Category Archives: Food Type: Japanese

Lunch at Cilantro, Micasa All Suite Hotel, KL

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I was reading Aly’s blog about her ever changing tastebuds, and that got me thinking of my own quirkiness when it comes to food.  I’m glad that I’ve never been pressured to conform.  I always have packets of instant noodles stashed away in my kitchen for days when I crave simplicity, and like I confessed to Aly on her blog, when I am at the cinema, I love eating Twisties BBQ flavour mixed with a fistful of Bald Eagle’s caramel popcorn (when he isn’t looking).  Ah the joys of junkfood!  I’m far from a morning person and spend just forty minutes getting ready for work before I zoom off in my car.  As a result, breakfast is always eaten in the car.  I know that there are more practical ways of doing this (like making my own healthy sandwiches), but I have made it a habit to stop by at the neighbourhood store to grab a cold can of Nescafe and a Gardenia bun, both of which I enjoy on the 35 minute journey to work while listening to Hitz fm.  There are two little ladies who sweep the road outside the neighbourhood store.  These ladies are drawn to my car the way Fatboybakes is drawn to whisky.  The second I park my car, I find their brooms near my tyres and under the carriage, sweep-sweep-sweeping the dry leaves away like busy little ants.  They are always oblivious to the droning of my engine, concentrating on the task at hand, almost like they have been indoctrinated with the road-sweeping idealogy. Mother Nature’s little helpers. *smile*

As much as I enjoy the simple things in life, I also enjoy the little luxuries that I manage to slip into my daily work life.  Like long Friday lunches.  When Cilantro announced that the restaurant was open for lunch on Fridays, Chanting Chewbacca and I could talk of nothing else.  The lunch menu changes weekly with a four or five course menu at RM150 nett per person (inclusive of a glass of Kir Royale).  Best of all, if you’re in the mood for a long leisurely lunch, bring your own bottle(s) of wine because no corkage is charged.  The meal is substantial, so wear loose clothes. For us, dinners at Cilantro are reserved for special occasions as it can cost more than RM300 per head; lunches are just as satisfying with no deterioration in the quality of ingredients.  The foie gras is still seared to perfection in true Takashi Kimura style and the food continues to excite.

It’s Friday.  I have an hour to decide if I want to go to Cilantro.  Today’s menu is:
Hokkaido Sea Urchin with Artichoke Veloute
Kumamoto Oyster with Ginger Vinaigrette
Open Ravioli of Porcini with Egg Mollet and Shaved Summer Truffle
Pan Fried Turbot Fillet with Baby Squid and Capsicum
Alternatively
Two Way Preparations of Wagyu Beef
Kyoho Grape with Vanilla Ice Cream and Granite
Coffee or Tea

Decisions.  Decisions.

Cilantro (website HERE)
MiCasa All Suite Hotel
368B, Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2179 8082

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Poached Lobster a la Minute with Kyuri and Avruga

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Pappardelle Pasta with Crispy Duck and Foie Gras

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Slow Roasted Grain Fed Lamb with Dauphinoise Potato and Summer Truffle

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Warm Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

A Wedding and A Wine Makers Dinner at Sage, The Gardens, KL

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Wedding cake by Just Heavenly

Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now, wish right now
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now, Wish right now

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A couple of weeks back, my friend recommended that I use the above song as my caller ringtone, primarily as a joke, but little did he know that it aptly reflected my mood this month.  I will not pretend that I have been struggling through the month; “struggling” implies fighting, but in my case, my time has been filled with activities, from planning surprise parties to lavish dinners and mostly, plain hard work.  The thing about work is that it occupies my mind all the time and while I am okay about spending a couple of hours eating and socialising with friends, I wrestle with but am inundated with the idea that I am “disloyal” to my work when I sit at my computer and attempt to put a few words down on my blog.  My many attempts to write a blog post these couple of weeks have left me staring at a sentence or two in draft mode because I then stray to some unfinished work-related document instead.  It’s Sunday today, I’ve just finished 6 hours of productive work, so I figured I’d reward myself with a couple of hours of blogging and reading blogs.

j and h

Sage has always been one of my favourite restaurants for its consistent delivery and excellent service. So when I received an invitation from my friends, J & H, to attend their wedding reception at Sage, I was thrilled.  The gorgeous cake you see above was made by Just Heavenly; not only was it a sight to behold, it also tasted amazing.   My constant gripe (something that H also mentioned in one of his many speeches that night) is that most wedding cakes are just pretty on the outside but the cake is generally dry and inedible.  Not this one.  The cake was a moist and delicious butter cake which I had no qualms gobbling down.  Great job, Just Heavenly.   Dinner consisted of a tasting menu of Tranche of Yellowtail with Avruga Caviar and Akame Herb, Cream of Porcini Soup with White Truffle Oil, Roasted Atlantic Seabass with Prawn and Alaskan King Crab Sauce (alternatively, Grain Fed Black Angus Beef with Mashed Potato, Meaux Mustard) and Mango Melba with Vanilla Ice Cream.  To sum it all in three words, O-M-G! (excuse my lack of verbosity) To the few of us who opted for the Seabass, we were rewarded with a mindblowing experience.  The sauce in which it was served was bursting with the flavour of shellfish.   I am still orgasmic at the recollection of that meal.

WINE MAKERS DINNER – WYNDHAM ESTATE

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2003 George Wyndham Cabernet Merlot

Another meal at Sage saw the pairing of Wyndham Estate wines with an exquisite selection of foods prepared by Chef Daniel.   Award-winning Chief Winemaker Nigel Dolan of Wyndham Estate, Australia, was in KL on May 26 to showcase Wyndham wines, and I received an invitation (thanks to the kindness of Marian Eu of Scribe Media Link) to partake of this experience.   Dolan is described by Winestate publisher Peter Simic as being “a master at producing reds with a beguiling mix of elegance, complexity and intensity”, so it was also an honour to meet the man in person.  The Shiraz seems to be specialty of Wyndham Estate, although we were equally impressed with the crisp George Wyndham Semillon Sauvignon Blanc with its citrusy character that was served together with the hors d’œuvre.   The wine served with the Tranche of Hamachi with Avruga Caviar was a 2006 Wyndham Bin 222 Chardonnay which was described as having greater complexity with its ripe peach and melon aromas, but we felt that the hamachi would have been better served with the earlier Sauvignon Blanc.

A short note on wines with Bin Numbers: The BIN range is Wyndham Estate’s most famous range of wines and it is the entry level into the Wyndham Estate brand.   This range is all about soft generous flavoursome wines designed to excite the senses with its intense, fruit-driven style.  Wyndham Estate BIN 555 Shiraz is the flagship wine and has won more than 200 awards since the 1986 vintage and it is the most popular Shiraz sold in Australia.   Fatboybakes, who was in our party, quipped (in the presence of Mr Dolan) that Bin 222 was named when the owner saw three swans in a pond by his vineyard, hence 222.  He added that the Chinese also believed that our feathered friends would bring luck.   We were gullible enough to believe him that night.  Bleh.

Two reds were served that night, a 2003 George Wyndham Cabernet Merlot and a 2005 George Wyndham Shiraz to accompany the Smoked Venison with Foie Gras and the Wagyu Beef respectively.  The Cab Merlot was more full-bodied than the Shiraz, the former displaying a gorgeous deep purplish/crimson hue that reflected seductively off the white tablecloth at Sage.  Both wines are excellent for pairing with beef, lamb, game meat and cheeses.

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Tranche of Hamachi with Avruga Caviar and Japanese Herb

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2006 Wyndham Bin 222 Chardonnay and Royale of Abalone with Sea Scallop and Yuzu Citrus

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Smoked Venison with Veloute of Mushroom, Foie Gras

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Wagyu with Truffle Mash, paired with 2005 George Wyndham Shiraz

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Clockwise from top left: Sage, Mr Nigel Dolan, Roasted Fig Tartlet with Vanilla Ice Cream, Mango Sorbet

Thanks, Marian and Wyndham Estate, for your very kind invitation.

For Goodness Saké, Bangsar Village II

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For Goodness Sake

Sake1 /sayk/

• noun (1)(for the sake of) for the purpose of or in the interest of. (2) (for the sake of) out of consideration for or in order to help. (3) (for old times’ sake) in memory of former times. (4) (for God’s/goodness sake) expressing impatience or desperation.

Saké2 /sä’kē, -kě/

• noun a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.

— ORIGIN Japanese.

(Source: The Compact Oxford English Dictionary)

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sake1

I had arrived early and was standing outside For Goodness Saké while talking on the phone with him.

“Let’s eat at For Goodness Sake (sayk),” I said hesitantly, because it seemed like a strange name for a restaurant.  I looked askance at the restaurant waitress.

“For Goodness Saké (sä’kě), ma’am,” she said.

I was still on the phone.  “Saké? For Goodness Saké?” I said, to no one in particular.

“Hello?” he was still on the line.

“I’m confused. I’ll call you back.”

yakitori
Robatayaki

After a brief linguistic struggle, I decided that it was a pretty creative name after all.  (“Hogwash,” he said, “it’s corny lah!”)   For Goodness Saké is the latest addition to the ever growing Ms. Read empire.   It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the restaurant serves Japanese food, with a menu containing simple Japanese bar type fare – small bites, maki, sushi, salads, noodles and robatayaki.   Robatayaki (Japanese grill) is only available for dinner, and includes chicken, beef, seafood and vegetables.  A selection of sake and wine is also available for consumption.

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Saba shioyaki

Sake and yakitori are a great match; salty food generally goes wonderfully with alcohol, but eating the skewered meat was akin to downing a swig of the dead sea.   After the initial sucking (a salt-removing ritual that I dreaded each time I picked up a morsel from the plate), the flavour of the meats generally came through.   The shisho maki (shisho leaf and beef) and gyu tan (ox tongue) were tender and flavourful.   The nan kotsu (soft bone chicken) was too chewy while the reba (chicken liver with teriyaki sauce) came out overcooked. The other items (quail eggs, chicken skin) were not very memorable.

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FGS Maki

Thankfully, the sucking and chewing process (consumed with lots of green tea and sake) ceased when the saba shioyaki (mackerel with salt) was placed before us.   The grilling was perfect, revealing a thin crispy skin and moist immaculately cooked flesh.   Intent on filling our stomachs further, we ordered a serving of Maki.   The FGS Maki, presumably the house specialty since it bore the name of the restaurant, was a combination of rice, crabstick, avocado and mayo, rolled in ao nori and topped with ebiko.  A no-brainer combination but it failed to create any lasting impression on me.

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Oroshi Udon

The tagline for the restaurant is “it’s a noodle bar”, so naturally, we weren’t about to walk away without trying their noodles.   Our serving of Oroshi Udon came beautifully presented, a quivering poached egg placed on a bed of udon and garnished with spring onions and ebiko.  We ate the noodles cold with a Japanese vinaigrette.   Simple, filling fare, but again, quite forgettable.

I do like the place, though.  The decor is aesthetically pleasing, and the food is reasonably priced making this a great place to visit with your friends when you’re in the mood to down a bottle of sake or two.  Service is also attentive.

For Goodness Saké
2F-29A, Bangsar Village II,
No. 2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, KL.

(Credit: First picture of restaurant exterior courtesy of Sean)