STIRRING PROSPERITY

Colour my life for CNY...Yee Sang to start

“If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.”

May I add if you want 15 days of fabulous feasting, reserve a table at Lai Ching Yuen.  ;D
 

Salad, scallop and everything nice...that's what this Yee Sang is made of!

Pearl scallops and mango chunks coupled with LCY's signature concoction of strawberry and plum sauces lend a refreshing, luxurious dimension to the yee sang here. The plump Ozzie scallops in their inherent sweetest glory went down a real treat with the colourful salad.

Wealth, health and everything in between...we want it all!

Other variants include Yee Sang with Soft Shell Crab, Salmon, Premium Abalone, Geoduck Clam, Lobster and Vegetarian priced from RM58.00++ onwards for half portion and RM98.00++ onwards for full portion. 

No ducking the issue...this roast duck shines like a star

Then came the roast duck with deep-fried egg shreds. The restaurant has always been famous for its roast duck which boasts crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. These textures and the meat's subtle gaminess contrast nicely with the rich, fine crispy egg bits.

More good things...semi-dried oysters augur good tidings for the Lunar New Year

Another much lauded dish from CNY past is the braised semi-dried oysters with seamoss, broccoli, mushrooms and tau kan (layered soya bean sheets). Everyone would naturally want more of this sublime dish that denotes hou si (good tidings) and fatt choi (prosperity).

Prawn stars...speckled with sesame seeds and luscious dressing

Creamy and fruity accents dominate the deep-fried prawns with fresh grapes and mayonnaise sauce. The springy crustaceans are irresistibly toothsome; their natural sweetness melding well with the fresh, juicy grapes and gooey mayo dressing.

'Jade pendants' adorned with minced meat & prawns plus dried scallops

Evoking a taste of hearth and home is Executive Chinese Chef  Leong Weng Heng's rustic creation of steamed squash stuffed with pork and prawn paste, and dried scallops. Traditionally most cooks would avoid using gourds or squash but the chef prefers to call the subtly sweet, soft discs as jade pendants.

Poached village chicken just like how mom used to make

More homely nuances emerge in the poached marinated farm chicken with Chinese wine; the yellow-skinned poultry succulent to the bite and similar to how our family matriarchs used to prepare it.

Rice and shine like waxed meat...yam yam ;D

No CNY meal is ever complete without the perennial speciality of Chinese waxed meat rice. Again Chef Leong has given it his own twist, adding yam into the equation and wrapped everything up in lotus leaf, imbuing the grains with its earthy scent.

Sticky resolution to melt your heart

Naturally the meal finishes on a high with pan-fried homemade nian gao (sweet, brown glutinous rice cake) as this sticky, chewy treat marks yearly soaring progress in the Lunar New Year. Covered in crisp batter, the sweet cake is sandwiched in between thin slices of yam and sweet potato.

The wizard of Lai Ching Yuen

The selection of dishes we sampled were drawn from Lai Ching Yuen's eight or nine-course celebratory menus that start from RM 1,388.00++ onwards for a table of ten persons. Available throughout CNY but reservations are highly recommended by telephone or by e-mail.

Lai Ching Yuen, tel: +60 3 2117 4180 or email lcy@grandmillenniumkl.com

GAME FOR ALOFT'S MASS TALENT ACQUISITION?

Are you ready to make a Splash at Aloft KL?

Recently there's a rather unusual recruitment ad by the soon-to-be-opened Aloft KL that caught my eye as I was flicking through a local English daily.

I mean which hotel you know billed their staff recruitment drive as a Mass Talent Acquisition Audition (MTAA)? Well, the spanking new, upcoming 482-room Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral did and the MTAA  will be held at a trendy dance club no less...The Butter Factory Kuala Lumpur to be exact on 14 and 15 January 2013, from 12pm to 9pm.

Imagine being part of this ultra-trendy MAI Bar at Aloft KL Sentral!

Have you got what it takes to step up to the plate when Aloft - the “Style at a Steal” brand by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. opens its doors in Kuala Lumpur Sentral on 22 March 2013?

Fyi, pioneering initiatives in pop culture, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as a must-have brand for the next generation of travellers. Aloft hotels have reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since launch, reflecting the success of its modern, and vibrant design at an affordable price point.

So if you're keen to be part of the brand's success story with a talent for:

• money, money, money (finance)
• re:fresh (housekeeping)
• can fix it (engineering)
• meet, mix and mingle (bars & food)
• aloha desk (front office)
• be safe and secure (safety and security)
• tactic (banquets)
• sassy stay (reservations)
• look what’s cooking (culinary)
• anytime, anywhere (bellman, concierge, operator)
• sales, sales, sales (catering sales)

go ahead and flaunt your chutzpah on those dates and time mentioned. You'd get a taste of Aloft hotel's unique approach - from the hotel's meet, mix and mingle concept to its uber cool, trend-setting designs.

A taste of success awaits at NOOK - Aloft's stylishly designed All-Day Dining Outlet

Auditioning talents (that's you who are eyeing that dream job!) will also undergo a series of engagement sessions and behavioral interviews designed to ensure you are aligned with the brand’s values.

Paolo Campillo, General Manager of Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral quips: “Our hotel is searching for individuals with a unique and vibrant personality that will complement the brand’s sassy ambience and buzzing social scene. We hope that this fresh approach to hiring will allow us to find talents who can deliver, delight and engage our guests.”

Each shortlisted talent (candidate) will then be given a “I make the A-list ticket”, which will provide exclusive access to an after-party hosted by the Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral team at The Butter Factory on 15 January 2013, from 10pm to 12 midnight. Talk about living the hip life...

Now remember to attend the audition with your latest updated resume, a recent portrait shot and heck, this is THE time to dress to impress; think trendy and stylish attire that exudes Aloft’s passion for music, design and technology!
 
For more information, please email to kl.talents@alofthotels.com or visit http://www.facebook.com/AloftKualaLumpurSentral

LET THE FEASTING BEGIN!

Wok stars Chew Chee Kuong and Wang Yong Hai from Si Chuan Dou Hua, ParkRoyal KL will be cooking up a storm throughout the Chinese New Year (CNY) when all of us welcome the Year of the Snake come February 10.

Being the pragmatists that we are, CNY is an occasion to wish for abundant wealth, personal progress, eternal happiness, good health and every good tiding under the sun that you can think of. And we like to eat our way to prosperity too with family, friends, business associates and acquaintances.

No Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese will dream of starting their CNY meal without a platter of Yee Sang - raw fish salad (more salad than raw fish really) that consists of assorted finely shredded vegetable, fruits, deep-fried root vegetable and pickles topped with crushed peanut, sesame seeds and pok chui (deep-fried cracker strips). Seasoning of five spice powder and pepper powder as well as a thick, viscous dressing concocted from plum or fruit sauce and some oil lend the finishing touches.

Most chefs have their own recipes for the salad mixture and dressing so I daresay no two Yee Sang is ever the same. Several years ago Si Chuan Dou Hua was the first to create Fruity Yee Sang and the trend has caught on like a wild fire since then.

  

Strawberries, kiwifruit, dragon fruit, mango, honey melon, water apple and pomelo are some of the fruits that go into the rainbow-hued dish. It's definitely love at first bite for those who sample it.

Crabstick and diced seafood lend depth and multi-layered textures to shark's fin soup (yes, very politically incorrect but let's not wade into those murky, dangerous waters).

I have always enjoyed the deep-fried prawns with spicy Sichuan peppercorns at this fine Sichuanese restaurant and was again reminded why once I savoured the crusty, fiery hot and mildly briny crustaceans. But let it be known that the bouncy butter prawns with oats which are in another class of their own - equally scrumptious in their slick, sweet and crunchy splendour.

Who won't be hoi sum (happy) when treated to the ubiquitous but much cherished dish of braised dried oyster with sea cucumber, broccoli, seamoss and mushroom? Time and tide have failed to taint this superbly appealing dish judging from the great gusto everyone tackled the various goodies.

Whether you're a spice girl or guy, the dulcet smooth pieces of cod fillet with puffy rice bubble crackers and lashings of tart, tongue-numbing sauce will prove to be a real sizzler. Guaranteed you won't stop at just one serving!

 

Though I barely had tummy room left from the fab feast, I really couldn't turn down the fried rice with salted egg yolk. Speckled with orangey bits of salted egg yolk that I mistook for pumpkin, the fluffy grains hit the spot well. Alas I can only managed a smallish bowl but it was immensely satisfying.

The ‘Chinese New Year’ set for 4 persons is priced at RM798 nett and for 6 persons at RM1030 nett. ‘Prosperity’, ‘Fortune’ or ‘Wealth’ set priced at RM1158 nett, RM1390 nett and RM1622 nett respectively caters for a table of 10. 

Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail,

Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2147 0088

OCEAN DEEP

Top shellfish...Abalone is it!

Live fish, prawns, clams, crabs, lobsters, oysters, abalones and other exotic ocean denizens in tiers of glass display tanks are the main lure the minute you step into Unique Seafood restaurant. Akin to a bustling seafood market, your preferred catch of the day is swiftly weighed and cooked to order once selected.

Live seafood from around the world reel in foodies at Unique

A testament to the success of self-made entrepreneur Wong Keong Fook, the Unique group is Malaysia’s biggest seafood importer and wholesaler today. 

Unique group of restaurants' CEO Benson Koh says, "Malaysians are partial to crabs. That's why our Baked Big Meat Crabs (imported from Indonesia) with Salted Egg Yolk (from RM88/kg) has always been a perennial best-seller. Coming in a close second is Chilli Crab (from RM88/kg) inspired by our neighbour down south."

Salted egg yolk crusted crab...briny good!

Personally I find the crusty coating of salted egg yolk the crabs' carapace difficult to sample unless one throws caution to the wind, ditches one's polite table manners and starts licking and lapping up the briny bits before devouring the sweet flesh. Being the real pro that I am, I simply couldn't bring myself to claw and gobble my way through on this occasion.

Saucy temptation that leaves you begging for more

The Chilli Crab fared much better; its piquant, unctuous garlicky-spicy-sweet sauce threaded with tender tendrils of beaten egg perfect for dipping slices of deep-fried mantou buns into.

Cheesy ode to oysters

A rich creamy topping of melted cheese keeps the Cheese Baked Canadian Oysters (RM9/pc) amply covered. Twice the size of ordinary oysters, these huge, succulent mollusks are impossible to devour in a single mouthful but they tasted ever so sublime.

This fish is meaty fine

What really stole the show on this visit was the Baked Norwegian Tilapia (from RM48/kg) that left us reeling from its inherently sweet, fine flesh. A simple black soya sauce spiked with chopped chilli and shallots is served on the side should you want to lend extra punch to the fish. Definitely worth returning for!

Green is in

To balance the surfeit of seafood we had earlier, the restaurant's evergreen favourite of Fried Kailan (Chinese kale) in Two Styles (RM15-small, RM23-medium and RM30-large) is just what any nutritionist would order. Finely shredded and deep-fried to crisp perfection, the leafy shreds has a full-bodied enticing seaweed nuance to it. Speckled with a handful of fried silver fish, they provide good textural contrast with the tender stir-fried kai lan stalks.

Fresh and sweet as summer's breeze

Chilled Mango Sago (RM8/bowl), a refreshing dessert of translucent sago pearls in mango puree and diced fresh mango brings the curtains down to our extravagant seafood feast.

Get to grips with king crabs and deep-sea denizens here

UNIQUE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT (pork-free)

Lot 9B-3 Jalan Kemajuan, Section 13, Petaling Jaya Selangor

Tel: +603 7960 2088, 7960 2066

TURNING OVER A NEW LOAF

An edible tablet made from gingerbread fit for the occasion

 Love him or loathe him, former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad still draws attention wherever he goes. At the recent launch of the new flagship outlet of Malaysia’s premium Japanese-inspired bakery The Loaf at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, he drove the crowd into a frenzy when he appeared at the outdoor patio. Watching him affably shaking hands with locals and tourists while others snapped feverishly away with their smartphones, there was no doubt that his magnetic personality hasn't dimmed an iota.

Tun M and MD Jiro Suzuki played 'chef' at the relaunch

 For once, I was the early bird who snagged one of the best seats in the house...well among the papparazzi anyway ;D to witness Tun M and The Loaf managing director, Jiro Suzuki unveiling a gingerbread plaque to mark the outlet's relaunch.

A surfeit of The Loaf's new and existing items for the tea party

 Opened in 2007, The Loaf at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur  now boasts a new ‘baked-to-order’ concept  - a menu that showcases and delivers oven-fresh bakery items by The Loaf’s master bakers to their table fresh from the kitchen.

Tun M in his public speaking element

As chairman of The Loaf, Tun M said: “The premium bakery market is becoming increasingly competitive and it was time to reinvigorate our flagship outlet. We have introduced full waiter service in our café/restaurant while maintaining a self-service counter within the shopping centre entrance.

Great quiche save for the pastry shell which was a tad burnt

“The Loaf is uniquely Malaysian; a blend between a Parisian bistro and a slick New York deli, hence the new improved concept of ‘The Loaf Version 2.0’. I want The Loaf to be accessible to all Malaysians as well as to showcase the concept to discerning international visitors.”

Miniature versions that thrilled and filled us up

Diners will find about 20 varieties of creative breads in the line-up including breads with spicier toppings, Middle Eastern-influenced ones and assorted doughnuts with sweet toppings in addition to its regular Japanese-styled bread and pastry items.

Chanteuse Junji Delfino kept the party rolling with her dulcet tones

The Loaf opened at the picturesque Langkawi’s Telaga Harbour Park in 2006 and has since expanded to include outlets at the Empire Shoppng Gallery Subang Jaya, IOI Boulevard Puchong, Bangsar Village II, Tokyo Street The Pavilion Level 6, The Mines, Great Eastern Mall, Paradigm Mall Kelana Jaya and in Pantai Cenang, Langkawi.

www.theloaf.com.my

YEAST SIR!

 It was former restaurateur, entepreneur and founder of YEAST Christophe Chatron-Michaud's search for good French breads to satisfy his cravings that led him and wife/MD Lissan Teh to open YEAST, Bangsar's latest French boulangerie (bakery), bistro and wine bar.

 Roping in artisan baker Christophe Gros all the way from France to produce traditional, rustic French breads using home-grown, natural yeast starter at their new venture, YEAST believes it will win discerning foodies over with their Bistronomy (Bistro + Gastronomy geddit?) concept.

You can't miss its bright sunny yellow facade that beckons invitingly to passersby to pop in and browse. Imagine the wonderful scent of freshly baked breads wafting out its typically French premise (sepia-toned posters, black&white floor tiles and cosy red banquette seating) every morning - yes, at the unearthly hours of 4 am whilst most of us are still cavorting with Mr Sandman, the artisan baker is already hard at work preparing our daily bread!

YEAST is ready to show how we can rustle up different meals from its wide variety of signature breads; from appetiser and starter to dessert too. Chatron-Michaud is even dabbling with the exciting possibility of pairing his hearty, crusty breads with local curries, spreads and fillings.

Priced from RM10 onwards, YEAST's signature breads include the traditional baguette, flaky crescents of croissants, gruyere cheese and smoked duck batard, cranberru batard and white chocoalate viennois. Toasted lightly and spread with just a little butter, they're perfect for a simple but tasty breakfast.

Come noon, roll up your sleeves for a speedy yet delicious lunch of smoked salmon sandwich, Nicoise salad or a slice of quiche Lorraine washed down with some roasted pumpkin soup with duck confit.

Tea calls for puffy croissants adorned with almond flakes, wickedly sinful Valrhona chocolate tart, warm almond and pear tart or the refreshingly tangy lemon meringue tart.

As the day turns dusky at sunset, you can seek solace in a bowlful of comforting boeuf bourguignon (tender braised beef short rib with red wine, root vegetable puree and crispy fried onion) or delicately seared salmon with creamed spinach and bearnaise sauce.

 

 Complement a glass of your favourite red or white wine (French of course!) with duck liver terrine with port-balsamic and fruit reduction on brioche toast or king prawns in puff pastry with tarragon-fennel bisque and ratatouille. Deeply flavourful yet light enough to keep growling tummies amply filled.

"Forget about stuffy rituals of French dining," urged Chatron-Michaud. "YEAST's convivial atmosphere welcomes you to discover the pleasures of classic comfort food that's freshly cooked right in our open kitchen."

YEAST seats up to 60 persons and will be opened Tues-Sun from 8 am to 6 pm. Bistro dinner menu available after 5 December 2012. Ample proof that men and women can live on breads alone...especially if they're oven-fresh from YEAST.

YEAST, 24, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar, KL. Tel: 03 2282 0118. www.yeastbistronomy.com