Food Explorer & Home Chef
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 …
EQ continues the tradition of gratitude gifting, with its range of delicious traditional mooncakeand snow skin variants, in a variety of packaging to suit all gifting needs. For the Mid-autumnFestival 2023, which is on 29 September, the mooncake masters at EQ have crafted a variety …
Hotel Equatorial first hotel opened its doors in Kuala Lumpur on 27 December 1973 and was among a cluster in the Golden Triangle that helped usher in the modern era of hospitality in Malaysia. To commemorate the anniversary, a year-long series of events will be organised at EQ, Kuala Lumpur’s premier hotel.
“When Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur opened its doors some fifty years ago, it was welcomed instantly and rapidly became a landmark in the city,” said CEO Donald Lim of the Equatorial group. “Over the past five decades, the Equatorial brand has built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional service and
excellent hospitality; its range of restaurants that have become household names such as the Kampachi, Chalet, Nipah Coffeeshop, Golden Phoenix, Étoile Bistro and Blue Moon lounge. The plans for our golden anniversary are designed to celebrate with our loyal customers, partners, and employees who have supported us throughout the years.”
Events
The celebration began on 5 July 2023 and will continue for a year with 50 commemorative events taking place throughout that timeline, each offering a distinctive take against the historical backdrop or with an eye toward the future.
Events designed to evoke fond memories include the pop-ups of the famed Chalet and Golden Phoenix restaurants in August 2023 and January 2024 respectively; another popular request to be fulfilled will be a Blue Moon Night on 31 August 2023, which will naturally be built around a playlist of the era. Visiting guest chefs, winemakers, sake masters and even specially commissioned products add to the array of festivities. A memory wall will be created in the lobby of EQ where guests can view photos of memorable events involving Equatorial since 1973. Marking the occasion in cyberspace will be the launch of commemorative sites on Facebook and Instagram for guests to share memories.
History
In the early 1970s, a new wave of modern hotels markedly changed the hospitality scene in Kuala Lumpur. Among them was Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur with its 300 guest rooms and an array of restaurants that would eventually become household names. Located in what is known as the “Golden Triangle” (the area around a triangular plot in downtown Kuala Lumpur bounded by Jalan Treacher, Jalan Parry and Jalan Weld and since renamed Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Raja Chulan respectively), this vicinity became the prime district for shopping and entertainment. Major events such as the famous World Heavyweight title bout between Muhammed Ali and challenger Joe Bugner from Britain that took place in June 1975 had the protagonists’ entourages housed in the area, with Bugner’s at Hotel
Equatorial.
Along the way, the many events and celebrations held at Equatorial has ensured that it has over time become a part of the city’s social fabric. Indeed, a number of the staff who have passed through the hotel’s ranks have gone on to notable careers and even celebrity. Over the years, the building itself is host to a number of notable accomplishments such as the first to install electronic lockets for all guest rooms and the first to offer guests WiFi – all features taken for granted today. Since those early years, Hotel Equatorial went on to build and/or operate hotels in Penang, Bangi, Cameron Highlands and Melaka.
Future
In the four years since opening in 2019, EQ has become the standard bearer among hotels in the city, having won an unprecedented number of local and international awards and achievements, including being ranked the #1 hotel in the city by Tripadvisor since August 2019. EQ was named Hotel of the Year Asia Pacific by Preferred Hotels group this year, the first time any hotel from Malaysia has won this accolade.
In the 12 months ahead, guests can look forward to a variety of events, occasions that combine nostalgia and anticipation – the former likely to evoke ‘blast from the past’ memories while the latter generated by a showcase of events only a leading hotel like EQ can put together.
Stay tuned at www.equatorial.com/equatorial-50 as the respective announcements are made throughout the commemorative year.
Caren Poon started An Viet back in 2015, chiefly because she was inspired by how the Vietnamese used every part of the animal or plant in their cooking. In line with her vision to reduce food wastage, she started the restaurant to offer authentic, good …