Petite Millie, 1 Utama Shopping Centre

I have a preferance for restaurants that offers something out of the ordinary, regardless of the size of their dining space.

Any business; and I think this applies even more for F & B businesses, should attempt to differentiate themselves from the hundreds of other similar establishments.

Often, it’s these unconventional items that kept the customers coming back; not to mention to being the crowd puller at the initial stage.

For Petite Millie, I would return for their “Poutine“; a Canadian dish of comforting fries drowned in brown sauce and with cheese curds. Nothing beats the feel-good buzz in the head when one chews on these fries, soaked with the delicious savoury gravy.

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The glamour-tized versions of Poutine can be found here, one of which I had recently, The Beef Cheek Poutine; a bowl of incredibly tender cheeks and fragrant from the truffle oil. I love the gelatinous texture of the meat and the crispy fries smothered in brown gravy. The dish came added with my favourite button and shimeji mushrooms.

6 Hours Braised Beef Cheek, Freshly Ground Pepper and Truffle Oil. RM26.00.

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Tanjong Jara Resort (Dungun, Malaysia) – Resort Reviews

After the bumpy and long 5 hours ride in the Volvo XC60, I was grateful to see the signs that says “Tanjong Jara”.

I was so excited that though I saw the signboard, I missed the entrance; and had to make a u-turn! To my defense, the entrance to the resort is pretty well concealed.

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A gong sounded upon our arrival, and we were served a cold drink and handed a cold towel.

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Trust me, a cold towel never felt so good before. Rahayu, the PR personnel welcomed us personally and Peter, the GM swung by with warm greetings.
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What to do in Tanjong Jara Resort, Kuala Terengganu

Well, preferably absolutely NOTHING but if you want to have an idea of what I did when I was there, scroll down! 😀

1. Explore the grounds. The sprawling land & greens soothes both the eyes and soul.

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Tanjong Jara Resort sits on a 17 hectare land so you can imagine the vast space. Just find a spot & make it your corner. No one will fight you for it.

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Tanjong Jara Resort – Dinner with Chef Florent Passard

I first met Chef Florent Passard and Chef Nicolas Le Toumelin at Shook! Starhill Gallery in January 2011. Back then, both could barely converse in English, thus making any effort for a Q & A session difficult.
Now a year plus later, I had the privilege to savour a full course dinner personally prepared by Chef Florent.

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After his short stint at Shook!, Chef Florent (left in the picture above) has returned to Muse Hotel in Saint Tropez briefly before he was transfered to Tanjong Jara Resort, where now he takes charge of the resort’s menu redesign while simultaneously injecting fresh perspective into the dining options here.

Barely 2 months into the job, Chef Florent has been diligently experimenting with the local seafood and produce. My dinner that night showcased some of his “experimental dishes”.

Below: Dinner under the stars, on the soft sand facing the South China Sea and cooled by the gentle evening breeze.

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Mother’s Day – KLM Charity Tulip Sale is on May 12th, 2012!

I asked a few friends recently if they would buy flowers for special occasions and I was most surprised to their responses. A cynic and a total unromantic female, my idea of gifts are limited to cash or diamonds.
I have since expanded the list to include properties and return flights to exotics countries but NEVER had I appreciated FLOWERS.

Fortunately for mankind, people do still queue for flowers on special occasions such as Valentine’s and Mother’s Day.

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Last year, thousands of specially air-flown tulips were snapped up as Malaysians grabbed these unique blooms for their special ones (I’m sure some were for their other halfs and not only mums).

Colourful tulips at last year's sale
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World Gourmet Summit 2012 – Citibank Gastronomic Jam Session

I was thrilled to have met and interviewed the chefs during the opening night, but getting passes to watch them cook and eat their creations was another exhilarating experience all together.

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No, I didn’t get to taste ALL the food, but I was happy that I got to at least sample the steak Ian Curley prepared on stage! 🙂

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Chef Ian Curley is based in Melbourne, Australia and he has 3 kitchens to supervise. The Executive Chef of The European Group, he has these tips for cooking steaks:
1. Start with quality meat. And to obtain the best cuts, get to know your butcher.
2. Always cook your steaks at room temperature. When it’s cold, the meat shrinks.
3. The rest time for steaks is in 50% ratio of the cooking time. If it takes 30mins to cook, then the rest time is 15mins.

And use all parts of the cow. Let not the animal die in vain.
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