Food Explorer & Home Chef
Was at a cool craft beer tasting and food pairing of Boston Brewing Co. recently. Most of us assumed the beer was from Boston, US coz of the name but it’s actually Australian! An excellent offering of craft beers, Boston Brewing Co. was established in …
Eggplant, brinjal or aubergine. Whatever you call it, the taste is the same. When it’s cooked, it becomes a soft, almost mushy texture. My kids used to hate this and compared it to the jiggly, lubricious fat part of the char siew (roast pork) which …
TIEN serves authentic Fujian cuisine and is the first pork-free resto under the PUTIEN franchise, located in KLCC. Similar to Putien, food at Tien is unpretentious and simple; ingredients are specially chosen for their exceptional quality and freshness.
PUTIEN was started in 2000 and has flourished into a renowned name for Chinese cuisine with over 90 outlets across Asia. The authentic flavours and gracious service has even garnered One MICHELIN star for one of its branches in Singapore.
Happy to report that the signature Sweet and Sour Chicken (like its pork counterpart) was delicious. The chicken pieces were crisp outside and still moist inside, given a sweet lift by the juicy lychees.
Prepared with 14 different ingredients, the Red Mushroom Lor Mee had a subtle umami flavour to the milky gravy that came with a mix of clams, prawns, diced chicken and green vegetables for added sustenance.
It’s hard to go wrong with Sizzling Hot Pot with Beef & Pepper – the beef was tender and flavourful, while the tasty Crispy Pepper Barramundi Fish Wings, lightly coated with batter, gave way to reveal sweet flesh within. I enjoyed this the most.
Sizzling Beancurd came on top of thin omelette – nice but hardly inspiring. Shredded Beef with Sesame Bun was more interesting, distinguished from the pepper version by its sweetish aftertaste, to be eaten with golden fried sesame buns.
There are also a number of interesting mocktails to be had and Putien’s firm favourite dishes are also available here.
Add: Lot 434, 4th Floor, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Tel: 03 2181 2839
The Beer Factory (TBF) has once again partnered with Malaysia’s favourite stout, Guinness, to create the limited-edition Guinness Snowskin Mooncakes. The limited-edition mooncakes offer a more pronounced and balanced taste profile. The combination of alcohol-infused golden bean paste centre, coupled with deep roasted flavours of …
Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s mooncakes come in a unique lacquer box this year Mid-Autumn Festival.The mooncakes are beautifully packaged within two collections – square and rectangular – in classic bold red and classy orange tones. The box collection is elegantly handcrafted and fitted with LED …
When SK invited me to the review, I naughtily asked, “Is he cute?” to which she cheekily said: “You will like this chef.” And indeed, legendary chef Wong Ling Soon, better known as Ah Soon Kor, is quite the character! He returns as guest chef, teaming up with Oriental Group of Restaurants senior chefs, to recreate Popular Dishes before 2000.
I always thought puff pastry goes with mushroom soup, but only just found out that it was a popular style back then. Ah Soon Kor picked this up when he cooked together with French chefs in Beijing and for this menu, cooked up Foie Gras in Supreme Soup and Double Boiled Duck and Tangerine Soup with puff pastry.
The Abalone roll and Duck tongue braised in special sauce, one of his signature appetisers in the 1970s, was nothing short of amazing while the special occasion Braised Goose Web was everything it is famed for as tastewise it was on point and absolutely delightful. Another signature was the Fengcheng Style Pork and Liver Roll, which had the pork fat in a sugar bath before being rolled with pork and liver.
Another dish worthy of mention was the gorgeous Peacock nest which was actually a beautifully presented Suckling Pig. The peacock head was carved from white radish while the skin, arranged like the feathers, didn’t need any extra sauce, sweetened by the honeydew melon beneath.
Deep-fried Pomfret and Stir-fried Scallops with XO Sauce had the fish fillet rolled up and
deep-fried, while the skeletal main frame was fried till crispy and this was later cut to small pieces which we could enjoy. The Stuffed Old Style Chicken Wings had the skin stuffed with minced pork, water chestnut and carrot at the bite of the deep-fried wing while the Crispy King Prawn Ball was springy chopped prawns dipped in a light batter and deep fried.
We ended the sumptuous meal with Baked Glutinous Rice in Fragrant Coconut which reminded me CNY lap mei fan. Dessert was Dang Ying Red Bean Pumpkin Ball with Banana – loved the crispy and fragile ball that had banana and red bean in the centre; and chilled Bird’s Nest Lemongrass Infusion with basil seeds and mixed fruit.
Desserts were by the Oriental Group chefs. Ah Soon Kor’s menus – 11-course meal is priced at RM269/pax (10 pax per table) or RM369/pax. (Min 4 pax) – is available at the participating restaurants in the Oriental Group till the end of September at all participating Oriental Group restaurants.
At health cafe BeReal, I learnt for the first time what shiokoji (used in place of salt) and rejuvelac (from sprouted fermented soy bean) was. Extolling biodynamic ingredients, BeReal Cafe makes its own sourdough breads and sausages, features biodynamic vegetables and uses natural seasonings made …
The outlet at 1 Powerhouse is Maria’s SteakCafe latest outpost and it was definitely one of the nicer locations. Windows covered one wall, stretching from floor to ceiling – we sat next to a lovely view of PeeJay, enjoying cocktails and first class steak. The …
Oh Cha Matcha, a renowned matcha cafe celebrated for its dedication to health-conscious options and exceptional matcha creations, presents its Snow Skin Mooncakes for the third year this coming Mid-Autumn Celebration.
Oh Cha Matcha’s packaging is a striking red and white box, depicting the enchanting tales of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The ancient Chinese folklore of the Moon Goddess and the Rabbit on the Moon is encapsulated on the pretty design.
Oh Cha Matcha’s four signature mooncakes: Matcha Mung Bean (Matcha Snow Skin), Hojicha Mung Bean (Purple Sweet Potato Snow Skin), Genmaicha Mung Bean (Blue Spirulina Snow Skin), and Gyokuro Mung Bean (Beetroot Snow Skin) are available.
The mooncakes are vegan-friendly and sugar-free, handcrafted with natural, plant-based stevia, a healthy sugar alternative. No artificial colourings or syrups are used, although the mooncakes do contain gluten. Availability is limited due to the meticulous small-batch production process. The set of mooncakes is priced at RM69.90 per box and will be available for purchase up till end September 2023 or while stocks last.
To secure your box set, pre-order online at https://ohchamatcha.com/ and collect it at Oh Cha Matcha’s TTDI store. Pre-ordered box sets can be collected every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until Sept 29, 2023. For special orders, such as delivery, corporate, or bulk orders, contact OCMC on Instagram @OhChaMatcha.KL or via email: hello@ohchamatcha.com.
The Guinness Flavour By Fire Festival at Sentul Depot revealed tantalising aromas, mouth-watering cuisine, and vibrant sights and sounds. The blazing revelry was combined the tantalising fusion of Guinness-infused flame-cooked creations, sending taste buds on a journey beyond the ordinary. With a line-up of 11 …