Showing posts with label almond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label almond. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

DECADENT CHINESE NEW YEAR DINING AT YUN HOUSE


Get the Lunar New Year celebration off to a decadent, impactful start with super-fresh Salmon Belly Yee Sang at Yun House this coming Year of the Rat.
Chef Jimmy Wong keeps his salad creation simple and fresh. The platter features 18 ingredients such as fresh magnolia petals, pomelo sacs, finely shredded carrot and radish. For colour, flavour and textural interest, dried yam strips, pickled radish, pickled onion, pickled ginger, walnuts, fried flour crisps and fried Norwegian salmon skin are included.
Topping the platter off with a distinctive flourish is a portion of crunchy deep-fried sang meen (wheat noodles). We like the novelty of breaking the crunchy noodles into smaller chunks during the lou hei (tossing) ritual as the gesture represents auspicious breakthrough for brand-new beginnings. To tantalise the palate further, Chef Jimmy proffers a tangy-sweet dressing concocted from plum sauce, white vinegar, apple jam and salt for the yee sang.
 
Thoughtfully curated, the festive menu integrates light and substantial fare, with a precursor of the Chef’s Special Dim Sum Platter. Delicately handcrafted, we enjoy every bite of the delicious Mushroom & Truffle Oil Dumpling. A dainty piece of Steamed Radish Cake with Dried Scallop whets the appetite before the delectable Spring Roll with Foie Gras & Seafood suffuses our tastebuds with its richer flavours.
 
Lush with hearty umami taste and differing textures, we feel richly rewarded when savouring the Braised Money Bag filled with Abalone. A befitting speciality to relish for the CNY celebration as both the dried oyster and abalone symbolise good things, abundant fortune and prosperity. 
 
The on-point selection continues with Braised Vermicelli with Fresh Crabmeat and Caviar. Pin-drop silence reigns around the table as we focus on slurping up the slippery smooth noodles imbued with the natural sweetness of hand-extracted crabmeat, interspersed with briny bursts of caviar.
 
My penchant for almond milk is fulfilled when the Dessert Duo of Doubled Boiled Superior Bird’s Nest with Almond Cream and Chef’s Special Fried Rice Cake is served. Every spoonful leaves me in gastronomic heaven, the creamy nuttiness melding nicely with generous amount of bird’s nest.
Even the simple nin koh or New Year rice cake comes up trumps, lightly sheathed in a crisp batter concocted from tempura flour, olive oil and water.
Chef Jimmy Wong’s specially curated Chinese New Year Set Menus (RM388-
688 per head) are available now until February 8. The repertoire of choice dishes is the chef’s personal favourites to pamper his loved ones; culled from his treasure trove of family recipes exclusively for this celebration.
Priced from RM148 nett onwards, Yee Sang variants at Yun House include Salmon Belly, Toro and Australian Lobster. Dim Sum is also served for lunch at RM10-45 nett per portion.
For reservations at Yun House, call Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2382 8888. Address: Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang, KL. Visit: https://www.fourseasons.com/kualalumpur/dining/restaurants/yun-house/

Tuesday, January 09, 2018

LE GOÛTER FRENCH AFTERNOON TEA





Afternoon tea may have started with the 7th Duchess of Bedford but oh là là, le goûter is  tea-time in France. Word has it that a sweet snack like biscuits or chocolate in bread is de rigueur after school to keep the young ones going till dinner. I found this blog offers a good explanation of le goûter: https://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/what-is-gouter-it-s-tea-time-kids
As expected, Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur - as an Autograph Collection property, bestows its own inimitable take on Le Goûter Afternoon Tea. Served in the warmly welcoming, French-style Brasserie 25, you'd be charmed by its exposed rust-red brick arcades, mid-century copper sputnik chandeliers and dark wood floors.


Once we were seated, a chilled welcome drink known as Paradise Pink set a refreshing pace for our maiden French afternoon tea experience. I enjoyed sipping the subtly sweet, pleasant guava juice and pineapple juice concoction mixed with grenadine syrup while the Brasserie 25 team swanned about, discreetly going about their tasks.
Presented in a boxy copper warmer, the curtain-raiser featured a triple serving of Mini Salmon Quiche, Sardine Curry Puffs, Deep-fried Samosas and Arancini Balls. We partook the delicious savoury snacks with freshly brewed cups of Cameronian Gold Blend tea. Coffee is also available for those who yearn for a caffeine fix.
Both the quiche and deep-fried risotto balls covered in breadcrumbs were rich and hearty with varying textures and lushness to tickle the tastebuds. Although we left the curry puffs and samosas for consumption later, the pastries remained flaky and crisp without any trace of residual greasiness. Fillings of both the local pastries were generous and flavourful too.
Two triangular pieces of toasty Grilled Cheese Sandwich made a welcome addition to the line-up. It reminded me of carefree childhood days when the simpler things in life like sandwiches for tea was a treasured treat.

True to its French roots, Le Goûter boasts a comprehensive showcase of sweet temptations. After all, the art of patisserie is much respected so afternoon tea guests here are plied with a heart-stopping selection of delicate French dessert. Presented with white gloved service and proffered on a silver tray, I daresay the visually pleasing and sublime creations would please even the infamous Marie Antoinette who immortalised the "let them eat cake" quote.
My favourite is the Lemon Meringue Tart followed by the delicate Raspberry Macaron. The crunchy Almond Biscotti and Orange Madeleine also hit the spot when paired with cups of milky tea.
The charming frontliners were adept at persuading us to sample the extensive array. We readily succumbed to their gentle coaxing and indulged in dainty portions of the heavenly Almond & Cherry Clafoutis, Langues de Chat - a feather-light, buttery biscuit shaped like a cat's tongue, White Chocolate Truffle Cake and Almond Financier.
Le Goûter Afternoon Tea is served daily from 3 pm - 6pm @ RM70 per person. We were told it has been a runaway success since its introduction especially on weekends so it's advisable to reserve ahead should you wish to experience it.

For reservations, please call Brasserie 25, tel: 03-2038 0000. Address: Hotel Stripes KL - Autograph Collection, 25 Jalan Kamunting, Kuala Lumpur. Website: http://stripeskl.com

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