Monday, December 26, 2016

2017 Year of Rooster Chinese New Year Set Menu and Sau Gong at Summer Palace Chinese Restaurant Putrajaya Marriott Hotel



To celebrate 2017 Year of Rooster Chinese New Year; Master Chef Yip of Summer Palace Chinese Restaurant at Putrajaya Marriott Hotel at IOI Resort City in Sepang has curated 3 special Chinese New Year menu package and also the year-end "Sau Gong' menus to wrap up the year's good fortune and toss towards a fruitful New Year 2017.


Summer Palace Chinese Restaurant Putrajaya Marriott Hotel Address
IOI Resort City 
62502 Sepang Utara
Selangor


Summer Palace is a Halal Certified Chinese Restaurant that serves top quality Dim Sum and Chinese food in Putrajaya.


It is our first time tasting Master Chef Yip at this food-tasting session for his Chinese New Year and 'Sau Gong' set menu at Summer Palace At Putrajaya Marriott Hotel as he has prepared selected dishes from the 3 menu offering; starting with the Prosperity Salmon 'Yee Sang'. Chef Yip has added his personal touch of using the flavourful Smoked Norwegian Salmon with Crispy Cod Fish Skin for an added crunch.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Italian Restaurant Kuala Lumpur Via Pre KUL Bukit Damansara Affordable Authentic Italian Cuisine



Fans of Italian Cuisine, you can take note, that there is a new Italian Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur Via Pre KUL located in the quiet neighbourhood of Bukit Damansara.


Via Pre KUL Address
25, Lorong Setiabistari 2
Bukit Damansara
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Via Pre which stands for Jalan Pre in Italian is the name of a road in Genova Italy. Their Penang Restaurant Via Pre Penang has been operating for more than 3 years now.


The owner has decided to start the KL branch to serves affordable and authentic Italian cuisines to folks in Kuala Lumpur. By the way, Via Pre KUL is a pork free restaurant.


Its root can be traced to the co-founder of the popular Italian Restaurant which is Neroteca. All the menus are scrutinized by him to ensure that you will be able to enjoy an authentic Italian taste.


To ensure the authenticity of the dishes, almost all the ingredients used in the restaurant are imported especially from Italy, up to the flour that is used to bake the bread while the pizza flour which hails from Napoli are fully imported and freshly made on a daily basis.


Our review started with a starter which is Bresaola (RM29.00). The Air dry beef loin which has a slight salty taste is used to wrapped the fresh mozzarella cheese and then served with button mushroom pikes, with a light touch of Evo oil and fine balsamic dressing making the right blend of texture and taste to this appetizer.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Nyonya Food Melaka The Tranquerah Damansara GLO Kuala Lumpur



The Tranquerah located at Damansara GLO Kuala Lumpur is imbued with an old world atmosphere, which makes for an enchanting and authentic Nyonya Food Melaka dining experience. The focus in The Tranquerah which was awarded by Malaysia Tatler Dining - Best Top 5 Nyonya Restaurant in KL & PJ 2015 and it is renowned as one of the restaurants to go for its Nyonya delicacies.


The Tranquerah Damansara GLO Kuala Lumpur Address
LG09, Lower Ground Floor, GLO Damansara, 
No 699, Jalan Damansara
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


There is a huge difference between the different Peranakan Dishes that are available, you can check out the details on Wikipedia but the 2 most popular are the Nyonya Melaka and Nyonya Penang that are often mistaken as the same by many. The Nyonya Penang has a sourish tone like the popular Assam Laksa, while the Nyonya Melaka has a richer flavour like the Buah Keluak dishes and the Ayam Pongteh.


The menu at The Tranquerah is specially curated by the Nyonya celebrity chef, Florence Tan, which serves authentic Malacca Nyonya Cuisine. A few of their signature dishes are Ayam Buah Keluak, Ayam Pongteh, Gerang Asam Fish, Udang Masak Lemak Nenas, Tamarind Prawns, ltik Tim soup and Pai Tee.



One of the most popular delicacies in the Nyonya Melaka dishes is the Buah Keluak. Little is known about this ingredient as one of the delicious ingredients. We were told that this Buah Keluak (Pangium Edule) is poisonous and needed to be treated in the right way to enjoy this delicious offering.



Buah Keluak is a rather mysterious fruit. The whole plant is poisonous, and yet the seeds are painstakingly prepared and eaten as a Nyonya delicacy. The fresh fruit and seeds contain hydrogen cyanide and are deadly poisonous if consumed without prior preparation. The seeds are first boiled and then buried in ash, banana leaves and earth for forty days. The method relies on the fact that the hydrogen cyanide released by the boiling and fermentation is water-soluble and easily washed out. Check this out on Wikipedia.


So naturally our first dish that we reviewed is the Keluak Pasta (soon to be introduced in the standard menu). From the look of it, our first thought was a black pepper pasta, but once it reaches our mouth, you can taste the Buah Keluak which has a slightly bitter nutty taste that’s almost reminiscent of a good single origin dark chocolate with an added spiciness from the use of some black pepper to prep it out a little. A great taste to start our review.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Penang Holiday Macalister Mansion Penang Day 2 And Day 3


Continuing on our Penang holiday, we took a short drive and soon arrived at the Majestic Macalister Mansion Penang for our second night Penang Holiday to enjoy more Penang Food.


Macalister Mansion Address: 
228 Macalister Road,
10400 George Town, Penang


It was like we are in the midst to turning back time with the Victorian style mansion that will be hosting us for our night stay.


A stunner in so many ways, this concept venue with a keen focus on dashing design is set inside a refurbished 1900s colonial-style mansion, with a facade of white Greek revival pillars, intricate trellises and a giant bust of Sir Macalister.


Macalister Mansion – a five-star boutique hotel, with an illustrious fine-dining restaurant, cafe, a cozy wine lounge and cigar den which shout out the best money can buy – is a subtle tribute to Penang’s rich colonial past.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Afternoon Tea Living Room Macalister Mansion Penang


Living Room Macalister Mansion is a perfect place to have Afternoon Tea especially for ladies that likes to take a nice picture as the decor in this All Day Dining Restaurant at Macalister Mansion will transform one to the Victorian style Afternoon tea setting.


Living Room @Macalister Mansion Address
228 Macalister Road,
10400 George Town, Penang


With the nice decor, having the Afternoon Tea at the Living Room will set you in the mood for a nice afternoon setting.


There are wall stencils of cats, clocks and a fireplace, hanging greens and square tile floors, and chairs in every conceivable material (wood, plastic, metal etc.), colour and shape.


Deck with Victorian style tables and finely crafted settee, it makes one wonder of the charms of the colonial era.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Dining Room Macalister Mansion Penang - 8 Course Chef Set Dinner Menu



What makes our 8 Course Chef Tasting Set Dinner Menu Dining Room @ Macalister Mansion Penang (Malaysia Tatler's Best Restaurant for 2013 and 2014) special is that you do not need to worry what's for dinner, you are game on to experience the multitude of surprised dishes that the Chef has in store for us.


Dining Room @ Macalister Mansion Penang Address
228, Jalan Macalister, George Town, 
11400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia


The decor is pure colonial couture with all-white furniture accented by a giant faux white tree in the centre of the room, exudes a full elegant, classy and romantic ambiance.


The kitchen at the Dining Room is headed by Chef Johnson Wong (who was trained in a Michelin-starred restaurant) and his menu of modern contemporary cuisine that favored local produce (which changes every two months) is just so tasty and his humble, friendly manner makes the meal a relaxed one.


As mention earlier, the only menu available is a 4-course dinner where patrons can choose from. Other than that you don't expect pages of dishes to choose from but for us tonight, we are here to taste out the 8 Course Chef Tasting Menu. The menu according to Chef will only be revealed at the end of the dinner. This concept of Chef Tasting Menu is quite popular in oversea especially so in Japan (Omakase - Chef Choice).

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Penang Holiday Hotel Equatorial Penang Day 1 And Day 2

Hotel Equatorial Penang
Hotel Equatorial Penang

To celebrate the completion of my son 'O' levels exam recently, we plan to take a leisure Penang holiday with the family and decided to check out 2 very popular hotel in Penang island. Our first day of our stay is at the popular Hotel Equatorial Penang.


This hotel is one of the first 5 Star hotel in Penang. Set 77 m above sea level, Hotel Equatorial Penang offers a 360 degrees panoramic and scenic view of Bukit Jambul and is located strategically to the Penang International Airport, the two Penang Bridges, and the bustling hub of Bayan Lepas which is just a short drive away. It is also a 20-minute drive from the UNESCO certified heritage city of George Town.

Hotel Equatorial Penang Lobby
Hotel Equatorial Penang Lobby

Upon arrival at the Hotel Lobby for our 3 Days 2 Nights Penang holiday, we were greeted with a voluminous, airy and natural lit lobby, where you will be amazed by the architecture design of this 26 years old Hotel that was refurbished recently.

Night View From Hotel Equatorial Penang
Night View From Hotel Equatorial Penang

The Hotel Equatorial Penang has many facilities for its guest among them is a fully-equipped fitness centre, massage and spa facilities, indoor squash, outdoor tennis among the many facilities that we will be checking out later.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Kampachi Japanese Restaurant Hotel Equatorial Penang Weekend Buffet



During our stay at the hotel, we decided to check out Kampachi Japanese Restaurant @ Hotel Equatorial Penang which is a very popular Japanese Restaurant in Penang especially for their weekend buffet promotion.



Kampachi Japanese Restaurant @ Hotel Equatorial Penang Address
Lower Ground Floor Hotel Equatorial Penang
1 Jalan Bukit Jambul , Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang, Malaysia


The Kampachi Weekend Buffet offers a wide variety of Japanese dishes from fresh seafood, Sashimi to the special Teppanyaki and also the other popular Japanese cuisines which are served during the weekend buffet.



As we enter the restaurant it is almost filled to the brim, a testament to the popularity of this restaurant to the Penang folks.


The first not to be missed dish is the Sashimi as there is a wide variety which includes the crowd favourite Salmon and Tuna which is prepared by Chef Cheah.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

nada lama Hotel Equatorial Penang Family Sunday Brunch - Buffet

Nada Lama All Day Dining Restaurant

As it was a Sunday, we decided to check out the Family Sunday Brunch Buffet promotion of nada lama All Day Dining Restaurant at Hotel Equatorial Penang during our stay at the hotel.

Nada Lama All Day Dining Restaurant

nada lama All Day Dining Restaurant at Hotel Equatorial Penang Address
Lower Lobby Hotel Equatorial Penang
Jalan Bukit Jambul, Bukit Jambul, 
11900 George Town, Pulau Pinang


There are many choices of food for you to choose from; which includes local favourite starting from the Laksa section which has the Penang Laksa and nada lama speciality; which is the Equatorial Laksa which I like as there is an infusion on Santan.

Seafood On Ice
Seafood On Ice

or if you are seafood fans, you might start off with the Seafood On Ice which offers a variety of poached seafood for you.



But if you require a little more flavours from your seafood, you might want to try out the ala minute BBQ Seafood which offers many types of fishes like the Cencaru, Sting Ray, Squid and Prawns too.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Pancake House Malaysia @ Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur - Not Just Pancakes


Recently we were invited to taste out some of the signature dishes at Pancake House Malaysia @ Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur.


Pancake House Malaysia @ Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur Address
G-05 & Al-Fresco 3A, Ground Floor
Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur


Pancake House Malaysia offers a welcoming and relaxing environment showcasing a cosy interior layout consisting of invitingly snug sofas and comfortable seats where customers will feel right at home.  Other items on the menu are appetising pasta, sandwiches and burgers, refreshing milkshakes and desserts as well as other popular Western dishes.


Pancake House Malaysia also offers the Best Taco in Town, using the freshest vegetables and served on the side is the tasty minced chicken in a crispy taco shell, which is the dish to start off our review today.



Followed by the Fiesta Taco Salad (RM17.70); Fresh garden greens, kidney beans, tomatoes are tossed and mix with a salad dressing topped with Tacos and sprinkles of grated Cheddar Cheese. Fans of Tacos will love this add on to the salad.