Food Explorer & Home Chef
Fatfire in Lalaport KL razes in with its own take on Tex Mex offering tacos, fajitas, fish and fries, burgers and such. It’s also probably one of the cheapest cocktails in town, offering 3 drinks for RM70. Mains like Moo-tiful Beef Burger was pretty good, …
There was already a long queue outside at Khao Man Gai at 11am, but it moved fast. Took us about 20 minutes to get a table, which is pretty good, considering the crowd and small space. This place is new but obviously foodies are already …
Who’d knew all the way in Klang town there’d be a resto famed for its premium dishes? New Harvest Restaurant in Klang offers classic fine Cantonese cuisine by chef Simon Lee. Having been around for 21 years, we’re obviously late to the party but better late than never!
To start, we had an old school Stir Fried Scrambled Egg with Crabmeat, flossy and crispy egg bits mingling with crabmeat, pine nuts and water chestnut. Eat this by heaping a spoonful or two on a piece of fresh lettuce and a touch of chilli sauce. Exquisite and full of texture, it brought back memories for me. There’s also an option to have this with sharks’ fin.
The Signature Braised Abalone with Goose Webs came with a three-head Australian abalone, sitting in a thick, rich gravy. Indulgent and robust, the juicy abalone was perfect accompaniment to the superbly braised tender web. An excellent soup boasting layers of flavours, having simmered for hours with premium ingredients, made up the base of the delicious Signature Shark’s Fin Soup with fish maw.
Chicken Rice was on a whole new level. Rice came in a claypot, after being lightly fried, then steamed together with pandan and ginger. So fragrant and tasty, I would enjoy this on its own and found it hard to not have another bowl despite my no-carb rule. Poached chicken was free-range Holland from a farm in Ijok, Selangor, smooth, silky, sweet with its own juices. Of course, there’s delicious housemade ginger sauce too. The chickens are specially bred, and at least 6 months old. And given Klang prices, a song at RM145 for 10 pax.
Even the Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables were different, crunchy with almonds, baby corn, shimeji mushrooms, celery, sugar peas and celery. Prawns came with Pumpkin Buttermilk Prawns, a lovely golden, creamy sauce, accented with curry leaves.
The oh-so-tender Wooi Wor Yook or braised pork belly reminded me of tong poh yoke, except the depth of the sauce hit differently, but in a good way, maybe because one of the secret ingredients was peanut butter. Beautiful sticky gravy worthy of mantou and more. Not a peanut butter fan so this was just ok for me, but the meat certainly won me over. I’m already planning when I can have my next meal at New Harvest …
Add: 19, Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Kawasan 18, Klang. Tel: 03-3345 2288
At the launch party of Tiger Soju Flavoured Lager, there was a whole bunch of curated immersive experiences and live performances by local and international acts alike. Some 4,500 fans and media members got to feel, see and taste the new Tiger beer soju drink. …
Growing up, I hung out with my cousins a lot and would often eat at their place. Once in a while, my Aunt Molly (my mother’s youngest sister) who was married to a Swiss man (my Uncle Richard), would make Apfelwähe for dinner. Those were …
Maison Martell has introduced the Martell Single Cru collection in Malaysia, a significant milestone in Maison Martell’s history spanning over 300 years in that—for the first time—every cognac in the collection is crafted with eaux-de-vie sourced from a single terroir.
Crafted by Cellar Master Christophe Valtaud, the Martell Single Cru Collection is rare, comprised only eaux-de-vie that can give the most precise personality, aroma, and ageing potential, and most authentic expression of each terroir; a process so rigorous that Valtaud retains fewer than 400 of the 11,000 eaux-de-vie available to him in the Martell reserves.
Structured in three ascending editions, right up to a selection of rare or extra-rare vintages, The Martell Single Cru Collection will be enriched over time, with each new release representing a fresh discovery of the House’s terroirs, an exploration of new taste sensations.
The Discovery Edition Offers an ideal introduction to the specificity of the terroirs of Cognac. Each of the three cognacs is sourced from one of the three main Cognac crus: Fin Bois, Borderies and Petite Champagne.
Martell Single Cru Fins Bois invigorates the senses with lush, juicy fruit, for a vibrant, fragrant sensation on the palate, Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne is intense and spicy, bursting with warm spices and rich nuts, while Martell Borderies rolls over the tongue with sweet fruit and subtle florals, leaving a delicious impression of fullness.
Martell Cellar Master, Christophe Valtaud has crafted three cognacs from eaux-de-vie sourced from a single cru in order to reveal the authentic taste and unique personality of each. Due to the rarity of the Borderies cru, the Martell Borderies is more exclusive within the Discovery Edition. This translates into a limited number of bottles released compared to the Martell Single Cru Fins Bois and Petite Champagne.
The exploration continues with the Martell Single Cru Aged Edition, featuring eaux-de-vie from the two most exclusive Cognac terroirs, Borderies and Grande Champagne, which were singled out by Jean Martell himself as early as the 18th century. For the Aged Edition, Christophe Valtaud has made a precise selection of eaux-de-vie which not only express the essence of each prestigious terroir, but are also remarkable for their age. An eau-de-vie evolves throughout the ageing process, and these two cognacs have benefited from many years of ageing to develop new organoleptic properties, attaining an aromatic richness that is exceptional in the case of an XO, and reaches a form of plenitude for an XXO.
Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne is enriched with notes of nuts and dried fruit, as well as overtones of wood, reaching a perfect balance between power and fruitiness.
Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies demonstrates incomparable richness and fullness, overflowing with luscious fruity notes.
With the Vintage Edition, the exploration of Maison Martell’s terroirs reaches its culmination. This exceptional cognac represents the encounter between a terroir and a year, with its specific climatic conditions – a rare event, in that it only happens once.
To start, for the Vintage Edition, Valtaud selected a remarkable Borderies eau-de-vie from the Gallienne estate, the emblematic vineyard of the Martell family. It was produced in 1999, a challenging year in terms of climate, which resulted in lower volumes at harvest, but increased the quality and rarity of the grapes. In February 2000, immediately after distillation, the eau-de-vie was transferred to fine-grained oak barrels, ageing for 23 years to attain its aromatic plenitude.
Martell Single Cru Borderies 1999 offers a complete organoleptic experience, representing the purest expression of the best of the Borderies terroir in that particular year. With characteristic notes of candied fruit, linden blossom, and vibrant citrus, it demonstrates an extraordinary smoothness, with a rich, fruity dimension palate.
The Vintage Edition is presented in a precious, numbered bottle and it will be released in exceptionally limited quantities — representing the very last barrels of these rare eaux-de-vie for collectors.
The personality of a cognac is shaped by the terroir which produces its eaux-de-vie. Each cru is associated with a distinct aromatic profile and a specific ageing potential, linked to factors including its geographical situation, its soil, climate and exposure, as well as the quality of its grapes. In order to respect the authentic expression of the different crus, Maison Martell distils only clear wines and ages its eaux-de-vie exclusively in barrels of fine-grained oak, thus minimising the impact of lees and wood.
Moreover, eaux-de-vie from these four finest terroirs in the Cognac region are aged separately in the Martell cellars. It is this unrivalled and uncompromising savoir-faire which attains its purest expression with the Martell Single Cru collection.
●Fins Bois: With its reddish clay and limestone soils, is known for its light, airy eaux-de-vie with anaromatic profile of fresh fruit, in particular pear and peach.
●Petite Champagne: With greyish and chalky soils, produces fine eaux-de-vie which offers structure and length on the palate. They are distinguished by notes of nuts, red and dried fruit.
●Borderies: The signature cru of Maison Martell since 1715, produces subtle, elegant eaux-de-vie with luscious aromas of flowers and candied fruit.
●Grande Champagne: With chalk and limestone soils, is renowned for the aromatic richness of its eaux-de-vie, which are characterised by notes of pepper, nuts and red fruit, as well as their excellent potential forageing.
The launch event was held at The Chamber Starhill, KL with ambassador Eloi Parent who regaled the media with Single Cru stories. The Martell Single Cru Discovery Edition and the Aged Edition is now available in Malaysia nationwide. The Vintage Edition will be released with limited units via Martell’s Prestige Manager.
Martell Single Cru Fins Bois and Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne priced at RM 580 per bottle while the Martell Borderies is RM620 per bottle
Martell Single Cru XO Grande Champagne and Martell Single Cru XXO Borderies will be priced at RM1,440 and RM2,830 respectively.
The Martell Single Cru Borderies 1999 from the Vintage Edition is RM10,800 in limited quantities.
Throughout this May, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will launch its annual celebration of local and international cuisines — showcasing the incredible craftsmanship of local and international chefs. First launched in 2023, #DinewithChef was created as a meeting point for epicureans, food enthusiasts, and culinary creatives …
One cuisine I don’t get to eat often enough is Sri Lankan food. For a great introduction to Sri Lankan cuisine, the full Aliyaa experience is highly recommended by chef Siva, comprising a set of tasting dishes of the following: Crab samosa; Atukkal rasam; Fish …
Topshelf proves why it’s still one of the top places for fine dining in KL after 12 years, with its exquisite dishes courtesy of chef Chris Yee. Haven’t been there for years, and now it’s expanded and renovated to encompass a much bigger space, including an upstairs area for private events or when there’s customer spillover.
Raising the bar with French cuisine, and tweaked according to local nuances, dishes here are classic yet not quite, with inspiring flavours that leave you asking for more.
If we didn’t already know it was Burnt cabbage and Truffle, it would have had us guessing what exotic dish it was, given its umami and almost meaty flavour, thanks to being laced with truffle. Braised in stock and charcoal grilled, it’s served with white wine and chilli oil, sprinkled with bacon bits.
The Spanish Octopus Salad, firm and springy, had a unique flavour, slow cooked in olive oil and herbs and given the charcoal treatment. The spicy harissa sauce, along with the crispy duck fat potatoes complemented the polpo well.
Freshwater prawn with fregola, which is somewhat like a cross between couscous and Calrose rice, reminiscent of risotto but not quite. was cooked cooked in white wine, lobster broth and sundried tomatoes. Quite decadent indeed.
These new dishes, along with dessert, a totally new creation, so new that it didn’t quite have a name yet when we went, will grace the new menu.
Add: 61, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, hp: 011-6177 7277
Renowned for its Chinese cuisine, the Oversea Group of Restaurants’ latest outlet at TREC, KL, features pork-free seafood dishes with a tank-to-table concert. Super fresh seafood gets delivered via an innovative conveyor belt from the tanks directly to the kitchen. The OTT decor blew me …