CLASSICS ROCK

In sync with its legendary namesake, Amadeus Bistro & Wine Bar sets out to marry music with food and wine, to heighten the pleasurable wining and dining experience for its patrons.

Modelled after modern Viennese bistros of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthplace, the 2-month old  outlet is run by the Croatian owner behind the famed Dubrovnik restaurant in Solaris Mont Kiara.

Amadeus aims to be a refuge for the predominantly white collar crowd within the Golden Triangle especially those working in the many highrises that surround Jalan Sultan Ismail. Whether you're in the mood for some canapes and cocktails, coffee and cake, beer and bistro-style fare, Amadeus is on song to ensure you leave happily replete...

Discerning diners will find an ample selection of classical European offerings worth warbling over, complete with latter day presentations of course. Its Duck Terrine is one such example; the dense, rich and velvety slices studded with pistachios and complemented by a refreshing side salad will have you breaking out in song.

High on my list is the simple but oh-so-rustic Grilled Capsicum with Onions and Aubergines Bruschetta that are adorned with crumbly bits of feta. Light on the palate yet flavourful, the toasty slices are incredibly addictive!

We also had Baked Mussels that were tender and toothsome to the bite, topped with tomato coulis and creamy cheese and wine sauce. A definitive evergreen chart-topper.

Souping up our dinner was an incredibly hearty Mushroom Soup - the fungi's inherent woody nuance caressing our tastebuds with gusto, thanks to the broth's dulcet creaminess.

Pasta perfect dishes include Seared Salmon with Spaghetti, al dente pasta prettied up with a slab of crisp seared salmon fillet and cherry tomato halves, and the inevitable can't go wrong Seafood Fettucine. 

More meaty performances to set you drooling include the Duck Confit, Lamb Rack and Prime Beef Rib. Served with buttered rice, we couldn't help but sing praises of the fall-of-the-bone tender duck.

The lamb rack hits all the right notes with the creamy mash acting as a complementary canvas to flaunt the meat's subtly smoky gaminess.

 Redolent with rich tomato accent, the beef rib rocks us with its deep-seated flavour and fork-tender texture.

Dessert that takes the cake includes Red Velvet, Carrot Cake and Cheesecake with Lemon Custard. Despite their richness, the heavenly slices were surprisingly feather-light with just the hint of sweetness.

Best of all, prices here are unlikely to give you a heart attack; wines start from RM19 per glass, starters - RM17 upwards, mains - RM22 onwards and pasta - RM20 upwards.

If food is the music of love, I'd say play on!

Amadeus Bistro & Wine Bar
Life Centre, No.20 Jalan Sultan Ismail,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2162 2788

EXQUISITE SYMPHONY

What's the best thing to banish Monday blues? How about a symphony of East or West cuisine by Chef Ricky Thein of Lai Po Heen and Chef Reto Weber of Mandarin Grill to tempt your palate?

Chewy with oceans of flavour...chilled whole baby abalone

In conjunction with the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) currently on now until 31 October, the MOKUL team held a special preview on what the master chefs have in store to tickle the tastebuds.

Chef Ricky started the ball rolling with 'Hunan' chilled whole baby abalone; laid within its shell layered with pomelo sacs, diced avocado, kiwi and tomato soused in a spicy sesame sauce and presented on a bed of ice.

This special Kung Fu soup definitely packed a great wallop

Kicking things up on another notch, he poured his culinary heart and soul into a special double-boiled Kung Fu soup, filled with premium seafood: sea cucumber, fish maw, dried scallop and morel mushroom. American ginseng and cordyceps sweeten the delicate broth, giving it a subtly sweet earthiness and full-bodied depth that hinted of the sea.

Chef Ricky's trio of corn-fed chicken will have you clucking with approval

 The festival dinner menu also includes trio of corn-fed chicken that's spiked with Sichuanese pepper, seared to perfect crispness and filled to brimming with finely diced mushroom, corn, carrot and capsicum.

Refresh your palate with mandarin orange sorbet and watermelon ceviche

After a palate-cleansing ball of tangy mandarin orange sorbet paired with watermelon ceviche, the discerning menu continues with steamed dragon grouper roll with Hong Kong kai lan and superior rice wine sauce.

A majestic fish dish that's fit for a king

Then it's time to rice and shine with sun-dried scallop with glutinous rice, neatly wrapped in a blanched spinach leaf parcel. The fluffy, pearly grains has none of the usual heaviness that's synonymous with sticky rice.

Rice-ing to the occasion with much flavour

Peanut coated butter milk cubic with green tea sauce and passionfruit infused coconut pudding ensure you leave the restaurant smiling sweetly and happily following the splendid feast.

Sweet and sensational dessert creations await

Lai Po Heen
Festival Lunch Menu	RM 198 per person (5 courses "Trio of chicken") RM 228 per person (5 courses "Dragon grouper roll")
Festival Dinner Menu	RM 288 per person (7 courses)

If you prefer Western fare, Chef Reto Weber's refined culinary creations should float your boat.

Give us our daily bread...especially if they're as rustic as these artisanal creations

Inspired by classic European delights, the starter of rabbit loin 'perigord' with lamb lettuce, cep mushrooms and truffle jus will cause you to jump for joy.

What's up doc? Rabbit to tempt you that's what...

Adding meaty substance to the menu are halibut fillet with champagne choucroute, duck leg confit a la orange and black angus tenderloin with foie gras and smoked celery puree.

Reeling you in...Chef Weber's understated halibut dish

No ducking the issue...go quackers over this sumptuous offering

Tenderloin to lock horns with

Reto Weber's the man behind the sumptuous MIGF line-up

A choice of white sacher sponge, bourbon vanilla bavarois and orange custard or chestnut honey reblochon with quince chutney and black pepper baquette serves as the icing on the cake to round off your culinary journey at Mandarin Grill.

Sweet seduction rustled up by Chef Reto Weber

Mandarin Grill Festival Lunch Menu RM 165 per person (2 courses) RM 195 per person (3 courses) Festival Dinner Menu RM 345 per person (5 courses)
For reservations, please call  Lai Po Heen, tel: 03 2179 8885 or Mandarin Grill, tel: 03 2179 8960.

NAME AND WIN!

Hey peeps! Empire Hotel wanna tap your creative brain juices and have you think of a NAME for its newsletter. 

The carrot for your efforts? A luxurious three days/two nights stay in the Empire Sanctuary Optima (penthouse stay valued at RM1,750 per night) with a RM500 dining voucher thrown in!

Contest is open to all Empire Hotel's Facebook fans regardless of nationalities BUT only one entry per person please. Participants have to post their entry latest by 31^st October 2012 at 

http://www.facebook.com/EmpireHotelSubang

For further information, please contact: Ms Pang Ai Kiew, Marketing Communications Executive, Empire Hotel Subang Jaya. Email : akiewpang@empirehotel.com.my or call tel: 03 – 5565 1388 ext: 2587.

Go on, put on your thinking caps now!

HIGH SEA OF FLAVOURS

A Japanese pumpkin hogged the limelight at Extra Super Tanker's unveiling of its latest selection of chef's specialities recently. Chef Chin or better known as Wah Kor (Brother Wah) to customers had this brilliant brainwave of baking a whole Japanese pumpkin filled with several meaty pork ribs braised in Chinese wine mash in it. Needless to say, the resultant outcome was phenomenal.

After nine years, this neighbourhood Chinese restaurant still reels them in - an admirable feat considering how fickle and cut-throat the restaurant scene is in the Klang Valley. Its unique name stems from the now-defunct Super Tanker restaurant in Penang, one which the resident chef admired greatly.

Back to the business of eating at hand, the Braised Pork Ribs in Japanese Pumpkin (RM40 per serving of 6 ribs) had this intense melding of flavours - the pork's sweet, flabby richness with that of the pumpkin's smoky-caramelised sweetness that saw us devouring everything, pumpkin skin and all.

Our 'pork-toberfest' then continued with Braised Pork Knuckle and Pig's Stomach with Chinese Herbs (RM50) – a rustic, hearty offering inspired by the perennial local favourite of bak kut teh (pork ribs in Chinese herbal broth). The melt-in-the-mouth tender chunks of fatty pork were edged with toothsome bits of cartilage with springy-chewy pieces of stomach richly imbued with that unmistakably woody, herbal nuances of the Chinese herbs thrown into the mixture. Every morsel was sinfully good!

According to Vincent Lam (one of the eatery's co-owners), Wah Kor who is as old school as chefs come and takes great pride in making everything from scratch. That's why advance order is required for the new selection of dishes as the chef who's a stickler for perfection insists these specialities should be made to order.

Earlier a rich seafood soup simply known as Sei Poh (Four Treasures, RM25 per person) already had us well and truly hooked once we savoured the first spoonful. Waves of contentment washed over us as we succumbed to the seductive lure of a succulent wantan dumpling, spongy fish maw and blubber, bouncy sea cucumber, a whole dried scallop and chucks of chicken that lent depths of oceanic sweetness and textural interests to the milky white broth.

The chef's ingenuity was aptly displayed in the signature dish of Kong Nam Kum Ngan Pau (Jiangnan Gold & Silver Pouch, RM38). Instead of presenting the whole abalone as it is, he carved out its centre and stuffed a whole dried scallop in its place. The abalone centrepiece together with some fatt choi (black sea moss) in turn filled the centre of a braised gourd ring. Soused in some velvety, full-bodied braising sauce complemented by plump baby bok choi, this exquisite offering proved to be another sail away success.

 Forget about the requisite steamed fish with soya sauce when you're dining here. We highly recommend the Yin Yeong Loong Fu Parn (Hybrid Dragon-Tiger Grouper in Two Styles, RM19.80 per 100g) to pique your interest.

Sliced thinly, the fleshier parts of the fish are doused in hot oil to cook them gently. Served on a bed of jade-green spring onion cooked in a similar way, the fish tasted amazingly sweet and smooth, a perfect match that went splendidly with the punchy sharpness of the spring onions.

The remaining parts: head, tail, fins and bones were then steamed with grated ginger, superior soya sauce, tau soh (Teochew preserved soya beans) and some cili padi. How we raved over the complex  spicy, briny and sweet overtones that left us hankering for more.

Just when we thought the bar couldn't be raised any higher, the chef proved us wrong with his Yi Sek Kai Pei Koo (Two-Way Eringi Mushroom RM25-small, RM60-large). Presented on a bed of caramelised sliced onion, the fungi's soft, spongy caps came wrapped up in thin slices of pork shoulder meat while the sturdier stems were stir-fried and crusted with salted egg yolk. Needless to say, we made short work of these delicious morsels in just a heartbeat!

Fuelled by our unabashed porky enthusiasm, Vincent asked Wah Kor to whip up Tin Cha'at with Pork Neck Slices (RM25-small, RM35-medium, RM50-large) for us to sample. Grown in abundant on Bukit Tinggi, this waxy vegetable are stir-fried with thin slivers of pork neck meat in a punchy fiery-hot sauce that tempered the leaves' grassiness and the pork's fatty accent. Again we wiped our plate clean within minutes.

We were so satiated by the time the Fried Brown Rice with Wolfberries and Pumpkin (RM25 - small, RM35 - large) appeared that all we could manage was a small bowl each. But it was certainly an impressive dish; we love the nuttiness of the brown rice and the delicate sweetness of the attendant ingredients.

According to my friends who dine at Extra Super Tanker regularly, the list of 'must try' dishes include Thousand Layer Beancurd with Fish Paste and Deep-fried Fish Skin, Chuk Wan Ching Hoong Wan Yee (Red Snapper Steamed with Bamboo Pith and Beancurd Sheet), Chinese Sandwich Duck and Quin Loong Wong Chau Farn (Emperor Hsien Loong Fried Rice). Their mere descriptions alone left us salivating...Another visit to the restaurant is definitely in order! With advance reservations for the signature dishes of course.

Thank you Chris Wan aka PureGlutton for the unexpectedly sumptuous treat and an entertaining evening!

Restaurant Extra Super Tanker, 48 SS20/10, Damansara Kim, PJ. Tel: 03-7726 7768/69

Branch: No.1 Club Drive Bukit Utama Bandar Utama PJ. Tel: 03-7726 8877

ZESPRI DE CORP

What was once known as the Chinese gooseberry is now better known as the kiwifruit! 

Think of this little hairy fruit as your natural Vitamin C 'pill'...after all one serving (150g) of kiwifruit gives you over 150% Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of Vitamin C – that's twice as much as a 100g orange! A great immune booster, Vitamin C reduces fatigue and tiredness, and enhances the body's absorption of important minerals such as iron and calcium.

Rohani Jelani shared nifty tricks on how to cut kiwifruit and easy recipes during the cooking session

Flying high on the pole...kiwifruit delivers more nutrients for dynamic ladies

Zespri, the world’s leading marketer of kiwifruit from New Zealand which exports the Zespri® Green and Zespri® Gold kiwifruits to our shores and around the globe, recently held a special cooking session at Bayan Indah for bloggers and media; enabling us to learn more about this amazing fruit.

Sweet surprise...gorgeous kiwifruit muffins rustled up by the Bayan Indah team

After a brief intro by Ms Judy Lee, Marketing Manager for Zespri in SEA and a quick overview by a dietician, we all were treated to a pole dancing session. More sporting bloggers gamely tried their hands at the exercise but we were all chomping at the bit to cook with celebrity chef Rohani Jelani who guided us on how to prepare 4 delicious recipes using Zespri® Kiwifruit!

Rohani showing different ways of cutting fresh kiwifruit for a dessert platter

Needless to say, the proof of the pudding was always in the eating...as avid foodies and cooking enthusiasts, it was half a day well-spent on how to make the most out of Zespri® Kiwifruit besides just eating it raw.

Mille feuille of kiwifruit makes a nice and light treat

Here's a couple of healthy facts about the kiwifruit's goodness:

- enhances good digestive health i.e. regulate bowel movement, reduces feelings of bloatedness and discomfort after a heavy meal.

- its fibre-rich content promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in our gut.

- perfect for weight management as its protease enzyme (actinidin) helps food protein digestion, including meat, dairy, soy and legume, enabling better nutrient absorption.

- low in glycemic index that helps moderate blood glucose level – making it safe for diabetics.

- a natural source of Folate that's essential for the formation of red blood cells, cell growth and nerve development and Potassium, key nutrient to normalise functions of nerves and muscles.

Chicken chop with kiwifruit sauce...yummylicious!

Wholesome meal cooked with kiwifruit...tangy fish curry with kiwifruit, prawn skewers with kiwifruit salsa, kiwifruit kerabu salad & chicken chop with kiwifruit sauce

More recipes using Kiwifruit and information on Zespri available from www.zespri.com

Tangy fish curry gets a unexpected lift from kiwifruit wedges

Grilled prawn skewers laden with kiwifruit and capsicum salsa

Congratulations to Huey Min and Kristen for winning the Zespri freebies! Look out for more goodies to come in future blog posts... :)