Wednesday, January 24, 2018

A JOURNEY THROUGH TEA AT NEWENS TEA HOUSE



The luxurious ritual of partaking afternoon tea goes creatively thematic at Newens Tea House this January to March.

Billed as A Journey Through Tea, Newens Tea House should be a compelling stopover for Anglophiles partial to Traditional English High Tea. Available daily throughout January, we had a sneak preview of the triple tier of classic afternoon tea favourites.

Splendid openers comprised delicate Finger Sandwiches with Salmon, and Beef & Cucumber, Cheese with Crackers and Scones served with Clotted Cream and Preserves.

Newens’ signature Maids of Honour Tarts in Chocolate & Apple variants were also part of the tea-rrific temptations. Airy-light yet crisp with a soft centre, legend has it the irresistible treat came from a 500-year old recipe confiscated by King Henry VIII. The king kept it under lock and key after he found the sweet-savoury tart made by one of Queen Anne Boleyn’s maids of honour very much to his liking.
 
The Traditional English High Tea also included shot glasses of Trifle, Red Velvet Cake and Lemon Meringue Tart accompanied by a free-flow of Orange Pekoe Tea. 

Come February, Newens Tea House will pay tribute to Chinese New Year with its Spring in China Tea. The selection of pastries highlighted a decidedly Oriental slant with scrumptious offerings of Shanghainese Sizzling Chicken Dumplings and Baked Crispy Chicken Puffs, accompanied by free-flow of Pai Mu Tan (white peony) tea – a subtly sweet, floral Chinese tea brewed from unopened tea buds.

Dainty portions of Osmanthus Flower Jelly with Water Chestnuts, Steamed Layer Cake with Custard Cream and Salted Egg Yolk, Baked Egg Tarts, Pineapple Tarts and Fruit Cake will also sweeten the festive coterie.

To herald the arrival of spring in March and the cherry blossom season in Japan, Newens will be serving Japanese-inspired tea Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea. 
Exquisite morsels of California Hand Roll, Salmon Sashimi, Makimono Tamago (Omelette Roll), and Makimono Kani (Crabmeat Roll) will be paired with free-flow of aromatic Wild Cherry Tea. Completing the experience will be Sakura-Themed Mini Cakes and Pralines.

The above thematic tea experiences are available throughout each respective month at RM150 nett per set (for two persons), daily from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Newens Tea House is renowned for their 300-year-old tea drinking heritage that has been re-imagined for the 21st century.

Guests who wish to order any of the thematic afternoon tea beyond the stated promotional period can do so with a minimum booking of 6 tea sets, for 12 pax. A minimum of 3 days advance notice is required.

The signature Maid of Honour tarts (RM12 each) are also available for takeaway in a gift box of either 4 or 9 pieces.


For more information or reservations, call Newens Tea House, tel: 03 2719 8550 or email: newens@ytlhotels.com.my. Newens Tea House is located at Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Monday, January 15, 2018

CNY REUNION DINNER AT SUNWAY PUTRA HOTEL



Sometimes the mantra ‘old is gold’ holds true in this day and age. The Chinese New Year (CNY) menu we sampled at Sunway Putra Hotel exemplifies the philosophy thanks to Chef Chew Keng Chai and his team.
Two 8-course menus bear testament to the culinary team’s prowess, created to help you reconnect with family and loved ones for upcoming reunion and celebration dinners in conjunction with CNY.
Tradition demands the festive familial feast commences with yee sang – a colourful salad with slices of raw fish to symbolise abundance for the CNY. From our tasting session, the Salmon Yee Sang fits the bill perfectly. Red, green and golden brown hues of the assorted ingredients married with the tantalising accent of plum sauce delighted us with its nostalgic old-school taste. Honest, simple and quintessentially Chinese, we were left thoroughly smitten.

The cheery pace picked up with another on-point offering - Braised Crabmeat & Seaweed with Dried Scallops soup. We love the broth's right degree of viscosity; each savoury spoonful awash with a fine mélange of seaweed, mushroom, crabmeat, crabstick and dried scallop. I couldn’t help raving over it much to the surprise of my dining companions who know I eschew soup.
Retro reminiscence came to the fore yet again when we tucked into the delectable Roast Crispy Chicken with Cucumber Plum Sauce. Tender and juicy with a toothsome bite, the chicken was even more sublime when dipped into the side dish of coarsely chopped cucumber and plum sauce.
Fresh coriander, scallions and superior soya sauce formed the flavoursome trinity that sealed in the natural deliciousness of the Steamed Grouper Hong Kong Style. Although the fish was a tad overdone, we readily overlooked the minor hiccup.
Cheshire cat-sized grins were aplenty around the table once we got to grips with the irresistible Stir-fried Tiger Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk. We didn’t mind getting our hands dirty shelling the succulent prawns and the mildly gritty salted egg yolk sauce was finger-licking good.
Stir-fried Nai Pak (milk cabbage) with Superior Stock helped to fulfil our greens quota for the day whilst the Garlic & Mushroom Dumplings were relished with much satisfaction as the golf ball-sized dumplings were generously stuffed with fish and prawn paste.
Leave some tummy room to fit in the parcels of Steamed Rice with Chicken & Yam in Lotus Leaves. Hearty with a homespun touch to it, this rustic speciality should hit the spot for die-hard rice lovers and leave them replete.
Crowd-pleasing sweet broth of Chilled Honey Dew Sago with Rock Melon accompanied by Baked Spiral Lotus Puffs should leave everyone in a good mood when they walk away from the dining table.
The 8-course CNY Reunion Set Dinner is priced at RM1,188 nett per table of 10 persons and will be served at the hotel’s Coffee House.

For more information and reservations, call SUNWAY PUTRA HOTEL, tel: 03-4040 9888. Address: Level 9, Sunway Putra Hotel, 100 Jalan Putra, Kuala Lumpur.

Friday, January 12, 2018

SINO-JAPANESE REUNION FEAST AT OCTOBER



REUNION is the name of the Chinese New Year theme at October Japanese Cuisine in Johor Bahru.

Swim into the CNY mood with the restaurant’s Prosperity Assorted Sashimi Yee Sang (RM68 nett – regular, RM108 nett - large) with Wasabi Sauce or Sour Plum Sauce. We sampled the refreshing salad that combined Norwegian Salmon, Maguro (Tuna) and Hamachi (Yellow Tail) harmoniously with mounds of colourful, shredded radish, carrot, cucumber, seaweed, pickled ginger and marinated scallop skirts. Lending further textural interest to the ensemble were house-made fried Gyoza Skin, Sesame Seeds and Toasted Almond Flakes.

Tucked away in a quiet enclave, the low-rise, double-storey resto comes with a sculpted pathway on one side - complete with Japanese bamboo, granite garden lanterns, stone paving, faux cherry blossom trees and a torii (traditional gate). The resto interior is simple and practical with an open display of sumo wrestlers and sake bottles. Upstairs features more laidback cafe-style seating and a private dining room.

To fire up the festive spirit, the October team has created Auspicious Flaming Nabe (RM68.80 nett), a hot pot flambé with Kaoliang Rice Wine, Japanese Sake and Miso Soup. Sliced Norwegian salmon, chicken breast, shiitake mushrooms, leeks and carrots co-mingled in the bubbling pot; their inherent sweetness imbued with a decidedly heavy boozy overtone once the spirits were added and set alight.

Have a ball of a time with the artistic creation of Fortune Sushi & Sashimi Platter (RM58.80 nett). The dainty assortment of sushi balls was delightful, nicely complemented by slices of Maguro, Hamachi and Salmon Sashimi as well as Ikura (Salmon Roe).

Customers who spend RM88 and above will be entitled to receive two packs of exclusive October Group ang pows and a RM20 voucher in conjunction with CNY.

House Specialities


The extensive a la carte menu also abounds with tempting possibilities. You can nurse a fave tipple and nibble on Grilled Edamame (RM9.90++) РJapanese green soya beans saut̩ed with togarashi seasoning and Kawahagi (RM12.90++) Рsmoky, mildly salty dried leatherjacket or filefish with jerky-like chewiness.

Also available are palate-pleasing Kushiyaki Moriawase (RM44.90++): grilled skewers of scallops, shiitake, enoki niku, okra, leek and eggplant to assuage hunger pangs. We would recommend Surume Ika – tender grilled squid basted with Japanese sauce.

Rice fiends will find rolled sushi aplenty to tickle their fancy. The Special October Maki (RM49.90) consists of 8 types of sushi whilst salmon, crabstick and lashings of spicy sauce made up the Flaming Salmon Aburi Maki (RM29.90++). 

Riding on the salted egg craze is October’s Salted Egg Maki (RM26.90++) in which a deep-fried soft shell crab rolled sushi comes laced with savoury salted egg sauce.

Heftier appetites may prefer opting for the October Special Bento (RM59.90++) – a bento encompassing Japan’s seasonal ingredients prepared in multiple ways to please the eyes and palate.
 
Should you need additional succour, the generous serving of Japanese Fried Noodles (RM19.90) wrapped in a fluffy omelette blanketed with katsuoboshi will do the trick.

To wrap up your outing to October, sweeten the experience with Tempura Sweet Potato (RM9.90++). Inspired by the local combo of sweet potato and yam, this pairing sheathed in light tempura batter. Tartar sauce gave the dish an unexpectedly lush and creamy twist.

For reservations, call October Japanese Cuisine, tel: 017-683 2156. Address: 6A, Jalan Persiaran Jaya Putra 1, Bandar Jaya Putra (JP Perdana) Johor Bahru.

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