside classic cocktails befitting a hotel of this stature is to be expected. Food from the Grill is served at the Bar “tapas” style.
Any dessert with liquor sits well with us so we unashamedly made short work of the Rum Baba (RM25) the minute it hit our table. Soaked in rum, the airy-light sponge cake served with vanilla ice cream and fruity chunks of mango, strawberries, passionfruit, melon and pineapple disappeared faster than Harry Potter.
Another timeless classic given a fresh update is Berry Trifle (RM25), a stripey creation of vanilla custard, crushed raspberries, sponge cake and strawberry jelly in a glass, adorned with shards of meringue on top. I recall this luscious dessert ruled many a house parties years ago thanks to its merry colours and lush textures.
The most decadent of the lot has to be the Chocolate Creme Brulee with Salted Caramel (RM18). Cracking the thin, torched sugar crust top, we unearthed dulcet-smooth and tofu-soft curd inflected with briny caramel underneath. Rich, creamy but luckily it stopped short of being cloying.

Make no bones about it, Chambers deserved to be the main meat-ting point for serious carnivores from now on.

For reservations at CHAMBERS, please call +60 (3) 2264 2592/ 2596 or log on to www.life.hiltonkl.com for more information.

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE CARING



Cancer is not a topic that one would like to dwell on during this merry festive period. But in support of AXA's Cancer Care campaign, how I can decline a simple request to blog about it? After all, cancer has touched my life on 3 separate occasions - leaving its indelible imprint on each case. Since my blogpost will spur AXA to support a cancer patient's treatment, it is the least I can do.
My first harrowing encounter with cancer was when one of my dearest friends, mentor and sister of sorts - Chen Hui Ching passed away when she was just 46; barely a year after she was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her pint-sized frame, Ching was a PR dynamo who taught me to stay true to my ideals. She was down-to-earth and didn't suffer fools gladly. It came as a shock to all of us when she was diagnosed with cancer as she was one of the most health-conscious people we knew. Unfortunately, the diagnosis came a tad late and it was with much sadness we bade farewell to her nine months after that.
Three years ago my Dad was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I was with him when the endoscopy was conducted and I almost fainted when I saw the cancerous growths on the little screen in the examination room. The day after his cancer diagnosis, my Dad succumbed to a stroke. That was the most harrowing time for us but Dad proved to be feistier than we expected. At 73, he survived two major ops - to remove the cancerous parts of his colon and a subsequent one to reattach it back. I guess he was fortunate the cancer was confined to certain parts of his intestines as he didn't need chemotherapy post-op. But he never fully recovered from the stroke's aftermath - his physical and mental conditions have deteriorated since then. Although Dad can't move around on his own anymore, he remains hale and hearty at 76 today.
Earlier this year, my younger sister who's just one year younger than me had an ovarian torsion; a medical condition where a cancerous cyst caused one of her ovaries to be twisted. Following a hysterectomy, she subsequently recovered following a strict diet of meatless, organic food.
The lesson from all these experiences? Cancer doesn't discriminate; it can strike anytime, anyone. We can only be vigilant and strive to live moderately; in everything that we do or say or eat. Life's too short and precious so let's enjoy every moment of it with those that we love and matter most to us.

For more information about AXA's Cancer Care, visit  their 110 plan's website: https://www.110cancercare.com/

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

CARE BEARS FOR A GOOD CAUSE


Be do-gooder this Christmas! Support Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and Gleneagles Hospital's fund-raiser event this Saturday, December 7.

Harvey Thompson, General Manager of Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur says “A limited Christmas Bears collection will be sold at the Hotel at a minimum donation of RM50 each. Proceeds from the sale will go towards the Gleneagles ‘A heart for a heart’ charity programme.”

Hotel guests and members of the public to purchase the bears as a present for their loved ones or donate them to a child in need from the charity programme. Generous sponsors can also choose a child's name from Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur's ‘Christmas Wishing Tree’ located at the hotel lobby and buy a Christmas present for the child.

Let's make the time-honoured tradition of bear-giving give a sense of security and cuddly companionship to the children who need them most.



For more information about the Christmas Bear charity programme, call tel: 03-2263 7888 or visit www.discoverlemeridien.com.

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