Showing posts with label yam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yam. Show all posts

Sunday, February 25, 2024

CHICKITA DEBUTS IN MALAYSIA

Banking on the naturally smoky flavours of its Asian-inspired flame grilled chicken as the unique selling point, the maiden Chickita restaurant made its debut at Pavilion Damansara Heights just before Chinese New Year amidst some fanfare.
Conceived by former Park Hyatt Saigon executive chef and F&B entrepreneur Asif Mehrudeen (top pix above), Chickita first opened in Vietnam in 2019. The founder draws inspiration from his 20-year culinary journey through Southeast Asia to conceptualise Chickita, taking pride in nostalgic Asian flavours. Vibrant colours, eye-catching wall murals and trendy décor elements set a welcoming stage at Chickita, to pique the interest of diners.

According to director Charles Chan, Chickita brings to the table its flame-grilled chicken with recognisable Asian flavours appealing to local palates. “At Chickita, it’s a celebration of community and communal dining. We want to uphold the spirit of togetherness deeply ingrained in our Asian culture.”
Aside from chicken, Chickita also serves burgers, wraps, and wings – all flame-grilled to perfection. We took instant liking to the opener of Eda-Mole Dip (RM13.50), a hummus of edamame and avocado blend served with salsa and crispy tortilla.
Toasted pita triangles are the perfect companion to dunk into the mildly cheesy Signature Hot Crab Dip (RM14.50) whilst Chicken Nachos (RM14.50) with original and cheese sauces, salsa and toasted pita can be rather addictive so try to avoid overloading on them, to leave tummy room for mains.

I am all for Chickita’s concept of allowing diners to pick our preferred chicken parts. We found the different variants deliciously on-point, from the flame-grilled Quarter Chicken Leg with Rice & Salad and Quarter Chicken Breast with Yam Pop & Corn to Quarter Chicken Breast with Coleslaw & Crispy Fries and Quarter Chicken Breast with Wok Vegetable & Garlic Bread.

A quarter chicken leg or breast is RM17.50 whilst an additional two side dishes is priced at RM26.50. Chicken wings, chicken tenders, half and whole chicken are also available so peruse the menu to select your choice.

Catering to Asian tastebuds, Chickita incorporates familiar Asian ingredients for its range of signature sauces, to bring its flame-grilled chicken to piquantly flavoursome and culturally resonant level. Our first-hand experience had us settling on our own favourite sauces out of the six available.

On the mild scale, Chickita Original Sauce comprises a bright and tantalising lemongrass-infused blend whilst the Tropical sauce lends nice balance to the savoury chicken with its sweet, sour mango-citrus accents.

My palate found the moderately hot Sexy sauce with roasted red chillies on song with the grilled chicken but the Lucky 8 Asian BBQ variant also comes close as a winner, redolent with familiar spices such as star anise, cinnamon and garlic amidst the chilli taste profile.

Die-hard chilli fiends may prefer the Dynamite Spicy Hot Sauce – formulated with different chillies or Tamarita’s savoury-hot profile which is culled from a blend of tamarind, fish sauce, Asian spices and dried chillies.
Chickita also reimagines dessert by combining ice cream potong with innovative flavours like A Classic Twist (RM14), cendol popsicle with frozen coconut and pandan with green sticky rice; and Vanilla Dreams (RM14), shaved coconut and red bean popsicle with grass jelly.
For more information, call CHICKITA, tel: 03 2011 1243. Address: Lot 1.03.00, Level 1, Pavilion Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Friday, October 15, 2021

PIG OUT AT SNOUT

Snout is proudly proclaimed as the Home of the Signature T-bone Pork Chop and no visit to the restaurant is complete if you don’t sample the juicy and tender T-bone Pork Chop (RM33). Heaped atop the grilled pork chop is delicious al dente classic egg carbonara. 


Studded with bacon bits and Parmesan cheese, the whole serving is a sight to behold – and once you sample the scrumptious the pork chop, you’d be besotted enough to plan a follow-up visit to Snout just for it.


Sourced from locally bred pigs, the pork chop’s inherent sweet meatiness makes it a memorable palate-pleaser. For an additional RM5, a single serving of refreshing Orange Salad (orange segments with fresh greens and onion tossed in Snout's sweet-sour dressing) or Japanese Potato Salad (mashed potato with strips of Aussie carrot, Japanese cucumber, onion and egg in creamy Kewpie mayo) complements it. Together with the pasta, it’s an on-point hearty, soul-satisfying meal.


Snout is run by Doris Ch’ng and Rosalia Chua, a passionate food-loving duo who used to be colleagues at Nestle. Opened in August 2018, the pork-centric restaurant has a nice cheery and sassy ‘feel’ about it.


Brightly painted canvases of frolicking pigs adorn baby blue walls, potted plants displayed on stools and atop tables bestow a sense of serenity, whilst stacks of books, as well as little plushies, lend homey touches to the interior.


 

Fried Prawn Rolls (RM15) and Scotch egg-style Fried Quail Eggs (RM9) are two great conversation starters to get your meal rolling at Snout. The former is Snout’s yummy take on lor bak – beancurd skin rolls stuffed with minced prawn, pork, and vegetables deep-fried until crispy, then cut into coin-size discs.



Slightly smaller than a tennis ball, the Scotch quail eggs will turn your dining party into a ball. Coated in crispy panko, and encased within tasty minced pork, marinated chives, cabbage, spring onion, and garlic, the crowd-pleasing appetiser hit the spot for us.

 

My favourite dish of the day is Grilled Marbled Iberico Pork Collar (RM442, 1300gm). This notable show-stopper has to be pre-ordered ahead of time and is suitable for dining parties of 3-4 persons according to Doris.

Served with a side dish of Japanese Potato Salad, this juicy, tender, and delicious slab of pork is best savoured on its own. Like any good prime steak, it can hold its own without the need for sauces or toppings.


To sustain the restaurant during the prolonged lockdown period, Snout created a Limited Travel Menu Series, highlighting familiar comfort food from different cities as the restaurant’s way of taking their customers on a food tour.

Kolo Mee (RM13), a popular noodle dish with house-made 'char siew' (minus the red colouring), fish balls and minced pork is chosen to represent Kuching in the menu. According to Doris, this is one of their sought-after, freezer-friendly offerings. “It’s popular among our customers who have it delivered to them. Many store the dish for consumption later. They just reheat by steaming or microwaving it.”


Indeed, the noodles are deliciously flavourful thanks to the assemblage of minced pork, ‘char siew’, and crispy pork lard dices. A pair of QQ fish balls lends some springy toothsome contrast to the overall meaty and soft noodle textures.


Singletons and youngsters hankering for homely fare may find ample succour in the comforting dish of Braised Pork Belly (RM18). Served with steamed rice, the tender chunks of pork belly braised in soya sauce and spices come with a braised egg, peanuts and vegetable of the day.


Bacon Popcorn Balls (RM8 – 3 balls) is the partners’ attempt to bring customers further afield via their Limited Travel Menu Series. Rosalia said “It’s our tribute to the American movie culture; drenching buttery popcorn with caramel then lacing it with bacon bits to create a fun treat. The oversized popcorn balls were meant to ease the boredom of being stuck at home during the lockdown.”     


The popcorn balls were rather fun albeit messy to eat. My only wish is for more bacon bits to temper the caramel sweetness.


One unexpected dessert find is Ornee (RM18) – the traditional Teochew treat is such a rarity but if you’re partial to yam this should go down exceptionally well. Snout’s silky-smooth version comprises rich yam paste, layered in fragrant lard and shallot oil. We ate it warm during our lunch but I love it chilled - it's sublime!



Finish with a flourish by savouring a slice of Snout’s Traditional French Orange Cake (RM8 per slice, RM65 per 900g loaf). Crowned with candied orange slices, the buttery orange cake is like a burst of sunshine: brimming with big, bright orange flavour and zesty sweetness on the palate.

For reservations and more information, call SNOUT, tel: 03 - 7732 8871. Address: 22A-1, Jalan PJU 8/5E, Bandar Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Business hours: Tue – Sun 1130 am - 3 pm, 530 pm - 9 pm. Closed on Mon but open on request for families with special kids, click https://wa.me/c/601111613881

 




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