Food Explorer & Home Chef
Get a load of the fat and rich marbling seen in a raw slab of meat! That’s Kobe for you! Did you know that only 10,000 heads of cattle are produced as Kobe Beef by Japan each year, and only 10 are imported into Malaysia? …
Nestled in a cozy residence in Kuala Lumpur is a private dining experience that brings you to Spain. Chef Gabriel Bonnin who is the head chef at Artisan’s Playground by Cookhouse, also runs Verbena, a private dining enclave in Damansara Heights. Dinner usually involves a …
Normally I’ll go straight into the food, but I can’t help gushing about the gorgeous decor at Sarastro KL by Milennihm at Tribeca serviced hotel! Hidden behind a set of bookshelves at the Millenium Lounge, Sarastro opens up to an almost vintage looking dining room with ceiling high glass window on one side looking out to KL’s skyline. Feels like you’ve walked into a rich man’s personal library, especially the private rooms that come with comfy sofas and armchair. From Thurs to Sats, a live singer/band entertains to add to the romantic mood.
The food is Spanish/European with Asian accents, with emphasis on small plates. We tried some 9 different dishes, among the notable ones include spicy squid with gojuchang sauce, portobello fries, sriracha boxing chicken and crispy calamari with squid ink aioli. Only thing that didn’t measure up was the seafood croquette that was somewhat dry and doughy.
The portobello fries were quite unusually done, and being temptingly crisp and yummy, this finished quite fast.
The chicken wings were well marinated and very flavourful.
One of the fav of the night was the spicy squid with gojuchang. The umami in the subtle beldn of sweet, savoury and spicy really brought out the best in this dish.
The lightly sweet and spicy okra Thai salad was nicely different and appetising.
We tried the miyazaki wagyu tenderloin that was seared nicely pink for medium rare. This was good but the lamb rack with dijon aioli wins the night with its lovely moist meat. The soft shell crab sambal was a pleasant surprise, with a slight kick to the spiciness and giving a wake up edge to the meal in case the flavours were too mundane.
Only the chicken piemontese was a bit bland and didn’t stand out. The tomato pesto could have been heartier.
We ordered all the 3 available deserts to share – brownie was perfectly moist though a scoop of ice cream would have sealed the deal; the Sago mango Panna Cotta was fruity and refreshing. The churros though looked like they had been put on diet and lacked oomph.
Generally, Sarastro offers good quality food, and for a hotel, the prices are quite affordable. Definitely worth a night out to impress your date!
Add: 8th Floor, Tribeca Serviced Hotel, 215, Jln Imbi, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Call: 03-2727 2280
For Mid-Autumn Celebration 2024, Oversea Restaurant features two new exclusive limited editions. The two new flavours – Snowy Tangy Yuzu and Snowy Hazelnut Chocolate Ganache mooncakes – are limited to 1,000 pieces each only. Each mooncake flavour showcases a delightful fusion of flavours, expertly handmade …
This year, Lady Yi’s Tea House at Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown is presenting its Lunar Treasures Mooncake Collection, an ode to childhood memories and time-honoured traditions. This year’s celebration features two new additions to their crowd-favourite mooncakes and a festive gift box …
Once a year, the Oriental Group of Restaurants come up with a special chef’s menu, and this year is extra special as it is their 25th anniversary. Curated by their Master Chefs team, the unique dishes require special ingredients, arduous preparations and delicate skill.
The media had a sneak preview:
*Soft shell crab and crispy enoki mushroom fruit and veggies salad.
*Double-boiled superior birds nest stuffed in chicken
*Deluxe roast suckling pig platter
*Braised whole 5-head abalone with dried seafood in whole lotus root
*Braised ramen with king prawn
*almond cream with egg white
*Jade corn desert and green tea mochi
Every dish was pure delight, executed with finesse. I enjoyed every single one of them but if I had to choose I would say the suckling pig was in a class of its own, and the soup quite unusual, generously stuffed with birds nest. So rich and full of umami, the soothing soup was nutritious and indulgent.
The starter salad had elements of CNY with a prosperity toss of sorts while the seafood lotus ‘boat’ contained ingredients that had been braised for hours. Even the ramen was quite special, with the gravy rich with the sweetness of the prawn coating the noodles.
Available from Aug 8 till 29, the dishes can still be ordered after this period thru special request.
#orientalgroupofrestaurants
#masterchefcuratedmenu
For Mid-Autumn Festival 2024, EQ presents a delicious array of mooncakes in both traditional and modern interpretations – Celestial Treasures with 11 flavours of mooncakes to choose from. The traditional baked mooncakes in golden brown traditional pastry comes with white lotus with a single yolk, …
We walked into Aegean Blue to be greeted by a laser light image of sun god Apollo on the floor, and there’s a larger than life size statue at the end of the resto. Yup, plus the Grecian columns and other decor, there was no …
Indonesian food can be quite different from Malay food. Apart from masakan Padang which we’re more familiar with, there’s Sundanese and Javanese style cuisine, as offered by Betawi in TTDI, KL which is quite different.
Exotic drinks such as Wedang Jahe, Bajigur, Bir Pletok Berawi (not alcoholic beer) and even Kopi Butter Cream are an adventure by itself so make your pick and prepare to be surprised.
We had starters Lumpia, with and without meat versions – basically popiah with different types of fillings – was mostly cabbage, bits of carrots and some meat. The delish condiments made up for it as the lumpia wasn’t terribly exciting.
Not forgetting the famous Tahu Goreng. This version had a chewier skin and wasn’t that crisp or tall like the one we remembered from KLCC. But firm and more to the bite, so delish the kuah (gravy). You should also try Maranggi Beef sate – skewered beef with a spicier sauce without peanuts, unlike our Malay satay.
We shared a Grilled ribs Nasi Bakul which had sweetish thick kicap manis sauce coating the pieces of grilled beef in the rice basket. Ribs reminded me of Naughty Nuri, another Indonesian creation. Was enough for five of us to share since we had ordered other dishes.
Found the Ikan Bobor Bayam with milk and spinach quite interesting, mild with a touch of heat as was the Pucuk Pakis Kalio. This version was very different and scrumptious I must say.
All food comes with a variety of sambals. My lunch mates and I hardly found the food or sambals spicy, but the those who aren’t good with spice will find enough heat from these. Generally mild and pleasing flavours, found the food quite delightful.
Dessert was Bubur Sum Sum panacotta, their version of custard. A good Indonesian resto is hard to come by so I’m glad Betawi has entered the scene to shake things up.
Add: 31, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Hp: 017-419 1210
The new AC lounge in AC (Antonio Catalan) Hotel under the Marriot group sashayed into the scene a couple of months back, offering top notch tapas (small sharing plates) under the expert guiding hands of chef Angie Hiew. What’s even more attractive here are the …