RITZY AFTERNOON TEA AFFAIR

 

All you afternoon tea enthusiasts must thank Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford for making the ritual of sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches fashionable in 19th century England. Not to be confused with the more substantial high tea partaken by the middle and low classes in place of dinner, the English upper crust enjoyed their pots of tea with some light snacks around 3.30-4pm. 

Today, the time honoured afternoon tea tradition is upheld within the plush, freshly rejuvenated confines of The Lobby Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.

On weekdays from 3pm-6pm, you can indulge in the quintessential afternoon tea experience for RM80 (for 2 persons). Besides a triple tier of delicate goodies to savour, the price includes a pot of freshly brewed tea from a choice of 40 Ronnefeldt fine teas.

Depending on your mood or inclination, the selection ranges from black and green teas to herbal and fruit infusions. Alternatively, The Lobby Lounge also proffers various coffee brews for those who prefer a jolt of java. I love The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur's exclusive blend which combined Chinese tieh kuan ying (Iron Goddess of Mercy) with green oolong; its complex tea flavour tinged with a delicately creamy nuance.

Serenaded by soothing live music from a string quartet, we revelled in the luxurious and tranquil surrounds. Our amuse bouche for the day was a zingy salmon spread with dainty toast pieces. This went like a dream with my choice of Irish Whiskey Cream - a malty Assam black tea with hints of cocoa and the lush aroma of Irish whiskey.

The savoury temptations served during our visit were mini mushroom quiches and chicken pies. According to our friendly and knowledgeable hostess, Adriannah, most of the afternoon tea selection changes frequently so expect enticing surprises to whet the appetite on each visit.

Little Wagyu burgers with mushroom stole the limelight at first bite. Every mouthful was delectably scrumptious but the beef pastrami sandwiches were on point too. These choice morsels were nicely balanced by sips of Jasmine Gold, a fragrant Chinese tea perfumed with jasmine flowers. Even the tuna sandwiches with its subtly creamy filling held its own. 

Served warm with clotted cream, fruit preserve and marmalade, we then relished two types of scones. Again, the varieties depend on the chef's selection; it could be plain or flavoured scones: caramel, raisin or cinnamon. We certainly took our sweet time enjoying every bite of this classic offering.

Some element of East meets West emerged in the sweet treats. Light and flaky, the baked egg tarts were an unexpected albeit welcomed twist to the Continental confections: mini cheesecake, macaron, fruit tartlet and chocolate cake.

As an ardent chocoholic, the velvety and dense chocolate slice left me smitten as did the airy-light, mango-accented macaron. Amidst more sips of tea, we managed to do justice to the mini cheesecake - its wickedly decadence made me feel like a Cheshire cat that got the cream...

During weekends, the afternoon tea is priced at RM160 for 2 persons. Reservations are advisable to avoid disappointment.

For more information and reservations at The Lobby Lounge, call 03-2142 8000 or email dining@ritzcarlton.com.my

LA RISATA'S HANDS-FREE CHRISTMAS FEAST

Cooking up the yearly Christmas feast is no child’s play. For time-poor and busy urban families, even family matriarchs should enjoy a well-deserved break during the festive season instead of slaving away in the kitchen. Give them a chance to join in the family bonding and entrust the cooking to La Risata chefs.

Designed to make life easier, La Risata’s festive selection allows you to ‘mix and match’ the resto’s offerings with home-made dishes of your own. The traditional Roast Turkey (4 kg each @RM338++) makes for an impressive centrepiece for your festive table as the huge bird’s sizeable enough to serve 10-12 persons. 

The most outstanding component of this offering is cranberry sauce, made from real cranberries cooked down to a thick compote; its subtle tanginess tempering the rich giblet sauce. Sautéed mixed vegetable and chestnut stuffing complete the dish.

 

Personally, I prefer the Roast Leg of Lamb (3 kg each@RM228++) which the chef acquitted to sumptuous tenderness; the blush pink centre of each slice oozing with juicy goodness. Faint whiffs of rosemary made it all the more droolworthy, augmented by sides of sautéed chat potatoes, grilled root vegs and rosemary sauce.

If you prefer to dine in at La Risata, the rustic Pizza Mozzarella is a ‘must try’. Thin yet sturdy enough to hold its shape, the crusty wood-fired pizza left us wanting more, thanks to its generous slather of tomato sauce and toppings of smoky mozzarella, strips of red and green marinated capsicums, anchovies and fresh basil.

In Italy, you can’t get more traditional than a portion of gnocchi to start with. These thick, soft knobs of doughy dumplings are notoriously difficult to make but La Risata chefs dressed up the Grilled Blue Fin Tuna with Squid Ink Gnocchis with a bright flavourful Lemon Butter Sauce. Bolstered by the smooth citrusy sauce, the tuna’s voluptuous richness was captured in the dainty, pillow-soft dumplings while any residual cloyingness was halted by fresh peppery rocket.  

Stumped for ideas on what salad to serve for your Christmas do? Here’s a simple but ingenious suggestion tossed up by La Risata. You’d hit the jackpot by rustling up Rocket & Pear Salad with Lemon Dressing and Shave Parmesan. Nobody can resist its vivacious spectrum of accents: sweet, tart, savoury and zingy in one go.

Sweeten the celebration with a takeaway Tiramisu (RM160++ per order, ample for 12 persons) or Pumpkin Pie (RM80++ each for 8-10 persons). Concocted with layers of espresso-soaked Savoiardi sponge fingers and mascarpone, it was a reliable albeit tame option among the dessert we sampled. 

Served with silky maple cream sauce, the Pumpkin Pie stole the thunder with its delicately sweet crumbly crust; the top adorned with a sprinkling of almonds. The pie filling itself was airy-light and redolent with the warm scent of cinnamon, something which I’d always associate with Christmas.

For dine-in, the perennial fave has to be Zucotto, a luscious domed cake with chocolate and vanilla cream studded with almond, chocolate and hazelnut nibs. It looked wickedly decadent but turned out to be feather-light with just a touch of indulgence.

Orders are accepted from now until 5 January 2016 while stocks last so make haste and call La Risata now, tel: 03-2031 6568. Reservations at the restaurant are advisable for the festive period.

COMFORTING CHOICES AT HAWK & FISH

One doesn't go to a resto just for its kick-ass sambal but Hawk&Fish may just draw chilli fiends there for that reason. It's a casual eatery that strives to be one up from your local chap farn (economical rice) set-up - the resto's clean, air-cond and the local fare pricing is just a few ringgit more of what you'd pay at kopitiams.

 

We love the pub grub fare on the menu - they're perfect for Happy Hours when you can graze without overdoing it. The mod industrial concrete finishing and exposed ceiling sets the stage for wire-structured chairs and round glass tables coupled with some wooden dining furniture.

The first culinary chart-topper that bowled us over is The Pound Pork Balls (RM18, 3 pcs) - wickedly delish, oversized hand-made and fried minced pork balls with melted, stretchy mozzarella oozing out of them.

Wrapped in thin chive omelette and streaky bacon, you'd go barking mad over the Dogs In A Blanket...and Quilt (RM25) - devilishly scrumptious, chunky pieces of thick sausage enrobed in fluffy omelette AND crispy bacon strips. Trust me, the smoky-brininess and mellow oniony-sweetness meld so beautifully together, it's hard not to wax lyrical over it.

An assertive zingy hotness ensures the house speciality of Spicy Wings (RM20, 6 pcs) fly high with diners; a commendable Asian take on the Western classic of Buffalo wings.

Good wok hei breaths lively charred accent into the Char Kway Teow (RM15) here. The flat rice noodles take the fiery heat of the house sambal to heart, regaling one's palate with fiesty smoky hotness. Prawns, squid and beansprouts help to ramp up the deliciousness further. Diners can also opt to have the whole works  such as fried chicken wings (RM6) or a sunny-side up egg (RM2) thrown into the equation.

Fried rice fans would have much to cheer and chew on at this eatery. The Homespun Fried Rice (RM20) comes in three versions - spicy Pound special, Thai- or Chinese-style. Don't let its pared-down appearance fool you. Chilli fiends would find their tastebuds set alight by the unabashedly robust nuance especially for the hot ones; render to tongue-searing heights by the insanely hot house sambal. Besides chopped bacon bits (hurrah!), supporting cast for the rice dish includes fried chicken wings, a fried egg and more sambal.

Uncle Chee - a long-time TTDI resident and cook - does tour of duty for lunch with his range of chap farn staples. He's also instrumental for the presence of signature specialities such as Dry Style Bak Kut Teh (RM15), Ancestral Original BKT (RM15) and Herbal Wine Chicken (RM15) at Hawk&Fish.

Personally, I'd plump for wong jau gai (herbal wine chicken) any day. Mildly sweet with a warm boozy aftertaste, the chook with ginger, red dates and fresh coriander will give you a nice heady buzz. A comforting tummy warmer that should goes best with plain rice.

Admittedly, the hardcore Hokkien in me is ambivalent about the Dry Style BKT. Darkened by lashing of dark soya sauce and flavoured by local herbs and spices, the porky dish is agreeable. I guess I couldn't get pass that it looks more like tau eu bak - braised pork in dark soya sauce. But any urban singleton or small nuclear family who hankers for home-style offerings, this heirloom recipe of Uncle Chee's should satisfy familial food cravings.

Soup lovers would probably prefer Uncle Chee's Ancestral BKT as the milieu of pork, button mushroom, enoki, beancurd puffs and innards come bubbling hot in a claypot of herbal broth. Die-hard BKT fans may find the soup too mild for liking but as the owners tell us, it's good enough to assuage sudden BKT cravings especially when one can't run to Klang on a mere whim.

The only dish that didn't measure up during our visit was Fish & Chips (red snapper RM30, dory RM20). We found the fish fillet somewhat tough and leathery...it could have been a one-off hiccup so fans of this British classic should try this house speciality and judge for themselves.

Dessert is simple - you can try crisp Apple Pie that looks disconcertingly like those from a famous fast-food chain. 

Hawk&Fish is worth checking out - it's a viable alternative especially for lunch when you rather eschew fast-food or be hot and bothered eating at local kopitiams.

For reservations, call Hawk & Fish, hp no: 011-2627 6544 / tel: 03-7732 2328. The outlet is at 50 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Business hours: Mon-Sat 11am-3pm; 6pm-11pm. Closed on Sunday.