2019 REGIONAL WOK COMPETITION AT SHANGRI-LA KUALA LUMPUR

Being a chef isn’t a vocation for the faint-hearted. Especially when one has to step up to the plate and pit one’s cooking skills at Shangri-La Hotels’ regional 2019 Chinese Cuisine Wok Competition.

Held at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur recently, the above dish was one of the final creations rustled up by the competing chefs who represented their hotels at the internal regional level competition.

 

 

Aimed at raising the bar for Chinese cuisine among Shangri-La chefs, the 3-day 2019 Chinese Cuisine Wok Competition is a platform for the competitors to showcase their culinary talent and expertise.

 

Divided into three stages: hotel, regional and global level, the 18 competitors already bested the starting pool of 90 contestants at the hotel level, to make the cut for the regional stage.

 

Members of the media and food bloggers including yours truly were invited to join the Wok Competition judging panel. Together with celebrity cookbook author Danielle Peita Graham, we entered the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur’s cavernous kitchen where the heat was on the chef competitors.

The seasoned chefs were steadfastly focused on cooking up a storm despite the presence of a camera crew, photographers and us judges. They remained cool, calm and collected despite all the attention on them; some even sportingly waved and mustered up a smile for our live social media posts.

We observed the chefs’ methodical approach as the clock ticked away. Personally, I admire their willingness to stand the heat in the kitchen, enduring the challenge of cooking up good food repeatedly day in day out.

The scoresheet given to us was comprehensive and specific; covering criteria such as preparation & hygiene, technique execution, ingredients & taste, and dish presentation. Each competitor also has to rationalise and explain the crux of their dish.

Homegrown talent Chin Jia Jian from Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur proffered Sichuan Style Baked Cod whilst the only rose Heidy Juventia Lovena proved her unflappable capability with Stir-fried Cod with Chinese dumplings, Garden Greens & Caramelised Sauce.

Hats off to the chefs who made it so far. They’d be leaving the cooking challenge with new experience and greater insights on how to raise their Chinese cuisine game from the constructive feedback and critique given.

Six winning chefs from the regional heat will then proceed to the first round at the global level. Only the top three will have a chance to battle it out in the second round, to determine their final standing and who will ‘wok’ tall as champion.

SWEET DESSERT DREAMS AT CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

Frolic with a cute and fluffy coconut meringue rabbit perched on a sunny yellow Bunny petit gâteau at Crème De La Crème (CLDC) — Kuala Lumpur’s and Malaysia’s coolest dessert haven right now — for a irresistible taste of ‘Easter in the tropics’.

Created using a tropical combination of coconut, mango, calamansi, pineapple, lemongrass and passionfruit on a deliciously crunchy chocolate hazelnut feuilletine base, the artistic ice cream cake masterpiece is one of the many intricately handcrafted dessert selection served at the newly opened Crème De La Crème in Damansara Uptown.

A brainchild of creative soul and passionate ice cream connoisseur Lio Lim (left), CDLC is a stylish haven exuding sleek, clean lines with hip, Instagrammable vibes: a unicorn wall-mounted lighting feature, minimalist furnishing, and expansive glass and chrome showcases.

Lio emphasised “only 100% all-natural, fresh and wholesome ingredients are used to create CDLC ice creams from scratch without the use of preservatives, artificial flavourings and colourings”.

Trained by renowned Australian dessert meister Christy Tania, CDLC aims to raise the bar in Malaysia for ice cream dessert creations. The team at CDLC headed by Pastry Chef Evelyn Chung is meticulously hands-on in every aspect of the creation process in their bid to entice dessert lovers with a plethora of the richest, smoothest, and most irresistible ice cream dessert treats.

Our palate-pleasing welcome drink, Unicorn Dream was concocted from blue pea flower-tinted lemonade with dragon fruit sorbet. To start the ice cream party rolling, we sampled Barley Lime Sorbet — a clever inspiration of local iced barley drink with freshly squeezed lime juice. Served on imported dainty lemon cones, the superfine sorbet won us over from the get-go with refreshingly well-balanced sweet-sour accents.

IMHO, that strong showing eclipsed the Dragon Fruit Strawberry Sorbet somewhat. Rich in fibre, anti-oxidants, potassium and vitamin C, the vibrant purple icy treat should hit the spot for berry fans thanks to its tart fruitiness.

Fresh kalamansi lime juice and salty assam boi made a compelling combo to create the Limau Assam Sorbet, a godsend solution for bringing the temperature down in countering the current hot spell. 

Proof of the pudding is truly in the tasting here as top grade Alfonso mangoes are used to churn out CDLC's Mango Passion Sorbet. We could tell from the intense fruity aroma and the sensuous sweetness alone. You have to savour it to believe it. Ditto for the umami-rich and complex Miso Caramel ice cream which put ordinary salted caramel flavour into the shade, making it so passé and ho-hum by comparison.

Looking for a low GI, sugar-free option? The Madagascar Ash made using maltitol, high quality Madagascar vanilla beans and premium bamboo charcoal powder will be just the sweet treat for you and health-conscious patrons including diabetics.

For  licks of nostalgia, the Pandan Kaya Toast ice cream comprised a seductive mixture of pandan, coconut & eggs. Fresh fragrant pandan leaves are first dehydrated, blended into powder form to create fresh, wholesome, aromatic and all-natural pandan kaya flavour ice cream. Then a house-baked crumble of almond flour and butter is swirled into the ice cream; to add a toasty and crunchy bite. Sedaplicious!

Bubble tea fans can now savour their milk tea with a chi chi touch at CDLC. Try the floral-accented French Earl Grey Boba blend served with al dente brown sugar pearls. We did and that milky tea creaminess coupled with perfect QQ chewiness left us no cause for complaint.

Millenials and the hipster set may prefer brekkie flavours such as Cerealicious (lower pix) and Cookies & Cream (upper pix). The former — strongly reminiscent of cereal soaked in fresh milk — flaunted a baby blue hue from butterfly pea flower extract whilst the latter is made by mixing vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookies baked from 63% French Weiss dark chocolate ganache and extra house-made chocolate cookie crumbs.

What takes the cake at CDLC is the Petit Gâteau — Instagrammable handcrafted masterpieces that are almost too pretty to eat! According to Lio, “We are highly passionate ice cream aficionados who strive to be the best ice cream artisans in Malaysia. We not only want to make ice cream that tastes good but also looks good.”

The belle of the ball here is the gorgeous Beauty & The Beast creation. A heavenly match of 63% Dark Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream, the spellbinding blossom is complemented by Morello Cherry Sorbet to achieve a perfect balance of bitter, tangy and sweet. At the base, dark chocolate crumble, chewy chocolate brownie and almond nibs gives the delectable and beautiful treat extra crunch.

Inspired by a lady’s pearl necklace, the elegant Lady Pearl is an exquisite sight to behold. A delightful mix of Strawberry and Madagascar Vanilla ice cream,  this lovely petit gâteau includes Dragon Fruit Strawberry sorbet to bring out the fine flavours it has to offer. Amidst textural contrasts of buttery crumble, red almond sponge and  passionfruit crémeux, there’s a perky taste of raspberry glaze too.

For more information, please call Crème De La Crème, tel: 03-7494 0735. Address: 35G, Ground Floor, Jalan SS21/60 Damansara Utama, Selangor.