HOP IN FOR A BOUNTIFUL CNY BUFFET

Chilli crab to drool over (above) at The Mill (below)
where a load of crabs and delectable stuff are served for your CNY feasting

Fancy feasting on Chilli Crabs, Yee Sang, Smoked Salmon, Poached Seafood and an indulgent array of Japanese, Indian, Italian and Asian specialities this Chinese New Year?

Then hop right into the Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur (GMKL) and eat to your heart's content at The Mill's bountiful buffet. I daresay the spread's anything but run-of-the-mill.

Seating within the spacious, warmly lit outlet is well-spread out and cloistered in the many nooks and corners so you'd never feel claustrophobic when The Mill gets busy. Of course, the centre of attraction here is its elongated open kitchen that enables a dedicated team of chefs to cook up a storm whilst doubling up as a display counter that's laden with the fruits of their labour.

To welcome the Year of the Rabbit and in true muhibbah spirit, executive chef Tan Tik San has wisely conjured up a revamped menu that would appeal to all food-loving Malaysians, regardless of their ethnicity. So you'd find all the requisite condiments to toss up your own Yee Sang, Dim Sum and other Chinese dishes alongside piquant Indian Curries, Satay and assorted Asian specialities in the new line-up.

Satay hot off the grill (top) and Chicken Teriyaki are the perennial sizzling favourites

Now it's a gargantuan feat to try and fit everything into one's tummy so here are some tips I usually stick to when it comes to tackling a buffet:

1. Go slow - survey the offerings available beforehand and let your eyes savour the visual feast. Eat slowly to really appreciate each dish's nuances and the efforts that have gone into making it.

2. Be selective - choose dishes that you usually won't cook at home or those that demand painstaking preparation, rare/seasonal ingredients or the chefs' expertise.

3. Don't bite off more than you can chew - take dainty portions of different specialities for sampling. This way you'd enjoy a greater variety. If you truly like a particular offering then go for additional helpings later.

My choice picks from the salad and appetiser section include Poached Prawns, Fresh Scallop and Oysters served in their half shells; Smoked Duck Breast, Smoked Salmon, Asparagus & Carrot Salad and Mixed Lettuce with French Dressing. The mildly briny duck breast was a good match with the crisp asparagus tips as did the succulent salmon.

Seafood galore (above) & my personal picks off the buffet (below)

From the Japanese section, I sampled a delightful Tuna & Wakame (seaweed) Salad, some rustic Grilled Shiitake Mushroom and delectable Grilled Squid with Butter-Garlic Sauce.
Besides Yee Sang, the Chinese section proffers Steamed and Fried Dim Sum, Fried Rice with Flying Fish Roe and a host of other goodies but I only had eyes for the Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushroom. Spongy yet slightly resistant to the bite, the plump pieces of sea cucumber went down a real treat. The Chicken with Mango & Chilli Sauce is not truly Chinese but hey, the tender meat was amply livened by the sweet-spicy sauce so we've no complaints there.

Having OD on much Indian Muslim fare of late, I decided to forgo the Indian specialities this time around. Honestly, the Naan, Tandoori Chicken and various fiery-hued and well-spiced dishes look ravishing though.

Instead of pizza and pasta, I picked up a dainty bowl of Mushroom and Crab Risotto, Baked Scallop with Cheese and Grilled Spicy Spring Chicken from the Italian kitchen. The last got my thumbs up for its piquant marinade while the first tasted a tad dry and lacked the expectant creaminess that's usually found in this speciality (perhaps the bowls had been sitting too long on the hot plate?)...

Grilled Spring Chicken (top), Baked Fish in Puff Pastry (middle) and Porcini Mushroom & Crab Risotto

The dessert section is a virtual Mad Hatter's tea party as the wonderland of sweet treats range from Panna Cotta, Ice Kacang and Kuihs to Tong Shui, Chocolate Truffle Cake, Cheese Cake and Fruit Tartlets. Resistance is futile so I compromise by going for more fresh grapes and jackfruit, and dipped skewers of fresh strawberries into the flowing chocolate fountain. My other indulgences were a Mini Lemon Tartlet and a Chocolate Eclair.
According to Amanda Teng, GMKL's asst manager of marketing, The Mill is expecting over 100 diners on CNY Eve and the turn-out is expected to rise further come the actual day. But fear not, the restaurant still has room to spare should you decide to join in the merry feasting.

Items featured would be on rotational basis so diners will always find unexpected culinary surprises when they lunch or dine at The Mill from now until February 17. The buffet lunch is priced at RM65++ per adult and buffet dinner is at RM88++.

For reservations, call The Mill, tel: 03-2117 4163/64.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! May the Bunny Year brings success in leaps and bounds, filled with abundant feasting, merry laughter and good health for each and every one!

WHEN TIGERS WEEP

'Busaba' means flower and grace in Thai. It's also the newest Thai restaurant to spring up about two months ago at the upmarket Bangsar Shopping Centre; its elegant and tastefully furnished ambience encapsulating the very essence of its graceful name.

Part of the Sea Cuisine Group of Restaurants that is known for its hospitality with a heart philosophy and fine establishments such as Celadon, Flying Chillies, Amarin Heavenly Thai, Basil and Good Evening Bangkok among others in the Klang Valley and Absolute Thai in Singapore, Busaba is the group's 14th outlet.

Marketing director Elyna Tan states that Sea Cuisine's restaurants boast different brand names and interior concepts as each is distinctly conceptualized by Thanee Laivarintr, one of the co-owners who happens to be an architect cum interior designer.

It is one of the few stylishly chic interior outlets that cater for families with prices that won't burn that big a hole in one's pocket. Unless of course you decide to splurge on premium specialities such as Baked Oysters with XO Sauce and Fresh Oysters served with Home-made Thai Sauce.

The head chef Sonthaya Kundet, 40, from Southern Thailand keeps a close eye on food quality and is currently initiating fellow counterpart Ubon Kaiyamung, 38, to ensure Busaba's specialities are up to mark.

So what's good here? I'd recommend you start with Thai Iced Tea, a cold, triple-layered concoction of black tea, milk and palm syrup. The subtly sweet and milky drink is perfect for dousing your palate that would be set ablaze by the extensive selection of Thai dishes.

Prime your palate with Mieng Kam, a traditional appetizer of fresh Thai betel leaves filled and rolled with seven condiments and piquant Thai shrimp paste. You'd enjoy the patische of different flavours and textures that burst forth in your mouth.

I can't recall when was the last time I had a good Tom Yam Prawn but was delighted to discover the orange-hued broth is well-balanced in all its requisite spicy, sour and briny aspects; brimming with the invigorating nuances of lime, lemongrass and chilli in each spoonful.

It's impossible to eat Thai food without steamed fragrant jasmine rice and in this case, it serves as the base for the accompanying piquant curries and robust delicacies.

Your salivary glands will go into overdrive once the stimulating Thai Mango Salad served with Crispy River Prawn hit your palate. Complemented by the rich Green Curry Chicken served with Salted Fish, it's guaranteed to send you up onto cloud nine.

Another unique dish is Sizzling Beef Striploin with Northern Thai Sauce, popularly known among the Thais as Weeping Tiger. Its unusual name originated from Thai folklore which believed that tigers were the only creatures that hunt and eat cows. However, when men came along and started partaking beef, the tigers wept as they no longer have cows to devour.

Nothing beats a bowl of Thab Tim Krob or Chilled Water Chestnut with Jackfruit and Fresh Coconut Strips in Coconut Milk; the sweet coconut milk-based broth filled with ruby-red dices of crunchy water chestnuts, strips of fresh jackfruit and young coconut goes down a real treat after all that tantalising fare. The notable Mango with Sticky Rice left us with sweet memories of our first visit to Busaba.

BUSABA Heavenly Thai F15, 1st Floor Bangsar Shopping Centre 285, Jalan Maarof Bukit Bandaraya 59000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-2093 7708 Fax: 03-2093 7710 www.seacuisine.com.my

SPRING IN MY STEP

Food and festivals are inseparable in Malaysia. Every occasion is a perfect excuse to feast and fete family and friends at the table.

With the Year of the Rabbit just around the corner, Chinese New Year feasts are already being served at major restaurants and hotels around town. But how does a menu that costs RM7688 taste like?

Thanks to Sidney Kan of Big Boys Oven who managed to wrangle an invitation for me, I found myself sitting down to a luxurious lunch of that epic price! At the Ritz Carlton's Li Yen and in the hallowed company of Dato' Jimmy Choo and Datin, and his protege, Fion no less!

Colour your CNY celebrations with some Abalone Yee Sang

After a warm welcome by PR Exec Oliver Ellerton, lunch got off to a rousing start as we picked up our pair of oversized chopsticks to loh hei (stir up) the dish of Prosperity Sliced Abalone Yee Sang - that ubiquitous rainbow-coloured platter which has come to herald all things good and prosperous for us Chinese in conjunction with the Lunar New Year.

According to Chef Leung, the saucy concoction to complement Li Yen's Yee Sang consists of peach jam, plum sauce and lemon juice while an array of fresh and pickled vegetable, fruits and other condiments are finely shredded to form the multi-hued palette.

Earlier Dato' Jimmy commented how much he was looking forward to the lunch and that Malaysia's Chinese food is on par with that of Hong Kong.

When asked what are his favourite festive dishes, Dato' picked roast pork, fah kau (fish maw) and sea cucumber. He said, "My Dad was a fantastic cook. As an apprentice, he has to cook for everyone at work. I recall one of his speciality dishes was sea cucumber."

It was a novel experience to savour the Stir-fried Superior Shark's Fin with Crab Meat. This is one instance where you can relish the glistening, golden needles of shark's fin with plump crab meat and crunchy beansprouts separately from the superior broth or partake everything together in one traditional soupy concoction. Regardless of which ever option you decide on, the chef advocates a little brandy to be added to the delicacy for a fuller, headier taste dimension. I love my shark's fin laced with brandy - flambe if possible!

Golden needles...shark's fin with chunks of crab meat

Take a momeent to appreciate the Barbecued Crispy Suckling Pig Stuffed with Glutinous Rice before you sink your teeth into it. This is one delicacy that's a joy to eat but definitely a pain to prepare. According to Chef Leung, it took the combined efforts of the Dim Sum, BBQ and Hot Kitchen teams to ensure this dish turned out well.

Simply sublime...a multi-layered and textural treat

Instead of just a layer of crisp, crackling pig skin, you'd be treated to a multi-layered textural mouthful that combines rich crispiness with the tender stickiness of steamed glutinous rice and a thin layer of cottony soft pau (steamed wheat dumpling) skin. Superb!

Braised Abalone with Sea Cucumber is a classic dish that finds much favour during the CNY period as hoi sum denotes 'happiness' and pau yue means 'smooth progress guaranteed' in Cantonese. Since the ingredients are horrendously costly, both Phoenix Bee and I were naturally appalled at the sight of any leftover of these two premium items!

Succulent and sumptuous sea cucumber with abalone

The inherent sweetness of the Steamed Areolate Coral Grouper with Superior Soya Sauce was apparent once we sampled its delicately soft and snow-white flesh.

Fishing for compliments?

While the fish hailed from the Aussie deep sea, the large king of shellfish for Baked Lobster with Supreme Stock came from somewhere closer to home - Sabah, Malaysia's very own seafood paradise. Now the dish's description is somewhat of a misnomer as the lobster was actually stir-fried over high heat rather than baked. It's a tricky process that requires careful handling or else the shellfish would turn out tough and rubbery once overcooked.

Luxurious Lobster to tantalise you

One rustic offering that I'd always associate with CNY at home is Steamed Claypot Rice with Chinese Waxed Meat. Of course, our home-style version is cooked using a regular rice cooker but the result is just as pleasing. Li Yen's was definitely more indulgent with waxed meat and liver sausages, waxed duck and waxed pork slices thrown into the equation. Hearty and simple, one can easily eat bowlfuls of it ... especially with a dollop of sambal belacan!

Waxed meat, duck & two types of Chinese sausages to be mixed into the claypot rice

Chef Leung shows off his sweet handiwork

Bringing the curtains down on our meal was Deep-fried Nian Gao with Yam, another perennial CNY delight of deep-fried sticky brown glutinous rice cake sandwiched with yam slices in batter that is designed to sweeten one's Spring Festival celebration and heighten good prospects be it for studies or business.

Golden ingots of Nian Gao to sweeten the Rabbit Year

Well, I for one am certainly keeping my fingers crossed for everything good to hop in with the Year of the Bunny!

For reservations, call LI YEN, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03- 2142 8000.

PIECE OF CAKE!

A colourful mural of at19 Culinary Studio

Each attendee is given their own name tag & apron ...which are on loan of course!

Couldn't recall the last time I actually won anything...so I was pleasantly surprised when at19 Culinary Studio called to inform I was one of their December Facebook contest winners!

The well-equipped kitchen is designed for small groups of cooking enthusiasts

My prize was a cooking session - or more accurately, cupcake making and decorating class. It was a timely invitation that I simply couldn't refuse - the past 3 months have been most trying on the personal front so the free class was a rare chance to forget my troubles for a while.

at19 Culinary Studio is just several months old; located in the posh enclave of Damansara Heights, the place is actually a converted bungalow. Its two kitchens are well-equipped but modelled in the guise of most home kitchens so cooking enthusiasts can easily replicate whatever they've learn in class once they're back on home turf.

Ingredients for the basic vanilla cupcakes

Now I've made cupcakes and muffins at home loads of time but I've never bothered decorating them. The basic vanilla cupcakes were made in a jiffy with the help of KitchenAid (my dream machine!). While they were baking in the oven, we sat down to prepare our New Year themed cupcake decorations.

Much to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed colouring, rolling and fashioning the fondant into whimsical adornments as taught to us by our instructor, Chef Han on that day. I felt as if I was back in kindergarten, playing with smelly plasticine (in those days, we don't even know PlayDoh exists!).Yours truly with her handiwork

Sweet colours rule my fondant decorations

The whole process was therapeutic although one really has to pay full attention, be quick with one's fingers and have an eye for colours in order to create pleasant looking decorations. For the wordings, we use royal icing to add the finishing touches and festive greetings.

Voila! The finished cupcakes with their festive finery

All in all, it was a fun-filled session! Thanks to at19 Culinary Studio team for the kind invitation.

For more information, visit at19 Culinary Studio's website http://www.at19culinary.com/ or blog http://at19culinary.blogspot.com/

FESTIVE FEAST

Eggnog adds to the festive cheer

Thanks to Top Hat restaurant's proprietress Maria Danker, I had my share of a slap-up Christmas feast recently.

It had been a trying and stressful few months so the classic Christmas offerings prepared by executive chef Richard Moreira and his team were a most welcome respite and repast for yours truly. Cocooned in the homey confines of Top Hat, I found myself warming up to the frothy and soothing glasses of liquor-spiked Eggnog and bosom friends.

Hats off to these dainty & luxurious morsels

We were treated to the restaurant's renowned Peranakan (Straits Chinese) appetiser of Pie Tee - those crispy, frilled top hat-shaped batter cases that come filled with shredded yam bean, carrot and black mushroom. In this instance, the dainty morsels were adorned with slivers of foie gras for an unexpectedly luxurious touch.

From the festive Christmas menu, we sampled a summery Prawn and Mango Salad Mesclun with Basil and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing that seems quite apt for our tropical Yuletide weather.

Tropical flavours abound in this salad

The Caesar Salad with Lemony Dressing and Shaved Parmesan was tantalisingly light on the palate with just the right degree of richness while the Deep-fried Egmont Cheese with Avocado and Plum Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing proved to be an intriguing combination of buttery smooth, softly succulent and crisp textures intermingled with refreshing, sweet and briny accents.

It's a toss between a timeless classic and a new creation

Three main courses in one sitting sounded absolutely indulgent but shared between our party of five, the Roast Beef, Roast Turkey, Grilled Rack of Lamb worked out to be just nice.

Here's the beef!

The melt-in-the-mouth tender Roast Beef (Ribeye) accompanied by puffy mini Yorkshire puddings, roasted parsnips and Brussels sprouts with lashings of rich black pepper sauce were something to write home about.

Taking centrestage next was the golden brown and scrumptiously juicy Roast Turkey...accentuated with aromatic sage, rosemary and other fragrant herbs, and complemented by sweet roasted parsnips and Brussels sprouts for textural contrast. Cranberry sauce and turkey gravy completed the flavour palette.

Tasty turkey & all its trimmings

Simpler but no less hearty is the medium Grilled Rack of Lamb with a fresh and subtly tangy mint and kiwi sauce. For takeaway, Chef Moreira proffers Boneless Roast Leg of Lamb.

Science of the grilled and roast lamb...

Rounding off our lavish meal is the decadent Christmas Sampler: mini Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, mince pie, mini Grand Marnier fruit cake and a wedge of Christmas ice-cream cake.

Sweet surrender

My heartfelt appreciation to Maria Danker and the Top Hat team for bringing Joy to my World! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all my followers too!

Top Hat restaurant

3 Jalan Stonor

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: (03) 2142 8611/2144 1963

Fax: (03) 2141 3611

Email: info@top-hat-restaurants.com