WIP Cafe And Restaurant Bangsar Bar Takeover By Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch Whisky - The New Malt Order

Auchentoshan Whisky; a single malt whisky has been around for quite some time and for the next 2 weeks beginning July 21, 2016, you can taste it all at the popular Bangsar drinking place which is WIP Cafe and Restaurant located at G111, Ground Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 285, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

WIP Cafe and Restaurant Bangsar has designated an area to house this bar to offer diners the chance to discover, enjoy and experience the Auchentoshan's ‘The New Malt Order’ range of whisky together with dishes specially curated out by Chef Christopher Yee to enhance your taste buds besides the standard WIP cafe menu.



The trail-blazing food genius will be presenting his creative spin on pairing novel canapes with Auchentoshan, to bring out the delicate flavours of each expression.

Among the whisky that is available is the Auchentoshan 12, Auchentoshan 18, Auchentoshan 21, Auchentoshan Three Wood, and Auchentoshan American Oak.



Besides that, the bar also offers; whisky cocktails which are specially concocted by the Auchentoshan's Brand Ambassador and whisky expert Mr Jamey Merkel

He has crafted out four cocktails which are the Spicy, Nutty, Fruity, and Citrus flavour. “Auchentoshan stands for its artisanal, approachable and alternative take on single malt whisky. This is why they have introduced ‘The New Malt Order’ for you to explore the diverse taste of single malt whisky in an unconventional way.

"During the bar takeover, whisky lovers will be able to create bespoke drinks that they enjoy while still amplifying the key flavours of Auchentoshan and delivering the essence of our whisky to patrons,” said Sally Lim, Marketing Manager, Beam Suntory South East Asia.

Below is the videos collection of the Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky Series for those interested to know more about it. Enjoy the video.

Auchentoshan 12 Years Old. Triple distilled then matured for over twelve years. Lowland Single Malt Whisky has the tempting aroma of toasted almonds, caramelised toffee and the signature smooth, delicate, Auchentoshan taste.

Auchentoshan 18 Years Old Single Malt Whisky. Triple distilled and matured in American bourbon oak for over eighteen years. The result: a refreshing Lowland single malt whisky with the added infusion of ripe citrus and green tea, the warmth of toasted almonds and the signature smooth, delicate, Auchentoshan taste.

Auchentoshan 21 Years Old. Triple distilled and aged perfectly for over twenty-one years in American bourbon and Spanish sherry casks. This creates a refined Lowland Single Malt Whisky, ripe with gooseberries, sweet creamy vanilla, a hint of oak, warm honey, and the signature smooth, delicate, Auchentoshan taste.

American Oak is triple distilled and matured solely in American bourbon casks resulting in a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with the sweet aromas of vanilla and coconut - along with the signature smooth, delicate Auchentoshan taste.

Auchentoshan Three Wood has been matured in three different cask types. Moving from American Bourbon to Spanish Oloroso Sherry - and finally, Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks - Three Wood is a rich, complex whisky with incredible toffee and sherry oak flavours.

BBQ Buffet Putrajaya : Tuscany Italian American Grill Restaurant @ Putrajaya Marriott Hotel IOI Resort - Thank Goodness It's BBQ Fridays TGIBF

For fans of BBQ Buffet; especially those meat eaters out there; you wouldn't want to miss the latest BBQ Buffet by Tuscany Italian American Grill Restaurant @ Putrajaya Marriott Hotel IOI Resort, Selangor - Thank Goodness It's BBQ Fridays ( TGIBF ).

From 15th July 2016, every Friday night you can start off by letting out all the work stress and take on the spread of mouth-watering offering. Famed for its' American-style grill; you can have your taste of the various cut of juicy ribs, tenderloin, steaks, brisket, chicken meat and seafood.

You can relax your tired soul by dining in the quiet indoor restaurant setting which you can enjoy your BBQ dinner with a light serenade of Live soft music perform by the lovely Marcelo's band.

or dine in the beautiful shaded Al Fresco dining area which is nestled in the lush green surrounding while enjoying the soft breeze of the cool nights; taking in the full aroma of your choice picks BBQ that is being cooked ala minute by the Chef at the background while sipping your wines or cocktails.

Diners can expect to be served with some of the popular southern Italian dishes too like the Pizza offering.

while taking on some pasta like Agnolotti Spinach Smoked Salmon, Penne Pasta, Chicken Ravioli, Seafood Tortelloni with a choice of sauce like the Beef Bolognese, Napolitana Sauce, and Carbonara while waiting for your favourite BBQ food that is being cooked by the Chef.

You can also try out the assortment of the cold cuts which includes the likes of the Chicken Meatloaf, Chicken Mushroom, Smoked Chicken Breast, Chicken Peppercorn, Beef Salami, Beef Pastrami and Turkey Ham

Next, you can choose from a selection of Seafood which includes the King Size Tiger Prawns (love this) or the White Squid and/or Butter Fish fillet.

Under the meat selection, you can find a huge chunk of Ribs, Steak Cut, Tenderloin or Briskets.



There is also a selection of meaty sausage or various chicken meat for you to choose from to be grilled under the charcoal flame.

Select your choice of meat and hand over to the Chef which will marinade it with salt and pepper and grill to your choice of whether Rare, Medium or Well Done with your choice of either the Black Pepper Sauce or the Mushroom Sauce.

If those 2; Chef prepared sauce are not your choice; you can also opt for some of the other popular sauces that are made available for you.

To go with the BBQ, you can also choose your selection of green salad with your choice of salad dressing which includes Thousand Island, Olive oil with Herbs, Honey Mustard for you to choose from.

while for the cheese lovers, there are selections of cheese that are laid out temptingly for you to savour in.

The side dishes available for your BBQ includes the Brocolli, Corn-on-Cob or made your own 

bacon and sour cream jacket potatoes.

If you just want to indulge in while waiting for your BBQ, you can try out the Chef special which is the Oven Roasted Beef Brisket. For those that prefer the beef meat to be well done, this will be a nice choice.

Finally to wash down all that juicy meat and succulent seafood, local fruits such as the cooling watermelon will be an ideal choice, but you can also have the papaya, honeydew, pineapples, grapes and other fruits which is equally good to tone down your taste-bud.

For the sweet-tooth, there is a variety of pies to end your meals with which includes the Blueberry Crumble Pie, Walnut Pie, Apple Pie, Linzer Pie and Strawberry Pie.

Get together with your family and friends on Friday evenings for BBQ at Tuscany where you be pampered with the sights, sounds and smells of the freshly BBQ and fine Italian cuisines.

Pricing for the Thank Goodness It's BBQ Fridays Marriott Putrajaya Buffet - TGIBF  BBQ Buffet is 

RM110 Nett Per Adult

RM67 Nett Per Child

Includes a Glass of House Wine or Mocktail

Additional Wine/Mocktail at RM40.00 Nett per Carafe (serves up to 4)

Please call Tuscany Italian American Grill Restaurant Marriott Putrajaya contact no at 03-8949 8888 for reservation.

Rendez-Vous Bangsar French Restaurant - A Wine Pairing Dinner With Traditional French Cuisine - Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

French people are well known for their dining antics and so in every dinner meals, it is not only about ambience, plating, food but also the right wine pairing for the dishes. At Rendez-Vous French Restaurant located at 100, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar Park, 59000 Kuala Lumpur; is where you can find great traditional French food cooked by artistry French Chef with a wine selection for each dish.

Recently, we were invited to taste out a new menu offering from Chef Benjamin which hails from Toulouse, France. Besides serving the popular other French dishes that we had in our earlier review (pls click Here); he is offering some newly crafted French cuisine in its original taste for us to savour.

As usual, in the full French tradition, we had our pre-dinner drink which is the popular Kir Classique (a white wine with Creme de Cassis (is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants) - RM34.00). Kir is a French refreshing cocktails which are mix with fruit liquor and topped with white wine.

Next, is, of course, the Amuse Bouche, a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. Amuse-Bouches are different from appetisers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but are served gratis and according to the chef's selection alone. For the night, the chef served us the Scambled eggs topped with Caviar. With the bland taste of the Eggs and slightly salty flavours of the caviar, it blended well with the cool fruity Kir.

For starters, we had the "Ouef Parfait Et Gnocchi" (RM22.00)- Gnocchi is a popular dish in France, it is made from a combination of mash potatoes, flour and eggs. For this dish, the chef served the Parisian style Gnocchi; with the Fried, Choux strip rolls pastry that gives it a crunchy feel and topped with a half boiled eggs served in a clay pot with cheese and bechamel sauce.

For this dish, the recommended wine is the Chardonnay.

Next, we had the "Thon Confit" (RM25.00) which is Candied Tuna (slow cooked together with Olive oil and Tarragon leaves) served with cauliflower puree, with a refreshing sides of chop green apples and cabbage sprinkled with rouille sauce.

The recommended wine pairing is the Sauvignon Blanc

After that it was time for the main course, the first main course dish is the "Filet De Loup De Mer" (RM58.00) - a fish based dish which is made out from of a pan fried Seabass Fillet which has a nice crisp skin served on a bed of carrot puree with a tangy citrus vinaigrette sauce that married perfectly to the fish meat. It is then topped with the flavorful and savoury Avruga Caviar. 

For this dish, the recommended wine to be paired is the Pinot Grigio (dry, semi-sweet white wine)

Our last main dish is the "Poitrine De Porc Fondante" (RM49.00). The pork belly is slow cooked for 2 days and pan fried to a light crisp on the outside which has its' meat and pork belly fats literally melting in the mouth. A simply delightful feel that satisfy our craving. It is served with Crispy "Gribiche" style Pork feet. We were taken aback that they was no sign of any pork feet/knuckles in the dish; As it turns out the chef has cooked the pork feet and has its' meat chopped to small pieces and together with Gherkin pickle, capers, onions, parsley, boiled eggs and Dijon Mustard rolled in a spring roll and deep fried. 

Beside the Gribiche there is another roll which is the Mushroom Cannelloni, which has chopped chicken meat and mushroom stuff in a pasta roll. The sauce of the dish is the meat juice which was slow cooked with the pork belly and added with fried bacon chip.

The wine to be paired for this dish is the Baron Monbarduc (a fine, soft and fruity wine)

We had 2 dessert to end our lovely dinner; the first of which is the "Tarte Au Citron Meringue". Sitting at the bottom is the home-made biscuit like lemon tart which is topped with lemon flavoured cream and the soft crusty meringue. Decorated with freshly slice apples to give it a crunch and a home-made lime sorbet that add to a refresh feel to this dessert.

For those that would like to savour this dessert with a sparkling wine, a Prosecco; a sparkling wine made in Italy; now you cannot call a Champagne unless it is from this region (as the saying goes all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne) - would be an ideal choice for this dessert.

Our last dessert is the Paris Brest (RM20.00); an in-house made Choux pastry which has a slight crust and an inside soft texture which is then sandwiched with a hazelnut custard. My dinner partner loves the flaky pastry crust with the right balance of buttery taste.

It was our pleasure to have a nice French cuisine in which we discover the Chef great efforts and skill to showcase these delicious dishes at Rendez-Vous French Restaurant. We look forward to taste more enchanting dishes in the near future.

"Bon Appetit"

Maria's Steak Cafe Restaurant Bangsar - A Hidden Gems For Steak Lovers

There are a number of steakhouses in Kuala Lumpur, but to find one that serves top quality steak at a fairly reasonable price is few and rare . Recently, +BestRestaurantToEat was invited to taste out the Australian Wagyu Steak at Maria's Steak Cafe Restaurant located at 58, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Kuala Lumpur which is a walking distant from the Bangsar Village Shopping Centre. There are also 2 other outlets one which is in Ipoh and Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.

Maria's Steak Cafe a western steakhouse has its roots from Ipoh which was started more than 15 years ago. The owners' has a strong conviction to serve only the best and freshest quality meat to its clients; this was perfected thru the extensive experience in managing chilled cuts which are kept in controlled conditions to preserve its natural freshness and succulence.

Our Dinner Course at Maria's Steak Cafe

The restaurant is perfect for all occasions, it is a favourite casual family oriented restaurant, but the restaurant’s intimate, relaxed, elegant interior design and atmosphere make it a great place for a date nights too.

To start off our evening of fine dining pleasure, we were served the NZ Spicy Mussels which is a sharing platter for me and my partner. The sauce is a vegetable siciliana tomato based with fine chilli flakes that blend a hint of sourish and slightly spicy taste. It went well with the firm texture of the air flown New Zealand Green mussels which have a firm meat texture and does not bode any fishy taste. 

For the soup, I had the Oxtail Soup which was boiled for more than 7 hours with a vegetable broth; to extract the full flavours of the oxtails. While the meat texture of the oxtail was fork tender, the aroma of the warm hearty soup was very savoury and pleasant. 

My partner had the Wild Mushroom soup which uses a combination of Shitake and Button mushroom which was thickened with a hint of white cream. What we like about this soup was the chef has added in little small chunks of cut mushroom that add a texture that gives some bite to the soup.

Next; Our main course which is the star of the night is the Australian Wagyu 7 which is Maria's signature and best selling steak. We were a little curious as to why there is a number like 5 and 7 as in the standard menu; it turns out that this is the marble grading of Wagyu. The higher the number the more marbling there is and naturally the cost as well. 

At Maria's Steak Cafe; you get to savour this top quality steak cut which was cooked using a simple marinade of salt, black pepper and red wine to bring out; the best natural flavours of the beef by grilling it to (Medium Rare) which were lightly charred on the outside and deep pink on the inside, making each and every bite of tender, juicy, tasting steak. 

To truly enjoy this AustralianWagyu 7 Rib-Eye steak cuts, it would be a good idea to chew the steak a little longer, so that it gets contact with more of your taste buds. According to the owner of the Maria Steak Cafe, this steak does not come with any sauce as serving it naked; is the best way to truly enjoy the real original taste of this succulent meat cut.

For my partner, her main course was the Canadian Seabass (also known as White Cod Fish). This is a welcome treat for non-meat eater; as the Cod Fish was Pan Fried and served with a specially Sake infused citrusy tangy sauce that was superbly paired with the soft firm, moist texture white fleshed fish. It is topped with Bonito Flakes which was still twirling and dancing when the dish was set on the table.

For desserts; we had the Moist Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream. The cake which was made from seriously rich chocolate; is served warm and was brought to the best with a pairing of the cold smooth vanilla ice cream that tickles your sweet-tooth.

For my partner, she had the Carrot Walnut Cake Topped with Cream Cheese. These freshly home-made cake; was a real delight and sugary treats to end our lovely meals at Maria's Steak Cafe Bangsar.

Deck on the walls of the restaurant are some of the wines collection that you can order with your favourite meal; there is a wine pairing suggestion for most of the mains if you have trouble pairing it. Maria's Steak Cafe Bangsar is really an ideal restaurant to wine and dine in the bustling Bangsar. As mention earlier, there is also two other outlet that you can savour these delicious dishes of which the address are listed below.

For our fans and readers of BestRestaurantToEat, you will get a receive a 10% off of your total bill whenever you dine at Maria’s SteakCafe - valid until end of July 2016 by mentioning “BestRestaurantToEat”

Damansara outlet: 

Address: Centre Wing, Level 3, Metropolitan Square, No. 2, Jalan PJU 8/1, Damansara Perdana, 47820 PJ  Telephone Number: 03-7725 2313

Ipoh outlet: 

Address: Persiaran Greentown 1, Greentown Business Centre, 30450 Ipoh, Perak 

Number: 05-2424133