Zing, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur

Posted on March 14, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

The ads for the Heart of KL were appearing in the newspapers on a very frequent basis, and frankly, they were more exciting that the skewed local news I had begun to flip over by the pile. My husband, being the more diligent and patient reader (I read headlines in my quest to finish reading the newspapers within 59 minutes), spotted the ad for Zing and its visiting celebrity chef, Chan Kwok, from Singapore’s Hua Tin restaurant. Chef Chan Kwok is described as “the winner of numerous awards including Best Asian Ethnic Chef at the 2005 World Gourmet Summit. He is also author of the recently released book ‘Chan Kwok – A Culinary Genius’ which features some of his best-loved recipes.” We had heard great things about this restaurant from friends who had been there, so when I received an invitation to dine at Zing, the decision to go was a no-brainer, like a frog being asked if he’d like flies, or a dog, bones, or a cow, chocolate milk.

Ok, before you challenge me about the chocolate milk, tell me, have you ever seen a cow reject chocolate milk?

I must say that I was surprised when I walked into Zing. I expected minimalism! I expected lots of black! I expected Jay Chou! The name did nothing to conjure images of old world charm or opium or ambient lighting, which was everything that the actual Zing represented. Well, except for the opium bit. Dark wooden lattice screens partitioned the different sections and thus provided privacy but it was sparse enough to prevent claustrophobia. Everybody say together now – sooooo romantic…… *big sigh*

The specially created set menu consisted of some of Chef Chan’s best recipes. The single prawn deep fried in a pastry resembling phyllo dough was lightly crisp, the shell crumbling easily as I bit into it and exposed the fresh and crunchy prawn. I initially thought that the bed on which the prawn rested was meat floss, but upon tasting it, I quickly realised that there was no hint of meat in what I later found out was a vietnamese rice nest. The slices of roast duck were delicious, really tender and slightly salty. A wonderful juxtaposition of flavours in one plate.

The double-boiled superior soup with baby shark’s fin is one of the Chef’s specialties. Shark bones are boiled for 8 hours until the soup turns a milky hue. The resultant flavour is one that is very intense, an undeniable fishy flavour with the cartilaginous texture of the fins.

The emerald bean curd (in a crab meat sauce) is created by mixing finely minced watercress with tofu and I find this simply brilliant. It is such a wonderful way for me to eat my greens. If green had a scent, this had to be it.

Unlike the usual oxtail preparations which I was used to, this one was stewed in a homemade brown sauce made with chinese herbs and had the pungent flavour of garlic. The oxtail was soft and tender from the hours of stewing.

This dish brought back memories of my childhood and eating Rice Krispies – you know the famous snap, crackle and pop? And there was also this confection made with Rice Krispies and butter and honey and cut into squares? I couldn’t help but smile when I looked at this dish, a playful combination of crispy rice with vegetables and chopped prawns. I am now inspired to replicate this recipe at home. My husband’s in for a treat. That’s assuming I don’t burn it first. Or turn it into rice mush.

The final item on the menu – chilled mango puree with sago and pomelo. I found this very sweet, but he thought it was just nice. The texture was a find blend of thick mango, while the bits of pomelo was a good contrast, providing a slight hint of sourness and bitterness to the lovely dessert.

By now, we felt like we were best friends with Rahayu and Sulo, the two lovely ladies from PR. After all, only best friends will tell each other about their uncle’s durian plantation and where they voted in Gombak. So as a special treat, we had…..

Durian pancakes!……

….and durian tarts! And ‘coz I feel like I am such good friends with you, my dear readers, I am compelled to share with you the following images….

Durian pancake again! Thick and oozing with fragrant durian flesh and cream!…..

…and the durian tart again! The warm crumbly pastry enveloped the sweet durian filling which was custardy and delicious! Bald Eagle felt like he had died and gone to a durian plantation.

Do note, however, that the durian treats are not part of Chef Chan Kwok’s menu. Prices are as follows:

Set menu: RM168++ per person (minimum 2 persons)
Durian pancake: RM12++ for 2 pieces
Durian tart: RM9++ for 3 pieces

There is also an ala carte menu consisting of the above items and a few more. Do note that Chef Chan Kwok will be at Zing only until 19 March, and if you wish to sample his cuisine at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore, there is a long waiting list and you are advised to book early. I can assure you that it’ll be much easier to reserve a table here at Zing to enjoy a meal created by this great chef.

A big thank you to my new best friends, Rahayu and Sulo. 🙂

Zing
Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur (formerly The Regent)
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2117 4888

OPENING HOURS:
Monday – Saturday
Lunch – 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Dinner – 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Sundays and Public Holidays
Lunch – 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Dinner – 6.30 pm – 10.30 pm

The girl from Abu Dhabi may view the pictures HERE.

Prime, Le Meridien

Posted on March 10, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

“Welcome back,” he said.

It was a Saturday evening, and I was chuckling to myself when his words interrupted my reverie.

“Whatever for?” I asked.

“You’re back.” He smiled. “So we’re going to Prime to celebrate.”

“Back? I never went anywhere.” I looked hard for the bump on his head where he would have knocked his head on the cangkul.

“I thought I had lost you this past week. You were turning into a grumpy little thing and your language had become quite colourful,” he said.

He was right. I had turned into a grouch. A grumpy cynical grouch. It almost felt like it was my cross to bear. And that’s the thing. It was my cross to bear. Every vote counted in the end.

And so, to let him know that I had indeed returned, I agreed to let him buy me dinner at Prime.

Two types of bread were placed before us. A slightly spicy focaccia bread, soft and herby, and several slices of nutty mexican bread. Three different types of butter accompanied the bread – salted, barbecued and herbed. All were excellent, and as much as I told myself that I wouldn’t pig out on bread, I did. If there’s one thing I can’t resist, it’s good butter. And now that I have to wait almost 16 months for the incomparable truffle butter at Cilantro, I have to look for substitutes before I start milking cows and churning cream to make my own butter. Which can be quite a feat considering that I have little space in my humble abode for cows. I can hardly see them grazing on my 10 x 10 ft lawn.

The portobello mushroom salad, costing RM45 for 2 pieces, came covered with rocket, cheese and truffle. I loved how the mushrooms came perfectly grilled, and had absorbed a hint of the accompanying flavours. (Sorry, in my haste to photograph this salad, I forgot to lift up the skirt to reveal the temptations beneath.)

He ordered a mother of a steak. All of 16oz of it. It was an Australian T-bone steak (aged 60 days, I think), grilled medium rare and served with a creamy mash sprinkled with bits of fragrant truffle, asparagus, peppercorn sauce and a glorious bearnaise sauce. He pronounced it a good piece of meat, juicy and succulent and grilled to perfection.

Prime was having a special promo (for March) on the king of steaks – the magnificent Kobe. As much as the other options (and there were many) tempted and tantalised me, I was steadfast in my choice. The master kobe chuck flap tail tataki with cannellinni beans stewed with smoked beef bacon, rocket leaves and a winter truffle sauce was lightly seared on the outside, thus retaining the juiciness inside. And the flesh? It was pink and tender and yielded easily as I sliced it with my knife.

My dessert was a warm chocolate cake accompanied by a scoop of macadamia nuts ice-cream and fresh fruits.

The chocolate cake was delicious served with some chocolate sauce poured over it.

Yup, I was back.

Prime
Le Meridien
2 Jalan Stesen Sentral
Kuala Lumpur Sentral
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 2263 7888

The good people of AD may view the pictures HERE.

The Goat, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on March 3, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

1.

Beep. Beep.

“Please call home when u are free.”

When dad sends this text message to my mobilephone, his request could range from “Your mum is in the hospital, so if you are free, please visit” to “Can you buy us plane tickets to London” to “Are you coming over for dinner this weekend?”. The urgency may differ for each request, but his text message is always the same. I think he has it saved on his mobilephone.

Fearing the worst, I called.

Me: What’s up, dad?

Dad: Have you heard of Boer goat meat?

(Note: This conversation takes place in the middle of my rush period when I’m desperately trying to finalise a report.)

Me: Huh??

Dad: You haven’t been reading the papers, have you? The Boer goat originates from South Africa and its meat is supposed to be more tender than local mutton. And it’s healthier than other meats. It has lower saturated fat and cholestrol content as compared to other popular meats.

Me: And your point is?

Dad: Boer goat meat is now available locally, you know. It may cost 3 times more than local mutton, but it would be interesting to learn more about it.

Me: And…?

Dad: Can you be a dear and buy us some?

And that’s how I found myself at Boer Goat Junction at Damansara Utama on a Saturday morning, sacrificing my much needed sleep for the sake of the love I have for my family. I was immediately struck by the cleanliness of the place and the lack of any strong raw meat smell which I had grown accustomed to in my early days of going to the market with my mum. The place was bright and welcoming, much like McDonald’s.

The butcher was an extremely helpful fellow. I told him I wanted cuts for mutton peratal (an Indian style curry dish), and he immediately recommended two options, the forearm and the thigh. The forearm is apparently very tender and soft, perfect for a peratal dish, while the thigh is more lean. Unable to make a decision, I took both. While waiting for the nice man to chop up the meat, I chatted with him. “Where’s the farm?” I asked him. “It’s at Cenderiang,” he said. “The goats eat Napier grass and drink mineral water from the springs near Tapah.” I imagined Julie Andrews singing lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo. “They must be happy goats,” I offered. “Until they get slaughtered, I’m sure,” he replied.

Mum was happy. The mutton peratal took half the time to cook as the meat was very tender. Also, this meat lacked the strong mutton smell that is sometimes a turnoff for some people. And the taste test: Delicious! But at almost RM70 per kg, I think this is one meat that we shall be eating only on special occasions!

Boer Goat Junction
No. 43, Jalan 21/60
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya

Click HERE for their official website.

Tel: 03-7722 2999

2.

With so much hype over Cupcake Chic, I was rather pleased when Paprika brought some for us to try. One was a chocolate cupcake, the other was a butter pecan, and I can’t remember the third.

Now mind you, I don’t really care that the idea isn’t original (a quick search on the internet will reveal that the idea is very similar to another bakery in the US), and I don’t really care that they don’t look as appealing to me as other cupcakes (because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’ve been told).

What I care about is paying RM4.50 for:

a cupcake that is bloody sweet – I know icing is supposed to be sweet, but this will reduce my lifespan by 5 1/2 years.
frosting that tastes the same, with very little hint of whatever the cupcake is called, other than the obvious chocolate which isn’t vanilla.

The fact is, if I’m paying RM4.50, I certainly expect to get my money’s worth.

Well, there were some redeeming qualities. The texture of the cupcake was nice and crumbly and I thought the ondeh-ondeh (glutinous rice filled with gula melaka and coated with grated coconut) cupcake tasted like ondeh-ondeh. A RM4.50 ondeh-ondeh, no less.

So I went out and got myself a few more to try. After all, everybody deserves a second chance.

This time, I placed them in front of new guinea pigs. The verdict was the same. Too much sugar, too little flavour.

For different opinions, check out:

Cupcake Chic
Lot GZF-4, Ground Floor,
The Curve, Mutiara Damansara,
47810 PJ.

Tel: 03-7726 9075

3.

I was rushing to meet Bald Eagle one evening after grabbing my groceries at Bangsar Village. I ran smack into some road works along Jalan Chenderai at Lucky Garden (part of the Lembah Pantai constituency where the Clash of the Titans will take place) where heavy machinery were ploughing their way through the night to ensure that Bangsar folk would wake up the next morning to the smell of fresh tar. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much had I not known that the road was directly in front of the school where I shall be casting my vote this Saturday.

In times like this, it will take more than latte and tar to help me make up my mind.

I turned to my mum for advice. “Oh, we support Obama.” The power of CNN.

The good people of Abu Dhabi may view pics HERE. Sorry about the delay!

A Whiff of Lemongrass

NOT a food blog

Author Archives: Lyrical Lemongrass

Zing, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur

Prime, Le Meridien

The Goat, The Bad and The Ugly

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