Food Explorer & Home Chef
Meraki started off by crafting in-house sauces, snacks and corporate gifting in 2020, then ventured into private dining. It has since curated exclusive menus for private and corporate events, including weddings. Now it has a physical restaurant in Section 17, PJ. The neighbourhood restaurant serves …
The Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group came together to showcase “Taste the Wonders of Australia” in Kuala Lumpur recently. The Group, comprising Hort Innovation Australia, Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia, Seafood Industry Australia and Wine Australia, initiated a strategic, concerted effort to advance …
Professional butchery is not just about cutting meat, it is also about the butcher’s skill in deboning, portioning, creation and display of creative and practical applications, reducing wastes and increasing yields.
The Ultimate Butchers Challenge was held by the Aussie Meat Academy recently at UCSI, Kuala Lumpur, showcasing butchers’ skills.
Designed to advance the butchery profession by enhancing participants’ expertise in meat knowledge, cutting techniques and essential cooking skills, the challenge was supported by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Investment New South Wales. There were 16 teams of two each, with at least one member being a professional butcher, who had to work with chilled Australian beef and Australian lamb.
Competitors hailed from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. The Grand Champion Butcher EZ Meat (Taiwan) received RM2,000, a trophy and awards certificate while first runner-up Central Food Wholesale Ltd (Thailand) got RM1,000, and second runner-up Butcher Box Pte Ltd (Singapore) got RM800. Both runners-up also received a trophy and award certificates. There were also prizes of RM200 each for Best Meat Display Ideas, Best Value Added Meat Ideas, Best Ultimate Tasting Dish and Best Presented Dish.
A strong butcher’s resume should include tasks like cutting and de-boning meat, preparing displays, weighing and labelling products, reducing waste, and increasing yields. However, to be a competent butcher, he should be familiar with all beef and lamb cuts for various cooking methods and share this knowledge with customers, while precision cutting helps maximise yield, minimise waste, and improve eating quality for shoppers.
The Aussie Meat Academy ‘Ultimate Butchers Challenge’ encourages butchers to learn, innovate, and share new ideas and trends within the industry.
The competition aimed to set a new platform to promote the butchery profession, professionalism and support the food service and retail industry.
The competing teams for the Ultimate Butchers Challenge 2025 were judged by a panel of 5 led by Khairul Anuar Muhamad as Head Judge, himself being Lambassador & Senior Lecturer II at Taylor’s Culinary Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management; Adrian Chong, Aussie Beef Mate & Executive Chef Hyatt Regency Kinabalu; Ridzwan Rasit, Lambassador & Executive Sous Chef, Hilton Kuala Lumpur; Eric Siew, Lambassador & owner / Executive Chef of ABANICO Your Deli Restaurant; Richard Tay, Aussie Beef Mate & Head Chef at CALIA, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Winners list:
(L to r) 1st Runner-up Central Food Wholesale Ltd (Thailand), Grand Champion EZ Meat (Taiwan)
2nd Runner-up Butcher Box Pte Ltd (Singapore)
flanked by (from left) Valeska Regional Manager – South East Asia, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), Head Judge Khairul Anuar Muhamad,
(from right) MLA Malaysia Country Rep & Singapore Trade Development Manager Rose Yong, MLA Senior Technical Specialist Calvin Gung, Trade and Investment Director (Malaysia) for Investment NSW Alia Jaafar.
Ultimate Butchers Challenge 2025 – Grand Champion EZ Meat (Taiwan)
(third from left) Hung Wei Cheng (left) and Chang Wei Yu (middle)
Ultimate Butchers Challenge 2025 – 1st Runner-up: Central Food Wholesale Ltd (THAILAND), (third from left) Nitiwat Phuengcharoen and Putipong Injai
Ultimate Butchers Challenge 2025 – 2nd Runner-up: Butcher Box Pte Ltd (SINGAPORE)
(third from left) Lai Chung Leang and Mendiola Aaron Gil Adarve (middle)
Other winners were:
Best Knives Skills : Village Grocer Malaysia
Best Meat Utilization and Yield : AEON RETAIL Malaysia
Best Meat Preparation : PT. RESWARA MASYA MANA, Malaysia
Best Ultimate Dish : EQ Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Most Innovative Meat Display & Presentation : EZ Meat Taiwan
One of those days, I was craving bbq meat so we paid Uncle Botak BBQ a visit. A popular station for smoky barbecued meat, it comes with a host of homemade sauces too. The Muslim-owned resto claims to be THE place for wood-fired chicken, beef …
A vegan restaurant is hard enough to come by in the Klang Valley, what more a Japanese vegan! By Age 18, located at The Five, Bukit Damansara, KL is the first branch outside Japan. The first restaurant is in Mure, Kagawa in Japan and the …
It’s been ages since I’ve last been to Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, oh, how I’ve missed thee! The recent media sneak preview revealed its new line-up of sumptuous classic signature dishes. Leading the kitchen is chef Foong Ah Kwai who 50 years of experience in Cantonese cooking.
I still remember the amazing taste of the Signature Roasted Goose (RM420/ whole; RM230/half). Probably one of the best I’ve ever had, the goose is marinated with a blend of soy sauce, herbs and spices before being slow-roasted for hours, resulting in a gorgeous crispy skin yet still moist, tender meat.
The other dish that stayed with me was the Pork Tripe with Whole Farm Chicken (RM250). Thoroughly cleaned and stuffed with a whole farm chicken, the pork tripe is simmered for 3 hours, and the broth stewed for another three hours. The collagen-rich soup has a distinctive gelatinous texture, peppery heat and a fitting tribute to Cantonese soups.
Not to mention the delectable Honey Glazed Iberico Pork Ribs, Golden Beancurd with Abalone and Sea Cucumber and Wok-fried Flat Rice Noodles with Fresh Water Prawn and Scallop. These were all also delectable, especially the silky smooth noodles, glistening with delicious egg gravy.
Mid Autumn festival will also soon be upon us and Concorde features lovely, pretty lacquer boxes filled with scrumptious mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn season.
Each elegantly handcrafted box is adorned with delicate floral motifs and fine detailing that can be reused as elegant organisers for jewellery, accessories or festive treats.
The Elegant Four is a tribute to noble virtues represented while Four Seasons Bloom is inspired by nature’s rhythm, highlighting the seasonal beauty. The curated selection of halal-certified mooncakes offer timeless classics like Lotus Paste with Single Yolk and Red Bean, to luxurious snowskin innovations such as Musang King Durian and Longan Wolfberry. The Lacquer Gift Sets are RM160 for a Set of 4 Mooncakes.
For reservation and purchase of mooncakes, call 03-2149 2778.
Add: 2, Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Oversea Group sees the return of its signature mooncake with timeless classics such as Lotus and White Lotus, Golden Emerald, Shanghai, Assorted Fruits and Nuts, Red Bean, Golden Starlight, Royal Fairy, Noble Delight and the indulgent Musang King Durian. Many of these are available with …
Hotpot has become a fast favourite among Malaysians and now there’s a refreshing new way to complement your meal. Inspired by the communal energy of hotpot culture, Tiger Crystal Coldpot – an ice bucket cleverly designed to resemble a traditional hotpot, filled with ice-cold Tiger …
A first for me as I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Japanese yakitori omakase. FooTori did a good job as every skewer had its own distinct flavour and texture.
Hidden away on the ground floor of Plaza Kelana Jaya near the lake, the decor inside is minimalist, grey industrial with a grill counter smack in the middle. We sat at the counter with a good view of the grilling process.
In all honesty, I couldn’t tell which is what, except that every skewer tasted different and was delicious. The chochin in particular was something quite unique, with 1 pair of hanging egg yolk sacs. (reminded me of something else, but I shall behave 🙂 ).
We ordered a couple of extra sticks from the a la carte menu and a bowl of noodles to get a carb base and fuller experience. But if you are a big eater, then this meal might not be enough.
FooTori was very new when we first tried it, so by now there may be more items added to the menu and more changes to the set. It sounds like a lot, but it’s just one skewer per item. We had:
1. Negima – chicken thigh with leek
2. Leba – chicken liver
3. Nankotsu – soft bone
4. Tsukune – meat ball with egg yolk dip
5. Chochin – egg yolk sac with chicken liver and meat
6. Togarashi – half muscle
7. Tebasaki – wing karaage
8. Hatsu – Heart blood vessel
9. Sunagimo – gizzard
10. Tebamoto – chicken drummet
11.Inaniwa udon – slurp-worthy seaweed noodles
12. Momo – chicken thigh
13. Bonjiri – Chicken ‘tail’ – or what we know as Bishop’s nose – Deboned, fatty, juicy.
14. Sesame ice cream
Omakase starts from RM98/pax to RM138/pax. A la carte starts from RM6 to RM12, and there are other a la carte items as well.
Add: Ground Floor, Plaza Kelana Jaya, B-08-1, Jalan SS7/13a, Petaling Jaya. Hp: 010-256 2279.
For this coming Mid-Autumn Festival, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur offers a selection of artisanal creations by chef Ng Meng Loong, dim sum and dessert maestro at Yun House, the Hotel’s Michelin-selected Cantonese restaurant. This year’s mooncake gift box features a specially commissioned design by …