Showing posts with label green tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green tea. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

TEA-LICIOUS & SIZZLING HOT PICKS AT ZUAN YUAN


Lots of tea-licious and sizzling hot specialities will ignite diners’ interest at Zuan Yuan, One World Hotel come July 2019.
Taking a leaf out of the trad Hakka dish of lui cha or thunder tea rice, One World Hotel’s Executive Chinese Chef Tommy Choong Chan Hoo was inspired to create his Stir Fried Rice with Green Tea & Assorted Seafood Hakka Style (RM38) — one of the several ‘tea-licious’ temptations available throughout July at Zuan Yuan.
The show-stopping speciality stands out for its fresh herbaceous accent, thanks to the chef’s ingenuity in imbuing the rice with his house-made pesto of basil, pine nuts and tea. Those who partial to Hakka lui cha will enjoy relishing this dish as the resultant nuances echo that of the traditional offering. The clear sweetness of scallops and prawns also boost its overall appeal.
Having cut his culinary teeth with the Regent Kuala Lumpur (now rebranded Grand Millennium KL), Chef Tommy’s two decade-long career path has taken him to some of the city’s international five-star  hotels.
In line with his philosophy of whipping up simple dishes with skilful subtlety and showcasing the ingredients’ natural flavours and textures, the chef proves his culinary mettle by using chrysanthemum — a ubiquitous ingredient to brew cooling Chinese herbal tea — in a savoury broth.
Hints of floral overtones are discernible in the Double Boiled Abalone & Fish Maw Soup with Chrysanthemum (RM48); giving an unexpectedly winsome dimension to the comforting broth.
Toasty oolong tea leaves left a rave-worthy impression on the crowd-pleasing serving of Smoked Village Chicken with Oolong (RM60 half chicken). The scrumptiously juicy, tender chicken tastes even better with the zingy house ginger-spring onion dip.
Light and Crispy Prawns Stuffed with Yam & Pumpkin served with Green Tea Dressing (RM65 per portion) also hit the spot well. Think of it as a refined version of local cucur udang or prawn fritters, each flaunting a sizeable crustacean within the battered nest of yam and pumpkin julienne enlivened by a creamy green tea infused sauce.
 
Imported lava stones from Turkey play a fundamental role in the array of sizzling specialities, also available in July. Recommendations include superbly delectable U.S. Angus Beef Steak (RM68/100g, minimum order of 200g) and Australian Premium Lamb Cutlets (RM48/100g, minimum order of 200g), cooked to order on the hot lava stones to your desired doneness. Accompaniments of assorted vegetables, mushroom and a choice of Black Pepper, Mongolian or Barbecue Sauce.
For reservation, please call Zuan Yuan restaurant, tel: 03-7681 1159 or email zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my

Saturday, September 01, 2018

FIVE SHADES OF MOONCAKE AT TAO CHINESE CUISINE


See yellow, blue, black, green and brown this Mid-Autumn Festival at Tao Chinese Cuisine. Three seductive snowskin creations, an inventive Shanghai-style savoury version and six classic baked variants by Dim Sum Chef Lo Tian Sion will be the siren’s call for mooncake enthusiasts this year until 24 September.
 
 
Now making the festive confection is no pie in the sky as Chef Lo demonstrated at the media preview. In his quest to up the ante and to fend off competition, Taiwan’s famed scallion pancake — a popular street snack — arises as the ingenious inspiration behind Chef Lo’s latest showstopper of Shanghai-inspired Baked Black Pepper Smoked Duck Meat with Yam (RM43 per piece).
 
We reckon it’s a dome-shaped pie in disguise; a savoury temptation with a come hither filling of crushed black pepper, smoked duck and yam mash. Just a mere bite of that feisty black pepper flecked bombshell and you’d be turned on your head by the zingy hot accent and tastebud-teasing textures that veer between powdery-soft and buttery-flaky. Like any proverbial gem worth its salt (pardon the pun), this unconventional showstopper is only available for dine-in at Tao Chinese Cuisine to preserve its optimal taste and texture.
 
Enrobed in a sunny yellow, unbaked glutinous rice flour skin similar to marzipan, the sensuous sweetness of the durian and oats paste playfully piques the palate as winsome Snowskin Durian Paste & Oats Mooncake (RM43). For durian-loving devotees, the almost guilt-free, indulgent delicacy is bound to leave them moonstruck.
 
Chef Lo then uses bird’s nest and butterfly pea flower to compose a pretty snow white, Marble Snowskin with Butterfly Pea Flower & Bird’s Nest Mooncake (RM43). Rife with streaks of eye-catching blue, the lotus paste at the sweet treat core also flaunts a baby blue hue with bits of bird’s nest lending luxe taste appeal.
Meanwhile, discover a matcha mooncake made in Mid-Autumn heaven with the debut of Snowskin with Japanese Green Tea and Cherry Jelly (RM31). Imported cherries are lovingly transformed into the mooncake’s tantalising sour-sweet heart in the pleasant embrace of astringent bitter-sweet green tea paste studded with longans and green tea-nuanced skin.
 
 
True to the ‘once you go black, you’d never go back’ maxim, the bewitching Black Sesame Bamboo Charcoal with Single Yolk Mooncake (RM27) will leave you spellbound with its nutty, savoury sweetness.
Like true love, the endearing charm of time-tested variants such as White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM27), Pure White Lotus Paste with Nuts (RM25), Red Bean Paste with Nuts (RM25), Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM27) and Traditional Mixed Nuts (RM31) can still hold their own and are unlikely to wane amidst the onslaught of omnipresent competition for the hearts and palates of Mid-Autumn Fest celebrants.
Tao also dresses the mooncakes up to the nines in elegant black and red gift boxes adorned with gold stamped peach blossom motifs at no extra cost, with a minimum purchase of four mooncakes.

For more information, please call Tao Chinese Cuisine, tel: 03-2782 6128 or email: tao@intercontinental-kl.com.my

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

A JOURNEY THROUGH TEA AT NEWENS TEA HOUSE



The luxurious ritual of partaking afternoon tea goes creatively thematic at Newens Tea House this January to March.

Billed as A Journey Through Tea, Newens Tea House should be a compelling stopover for Anglophiles partial to Traditional English High Tea. Available daily throughout January, we had a sneak preview of the triple tier of classic afternoon tea favourites.

Splendid openers comprised delicate Finger Sandwiches with Salmon, and Beef & Cucumber, Cheese with Crackers and Scones served with Clotted Cream and Preserves.

Newens’ signature Maids of Honour Tarts in Chocolate & Apple variants were also part of the tea-rrific temptations. Airy-light yet crisp with a soft centre, legend has it the irresistible treat came from a 500-year old recipe confiscated by King Henry VIII. The king kept it under lock and key after he found the sweet-savoury tart made by one of Queen Anne Boleyn’s maids of honour very much to his liking.
 
The Traditional English High Tea also included shot glasses of Trifle, Red Velvet Cake and Lemon Meringue Tart accompanied by a free-flow of Orange Pekoe Tea. 

Come February, Newens Tea House will pay tribute to Chinese New Year with its Spring in China Tea. The selection of pastries highlighted a decidedly Oriental slant with scrumptious offerings of Shanghainese Sizzling Chicken Dumplings and Baked Crispy Chicken Puffs, accompanied by free-flow of Pai Mu Tan (white peony) tea – a subtly sweet, floral Chinese tea brewed from unopened tea buds.

Dainty portions of Osmanthus Flower Jelly with Water Chestnuts, Steamed Layer Cake with Custard Cream and Salted Egg Yolk, Baked Egg Tarts, Pineapple Tarts and Fruit Cake will also sweeten the festive coterie.

To herald the arrival of spring in March and the cherry blossom season in Japan, Newens will be serving Japanese-inspired tea Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea. 
Exquisite morsels of California Hand Roll, Salmon Sashimi, Makimono Tamago (Omelette Roll), and Makimono Kani (Crabmeat Roll) will be paired with free-flow of aromatic Wild Cherry Tea. Completing the experience will be Sakura-Themed Mini Cakes and Pralines.

The above thematic tea experiences are available throughout each respective month at RM150 nett per set (for two persons), daily from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Newens Tea House is renowned for their 300-year-old tea drinking heritage that has been re-imagined for the 21st century.

Guests who wish to order any of the thematic afternoon tea beyond the stated promotional period can do so with a minimum booking of 6 tea sets, for 12 pax. A minimum of 3 days advance notice is required.

The signature Maid of Honour tarts (RM12 each) are also available for takeaway in a gift box of either 4 or 9 pieces.


For more information or reservations, call Newens Tea House, tel: 03 2719 8550 or email: newens@ytlhotels.com.my. Newens Tea House is located at Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

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