Food Explorer & Home Chef
I rather like good old fashioned milk, but I confess I’m not a fan of plant-based ones. All the commercial brands that offer almond, oats and such – they’re often thin, watery and to me, pretty yucky! A new plant-based milk made from oats, OATSIDE, …
A bit late to the party but made a point to drop by Muse by Gest last week as I heard many good things. Opened in Nov last year, Muse is helmed by chef Chin Jin Fah who owns well-known Chinese resto Extra Super Tanker. …
Long before he became the god of noodles, Jun Chan was a mechanical engineer who couldn’t even cook rice to save his life when he was studying in America. But his grandmother, the amazing cook that he remembers, honed his taste buds for good food since he was young and was his sole inspiration. He later embarked on a Le Cordon Bleu course in London to get his cooking basics right, leaving his career as an engineer. His ultimate dream – to open his own ‘noodle bar’.
Fast forward to 2020, the boutique noodle bar Bowls of Steel (BOS) is testimony to just how far Jun’s passion has taken him. Every bowl of handmade artisan noodles here is a culmination of artful experimenting and innovative marriage of ingredients like no other.
A bowl of Four Garlic Mazemen (RM24), for instance, isn’t just a bowl comfort homestyle garlic noodles. The mushroom dashi paired with garlic done four ways, confit mushroom, an egg, burnt miso butter and toasted flounder right down to the smoked mushroom salt is a guilty pleasure that seduces your entire being with every mouthful of goodness. I’m bowled over (pun intended) by the amount of work that goes into a simple bowl of noodles!
The menu has dwindled down to a staple few due to the many MCOs and other issues during these trying times. But I’m so thankful BOS managed to weather the hard times, coming back stronger than ever. Hopefully, Jun will slowly be able to grow the menu to showcase his repertoire.
2021 is a hearty 36-hour sous vide beef short ribs and brisket noodles (RM30), that also has handrolled meat balls, caramelised mushrooms and onions and a shot of umami beef jus. Oh, it also has chili jam but I promise you this is 10 times better than Jamie Olicer’s fried rice! 2021 has since been revamped for 2022 and it’s even better!
I love everything here, but if I had to choose, it would be Nameless (RM25), a unique creation with toasted wholemeal noodles, pucuk manis, mushroom dumplings, tempe, Kimchi puree, kewpie-tare dressing, toasted cuttlefish salt, kale dust, and spicy mushroom dashi shot. The taste is sublime, I can’t put my finger on it, kinda strange but it works and every bite seems to give off a different layer of flavour.
Laksa Lemak BOS (RM25) is also wonderful, familiar yet given a diff spin by chef Jun – ‘Kak Rose-inspired laksa’ with tenggiri, mushroom, cucumber, bunga kantan and a host of other ingredients. There was also a recent collaboration with Kadei where Jun came up with a divine lamb noodles complete with bone marrow, which stayed on as a special on the menu.
There are a few choices for starters – make sure to try Kay Eff Si (RM18), a Korean inspired fried cauliflower. Truly finger licking good, so much so that you forget it’s just vegetable and not fried chicken. We also tried Mushroom and Corn croquettes (RM18) which was good but I still prefer KFSi.
The establishment is pork-free, Jun tries to use local produce to go with his handcrafted noodles as much as possible.
I have immense respect for the sheer amount of effort and ingredients Jun puts into every single bowl of noodles. I’ve jested – how do you make money if you give so much stuff? And Jun just laughs and says, he cannot imagine giving anything less to his customers as he wants them to enjoy every bowl to the max.
Add: 94a, Jalan SS 21/62, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. tel: 03-7733 1002
Discovered this gem of a place when looking for a place to celebrate Su’s birthday. Loo Loo Casual Dining aims to do away with fancy decor, pretty facade and fake promises, and just letting the food speak for itself. Apart from a ruby red curtain …
So many new omakase restaurants are popping up these days that I can’t keep track. Did you know that ‘Omakase’ means ‘I’ll leave it to you’? Decided to an older establishment instead, a few months’ ago. Sou Omakase Dining has been around for 6 years, …
This year, 2022, is especially significant for Tiger Beer as it is the Year of the Tiger. To uncage the festive cheer, Tiger Beer has partnered with Son Heung-Min, a football icon from South Korea, in conjunction with the Lunar New Year celebrations to ignite a global movement and inspire fans to achieve their boldest ambitions in 2022.
By dreaming big and never giving up, Son overcame challenges by uncaging his inner Tiger with his courage and determination to become a football star. Now, Son is aiming to win a major trophy for his country. Son, the official Tiger Brand Ambassador, has shared a series of emojis on his Instagram expressing his targets for the year and wants fans to share their own bold goals too. All you have to do is respond to the “My Year, My Goals” Instagram “Add Yours” story sticker feature, created by Tiger Beer with their own ambitions for the Year of the Tiger.
Tiger Beer Malaysia also launched Chinese New Year (CNY) campaign – The Year We ROAR Together – on a grand scale. The media and invited guests had the opportunity to feast their eyes on traditional Asian street installations with a contemporary twist at the Connection, Pavilion KL area and score exclusive Tiger merchandise via the exciting game booths there.
Guests and trade partners were then ushered to the Grand Ballroom of JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur where Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, took the stage to give the welcome address. The rest of the Management Team joined him to officiate Tiger Beer Malaysia’s CNY campaign for 2022, followed by an exciting Tiger and lion dance performance to spark the festive spirit. Guests were treated to an 8-course dinner and electrifying stage performances to usher in the Year of The Tiger.
“After two years of challenges amidst the pandemic, we’re ready to make our mark and unleash our true potential. We believe everyone has an inner Tiger in them, therefore, we want our fans to UNCAGE themselves to take the leap of boldness and go all out to pursue their dreams and goals. With all the attractive festive promotions, we are also determined to bring exciting, ground-breaking experiences to our discerning drinkers. Let’s raise our glasses and continue to ROAR together and usher in the prosperous year ahead with joy,” said Roland.
The activities along Connection, Pavilion KL will be open to public from now until February 15 so that they can experience the festive vibes for themselves. Specially commissioned Tiger “Roar Together” art installations by three up-and-coming artists of diverse backgrounds – Thomas Powell, Sheena Liam and Pamela Tan – are activated at the main entrance from January 10 onwards. Fans can also redeem collectible Year of the Tiger Ang Pow packets, when they purchase RM88 worth of HEINEKEN Malaysia products at selected outlets in Pavilion KL, while stocks last.
Various QR code touchpoints along the area also enable fans to engage with Tiger’s Augmented Reality (AR) ‘Roaring Greetings’ to interact virtually with a Tiger and generate inspiring CNY greetings to be shared with friends and family. At the same time, fans stand to win exclusive Tiger Mahjong sets with two weekly winners from now until February 15. These QR codes can also be found on Tiger’s limited-edition cans and other touchpoints like the ‘Roar Together’ murals and print ads during the festive period.
Tiger Beer’s efforts to champion the local art scene continues to grow. To spread the CNY cheer to other regions in Malaysia, Tiger engaged with various local artists to create exclusive ‘Roar Together’ murals at eight different locations nationwide, giving fans even more Insta-worthy moments to welcome the Year of the Tiger.
For the first time ever, Tiger Beer will be venturing into the world of NFTs (Non-fungible Tokens) with an exclusive collaboration with Pestle & Mortar Clothing (PMC). The NFT collection, known as The Tiger Archives, feature vintage Tiger artwork ingrained into the blockchain, and each artwork is uniquely drawn fully by hand. These NFTs will unlock a series of perks throughout the Year of the Tiger, from exclusive merchandise down to curated experiences by PMC. The Tiger Archives NFT collection will be released for sale on January 25 whereby 30% of the proceeds will go towards supporting local musicians, artists and street food chefs via Tiger’s UNCAGE platform throughout the Year of The Tiger.
For more information on local promotions and activations as well as terms and conditions, visit http://bit.ly/TigerCNY2022.
For non-Muslims aged 21 and above only.
Good quality, well-made sausages are not easy to find in Malaysia, otherwise they probably cost a bomb. Which was why it was so delightful to find juicy, superior and flavourful sausages – chicken, lamb and beef – at Foodies Gourmet Market and Cafe in Kinrara. …
During a recent birthday celebration, we descended on Hungry Bacon, chiefly because the name of the resto itself was already appealing. Looking more like a pub rather than a family joint thanks to the dark interior, the menu centres on Mr Pig, naturally. We got …
The Balvenie officially unveiled The Makers Project, an exclusive exhibition held recently at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, featuring specially commissioned artwork from homegrown designer Fern Chua. Fern joined the collective of five other ‘Makers’ who were selected from around the region, hailing from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. The exhibition marked the launch of The Balvenie’s global campaign, inspired by the craftsmen behind the Five Rare Crafts that The Balvenie maintains in its whisky-making process.
For close to 130 years, The Balvenie has stood tall on the world whisky stage. A lineage of fine Single Malts has seen the label win countless awards for its signature spirit. As one of the last remaining distilleries to boast a working malting floor, one of only a handful left in Scotland, The Balvenie holds the rare title of being the world’s most hand-crafted Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Looking to inspire a new generation of makers in their fields, The Balvenie’s new partnership sought to show the passage to ultimate craftsmanship. Founded on the shared passion for the creative process as well as the time and focus that goes into creating something exceptional, the partnership celebrated each of their natural talents and groundbreaking work.
Fern’s The Balvenie inspired designs were revealed at The Makers Project exhibition. Guests were transported on a sensorial journey that brought the Five Rare Crafts to life – from the farmers of the homegrown barley fields, the maltmen who manage the malting floors, the coppers at the cooperage, the coppersmiths and Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE, a pioneer of whisky-making who has spent close to six decades honing his craft.
Visitors were then treated to a curated cinematic tasting experience where they enjoyed two drams of The Balvenie whisky to conclude their journey. The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood has complexity to keep it interesting, but light enough to fit into almost any occasion. That warm fruit and honey nose that slips into darkly sweet and fruit palate and fades out in equal parts sweet and rustic makes it an all-around great whisky. The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask, on the other hand, holds a light creaminess with each sip. Flavours of vanilla, sweet oak and fruitiness, hit the palate with very light smokiness at the end when enjoying this expression.
Premium wheat beer Edelweiss has embarked on its #FeelTheAps journey to inspire fans to actively seek new discoveries. Followers can expect to experience the refreshing spirit of Edelweiss when they visit their favourite local drinking spots in the coming months with exclusive Edelweiss pop-up bars …