Few weeks back I was privileged enough to be present at a 1 night only, exclusive 7-course haute dinner paired with a trio of acclaimed La Motte wines, guided by an Oenophilist (wine expert).
The dinner showcased 3 chosen wines from the La Motte vineyard; the La Motte Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc, La Motte Chardonnay 2008 & La Motte Millennium 2005.
Atrium Cafe at Pyramid Tower Hotel - part of the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa development celebrates Mother's Day with a serenading touch. Yes! It's Rod Stewart!! Rob Caudill all the…
Few Saturdays back I baked 3 pies!
Left to right: Apple Pie, Shepherd Pie & Chicken Pie.
Yup, it certainly wasn’t my usual Saturday routine; slaving over a hot stove. Not that I mind cooking or baking; oh no, not at all. I do wish I could do it more often (I’m sure most of us are Jamie Oliver/Nigella Lawson wannabes inside) but washing up – now that’s another story.
Greasy pots & pans and stack of plates in the sink?? Urghh.
Well, the best part about cooking/baking at a cooking school is that you get to do so in an air-conditioned environment & you don’t have to wash up. 😉
The Food Studio at Amarin Kiara, who hosted our culinary session that day is spacious, comfortable & fully equipped with all the kitchen equipment you may need to whip up food & refreshments for up to a party of 100 pax.
Fridge, ovens, stoves, individual stoves – induction or gas powered, cooking utensils… you name it, The Food Studio most likely has it!
For culinary classes, each individual are provided a set of cooking utensils that’s relevant to the class programme that day.
I have not blogged about middle eastern food as much as I would have liked. Then again, I have not eaten middle eastern food as much as I would have preferred too.
It’s not that I do not like middle eastern cuisine; no no. On the contrary, I’m extremely fond of it, be it Greek or Turkish or Lebanese, (though I can barely tell them apart!), as warm pita pockets, creamy tahini spreads and flavourful lamb (the middle eastern methods of lamb preparations are so yummy!) are some of my favourite dishes.
Tahini spread with warm pita pockets always starts off my middle eastern experience nicely.
My problem with Middles Eastern cuisine in KL lies in the portioning & the price factor. Both seem to go hand in hand; where both are big in size & cost and hence not very small – group dining friendly.
Most fortunately, I’ve found the solution to my woes for now. I’m loving Al Amar Express, the hip and comtemporary Middle Eastern restaurant that offers casual Mid Eastern dining with prices that are more accesible to all budgets.
A branch off the succesful full-dining restaurant Al Amar on the 6th floor of Pavilion Shopping Mall, Al Amar Express offers a menu that are one-diner sized, with a repertoire of Lebanese wraps, healthy sandwiches, chawarmas, salads & Manakeesh (Lebanese Pizzas) and authentic bite sized Lebanese pastries to choose from.
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I have been Sarawak-fied lately. Barely 2 weeks after I came back from Bintulu & Kuching, where I had the most authentically possible prepared Sarawak cuisine in longhouses & cultural villages, I was extended an invitation to the Sarawak Cuisine promotion at Paya Serai PJ Hilton.
Now, I’ve had the buffet here before & thought it was pretty decent.
For the Sarawak Cuisine promo, it is a combination of the usual buffet spread but with an added area for the the Sarawakian delicacies.
It’s hard not to break out into a grin when you are greeted with the sight of a whole lamb roasting in any buffet.
Sweetening the deal was a whole platter of oysters, freshly shucked and briny. Though I didn’t manage to snap a picture, the salad/seafood station was lined to the brim with fresh mussels, prawns & flower crabs.
UPDATE: Chinese New Year 2011 at Zuan Yuan! Loved the Braised Diced Sea Treasure, Dried Oyster and Sea Moss in Golden Bag – (post HERE).
I was surprised to see the human traffic at One World Hotel on a weekday. Due to its close proximity to the popular 1 – Utama Shopping Centre, & partly due to the convenience of a walk-through passage to the shopping mall via the hotel & vice versa, the hotel was pretty crowded with office workers when I was there for lunch recently. And I was told this is the norm.
My lunch with Florence was at Zuan Yuan, One World’s innovative Cantonese restaurant. As I strolled in, I noticed businessmen in suits; deep in conversation & groups of office workers in private rooms sharing a few Cantonese dishes together.
Bamboo baskets of dim sum littered some tables, as Zuan Yuan offers halal dim sum during lunch.
Not bad, I thought to myself. A good place for a business meeting, over some good food, and it is discreet enough. Classy place too, for bringing clients & not having to worry about looking like a cheapskate. LOL.
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Starbucks has got new food options on its menu! :yahoo:
I’m not fond of chain- cafes food; but most unfortunately, more often than not, (*frown*) I find myself in Starbucks for business meetings too many times a week for my liking.
Yet we can’t deny that Starbucks is an ideal meeting point. Easily recognisable, available everywhere & most importantly, there is FREE WIFI provided for convenient browsing.
Coincidentally, the Christmas season is upon us, and hence the Christmas Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha made their appearances again. Overall feedback on the Toffee Nut Latte was “too sweet” while the the Peppermint Mocha was highly recommended from those who have tried it. Myself sipped the Mango Passion for the 1st time & immediately got hooked as it was not too sweet or sour. Very refreshing & easy to drink.
