Unbelievable BBQ at Chef Choi

Of all the various forms of food preparation, usually BBQs rank at the bottom of my list, faring just above camping food and army rations. Perhaps its from the psychological scars of those Oz days, where BBQs were/are the fad, with little thought put into it. Of course, since then, BBQs have become almost like Michelin star dining in some households I've been, and I've become less averse to it. I mean, if you're throwing on a slab of wagyu on the BBQ, heck, I'd even offer to watch over it myself. That's the other thing. That primordial scent of charred carbon that sticks to you.....it's all very well, if you only venture into the kitchen once a blue moon, but if you're stuck in the kitchen daily, like I am, covered with butter and flour, the last thing I want is another food smell to merge with my cheap underarm deodorant.

But, when CS invited me for a BBQ at Chef Choi, I knew instantly that we would not be setting up camp, singing songs around a bonfire and waiting for the charcoal grills to be lighted by amateurs. I knew that this was gonna be GOOD, coz 1. invites from CS always are, and 2. food at Chef Choi always is.

Roughage is important, and to make sure all the meat that was coming was balanced with some greens, they started us off with this gloriously healthy looking salad, that was accompanied with a tangy cilantro lemon dressing or sesame shoyu dressing. Those plump little cherry tomatoes made me want to just press them like bubble wrap!


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T! o tantal ize the palate even further, and to herald the coming of the beef, YORKSHIRE puddings, done to perfection. Crisp on the outside, light and soft on the inside. Some of us at the table had an obscene number of these yummy puddings.

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This is really crackling me up. Roast Pork Belly.

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Who needs the meat? Just give me the skin. So soooo good.

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Rosemary Leg Of Lamb, with cloves of garlic stuffed at strategic locations to really infuse the lamb.

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Boulangere Potatoes...Smooth Creamy Carbo that go with the meat like rice goes with sambal.

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From one belly to another, and it was belly good.

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Chilled Prime Rib on the bone - The very words prime and rib sends shivers of pleasures down my spine, and makes my own ribs convulse with joy.




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Steak Florentine - Between the two, I personally liked the Prime Rib better, but this cut yielded an extraordinarily lovely flavour, almost gamey, and if you like the unadulterated bovine taste, this would be the better option.

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Pieces of the Lamb leg sliced. The good thing about such a leg and that way of cooking, there's a done-ness for everyone. The blood averse, the blood thirsty, ...

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Looking at the Steak Florentine is literally doing a Pavlov on me, as I salivate.

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Paella With Kerak (not Crack, Ke-rak, Malay for the crispy bits at the base). Awesome dish, generous saffron, and done just right to my personal liking. I've ! said it before, having not had the privilege of visiting Spain, I have no benchmark against which to measure a good paella, so in my book, a good paella is one that I myself enjoy eating.

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Spaghetti Vongole. Juxtaposed against all the other stuff, this one is almost a plain Jane. But if would have made a fine mains on its own.

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Apple Tart Tartin. Lovely tangy apple on a crisp pancake of puff pastry. I have to make this soon. Love it.

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Chef Choi's mooncakes are sublime. No preservatives (I know this for a fact coz I accidentally left one out of the fridge and it rotted faster than you can say mooncake), and such fine texture.

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And although I am usually averse to sweet moon! cakes, t his ping pei, although a bit on the sweet side (quite by accident...it wasnt meant to be that sweet), was also lovely and smooth.

If I were a BBQ unbeliever before this, well, they have proselytized me successfully, for now, if future BBQs are like this, wowzer. Pricing is also quite reasonable.

Check out their website here.

No. 159, Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2163 5866
Fax: 03-2164 6463

Fun Food: Homemade Custard Koi

Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate,
wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate.



Last week, we went to the baking shop to get supplies for Baby C's birthday cake. Hubby spotted a cool koi fish jelly mould, which we also got. Instead of using gelatin, Hubby made a custard dessert instead. It is pretty straightforward - make the custard according to the pack instructions, cool it slightly (10 mins), place it in the mould and cool it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Use a clean knife to slightly loosen the custard on the side, flip it onto a plate and voila - a pretty dessert treat for all!


We used chocolate chip for its eyes.


Creamy and milky.

Baby C couldn't wait to get her mouth on it!


Besides enjoying the dessert, you can teach your kids the "Jelly on the Plate"! rhyme t oo :) The kids laughed watching the custard wobble on the plate.

Definitely a fun dessert.

*For anyone interested in getting the koi jelly mould, the baking shop address is: Bis Ingredients, 30-A, Jalan Suarasa 8/4, Town Park 1, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, 43200 Batu 9, Cheras, Selangor.

Korean BBQ @ Little Korea Restaurant, Solaris Mont Kiara

I might have finally found a Korean restaurant that is able to convince me that Korean BBQ is nice. My previous dining experiences at various Korean BBQ restaurants just to name a few like Daorae and Go-Gung had been mediocre and borderline forgettable.
Little Korea at Solaris Mont Kiara has become the turning point for me and it was a blessing in disguise really. How so? Because we actually planned to have chicken rice at Segambut for lunch. But the plan took a drastic turn from having chicken rice to Korean BBQ because the restaurant was closed.

restaurant-interior

However, Little Korea is not a surprise stumble as a friend actually mentioned about this place before. He commented that the BBQ pork tastes like char siew and that comment of his stuck in my mind ever since. Korean BBQ that tastes like char siew? Thats new and worth trying alright. Somehow, we knew we wont go wrong at Little Korea as it was full of Korean customers, which you wont see of course because this photo was taken just before we left.


marinated-rib-eye

If you are wondering, rice, noodles, soups and dosirak (Koreans bento equivalent) are available here but the BBQ is no doubt the most enticing one. Looking at the menu Ju Mool Luck (Rib Eye in House Marinated Sauce) @ RM68 looks pretty darn awes! ome so t his was my pick. Although the portion looks small, the amount of meat is actually quite a lot after you spread them out on the grilling pan.

marinated-pork-ribs

Dae Ji Wang Gal Bi (Pork Spare Ribs in House Marinated Sauce) @ RM30 has a much larger portion though.

korean-pancake

There is nothing to fault on the Korean Scallion Pancakes taste (RM25) but it could have been much more delicious if it was crispier. Well, thats just me though.

korean-side-dishes

The marbling on the rib eye is excellent as you can see, well worth the price paid. Besides the normal side dishes with unlimited refills, we are also given a steamed egg and kimchi soup. I dont have too much love for kimchi but the steamed egg was really good.

cutting-pork-ribs

Anyway, you wont have to cook the meats yourself as the waiters will do that for you. I am guessing they dont want the customers to over or undercook them. Also, you have a choice to have the meats grilled in front of you, or they can also do it in the kitchen for you. We of course chose to have it done in front of us lah.

lettuce

Fresh lettuce to wrap the BBQ meats.

cooked-pork

Both the rib eye and spare ribs are delicious thanks to the brilliant marinade. Even though the marinades flavor is sweet and strong, it doesnt really overshadow the meats original flavor. In fact they complement each other so well the flavors literally bursts in your mouth after you bite into them, very nice. As for the spare ribs, they do taste like char siew after cooked.

little-korea-restaurant

In all, Little Korea is a recommended restaurant for Korean BBQ. Based on the food we had, I think you will hardly go wrong with them.

Little Korea Korean Restaurant
5-3 7-3 9-3, Jalan Solaris One
Solaris Mont Kiara, KL
GPS Coordinates: N3 10.448 E101 39.607
Tel: 03-6203 7217

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Hioong Kee Mee Hoon Sotong @ Pasar Besar Seremban

Something like Penang Tua Pan Koay Teow but the gravy is not so starchy. It comes with slices of braised meat, veggie and cuttlefish (sotong). Come early if you don't want to be disappointed as it closes or sold out before noon.....RM3.50 Mee Hoon Sotong and my first time trying this food and it's delicious. Koay teow noodle is also available.Maybe I should consider settling down in Seremban lower cost of living & many interesting food too.The big market of Seremban, an interesting food court is found on the first floor of this Pasar. And has lot of eating stalls. A must try if you are in Seremban and looking for food especially for breakfast.
Everything fresh, people in the morning also looks fresh and ready to start a good day.
Hioong Kee Mee Hoon Sotong a sign seen at the exterior of the big market.
Hioong Kee, Mee Hoon Sotong
Stall 753, Pasar Besar Seremban,
Jalan Pasar,
Seremban,
016 910 7357
7.30am-2.30pm (or until runs out)
Closed on Tuesdays
GPS : 2.730447,101.937186

Haute Cuisine @ Senses, Hilton KL

The last time I visited Senses at Hilton, KL was a year ago when Mathieu Pacaud visited the restaurant to showcase his Michelin 3 Star Cuisine from L'Ambroisie. This trip we had a chance to sample Resident Chef Michael Elfwing's Cuisine.


Bread with Imported French Salted Butter
Bread
French Imported Butter
Our meal began with a basket of Assorted Breads that were served warm with imported French Butter.


Smoked Trout Mousse with Apple and Pumpkin
Smoked Trout Mousse with Apple and Pumpkin



Chilled Shellfish and Primeurs
Chilled Shellfish and Primeurs



Game Consomme, Mushroom and Truffle
Game Consomme, Mushroom and Truffle
Zhao Phin's Soup. It was a full bodied Consomme that was very earthy in flavor from the Black Truffles.


Seafood Soup!
Seafood Soup
This was delicious. The soup was served with some Cod Fish, Scallop topped with Avruga Caviar, Scampi and a Fingerling Potato and Tomato. The Soup tasted like a really rich Lobster Bisque and was so good with the caramelized onions that was hiding inside the soup. Presentation was also beautiful.


French Leek and Cod Soup
French Leek and Cod Soup
Michael's Soup. I had a taste of it of his soup. It was much lighter than my Seafood Soup and the soup contained what I think to be a puree of leeks and potato. The soup was also loaded with Caviar!


Black Angus Tenderloin
Black Angus Tenderloin
Wayne and Michael ordered this as their main course. The Tenderloin was cooked medium rare and had a really meaty texture. I liked the smokiness from being grilled over Charcoal but it was lacking a nice crust which I like on my Steaks.


Summer Truffle Chicken
Summer Truffle Chicken
My main entree and I loved it. My chicken was more of a roulade and was really tender and flavorful. It went really well with the earthy flavor of the freshly shav! ed Black Truffles and Truffle Potato Puree. The combination of Baby Vegetables made it feel like a rustic French Country Dish.


Scallop and Saffron Risotto
Scallop and Saffron Risotto
Our least favorite of the night. The Risotto was undercooked and as a result the starch from the Arborio Rice did not come out making this a rather dry Risotto that's not very smooth in texture. The Scallops however were seared perfectly.


Black Angus Short Rib
Black Angus Short Rib
The Short Rib was so tender and melts in your mouth. It was one of my favorite main courses of the night.


Jumbo Quail and Summer Truffle Pasta
Jumbo Quail and Summer Truffle Pasta
Another favorite of ours. We ordered two plates of this. The Quail was very tender and did not have any gamey taste to it. The Fresh Papardelle Pasta had a nice Al Dente texture and went so well with the Quail and Earthy Flavor of the Truffles!


Plum Sugar Mousse, Glutinous Rice and Jack Fruit
Palm Sugar Mousse, Glutinous Rice and Jack Fruit
An inspiration from Thai Mango Sticky Rice. This was our Palate Cleanser. I loved the aromatic flavor of the Jack Fruit which cuts right into the creamy Plum Sugar Mousse and Glutinous Rice.


Chocolate Tart "Michel Chaudon"
Chocolate Tart Michel Chaudon:
This was my one of favorite desserts


Manjari Emulsion
Manjari Emulsion


Summer Berries
Summer Berries


Vanilla Brulee
Vanilla Brulee


Creme Caramel & Cloudberries
Creme Caramel & Cloudberries


Petite Fours
Petite Fours


We really enjoyed the meal at Senses. Everything was beaut! ifully p resented and most of the dishes we ordered were excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed their Seafood Soup, Summer Truffle Chicken and Jumbo Quail and Summer Truffle Pasta.


Food: 4.6/5
Service: 4.6/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$$ (Approximately USD $100 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan
Tel: +603-2264-2264
Web: life.hiltonkl.com/restaurants/
Map:

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