Showing posts with label salmon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salmon. Show all posts

Monday, June 02, 2025

CHEF KAZUO TAKIZAWA’S NEW GRAND MENU AT ZIPANGU

 


Chef Kazuo Takizawa’s new Grand Menu at Zipangu reads like a love letter to the seasons of Japan, gently kissed with the flavours of Malaysia.

Thoughtfully composed like a haiku, the meal begins with a whisper — a cool, textured tumble of Salmon and Avocado, slick with salted kelp and wasabi soy sauce. It arrives atop a crisp rice cracker lined with fried nori, a poetic symphony of flavour and crunch.


The richness of salmon gives way to the clean zingy note of wasabi, while the umaminess of kelp hums softly in the background like a distant tide. It’s the kind of dish that makes you pause between bites, out of reverence.


Then comes a heartwarming bowl of Chicken and Vegetable Miso Soup that feels like slipping into a cherished coat in the heart of winter. The broth is gentle, faintly smoky. The chicken—salt-marinated, grilled, then eased into the miso—lends depth whilst young corn, lotus root, and shimeji mushrooms tumble through the comforting broth. Takizawa-san calls it “home-style” and it resonates with us.
 

Spicy Salmon Zanmai Roll arrives next, lush with layer upon layer of salmon: raw, cooked, and jewelled with pearly roe. Cucumber, surimi and egg make this sushi roll indulgent without being boastful, the touch of sriracha leaving a gentle glow rather than a blaze. A sip of cold Junmai Daiginjo sake draws the flavours together—clean and fleeting.

The signature mains emerge as a quartet of restrained brilliance. There is the familiar Black Cod Teriyaki and Japanese White Radish yet the fried cod, a nod to Malaysian tastes, holds greater allure thanks to the daikon steeped in Takizawa’s own blend of dashi and teriyaki sauce. A dish updated for its audience without compromising its heritage.

The Grilled Bluefin Tuna Collar is a study in devotion and sustainability. Sourced from a humongous 80kg fish, the collar—often overlooked—is treated with the kind of care and respect reserve for something sacred. 


Marinated in sake, doubanjiang (spicy bean sauce), ginger and secret herbs, then grilled, the rich and meaty tuna collar flesh tastes faintly of the ocean’s depths: hints of minerality mingled with whispers of oyster and brine, soothed by the gentle sweetness of capsicum in a lush, complex sauce.

For me, the conversation-stopper has to be the A5 Japanese Halal Omi Wagyu Tenderloin. Cooked simply, perfectly with a dash of salt—seared until just charred outside, but pink and yielding within.
 
Each bite is warm velvet. On the side, there are fried garlic chips, mustard, wasabi, and a Japanese steak sauce—unnecessary but delightful if variation is called for. Grilled vegetables lend a gentle counterpoint. This is the kind of breath-taking dish that leaves you in awed silence at such masterful culinary perfection.
 
Finally, the crescendo of heat: a Spicy Chicken Curry unlike any you’ll find in Japan. It has swagger, warmth that builds and lingers. Takizawa uses a 30-year-old recipe, refined and reworked with Malaysian heat. The chicken, braised with leek, is tender; the spices—paprika, ginger, garlic—meld into a bold, unapologetic chorus.


Sweetness to soften the ending is Yuzu Sorbet. Icy and fragrant, the yuzu sings—sharp, floral, clean with a kind of silken poise renders by a sticky, almost translucent starch syrup woven through it for unexpected elegance.


In the hands of Chef Kazuo Takizawa, every plate from Zipangu’s Grand Menu tells a story—seasonal and soulful. Each creation soothes as much as it stirs.


For reservations at Zipangu, call tel: 03-2032 2388. Address: Level 1, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL. https://www.facebook.com/shangrilaKL
 
 

Monday, December 02, 2024

ENCHANTED CULINARY WONDERS AT SHANGRI-LA KL

‘Tis the season to be feasting…the lavish festive spread at Lemon Garden slaps! Laden with scrumptious seafood on ice: lobsters, prawns, mussels and crabs, this is no time to be demure.

Decking the spacious dining hall are a plethora of traditional roasts: turkey (served for lunch and dinner buffet every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and 24, 25 & 26 December), chicken, New Zealand lamb, and prime Black Angus tomahawk ribs.

Freshly baked specialities of salmon coulibiac – savoury pastry filled with tender salmon and herbed rice – beckons alongside a multitude of East and West temptations: think sushi and sashimi, bountiful seafood on ice, nutritious double boiled Chinese soups, aromatic Indian curries, Italian pasta and pizza, international cheese board, healthy offerings of salads and appetisers. Rest assured, you’d be utterly spoiled for choice.


Unmissable holiday-inspired dessert such as creamy burnt eggnog cheesecake, stollen, macaron tower, dainty entremets, chocolate fountain with skewers of fruit and confectionery, tropical fruits, modernist yule log, rich fruit cake, ice cream and mini puddings complete the sumptuous dining experience.


For reservations and inquiries, please contact Shangri-La KL, tel: 03-2786 2378 or email:
dining.kl@shangri-la.com

Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur’s Embrace the Gift of Life

Taking pride of place in the lobby is the Shangri-La KL’s Enchanted Wonders Christmas Charity Tree. Adorned with meticulously crafted Whimsical Carousel Ornaments, the initiative aims at raising funds to provide life-saving medical treatments for children in need.

Since its inception in 1985, this charitable endeavour has raised over RM5 million, funding corrective heart surgeries and medical interventions for hundreds of critically ill children facing severe health challenges.

Companies and individuals are invited to sponsor an ornament with a minimum donation of RM1,100; the donor’s name or company logo prominently displayed at the Enchanted Wonders Christmas Charity Tree throughout the festive season as a beacon of hope and care for the children in need.

Explore the Enchanted Wonders collection at Shangri-La Boutique via https://boutique.shangrila.com/index.php?region=mykl or call tel: 03-2786 2378 or email: festive.KL@shangri-la.com for further more information.

Monday, November 18, 2024

FESTIVE HOLIDAY FEASTS AT EQ


Herald the most wonderful time of the year with extravagant feasts at EQ Kuala Lumpur. It’s never too early to start planning so here’s an overview of what the EQ culinary team has up their sleeves for the year-end celebrations. 

TAKEAWAY TREATS & GIFTS
Level up your Christmas and New Year gifting with a range of exquisite treats: cookies (RM13 upwards), cake bites (RM28 upwards), whole cakes (RM88 upwards) and chocolates (RM88 upwards). Tastefully curated festive hampers (RM188 – RM788) are also available.
Holiday roasts to grace your own dining table can be pre-ordered. This year’s headliner is Bone-in Wagyu Beef ‘hammer’ (RM188/kg) with winter vegs, gravy and chimichurri.
Traditionalists may prefer Roast Turkey (RM128/kg) with chestnut stuffing, roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy and mixed vegs. Other delish options: Roasted Christmas Goose, Duck a la Orange, Baked Lamb Leg, Home-smoked Salmon and Lobster Mayonnaise. 

ETOILE EXPERIENCE
Gather the fam for a lavish Thanksgiving semi buffet lunch (1130am-230pm) on 1 Dec. Priced at RM88+ per adult, the appetiser and dessert selection with free flow of chilled juices and soft drinks should keep everyone happy and satisfied.

Alternatively, go for the Sharing Platters for 2-3 persons (RM98+) or Barbecue Platters (RM38+ per 100g). Prefer dining at home? Just pre-order some delectable takeaways: from roast turkeys and beef Wellington to salmon mayonnaise and roast leg of lamb.

NOSH UP AT NIPAH

Pamper yourself and loved ones with lavish buffet lunch and dinner throughout Dec. Festive culinary highlights include Wagyu beef hammer, roasted lamb leg, lobster thermidor and abundant sweet treats.

Priced at RM158+ per adult, the Festive Buffet Lunch is available daily. There’s also BBQ Weekend Buffet Dinner at RM178+ per person every Thursday-Sunday, from 630pm to 1030pm except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

BEST OF BOTTEGA


Revel in a splendidly Festive Dolce Vita Afternoon Tea (Mon-Sat, 12noon-230pm or 3pm-5pm) at RM99+ per person or RM198+ for two. Nibble on Christmas themed dainty temptations, accompanied by Ronnefeldt tea or speciality coffee.

SUMPTUOUS SABAYON

Refined four-course Euro-Continental Festive Dinner (RM588+ per person) or an 8-course degustation (RM888+ per person) beckons from the mod-elegant outpost. Reminisce over the year’s happenings amidst luxe servings of Angus beef tartare with toast, Scottish salmon with sour cream, capers and dill, raclette with potatoes and cornichons.
Also, die-hard fans of Chalet will be thrilled to know a four-course Festive Sunday Lunch (RM288+ per person) awaits every Sunday throughout December. 
Palate-pleasing signature Duck Breast à l’Orange, Filet de Suamon Norvégien, and Crêpes Suzette take centrestage. Dial up your feast with a Lobster Thermidor upgrade, prepared a la minute upon order. Further fizz can be added with unlimited sparkling wine, white or red wine, gin, juices, soft drinks and mocktails from the trolley at RM288+ per person.
For more information, contact EQ via WhatsApp 012 583 5319 or dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.com

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