MAGICAL CHRISTMAS FEAST AT THE WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR

Drawing inspiration from ten countries around the world, The Westin KL chefs left no stone unturned in their quest to impress with a lavish spread fit for the festive season.

Taking diners on a whirlwind culinary tour around the globe, the vast Yuletide selection decking The Living Room starts with colourful platters of Santa Devil Eggs, Christmas Antipasto Wreath, Salmon Gravlax, Rainbow Vegetable-Wrapped Feta Terrine, Assorted Seafood and freshly shucked Oysters amongst other temptations.

In line with the Westin’s Eat Well philosophy, a Salad and Cheese Station featuring numerous imported kinds of cheese, fresh lettuce and salad leaves with a variety of condiments, pickles, sauces and dressings is included; to enable diners to rustle up their own salads.

Main highlights to savour range from perennial Roast Turkey, Lamb Leg and Beef Wellington to more distinct European-centric fare such as the well-spiced and aromatic Spanish Paella Seafood, and a surprisingly moist Duck Leg Confit with Cherry, Quinoa and Orange Sauce.

The rustic but flavourful dishes of German-inspired Braised Red Cabbage with Apple, and Swedish-inspired Hasselback Potato with Orange Cheddar Sauce somehow left quite an impression. Possibly because they are meatless; a nice counterpoint to the heavier, protein-laden fare we've been feasting on.

Not to be outdone, newly appointed Executive Pastry Chef Syeriff Hafizal holds his own by proffering a treasure trove of sweet treats. Flanking his showpiece of a giant gingerbread house are an oversized Chocolate "Log" Red Velvet Cake (lauded for its moist fudgy texture), a Croquembouche Tower and assorted Macarons (whimsically decorated as reindeer, santa, snowman and Christmas tree) amongst others.

Some gems await in the bread section: Ginger Bread Loaf inspired by Vienna, Panettone and Christmas Stollen Sweet Bread from Italy, and Walnut Raisin Baguette inspired by France are notable choices. Dial up your festive mood with traditional Christmas cookies if you are so inclined.

Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet (6pm-10pm) at RM258 nett per adult, RM129 nett per 7-12 years old child
 
Christmas Day Brunch Buffet (12.30pm-3pm) at RM258 nett per adult, RM129 nett per 7-12 years old child
 
Christmas Day Dinner Buffet (6pm-10pm) at RM258 nett per adult, RM129 nett per 7-12 years old child
 
New Year’s Eve Dinner Buffet (6pm-10pm) at RM258 nett per adult, RM129 nett per 7-12 years old child
 
New Year’s Day Dinner Buffet (6pm-10pm) at RM258 nett per adult, RM129 nett per 7-12 years old child
 
Prices above inclusive free flow of soft drinks, fruit punch, sangria, Tiger draught beer and house pour red/white wine.
 
For reservations, please call Westin Dining at tel: 03-2773 8495 or WhatsApp: +6012 305 1715 or email: westindining@westin.com
 

[UPDATED] CREAM OF ANCHOR FOOD PROFESSIONALS' CROP

To launch its latest European-style dairy range in Malaysia, Anchor Food Professionals delivered a set of exquisite afternoon tea treats by The Studio KL to the doorstep.

The exquisitely curated sweet treat selection featured Lemon Posset, Hot Chocolate in Cup, Banoffee Tart, Passion-berry Choux, British Soldier, Traditional English Scones with Sticky Toffee Pudding Butter and Summer Berries Jam, Almond Cream Butter Croissants. Savouries included Chicken Pesto on Focaccia, Truffle Honey Croquette and Sauté Mushroom and Onion Bruschetta.

It was a delicious way of showing how the new products: Anchor Chef’s Classic Whipping Cream, Anchor Classic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Anchor Extra Yield Cooking Cream, and Anchor Culinary Cream can be artfully incorporated to create delicious savoury and sweet morsels such as those presented in the tea offerings.

During the launch webinar, Jack Tan, Foodservice Director of Fonterra Brands Malaysia said, “The pandemic has caused consumers’ food preferences to shift. One of the most noticeable trends is more food businesses are searching for everyday functional products that provide simple and quick benefits to their food or beverage creations.

“Today’s consumers are also drawn to feel-good products. While the pandemic has been tough on many food businesses, we help them stay on top of these trends by constantly improving their favourite recipes with better flavours, textures, presentation, and overall quality.”

Award-winning pastry chef Jean-Francois Arnaud then demonstrated how he used Anchor Chef’s Classic Whipping Cream to create exquisite Red Fruit Cloud and Blueberry Cream Brioche, explaining the product’s many advantages during the process.

Then Pele Kuah, Brew House’s Group Executive Chef shared his preference on the use of Anchor Extra Yield Cooking Cream in the kitchen as he prepared Salmon Alfredo Pasta with Lemon & Ikura and Nasi Lemak – two signature specialities from the Brew House.

One of the founders of myBurgerLab, Renyi Chin showed two new recipes: Buttermilk Cheesy Fried Chicken Burger and Baked Cheese Rice using Anchor Classic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – a traditional-style mozzarella cheese with flavoursome and complex taste to wrap up the webinar session.

Jack Tan also highlighted Anchor Chef’s Classic Whipping Cream which is designed to bring reliable performance and functional stability with its light and airy texture. "It’s the perfect infusion for any rich delicacy – be it hot, cold, or frozen."

Chefs, bakers, pastry makers, passionate cooks, and home-bakers can obtain Anchor European range of mozzarella cheese and creams through their distributor partners, while consumers can purchase the products at major supermarket chains and bakery ingredients shops.

For more information, visit Anchor Food Professionals’ official website at www.anchorfoodprofessionals.com, or follow www.facebook.com/AnchorFoodProfessionalsMY and www.instagram.com/anchorfp.my.

NEWS FLASH

Anchor Food Professionals together with Star Media Group also launched Anchor Start Up – a course-by-course bakers’ online learning platform accessible at https://startup.kuali.com.

Jack Tan, Food Service Director, Fonterra Brands Malaysia said their mission is to serve up inspirations to Food & Beverage businesses, including home bakers. “With Start Up, bakers can drive their business performance by harnessing specific skill sets learnt as they carve their own competitive advantages, and sell more via The Batter Place listing platform. With this initiative as a way for bakers to skill up and scale up, we believe it will create a catalytic effect for the baking community in Malaysia.”

For more information, visit https://www.kuali.com/kuali-bakers-programme/.

 

TIPPLES & TREATS AT FARQUHAR'S BAR

Lovers of Happy Hours and discerning bon vivant who yearn to slake their thirst can make a beeline for the much-loved Farquhar’s Bar. Remodelled as a vintage cocktail bar, Farquhar’s Bar at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang is relocated further down the marble and French doors walkway at the newly refreshed Heritage Wing.

Subdued, mellow lighting coupled with deep teal blue hues and white cornices evoke a rarefied atmosphere similar to a gentlemen’s club and private study. The oak and brass-finished long bar serves as a focal point near the entrance whilst the inner sanctum boasts studded leather Chesterfield sofas, retro arm and wing back chairs, antique fittings, and collections of monochrome prints. Scenic views of Penang’s waterfront beckon beyond its expansive picture windows.

Cocktail o’clock has never been more atas...the resident mixologists are adept at whisking up classic and contemporary tipples. To wet our whistle, we opted for Gin Setengah (RM45) – London Dry Gin with Grand Marnier, longan and a splash of pineapple juice (3rd pix below); Pink Lady (RM50) – London Dry Gin with Applejack, lemon juice, housemade grenadine and egg white (2nd pix below); and Moscow Mule (RM45) – Vodka, lime juice and spicy ginger beer (pix below).

Should you wish to chase your drinks of choice with light refreshments, the snack creations are worth the calorie intake. Simplistic in approach but lush and big on flavour is Potato & Caviar (RM28), airy-light potato crisps with sour cream and caviar dip.

Heartier but a definite palate-pleaser is the sumptuous and melty Gruyère Cheese Sandwich (RM28). Savoury rich with a smoky aftertaste, the brioche toast triangles were sublime and satisfying.

Delectable options to stave off hunger pangs include Peranakan Sliders (RM20) of braised duck breast sandwiched in crispy mantou with chilli dip, and

Beef Lollipop (RM28) – superbly tender and juicy marinated beef cubes with saffron and garlic aioli. 

Having sampled them, the snacks hit the spot well. We even ordered additional portion of the Beef Lollipop and Gruyère Cheese Sandwich.

Note: Farquhar’s Bar is open daily from 230pm to midnight during the pre-Covid19 days. To sample the Sundowners' Tapas mentioned above, head over to Palm Court from 4pm to 7pm daily (refer below pix).

For more information and reservations, please call Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang, tel: 016-419 8923 or visit:

 https://www.facebook.com/eohotels/