LE MEI’S WASABI-SPIKED AND NUTTY MOONCAKES #FTW

The fleeting yet noticeably zingy presence of wasabi was inescapable the minute I bit into the wedge of Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Wasabi and Pistachio Nuts Mooncake from Le Mei, Le Meridien Putrajaya.

I was hooked at first bite as the tantalizing taste had me returning for more. Since wasabi and pistachios aren’t the norm in mooncake-making, I applaud the chefs at Le Mei for daring to push the envelope when it comes to creating new variants of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival confection.

The mooncake’s subtle sweetness also scored with me as did the smooth lotus-pistachio paste. Handcrafted by the Le Mei team, the signature mooncake is priced at RM33 each and needs to be ordered 3 days in advance.

Another nutty variant comes in the form of Pandan Paste with Hazelnut Mooncake (RM30 each). Again, the thin baked skin encasing the fragrant pandan-scented filling flecked with hazelnut bits was palate-pleasing. The mooncake also had a nice glossy shine to it.

To please purists who prefer the tried and tested, I’d recommend the White Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk Mooncake (RM33 each). The confection is on-point, ticking all the requisite boxes and should leave no room for complaint.

Two other flavours: Assorted Fruits and Nuts (RM38) and Mini Snow Skin with Raspberry and Cashew Nuts (RM20) are also available. The Signature Mooncakes of Le Mei have to be ordered 3 days ahead of your desired collection date.

Available until 1^st October, Le Meridien Putrajaya’s Mid-Autumn Festival gift box features a sturdy laminated gift box with a magnetic flap, clad in a mosaic of colours and rabbit motifs reflective of the celebratory Mid-Autumn Festival.

For more information, please call Le Meridien Putrajaya, tel: 03 8689 6888 or email: dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com 

CELEBRATION OF NEW BEGINNINGS AT LE MEI

If there’s a dish to soup up the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, the excellent Shunde Style Traditional Shredded Fish Soup by Le Mei’s Chinese Executive Chef Lim Kian Meng will be the hottest choice.

Similar to a hearty bisque, the creamy white broth enhanced with fine slivers of wood ear fungus, snake gourd and carrot is to-die-for. Shredded seabass amps up its lush sweetness with crumbs of the deepfried fish give it a subtle crunchy finish.

This stellar speciality is one of the many show-stoppers featured in Le Mei’s three CNY menus: Wealth & Fortune Set RM3,388, Everlasting Prosperity Set RM2,388 and Spring & Happiness Set RM1,688 per table of 10 persons; available now until February 8. 

The customary Yee Sang (from RM50 upwards depending on variant and portion size) with salmon is par for the course. Personally, I find the salad platter a tad too sweet but it’s a minor hiccup easily remedied by reducing the sauce. Overall, the ingredients jive together well enough.

Pix courtesy of Chasingfooddreams.com

Chef Lim’s two decades of culinary experience from past stints in Macao, Russia and locally stands him in good stead. Gastronomic proof of his culinary prowess is apparent when you savour the Stewed Sea Cucumber with Free Range Chicken and Black Truffle in Claypot.

His judicious inclusion of black truffle paste prior to serving transforms a downhome offering into a raveworthy speciality. The discernibly musky scent of truffle coupled with the milieu of big, robust flavours from the toothsome, juicy chicken and plump mushrooms make this a divine dish to remember.

 

Wok-fried Scallops with Asparagus and Fresh Mushroom in XO Sauce maintains the impressive streak. Sweet and tender, the scallops imbued with a dash of the zingy house XO sauce will surely tantalise the tastebuds and get the thumbs up. 

Inspired by Hong Kong’s famed pei fung thong (typhoon shelter) style of preparation, the Fried Lamb Racks with Crispy Garlic and Chilli follow a similar approach. According to Chef Lim, the lamb is marinated with herb juice prior to being battered for frying. We find the blush pink lamb deliciously juicy; the crisp fried garlic and chilli bits setting the palate alight with bursts of flavourful piquancy.

 

Dense and firm, the meat of the Sabah Giant Grouper Steamed with Premium Soy Sauce is a winsome, classic way to ensure the pricey fish (loong da'rn in Chinese) fulfills the sumptuous and auspicious quotient for the festive table. 

Mindful of today’s health-conscious clientele, Le Mei serves Fried Organic Brown Rice with Seafood and Tobiko. Tiny Hong Kong dried shrimps, dices of fish, prawns and a generous topping of tobiko make the fried mixture of brown and white rice a surefire crowd-pleaser.

The sweet-ender of Pan-fried Glutinous Rice Cake is not your average nian gao. Dim sum chef Yau Fong Peng uses pheen thong (flat brown blocks of unrefined cane sugar) to ensure the festive CNY cake is lighter, less sweet and sticky.  Each slice is seared to give it a brown crust and amplify the caramel flavour. You can’t ask for a better way to welcome the Year of the Rat in 2020.

Picture courtesy of Le Meridien Putrajaya

For reservations, please call LE MEI, tel: 03-8689 6888/

6847/6868. Address: Lobby Level, Le Meridien Putrajaya, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City, Putrajaya, Sepang

A CHRISTMAS FAIRY TALE FEAST AT LE MERIDIEN PUTRAJAYA

Chicken Mushroom and Sweet Onion Pie. Norwegian Salmon with Apricot Gravlax. Whole Roasted Turkey with Bread Chestnut Stuffing. Christmas Mince Pie and Pudding. Gingerbread Men. Stollen. Chocolate Madeleines.

A fairy tale parade of festive food to leave year-end party revellers replete awaits at Le Meridien Putrajaya. The culinary team has gone and pulled out the stops, creating a mesmerising wonderland to please the eyes, tease the tastebuds and satisfy growling stomachs.

 

Get off to a fresh start with healthy and delicious salads such as Smoked Duck Cubes, Orange Segments and Pomegranate Salad, Microgreens with Roasted Garlic and Poached Pears, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, and Edamame with Seafood Salad. The multitude of textures and bright, tantalising flavours are light yet distinct; a splendid way to prime the palate for more substantial mains.

As with any buffet spread, it pays to be selective. Encased in buttery-rich pastry crust, the Chicken Mushroom and Sweet Onion Pie is delectable enough to warrant a second helping.

 

Tender with a hint of honey sweetness, the succulent slices of Norwegian Salmon with Apricot Gravlax hits the spot too. For finger-licking goodness, sample some Louisiana BBQ Short Ribs with Roast Vegetables.

 

Fans of ‘big bird’ will be ecstatic to know the Yuletide buffet won’t be complete without Whole Roasted Turkey with Bread Chestnut Stuffing. The meat is scrumptious; best savoured with giblet gravy, cranberry sauce and a hearty portion of herb-dusted bread chestnut stuffing.

Pastry Chef Hansraja Jayaraman and his team also step up to the plate with a cornucopia of cherished Christmas treats. One of the show-stealers is Poached Peach Buche De Noel – a luscious French yule log with a creamy filling of poached peach instead of chocolate ganache.

Another on-point favourite is Stollen – its bread-like texture studded with bits of dried fruit. Touched with spices and slightly nutty to taste, the Assorted Christmas Cookies make compelling nibbles to sweeten the celebratory meal.

 

 

 

Whimsical accents abound with little chocolate men adorning glasses of Chilled Berry Jellies, cute marzipan figurines perched atop a snow-white Gingered Christmas Fruit Cake, and mini gingerbread men flanking Gingerbread Houses.

 

 

A Christmas Mince Pie, Chocolate Madeleines, Mini Christmas Puddings, Macarons and an Eclair Tower complete the irresistible dessert parade.

The Christmas Eve dinner buffet is priced at RM168 nett per adult and RM84 nett per child. The Christmas Day brunch is priced at RM148 nett per adult and RM74 nett per child, while the Christmas Day buffet dinner is priced at RM138 nett per adult and RM69 nett per child.

For reservations, call LATEST RECIPE, tel: 03-8689 6888/6862. Address: Le Meridien Putrajaya, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City, Putrajaya, Sepang, Selangor.