MORE THAN NORMAL PUB GRUB AT THE BELL & CROWN

 

Sizzling Mutton Tava Biryani (RM35) is not your average pub grub when you step into The Bell & Crown. According to owner Dato’ Vicky A., he included it in as he prefers sitting down to a hot meal as a regular pub goer. When he took over The Bell & Crown, he ensured biryani – one of his favourite dishes – is listed in the menu.

“Our mutton biryani is fast gaining popularity here,” said Dato’ Vicky. “It’s prepared Mumbai-style. First, the mutton is pressure-cooked then roasted slightly. We stir-fry the mutton with ghee, onion and freshly ground Indian spices in an iron skillet until aromatic. Everything is subsequently added to basmati rice and cooked in claypot.”

Served with thick, house-made yoghurt, the spice-scented biryani made our mouths water as we stirred up the fluffy rice. The heady aroma and mildly gamey taste of tender mutton and deeply flavourful rice proved immensely satisfying.

Earlier, our evening started with a bang thanks to some Pigs in Blanket (RM25). The cocktail pork sausages wrapped in bacon were moreish; a splendid complement for my Classic Margarita (RM27).

The shaken concoction of triple sec, tequila and lime was rather potent but I made it last with measured sips throughout the evening. The Bell & Crown serves three glasses of Classic Cocktails at RM78+ thus enabling its patrons to indulge in cocktail hour without breaking the bank.

A good selection of light nibbles and heftier mains, comprising classic Brit pub grub and more Asian-inspired fare is available to keep hunger pangs at bay. We were pleasantly surprised to find Penang Loh Bak (RM22) on the menu. Although the deep-fried rolls came a tad over-fried, we were relieved to find the five spice marinated pork, yam and carrots wrapped in beancurd sheets up to scratch taste-wise.

Another notable appetiser is Chicken 65 (RM22), cooked Mumbai-style. Marinated overnight with ground Indian spices, the bite-size chicken cubes are lightly battered and fried with onion, curry leaves and dried chillies until crisp.

Every morsel we tried titillated our tastebuds with a cornucopia of bright, bold spice accents; an inducement to eat and drink more amidst convivial merriment.

However, the unexpected show-stealer turned out to be the cheesy Chicken Tikka Pizza (RM20). We thoroughly enjoyed partaking the elongated pizza with delectable chunks of tandoori chicken and generous topping of melted mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar.

Those hankering for Bangers, Mash & Beans (RM36) should be happy to know The Bell & Crown proffers a choice of beef, pork, lamb & cranberry or chicken sausages alongside lumpy mashed potatoes and Heinz baked beans. The hearty serving passed muster and was par for the course IMHO.

Décor-wise, the frontage flaunts charming vintage Tudor-style windows and monochrome checkerboard floors. The warmly-lit interior incorporates a long bar, plenty of dark wood trims, cosy booth seats and whitewashed walls adorned with sepia-tone prints and antique lamps.

For reservations at The Bell & Crown, contact tel: 016 964 0786. Address: 34, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

TIME TO RASA LOKAL AT EQ KUALA LUMPUR

 

To mark the Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebration, EQ’s Rasa Lokal promotion will take centrestage until 30 September at Nipah restaurant. Traditional flavours of Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast, and the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak will share the culinary stage at the Rasa Lokal lunch and dinner buffet.

Take your pick from 18 Chef’s Specials in addition to an expansive plethora of local salads, appetisers, grilled seafood and meat, rice and noodle dishes, assorted curries, drinks and dessert. The kaleidoscope of tempting specialities will leave diners spoiled for choice but selective food choices will ensure you’d derive maximum enjoyment out of the dining experience.

Right off the bat, we zoomed in on healthy, flavourful local salads such as Kerabu Betik, Kerabu Pegaga, Banana Flower Salad and Rojak Buah. We love the profusion of salty, tangy, spicy, savoury and mildly sweet accents from the various herb-laden salads.

Nipah is famous for its Satay and the delectable, well-marinated Beef and Chicken Satay with chunky peanut sauce were on-point. At the chef’s urging, we also sampled Sambal Kelapa Satay Perut, chewy-tender cow’s stomach with coconut sambal. It gave our jaw a good workout; try this if you’re partial to innards. 

The crowd-pleasing Ayam Golek was superbly tender; the juicy spice-rubbed roast chicken dialled up with a bright, bracing sauce blending turmeric and a myriad of spices. Equally notable were the nicely marinated Sotong Bakar Berempah (grilled spiced squid) and Pari Bakar (grilled stingray).

Slipper lobsters added a bougie spin to the speciality of Kari Laksa Udang Galah. IMHO, the rich and aromatic rempah gravy should be hotter as lukewarm broth for noodles just put a dampener on the dish’s appeal.

From the Indian section, Ketam 65 – fried spiced flower crabs – stood out for its satisfying spice profile. We highly recommend the salubrious Ekor Asam Pedas (sour-spicy oxtail) complemented by fluffy Biryani. Another worthy contender was Kari Kambing, mutton in fiery-red, tomato-infused curry gravy.

The Chinese-style Steamed Red Tilapia with soy sauce, garlic flakes, coriander and fragrant garlic oil was served table-side. It came too overdone for our liking, possibly due to its small size. There was no doubting the fish’s freshness though.

One of my favourites has to be Roti John which was prepped a la minute. The sandwich with omelette and minced beef or chicken had lashings of tomato and chilli sauce, and mayo in it. However, I only ate a small portion of it hence the pillow-soft sandwich was acceptable.

To finish, I sampled some local Kuih (a hit and miss affair) and Nipah’s classic Bread and Butter Pudding (sedap). You’d be spoiled for choice with Ais Kacang, freshly sliced fruits, dainty cakes (think Kek Batik and Lapis Sarawak), puddings, jellies and fruit pickles among others.

The Rasa Lokal buffet lunch is priced at RM148+ per adult, and RM74+ per child (6–12 years old). Buffet dinner is RM168+ per adult, and RM84+ per child from 6– 12 years.

Reservations for Rasa Lokal at Nipah can be made via email: dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.com or WhatsApp +60 12 278 9239.

A Legacy of EQ-cellence

Celebrating its fifth decade in the hospitality industry, EQ has retained its #1 City Hotel in Malaysia spot at Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific three years in a row since 2022. It is ranked #5 Travel + Leisure Readers' 15 Favourite City Hotels in Asia and #35 Travel + Leisure Readers' 100 Favourite Hotels in the World for 2023. EQ is also TripAdvisor’s #1 ranked hotel in Kuala Lumpur since 2019.

JOYOUS MID-AUTUMN FEST WITH FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KL

 

Covered in gold brocade on top and crimson print on the lower tiers, the limited edition mooncake gift box from Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur can be used as a beautiful jewellery box after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Meticulously crafted by award-winning dim sum maestro Chef Ng Meng Loong who has over two decades of culinary expertise, the Four Seasons’ mooncakes mirror a full moon – symbolising unity and completeness – come in a sumptuous array of baked and snowskin variants.

This year’s most outstanding snowskin creation has to be the Black Truffle Lotus Seed Paste with Pine Nuts and Kelulut Honey (RM68 each) mooncake. The chef has ensured a harmonious blend of flavours especially with the bold inclusion of black truffle into the snowskin mooncakes. We love the distinct pine nut and kelulut honey combo with lotus seed paste.

Returning snowskin favourites include luscious Musang King Durian (RM80 each), exquisite Bird's Nest with Black Sesame and Almond (RM58 each) and White Lotus Seed Paste with Seaweed, Black Sugar and Macadamia (RM50 each).

For those partial to classic baked mooncakes, satisfy your cravings with delectable Red Bean Paste with Almond Flakes (RM44), Traditional Mixed Nuts (RM44), Pandan Lotus Seed Paste with Yolk (RM44), and White Lotus Seed Paste (RM44).

Ideal as gifts for family, friends and business associates, this year’s elegant Mid-Autumn Fest gift boxes are available from MYR288+ up to MYR388+ per set.

To place orders for Yun House mooncakes, please call Four Seasons Hotel KL, tel: 03 2382 8602 or drop an email to: yunhouse.kualalumpur@fourseasons.com.

 

 

R-EEL DELIGHTS AT TIEN

 
Export-grade live eels from China took centrestage at Tien restaurant, prepared in four different ways as part of the month-long ‘Flavours of Suria’ dining experiences at Suria KLCC mall recently.

In keeping with its "Always Something New” tagline, Suria KLCC invited local media members to hands-on workshops and exclusive tastings at tenant restaurants: Din, Fuel Shack, Cili Kampung, TGI Fridays, Imperial Chakri Palace and Tien.

We sampled a special seasonal menu of fresh Chinese eels at Tien by Putien, where four distinctive eel dishes were served. Flown-in from Guangzhou, we learned the eels are also exported to Japan. 

Fed with codfish powder, the eels are raised in open-air, clean water ponds. Putien uses 70 cm long eels weighing 600-800g each as they are fleshier with better bite. It’s the second year Tien is promoting these eels and the promotional offerings will be available until end October.

Our lunch began with Fresh Eel Cooked in Spring Water. It only took about ten minutes to cook the eel in spring water with spring onion, goji berries and ginger. Once done, we tasted the eel chunks which were surprisingly chewy. Its natural clear sweetness was notable when we tasted the broth and meat.

Rich, savoury soybean sauce produced in the city of Puning was instrumental in the preparation of Baked Eel with Puning Bean Sauce. Stir-fried with garlic, ginger and onion, the delicately sweet eel chunks were superbly flavourful thanks to the beany sauce and aromatics. Not surprising it was the most popular dish last year with Tien diners.

Although the generous amount of garlic was welcomed, a lesser amount of Yangjiang soybean sauce for the Steamed Eel in Garlic and Soy Bean Sauce would have been great. But that’s my own preference as others may like how the chef prepped it.

Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, garlic and ginger bestowed this year’s new Spicy Pan-fried Eel with some tongue-tingling ‘ma la’ power and spicy heat. This was another crowd favourite as most of us enjoyed the dish’s robust chilli-hotness.

All the eel dishes are priced at RM138 for a regular portion and will be available until end October.

For reservations at Tien by Putien, call tel: 03 2181 2839. Address: Lot 434, 4^th Floor, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre. For more information on Suria KLCC mall, visit www.suriaklcc.com.my or www.facebook.com/SuriaKLCCMall.