Ben's General Food Store, Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur

I was craving for pizza. Not just any pizza, but a good pizza. Hence away we went to Ben's General Food Store.

My kind of pizza - thin crust and cheesy.. :)

Myth or fact - Pizza is the no.1 searched word in Google?

The lay person's first impression of Ben's General Food Store would be that it is no start-up venture. The decor is simple yet stylish. The image they are trying to portray here is of a high-end cafe/ restaurant; the fact that they have premium Stokke Tripp Trapp baby chairs for the young children says it all.

The restaurant was quite busy when we arrived, but service was still excellent. The setup is quite casual, long wooden tables on one side and the open kitchen, dessert and salad bar on the other side. Baby D even received some complimentary marshmallows while we waited for our food. Lucky boy!

Very cool advertising - on milk cartons!

Chilli oil and other condiments

Casual and relaxed atmosphere

The menu here is quite limited, since you can only get either pizza, flatbreads, salads, a few deli items, and desserts. Although the two of us are quite big eaters, a pizza here is sufficient for sharing.

"Where is my pizza?" Baby D drums his fingers impatiently. Or maybe he's wanting more marshmallows!

A point in case is the pizza we had today - this was in no way a stodgy bread and tomato base effort. This was pizza as the Italians meant them to be, albeit with a modern twist.

The thin crust pizza was topped with mozzarella, fresh wild mushrooms, mascarpone and truffle oil. It smelt and tasted delightful! I've never had mascarpone on pizza before but I have to say it was very interesting and definitely a great match. Definitely one of the best pizzas we've eaten this year.

Funghi pizza (RM22.90)

Pizza cutter in action!

Cheesy, and delicious! Who wants a piece?

I'm not sure what possessed me, but we ended up ordering a Black Forest Cake (RM9.90) to share as well. Our last dessert experience at Ben's KLCC was just so-so, and so was this. It actually looked really enticing sitting in the dessert bar. Sadly, it's just a pretty face. Next time, I think I will go elsewhere for our dessert.

Black Forest Cake served with chocolate meringue

Many cultures believe that if a man and woman eat from the same beetroot, they will fall in love. Anyone care to try and let me know the results?

Restaurant Exterior

Next door, you will find the Store, the BIG Group's idea of an epicurean emporiumwhere you can get gourmet food items. I loved how they named their butcher "Daniel Greig" since they had Wagyu 007 here for sale. Get it?

The BIG Group's other outlets include Ricetaurant, T Forty Two,Ben's, Plan B, Bistro 42 and Canoodling.


Verdict: Will definitely return for more of the pizzas!


Full menuavailableto view here. Click here to view full set of photos.


Opening times: 11.00am to 10.00pm daily.


Service: Excellent.

Location: Ben's General Food Store, G17 & 18, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village 1, No 1, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2284 8790

GPS Coordinates:3.129996, 101.670957

Cocoaphilia by Van Houten Inviting chocolate lovers to re-ignite their passion

Few would argue that chocolate is right up there among lifes most enjoyable pleasures. Van Houten, one of the oldest established chocolate brands with over 180 years of chocolate experience, is living proof that love for chocolate transcends generations and geographies.

To rebond with Malaysian chocolate enthusiasts, Van Houten today introduced Cocoaphilia, a platform where chocolate lovers can share their ideas and passion through chocolate appreciation events, via facebook and sampling activities.

Me on a chocolate wall of fame

To kick off Cocoaphilia, Van Houten brought together foodies, special guests, and friends from the media for an evening of chocolate discovery at one of Kuala Lumpurs favourite destinations, Chinoz on the Park at KLCC.

Diana Obias, Senior Brand Manager Asia South for Van Houten explained: Cocoaphilia is a term coined for chocolate lovers who are passionate about cocoa and who appreciate the rich, fine taste of chocolate made with the finest cocoa and other high quality ingredients. Distinct to Van Houten, which many cocoaphiles will notice, is our use of quality cocoa and whole roasted nuts. Our long standing heritage ! is a ref lection of our passion to deliver great products for chocolate lovers.

She added: Chocolate has a timeless appeal and Van Houtens range of chocolates, with its high quality cocoa content, is globally loved and respected.

Cocoaphilia allows us to leverage on our 180-year legacy and chocolate expertise and exploit current platforms and trends to relay the Van Houten story to chocolate lovers in Malaysia and the region.

The best chocolate engages all your senses thus, during the event, well-known actress and singer and self-confessed chocolate lover Deanna Yusof demonstrated the art of chocolate appreciation by taking the audience through a Sense-ational chocolate exploration, capturing the taste and smell profiles, sound of snap, look of shine and sheen and feel of Van Houten chocolates.

Participants were also invited to taste a variety of ingenious chocolate and coffee pairings, with Deanna sharing her recommendations of how to create a harmonious balance for the palate.

Fresh crispy fried churos with melted Van Houten Chocolate

Van Houten, whose consumer business was acquired by the Hershey Company in March 2009, has existed for over 180 years. It is one of the oldest established brands in the mass market segment and also one of the biggest brands for Hershey in Asia South.

Van Houten has a rich heritage and experience in chocolate making and has been in Malaysia for over 60 years.

A random picture I took

Classically European, Van Houten takes pride in its rich cocoa taste and whole roasted nuts, backed up by its unique legacy.

To learn more about Cocoaphilia and chocolate appreciation visit us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/cocoaphiliamalaysia

REVIEW: MIGF 2011 Festival Menu @ Chalet, Equatorial Hotel KL

EquatorialHotel Kuala Lumpur will be hosting anExquisitely Swisspromotion in conjunction withMalaysia International Gourmet Food Festival (MIGF) 2011from 1 31 October 2011 in Chalet, one of their 6 fine dining restaurants.

The whole event aims to create awareness on the uniqueness of Swiss food, beverage, culture and music. For the whole month of October 2011, an invitedGuest Chef; Chef Fritz Tschantrefrom Switzerland is here to woo diners with his signature dishes.

I was invited for a preview dinner just last week, and had the honour of having my FIRST MIGF dinner for 2011.

Below:Guest Chef; Fritz Tschantrefrom Switzerland & GM of Equatorial Hotel, Mr Alan.

The Chalet is offering 2 separate MIGFmenus this year, the Classic Set Menu (which we were served that night) and the Nouveau Set Menu.

***

I was told that the dishes were all traditionally Swiss, with most of the ingredients carefully selected & imported wherever possible to ensure the authenticity of flavour and taste.
I had Swiss cuisine before of course; and back then when I was in Penang, my god-siss dad is a Swiss. But what was served that night was an eye-opener to me, and made me realized theres more to Sw! iss cuis ine than sausages, rosti & chocolates.

Classic Menu
Bouquet of Green Asparagus with Apple Balsamic Dressing and Air Dried Beef RM45

The 1st course was a simple carpaccio of air dried beef with long slivers of asparagus nicely bundled within a slice of cucumber. I was charmed by the artful presentation, and I loved the lightly dressed asparagus with apple balsamic dressing even more.
The air dried beef was a tad salty at first but bearable once eaten together with the greens.

Cappuccino of Morels with Caramel Apple Skewer RM35

The soup warmed me with its creamy goodness & lovely fragrance.
I dipped the caramel sesame coated apple skewer into it (was chided afterwards by the chef that it wasnt meant to be!) & loved the play of fruity sweetness versus the salty, earthy flavours of the morels (mushrooms) soup. The taste of coffee was distinctive enough, but not too pronounced to interfere with the overall dish.

Basel-style Onion Tart - RM35

The onion tart tasted like an onion quiche; albeit a wobblier version. There was nothing to fault nor praise for this. I was anxious to get to the mains, and waited impatiently for our palate cleanser; the customary sorbet to served, for that means the main courses are next! :)

Sorbet
Dark Cherry

Pan-fried Giant Prawns with Poire Williams-Vanilla Sabayon and Rosti Potatoes RM105

Generally Im not a fan of prawns & the word giant in this actually puts me off. But its part of the menu that night; and the Poire Williams-vanilla sabayon sauce had me intrigued.

Fortunately for us, an otherwise ordinary crustacean dish was exotic-is ed with thePoire Williams-vanilla sabayon sauce.
Its basically pear liquer (Poire Williams ) with vanilla Sabayon; a light custard made by using eggs and sugar, whipped over a double boiler or any other heat source.
Sabayon is normally flavoured with liquer & in this case the Poire Williamsdid the job nicely. The end product is a luscious, sweet sauce with a tinge of spicyafter-taste. I wouldnt mind another giant prawn or two just so I could have more servings of this sauce!!

< strong>Rosa Pan-Fried Milk Veal Steak Aargau-style with Semolina Cake RM125

Between the 2 mains, I was in anticipation of the milk fed veal steak more. They didnt inquire beforehand how I like it done so I kept my fingers crossed & hoped that they serve it medium rare as how all red meats should be.
But as I cut into my veal, I found it not as bloody as I would have preferred it to be. However Chef Fritz Tschantre assured me that the veal is best eaten cooked to that degree. Who am I to argue? Anyhow, it was still slightly pinkish inside, and juicy enough.

Mustard Ice Cream with Display of Forest Berries RM30

Mustard ice cream. It sounded more bizarre than its actual taste I assure you. Because it was very creamy, the sting of the mustard wasnt as pronounced. According to Chef Fritz, the mustard seeds were specially imported for this, so it is not your typical English mustard blended with cream!

Swiss chocolates

Should you opt for the Nouveau Set, the courses are as b! elow:

Nouveau Set Menu
Chilled, Jelly Tomatoes Consomm with Trout Caviar, Fresh Herbs and Basil Oil RM35

Sun-Choked Pure with Veal Sweetbread, Sauted Mushrooms and Herb Silhouette Potato RM65

Foie Gras Terrine Crusted in Toasted Almonds with Apple, Walnut and Herb Sprout Salad RM90

Sorbet
Sour Cherry

Seared Cod Fish, Scallop, Shrimp and Mussels with Leek Confit in Saffron Veloute RM105
Or
Wagyu Beef with Green Peppercorn Brandy Cream Emulsion, Swiss Chard & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli, Escargot Popover and Jus De Viande RM125

Sweet Spiced Pyramid with Frozen Nougat on Vanilla Honey and Candied Orange RM30

PRICES:

Classic Menu: RM225++ per person
Nouveau Set Menu: RM238++ per person

*All prices are subject to 10% service charge & prevailing government tax

***

Festival Offers

Door Gifts
Festival Menu diners will receive a delightful confectionary gift while ladies will be presented with a long stem rose.

Block Bookings
Receive 10% discount for Private Luncheons of eight or more guests dining on the Festival Menu.

Birthday Offers
Bring a group of at least four Festival Menu diners and Chalet will offer you its dancing dessert, the Sabayon, along with a 500g cake for the birthday boy or girl.

Promotion
An Exquisite Evening with Fritz Tschantre
7 October, 7pm, RM380++ Specially flown over by Lufthansa Airlines, enjoy a very intimate and special five-course authentically Swiss menu with wine pairing, prepared by our visiting Chef all the way from Zurich, Switzerland.

Special Offer
Pre order your Christmas Hamper and get 15% discount throughout the Festival month.

Exclusive Contest
Enj! oy a mem orable Festival Menu and stand to win a week-long trip for two very lucky diners to Switzerland complete with unlimited first-class Swiss Pass tickets, hotel stays and air tickets. The total value for this prize is RM34,000.

For reservations:
HOTEL EQUATORIAL KUALA LUMPUR
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 2161 7777
Fax: +60 3 2161 9020
Email: info@kul.equatorial.com
Web: www.equatorial.com/kul/

Pad Thai @ Random Street Stall, Karon Beach Phuket

A bunch of us were craving for some "real" Pad Thai for lunch and asked our Tour Guide to take us to his favorite Pad Thai Stall and not some Tourist Restaurant like what we had for Breakfast this morning.

The drive took a while and eventually he stopped us at some random street stall. The looks made us excited as we knew this was probably the real deal. Not one tourist in sight and the menu was in Thai.



Every table had a bottle of "Tiger Pepper Powder" which was something I've never seen in Bangkok before. I guess Tiger Pepper Powder is a staple for the crowd.




Pad Thai

The Pad Thai was pretty good. The Noodles was a little bit soft for my liking but the flavor was really good! It has a very strong sour flavor similar to Malaysian Mee Goreng which I much prefer compared with the sweeter version found in Bangkok.


Moo Krapow

This was one fiery dish. Despite asking for mild spicy the dish still packed a lot of heat. The flavor of the Basil was really imparted into the Pork making it a very aromatic dish.


Thai-St yle Fried Omelet

The Omelet was not bad. I would have liked it to be crispy on the outside.


Overall we asked for an authentic Thai Street Meal and we got our fix at this stall. The food was very satisfying and the environment just makes it even more authentic!

Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Price: $ (Under USD $5 per person)

Contact Information
Address: N/A
Tel: N/A

Banoffee Pie

When do you get to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk?

Only when you try this recipe.

Banoffe Pie

What you need:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

About 20 graham crackers

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 banana

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar or 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon almond extract

What you do:

Boil the can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. Then let it cool off on the side. While it is cooling, preheat the oven to 350 F. In a food processor, blitz the graham crackers until they are crumbs. Then blitz in the melted butter until they are all wet and coated. Pat the crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Then pour the contents of the can of sweetened condensed milk in the pie pan and spread it around. It is now a magically toffee substance. Thinly slice the bananas on top of it. In a bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream, sugar and almond extract on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie.

Eggy Breakfast Pizza

Im not sure Ive eaten anything this weekend.

Well Im not sure Ive eaten anything beyond chips, gummy bears, coffee, and gin.

I definitely didnt eat this gorgeous breakfast pizza.

Really, its no ones fault but my own.

There was arugula on this breakfast pizza.

Ps. That totes makes this vegetables for breakfast. Get into it!

Youve seen the small picture.

Now heres the BIG picture.

Cooking with friends. And cheese. And cameras.

Can I tell you why I made a breakfast pizza and ate gummy bears and drank gin?

Tracy and I, along with a bunch of other people from Homefries threw a weekend retreat in Palm Springs.

It was major. Thirty of us hung out, ate Tracys salad, had cookies and milk, painted our nails.

People took pictures of me taking pictures of pizza.

It was totally meta.

We talked about photography. We cooked brunch together. We make friendship bracelets. We learned about wine. We drank gin. We learned things about each other.

Ps. If youre not hip on Homefries, get on this. Well be throwing another retreat in the Spring. Real.

This about sums up the weekend.

Yea. Welcome to this.

Laughs and breakfast pizza. All dang weekend.

Eggy Breakfast Pizza

makes 1 pizza

Print this Recipe!

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Toppings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

throw on some:

caramelized onions

sauteed peppers

2 eggs

fresh arugula

This is totally easy!

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the warm water and olive oil. Using a fork, b! ring tog ether the dough so that all of the dry mixture is moistened by the water and olive oil.

Dump shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about two minutes until the dough comes together into a ball. The dough may be slightly sticky, thats fine!

Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the large bowl that the dough was mixed in. Use your fingers to spread the oil around the bowl. Place the dough into the bowl, sprinkle with a bit of flour and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

When dough has doubled, remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness. The dough can be rolled perfectly round, but a rectangle, or totally odd shape is fine as well.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Flip a cookie sheet upside down and sprinkle with flour. Place pizza dough on baking sheet.

Sprinkle with olive oil, garlic slices, chopped rosemary, and cheese. Top with whatever toppings strike your fancy. Crack two eggs onto the unbaked pizza.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and crisp and eggs are cooked to over easy/over medium.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes then slice and serve. Breakfast pizza is best served the day its make. Heck yes.