GOA BY HUBBA - Spices Of Indian Cuisine at Goa By Hubba

GOA BY HUBBA has recently moved to the prestigious Ascott Kuala Lumpur located at 9, Jalan Pinang Kuala Lumpur, in the heart of the Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle.

The specialities of GOA BY HUBBA is their elaborate Indian Cuisine. This time around, to celebrate the spices of Indian cuisine, the menu at GOA BY HUBBA now features New Indian Cuisine by Celebrity Chef Sapna Anand, herself born and bred in Goa.

GOA, is one of the smallest Indian states on the west coast, it has remained the dream destination for travellers all around the world. Pristine beaches, a unique cultural mix coupled with warm hospitality, upscale accommodation and deliciously different food keep national and international tourists returning for decades.

Not resting on its laurels, Sapna and the GOA team have been rustling up new dishes to inject freshness into their menu. With her many months away recently, and this time to India's tropical Malabar Coast, Kerala, Sapna has brought home some very interesting flavours. These new dishes were showcased in an exclusive tasting session titled with An Evening with Sapna.

Almost a year since it’s inception, GOA BY HUBBA has garnered avid admirers that are drawn to its signature dishes. Among the many are the Kashmiri Lamb Chop which is a fresh cut lamb rack grilled with a blend of homemade spices, served with a mint chutney that was served to us.

Starting off the evening was the wafer thin Papadam With Moong Dhal Salsa. 

Next on is a marriage setup of the Vegetarian Mantao which was a creation using the popular Chinese Man Tao which is then stuffed with spiced cauliflower, pepper, caramelised onion & coriander.

We then had the Butter Chicken With Cranberry Rice. The chicken thigh meat is lightly grilled and served in a mild butter sauce with cranberry rice at the sides.

Our next dish is the Garlic Butter Prawn With Fried Mantao. The Freshwater prawns are halved and then grilled to have a slight char taste. It is then cooked in a garlic butter sauce, which makes it a rich and creamy dish.



The sauce perfectly matched with the fried mantao which has a nice crisp on the outside and soft texture on the inside to soak up all the butter sauce.

Five new dishes synonymous with Keralan fare were presented with flair. The hero was the homemade Appams which served as the base to be enjoyed with the following new dishes.

The first is the Beef Pepper Fry which has bite-sized chunks of beef laden with spices and pepper is a real start with the Appam.

Next to follow is the vegetable dish which is Vegetable Ishtew; the vegetables are cooked in coconut milk; is a simple yet very flavourful dish.

While the Fish Mango Curry dish which uses fresh red snapper was subtly tart as it uses young raw mango which left a flavour mango sourish taste to the palate. Instead of using fish, you can opt for Tiger prawns instead of the red snapper for this delightful curry.

The melt in your mouth Malabar Bone Marrow Mutton Curry was literally to die for, rich, spicy yet mellow.  The mutton is cooked until soft and tender.

The dinner ended on a sweet note with a Caramelised Ice Cream with Sweet Appam which hit the right note. Sweet APPAM Brown sugar & condensed milk, drizzle with caramel and infused with brandy was the perfect end to our lovely dinner.

“My food is simple and is what I would cook for my family. I am so happy to be able to share it with you tonight. The hero of tonight’s food are the spices, the cooking style and its combinations which we have tasted tonight are the secrets to sublime Indian cooking.” as explained by Chef Sapna.

What's more when these delectable dishes are complemented by Goan Inspired Cocktails that amuses the palate with exotic spices. The dinner also featured Bombay Sapphire Gin in the guise of Indian Inspired Cocktails like the Masala Mantra,

Kinky Kokum,

Spiked Mango Lassi

and Pandara Martini.

For your information; these new dishes will be launched on 20 Aug for all to enjoy! So it’s time to make that beeline to Goa By Hubba to taste this delicious fare.

Goa By Hubba Address Location Map

Celebrate Deepavali 2016 with Fernleaf - Classic Payasam Recipe With A Twist

In conjunction with Deepavali Festival also known as the Diwali which will be celebrated on the 30th of October 2016, Fernleaf, a brand that has become a household name in Malaysia celebrates the Festival of Lights by recreating the Payasam, an auspicious and delicious Indian dessert rich in milk.

Chef Annette Isaac

For an exciting twist to a traditional favourite, Fernleaf engaged Chef Annette Isaac, who is part Indian and part Eurasian heritage, to create three wonderful ways to enjoy Payasam – the classic Fernleaf Payasam, Fernleaf Payasam Pudding and Fernleaf Payasam Ice Cream. The delicious desserts were given an unexpected Malaysian twist with the addition of Gula Melaka, a type of local palm sugar for added depth in flavours.

Martin Soong Marketing Manager Fernleaf with Chef Annette Isaac

Speaking at the recipe demonstration, Mr Martin Soong, Marketing Manager of Fernleaf at Fonterra Brands Malaysia explained that Fernleaf, a popular brand amongst Malaysians, wanted to celebrate Deepavali with its consumers by sharing the delightful recipe ideas. 

Fernleaf Classic Payasam

“Deepavali which is around the corner is an auspicious time to share laughter, blessings and good food with friends and family. For those who enjoy traditional desserts but are mindful of what they eat, we’ve created ideas that are not only a fun twist to the ordinary, but also healthier with the added nutrition of pure and natural dairy from New Zealand,” said Mr Soong. 

Fernleaf Payasam Pudding

He added that using Fernleaf Full Cream Milk and Gula Melaka to this recipe for Payasam gives it a richer depth and flavour compared to the classic recipe, and enjoying it in different ways such as in a jelly pudding and an ice cream adds more fun to the festivities. 

Fernleaf Payasam Ice-Cream

Fernleaf’s Deepavali Cooking Demonstration was held to inspire consumers to rediscover the joys of enjoying Payasam and to find out how versatile and nutritious dairy can be as part of a daily diet.

Fernleaf will be sharing the delightful recipes through their TV, print and radio advertisements. Consumers will also have a chance to try the delicious Payasam desserts for themselves and get recipe cards at Fernleaf’s Deepavali On-ground Activities.

Payasam Recipe by Fernleaf

Fernleaf, made by New Zealand dairy giants Fonterra is the No.1 best selling full cream milk powder brand in Malaysia. It is also popularly known as the iconic Anchor brand in the rest of the world. Fernleaf has been in Malaysia for 30 years and is loved by consumers for its rich and creamy taste. Its popularity keeps growing as Malaysians become more discerning of their choices and look for pure dairy goodness from grass-fed cows.

Fernleaf’s Deepavali On-Ground Activities/Events

Date / Time	Venue
15 October 2016 - 4.30 pm	Little India, Jalan Leboh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur – In front Bank Simpanan Nasional
21 & 22 October 2016 - 5.30 pm	Stadium Shah Alam – Near the main stage
26 & 27 October 2016 - 5.30 pm	Little India, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur – Opposite Lotus Hotel next to the Water Fountain Structure

Fernleaf Payasam Recipe 

Payasam Recipe

+BestRestaurant ToEat wishes all our readers a Happy Deepavali. 

Malaysian Food: Iconic and Signature Malaysian Dish From All Over Malaysia

Eating Malaysia: Travel around the country of Malaysia in search of the iconic and signature dishes all over Malaysia, as we celebrate the delicious diversity that has united us as people of Malaysia and put us on the world map.

Source: Star Special Malaysia Day

The following are some of the top Must Eat dishes as compiled by Star Special Malaysia Day edition from each of the State of Malaysia. To read the details write-up and where to eat these specialty dishes; please click on the link for each of the state.

PERLIS

Must Eat Perlis Specialty & Signature Dishes: Ikan Bakar, Pekasam, Laksa Kuala Perlis, Pulut Mempelam

KEDAH

Must Eat Kedah Specialty & Signature Dishes: Laksa Kedah, Gulai Nangka, Dodol, Bahulu

PENANG

Must Eat Penang Specialty & Signature Dishes: Nasi Kandar, Char Kway Teow, Assam Laksa, Mee Goreng

PERAK

Must Eat Perak Specialty & Signature Dishes: Hor Fun, Rendang Tok, Chicken and Bean Sprouts, Ipoh White Coffee.

SELANGOR

Must Eat Selangor Specialty & Signature Dishes:  Satay, Mamak Rojak, Bak Kut Teh, Yong Tau Foo

WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN

Must Eat Wilayah Persekutuan Specialty & Signature Dishes: Hokkien Mee, Pan Mee, Banana Leaf Rice

NEGERI SEMBILAN

Must Eat Negeri Sembilan Specialty & Signature Dishes: Kuala Pilah Rendang, Rembau Rendang, Masak Lemak Cili Api, Daging Salai, Serembab Siew Pau.

MELAKA

Must Eat Melaka Specialty & Signature Dishes: Debal Curry (aka Devil Curry), Ayam Pongteh, Satay Celup, Chicken Rice Balls.

JOHOR

Must Eat Johor Specialty & Signature Dishes: Laksa Johor, Otak-Otak, Pajeri Nenas, Ayam Pedas.

PAHANG

Must Eat Pahang Specialty & Signature Dishes: Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak, Laksa Kuah Putih, Ikan Bakar Petai, Jala Mas Puding DiRaja.

  

TERENGGANU

Must Eat Terengganu Specialty & Signature Dishes: Nasi Dagang, Keropok Lekor, Solok Lada, Sata

  

KELANTAN

Must Eat Kelantan Specialty & Signature Dishes: Nasi Kerabu, Laksam, Ayam Percik, Ketupat Sotong

SABAH

Must Eat Sabah Specialty & Signature Dishes; Pinasakan, Mee Tuaran, Ngiu Chap, Hinava

  

SARAWAK

Must Eat Sarawak Specialty & Signature Dishes: Sarawak Laksa, Umai, Manuk Pansuh, Kolo Mee

There you have it, for all you Malaysian Foodies, hope you can try all of these. You can comment on how many you have tried and which is your best signature and specialty dishes from all over Malaysia. 

Happy Food Hunting and Happy Malaysia Day.

Petaling Jaya Food: Malgudi Indian Restaurant - A perfect marriage of tasty North and South Indian Cuisine

When it comes to Indian food in Malaysia, the first thing that comes to mind will be banana leaf rice serving an array of dishes with side dishes of vegetables. But this time around, +BestRestaurant ToEat was privilege to try out some of the classic and tasty combination of North and South Indian dishes at MALGUDI Indian Restaurant Lot 17, Lorong Universiti C, Section 16 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor recently.

Upon entering the MALGUDI Indian Restaurant, you will be greeted with a family friendly Indian theme dining experience that has it's wall deck with Indian decal and paintings.

Our review started off with a soup which is Rasam; usually Indian restaurant will serve the common sourish rasam (tomato, tamarind, and lentil soup), but at Malgudi, they offer a number of varieties that you can choose from; but for us we had the Nandu Rasam which is the Crab Rasam (RM 7.00). Unlike the common ones, this Rasam only had a slight hint of the sourish taste while having a very strong flavour of the crab and was served piping hot.

Next, we had the the Vegetarian Combo Chips (RM12.00). This is a combination dish of 3 different vegetables which are coated with spices and  fried; our combo platter came with Fried Onion, Fried Bitter Gourd and Fried Cauliflower. We are quite fond of the bitter gourd (does not have that strong bitter taste) as it was very thinly sliced and fried till it has a crisp and crunchy feel.

The first main dish that we had was the Kanava 65 ~ Squid (RM 14.00). This is the white squid which has been coated; fried with curry leaves and served with a bed of fresh cut onions. The squid has that crunch, chewy taste and with a slight squeeze of the lime juice was just the right fit for this dish.

The second is the Chicken Lollypop (RM 15.00). This dish shares similarity to the boxing chicken in which; the meat are slightly deboned and fried. The main difference, the drummet and winglet are then cooked in a special sauce. This chicken wings are served with a wrapped aluminium foils for ease to hold the chicken wing when you eat it.

The next dish is the Fish Pepper Fry (RM 20.00). The fish which is mackerel is firstly deep fried and then sauteed with pepper. The fish has a flaky texture which was cooked with spicy and savory sauce of tomatoes, onions and garnished with chopped scallions; this dish is best eaten with white rice.

This is then followed by the Panner Butter Masala (RM 12.00) This is a fried cottage cheese (in-house made) which is cooked in a spicy masala butter sauce. The cottage cheese has a chewy texture and buttery taste.

Next, we had the Tandoori Platter (RM 30.00) (Small). A combination tandoori platter that consists of Tangri kebab (chicken drumstick), Chicken Kebab, Fish Kebab and Prawn Kebab. Here we can really taste the perfectly grilled chicken drumstick which has a strong spice taste which we like and coupled with the mint sauce and a squeeze of lime juice was perfect. We also like the Fish Kebab which has a nice spicy masala taste which was well marinated and grilled to the right timing. The Tandoori dish is best eaten with the Plain Naan.

At Malgudi Indian Restaurant, they also serves a varieties of Naan bread to accompany all the delicious fare, starting with Plain Naan (RM4.00) Garlic Naan (RM5.00), Butter Naan (RM4.00), Masala Kulcha (RM4.00), Tandoori Roti (RM3.00).

Mutton Rogan Josh (RM 18.00) is one of the most synonymous and delicious mutton curry recipe of the Kashmir, a popular and well known Northern Indian dish. The perfect balance of the usage of the spices together with the Chef multiple years of cooking skills at Malgudi; blended out this dish. The meat does not have any gamy mutton taste and it has a nice texture (not too chewy and not too soft) - just the right timing for a tasty dish and best eaten for me - White rice.

Our last dish is the special Chicken Briyani (RM 16.00). Normally we would have expected the Briyani rice to be served at Malay or Mamak Restaurant but to have it served at any Indian Restaurant was something new to me; anyway when the dish arrive in that little special cookware and topped with the hard boiled egg; it was very eye pleasing. The rice that was used was the Basmati long grain. As for the taste, it was superb although by now our stomach is almost filled to the brim. It was so good that we relish this dish to the last grain.

Today; we had a great gastronomic journey of Indian cuisine at Malgudi Indian Restaurant; if you are a fan of Indian Cuisine whether North or South; you might want to check it out.

Raj's Banana Leaf Rice Restaurant @Bangsar Baru Kuala Lumpur - No MSG Banana Leaf Rice Feast

As I was in Bangsar with my makan kaki gang and it was quite sometime ago that we last eaten Banana Leaf Rice, so we decided to try out a friend recommendation on a NO MSG Banana Leaf Rice at Raj's Banana Leaf Rice Restaurant located at 38G, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.

At Raj's Banana Leaf @Bangsar Baru, I saw a big notice that says NO MSG; so decided to try it out. At Raj Banana Leaf Restaurant; all its chef are from India and are specially trained to cook these authentic South Indian dishes.

As it is located at a corner shop, it offers a well lit and a clean environment to dine in, unlike some of the restaurant which are stuffy, dirty and feel claustrophobic.

As with any Banana Leaf Restaurant, there are the curries and the fried delicacies to choose from. These fried item are fried upon an order being made.

You can also personally select the kind of meat and seafood that you like from the chillers to be handed to the chief grilling chef.

For us, we choose a variety of seafood for our fried selection starting with the Fried Flower Crab (RM15.00). The crab is marinated in a special curry powder paste before being sent to the hot wok for frying. 

Next is the Giant Tiger Prawns (RM24.00 per 100g). As with the crab, the tiger prawn are also subjected to the same curry powder marinade.

Followed by the Fried Chicken (RM6.50 per piece). We like the texture of the chicken as the meat was still moist after the frying. At this restaurant the skin of the chicken have been taken out; so for those that dislike having Fried chicken skin will rejoice this Fried chicken.

We have also chosen a couple of fish to taste out, the first of which was the Senangin - Threadfin (RM 7.50 per 100g).

followed by the Tenggiri (RM6.50 per piece) and the Fried Fish Egg (RM 5.00 per 100g).

another fish was the Ikan Bulus - Silver Whiting Fish (RM7.50 per 100g).

and the last fish was the Ikan Bawal - White Pomfret (RM7.50 per 100g).

The last seafood that we selected was the Fried Squid With Onion (RM9.50 per 100g). Nice bouncy texture.

Next, we moved on to taste the curries; the first of which is the Mutton Varuval (RM10.00).

followed by the Mysore Mutton (RM11.00). For those that cannot to take too spicy curries, then Raj's will be just nice for you as most of the curries are less spicy.

and the other 2 dishes are the Chicken Peratel (RM8.00).

and Chicken Masala (RM8.00).

Besides Banana Leaf, it also serves Roti Canai and Thosai all day; together with some snack food and kuih for tea time. We tasted a couple of these roti canai starting with the plain one (RM1.50).

followed by the Roti Banana (RM3.10). One of the thing I like about the Raj Banana Leaf Restaurant is that these Roti Canai and Thosai are served on Banana Leaf.

the Roti Tissue (RM3.00).

and then the Thosai which we had was the Thosai Ghee Paper (RM3.00).

and the last one is the Rava Thosai (RM2.50).

For those that might not want to travel all the way to Bangsar to try the No MSG Banana Leaf Rice; you can go to the other 2 outlet of Raj's Banana Leaf; one in Publika and the other one which was just opened in Jalan Gasing (a few doors away from Raju Banana Leaf).