Food Explorer & Home Chef
Martín Berasategui is Spain’s most celebrated chef with 12 Michelin stars across 7 restaurants, helmed by chefs who have worked extensively with Berasategui and achieved fame through their own body of work. Chef Xabier Goikoetxea from famed Oria Restaurant (one Michelin-starred) at the prestigious Monument Hotel …
Le Cordon Bleu Malaysia presents: A Refined 3-Course Service Dinner by Graduating Superior Cuisine Students. The thoughtfully curated 3-course dinner is their final showcase, celebrating their culinary journey and mastery. As part of the culmination of their training, the aspiring chefs will demonstrate the techniques, …
The new general manager in town at Four Seasons KL knows the hotel industry like the back of his hand. From parking cars to being the bell boy, Simon Barnett has done it all, rising through the ranks to become general manager today.
Well, not so new, as he’s already been in the country for about four months now. He’s quite accustomed to Asia as his first GM position was in Jakarta and later, he helmed the award-winning Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok.
It all began with some casual work at a local hotel in Australia, and thereafter, Simon was smitten! Having studied in Brisbane, his first hotel assignment was in the front office of a five-star hotel there. He discovered that he loved the world of hospitality and went on to explore other roles such as sales, and even catering and conference services; and expanded his repertoire to include global international hotel operations in London and New York.
Originally from Melbourne, the veteran hotelier has almost 15 years with Four Seasons under his belt since 2011. He slowly progressed to director of marketing, and later, hotel manager in Sydney, and soon after made a move to Singapore where he shouldered both the Hotel Manager and Director of Marketing role.
Now at Four Seasons KL, Simon looks forward to making every guest feel special in the city’s welcoming retreat. Under his guidance, the team is set for growth, with a focus on the destination’s multicultural vibrancy.
“Our goal is to introduce guests to KL’s incredible heritage. To be an advocate, one needs to experience things for himself. I look forward to travelling and discovering more about Malaysia, so that I can better understand and promote its attractions. We want to immerse deeply into everything, the fantastic food, the diverse culture and authentic hospitality.”
Simon values young talent and admits it can be challenging to get them into the industry nowadays.
“When you go into a certain role in other industries, often it can become stagnant. But in a hotel, the possibilities are unlimited as you can really go far.
“We talk about work-life balance and while spending time with people is important, I feel what’s more crucial is quality time and building relationships.
“It’s important to do things outside of work for rejuvenation. I enjoy being around people and believe that one should be open-minded as there’s always room to learn from others who do things better.
“We are often very critical of ourselves. It’s OK not to take everything so seriously.”
Says the boss who takes a keen interest in what his staff does during the weekends and spends time talking to each and every one of his staff regularly.
We look forward to seeing more of Simon and what he brings to the table at Four Seasons KL, given how he loves checking out the many food options!
“Every week, we try to visit as many new restaurants as we can, different cuisines, and I reckon we’re unlikely to run out of choices here!”
EQ KL is surely one of the earliest to come up with their mooncake offerings as of July 1st! Their Celestial Treasures 2025 features a mooncake collection that reflects the spirit of tradition, the joy of reunion and the refinement of a gift well given. …
I just found out Ayam Brand sardines and mackerel, a staple in Malaysian kitchens, has apparently been around for over 130 years! Surprise, surprise, during a media drop recently, I received some goodies, i.e. Ayam Brand sardines and Ayam Brand’s Spicy Tomato Paste. Beyond the …
Once a while, it’s nice to explore my own city. We discovered Lo and Behold, along Petaling Street, serving crowd pleasers like tacos, pastas, fried chicken and soft serve.
The mural on the wall and quirky posters foretell the fun, laid back vibe here. Bright colours and current music spell the mood.
Since the Smash Burger comes highly praised, we ordered this. A really good rendition with generous double Australian beef patty, a nice balance of caramelised onions and special sauce, plus fries.
Given how the same guys behind Ora Dining are behind the menu at this outpost, the pasta can’t go wrong. Just a touch sour, the light coconut creamy Tom Yum sauce coated the farfelle (ribbons) nicely, though a bit more sauce would be good. 5 succulent, crunchy tiger prawns provided bite and texture. Hardly spicy, a safe marriage of Thai and Italian.
The fried chicken was a flavour bomb, thankfully not overly sweet. Skin still crispy, this would be a perfect partner with beer! I confess I found the taste a bit cloying after a few pieces, but it seems other diners say there’s not enough sauce. Guess it’s really up to the individual’s preference.
There are other interesting stuff to try such as duck confit taco, wagyu meatballs pomodoro, ram done with oysterblade and chilli fish sauce (nam jim) fried chicken. Lo and Behold also offers cocktails, and closes late, till 12am.
It was a late lunch for us at Ren Ren Noodles, which became even later as it was extremely busy that weekend, and service was slow and took a very long time for the food to arrive. On the verge of hangry pangs, redemption came …
Come get A Taste of Macau at Yun House, Four Seasons KL it celebrates its 7th anniversary. The exclusive four-hands dining experience combines the talents of chef Anthony Ho from Zi Yat Heen, the one-starred Michelin restaurant at Four Seasons Macau with in-house chef Jimmy …
The Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 celebrated Malaysia’s most promising young pastry chefs by offering them a platform to showcase creativity and technical mastery. Organised by Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia & Brunei, 5 finalists each in the Bread & Viennoiserie, and Cake categories, baked their hearts out using Anchor premium dairy products to come up with tantalising creations.
I had the privilege to be one of the judges alongside industry experts Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chef Jean-François Arnaud (head judge) and Chef Judy Koh, Founder and Principal of Creative Culinaire The School, as well as media editors and other food reviewers. Tasting 10 different types of cakes and 20 types of bread in one sitting was a challenge as we had to compare taste and textures, presentation and creativity. It was hard deciding on the best as we all had our personal favourites, but generally, we agreed on what were the ones that stood out and delighted our taste buds.
“Our aim is to nurture future pastry talents while demonstrating the versatility and reliability of Anchor’s premium dairy products from New Zealand, one of the best places to produce dairy in the world,” said Peter Quah, Food Service Director of Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia. “We’re proud to see such exceptional skill and passion on display.”
In the Bread category, participants showcased lamination and dough-handling techniques, focusing on precision, structure, and flavour. The Cake category challenged finalists to craft refined, visually stunning desserts highlighting artistry, texture and balance.
Held in a live kitchen environment under time pressure at UOW Malaysia (University of Wollongong) in Shah Alam, the competition pushed participants to deliver high-calibre creations that reinforced both their culinary prowess and the performance of Anchor’s products.
Chef Jean-François Arnaud emphasised that events like this are vital for the growth of young chefs. He explained that by working together in the same kitchen, under the same theme and time constraints, participants can be guided on how to improve. “That is how we elevate the level of pastry-making—not just in Malaysia, but globally,” he said.
In the Bread & Viennoiserie category, the Gold Award went to Ooi Kin Weng from the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia, followed by Ryan Ang Rui Yan from Taylor’s University, who received the Silver Award, and Sharifah Nur Adylla Binti Syed Zahirin, who earned the Bronze Award.
“Winning this category means a lot to me, especially after making the switch from a career in IT to pastry. It’s still the beginning of my journey, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing. One day, I hope to open my own place – something small to start with – Anchor has truly fuelled my passion for viennoiserie,” said Ooi, 31.
Tan Jia Le from the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia took home the Gold Award, while Yap Jing Li from Taylor’s University won Silver, and Sandee Churme Jia Ying, also from Taylor’s University, secured the Bronze Award in the Cake category.
Ryan Ang Rui Yan and Yap Jing Li were selected for the Media Choice Awards in the Bread & Viennoiserie and Cake categories, respectively.
Gold prize winners received a solo demo showcase as the official Anchor winner along with a trophy, certificate and cash prize of RM2,500. The Silver and Bronze winners were awarded trophies, certificates and cash prizes of RM1,500 and RM 1,000 respectively.
Launched offically in Malaysia last April, Speyburn Single Malt Scotch Whisky held its first exclusive masterclass under the new distributorship of Fortier Wines & Spirits Sdn Bhd. The masterclass was led by Paul Warathep Chandeeraj, International Brand Ambassador for International Beverage. Paul captivated guests with …