A splendid lunch @ Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, Kuala Lumpur

There are not many restaurants in KL that we can confidently go to, knowing that we would always get a good meal there. Sage has never failed me and our lunch there last week was no exception.

The last time we came here in August for Baby D's birthday, we noticed that they have changed their chairs. Didn't manage to snap any photos the last time since we were seated in the private room, but here are some photos of the latest interior.

Open kitchen

We almost couldn't get a table since we arrived pretty late - but luckily we managed to get in. The food was superb, it would have been a real pity to miss it.

Hubby had the Homemade Tagliolini Pasta with Pacific Oyster and Parmesan Cheese. To be honest, we're not really big fans of oysters but Hubby commented that the oysters here were so soft and tasted so good. Is Chef Daniel gonn! a do it again and convert us into oyster fans?? (We weren't fans of foie before too, then we came to Sage and Chef Daniel converted us)

A really delicious start

I had the Slow cooked smoked salmon with mousseline of cauliflower and ikura. I love ordering any smoked fish from Sage, they have a great quality to them... the smoked salmon was so plump and almost buttery. It was sort of like eating sashimi but BETTER. The smoked salmon's skin has been lightly seared so it is nice and crisp too.

Top-notch smoked salmon

For mains, Hubby had the Herb Crusted Lamb Rack with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Meaux Mustard. OMG - this was really good. He asked for it to be cooked medium, the meat was still pink and absolutely tender and scrumptious. The dauphinoise potatoes have been arranged to resemble a pretty mille feuille.

The herb crust wasn't too overpowering

One of the reasons why I wanted to come to Sage this week was because I saw risotto on the menu. I've eaten risotto once at Sageand it was possibly the best risotto I've ever eaten in KL. Was it possible for them to present me with another winning risotto dish? Yes! The risotto was cooked to perfection and topped with the foie, it was just a beautiful dish. It was served with two types of sauce - mushroom sauce and crab bisque sauce.

Two Way preparation of mushroom risotto with foie gras and king prawn bisque

I loved it! If u ever see risotto on the lunch menu, you have to come to try it.

Apparently, Sage has a new pastry chef. Dessert for the day was Oven Baked Yogurt Cheesecake with Homemade Milk Ice Cream. The cake was rich and creamy.

What can I say except another splendid lunch at Sage :)

For the full set of photos, click here.

Opening hours: Lunch:Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 2.00pm; Dinner:Monday to Saturday 6.00pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sunday.

Service: Excellent.

Price: RM100 nett. 10% off with The Gardens Club card.

Location: Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2268 1328

Website: http://www.sagekl.com/

Mm, what can I say. Im not a fan of eating bread but I like making them. Or at least I like the part where a few simple ingredients can grow and proof to become double its size. I can pretend to like, or at least try to like bread but me and bread are definitely not the best match. I dont hate, nor dislike, but its just not a first choice.

But still, sometimes, I may run-over an interesting recipe and decide to make it. Especially when I have nieces (age 4+ and 7) coming back every weekend and ask me what were making today. And if they wanna get their hands dirty either by making cookies, or stirring stuffs or sprinkling or cutting things, I can, at the very least, make something for them to play with.

I came across this recipe the first day (which actually was many many months ago) I had the book (Peter Reinharts artisan breads everyday.) I literally marked it and knew I would have to make it, one day or another. And also, cause I have a kickass island counter, that I can roll out a strudel dough without any problems. Tee hee. The recipe stated that I need to refrigerate the dough at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible. So I made it on Friday night(they usually come on Friday night after their school), so they can do their thing on Saturday morning.(Im a pretty awesome aunt, right? hahaha)

Ah, just be prepared, there are ALOT of step by step pics for this one.

When youve got some extra pair of hands, taking step-by-step photos just come in very handy

Cinnamon Buns

(adapted from Peter Reinharts Artisan Breads Every Day)

(makes 24 pcs)

Ingredients

6 1/4 (750g) all purpose flour (I used 50-50 bread flour and low protein flour)
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
5 tsp instant yeast
500ml lukewarm milk
113g vegetable oil or melted butter
zest of 1/2 lemon

3 tbsp cinnamon powder
150g sugar
melted butter, for brushing
1 cup raisins *optional
1 cup chopped walnuts *optional
Chocolate chips *optional

Method (pictorial guide):

Method:

1. Combine flour, salt, sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk the yeast into the milk until dissolved. Pour mixture into dry ingredients along with oil / melted butter and lemon zest. Use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 30 secs to 1 min. It will form to a soft, coarse ball.

2. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 minutes. Adding flour or milk as needed to create a smooth, soft and slightly sticky ball of dough.

3. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2m ins or more until dough is supple and tacky but not sticky. (like the back of a post-it note)

4. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly oiled bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 3 hours before you plan to bake. Divide the dough in halgf and form each into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 20 mins.

6. On a floured work surface, roll each ball of dough to 12 x 16 rectangle. If the dough starts to resist or shrink back, let it rest for 1 minute then continue rolling. Dough should be between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.

7. Make cinnamon sugar by whisking cinnamon into sugar. Prepare other fillings if you wish, like toasting nuts and cutting them into smaller pieces. I used walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips.

8. Brush the surface of the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinamon sugar. Sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts, or if any. Roll up the dough from the bottom to the top to form a tight log.

9. Cut the log into 1-inch thick slices and place them! on a sh eet pan or baking pans. Mist the top with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rise to room temp, for about 2 hours or until dough expands into each other.

10. Preheat oven 15 mins prior to baking to 177 C. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, until the buns are rich golden brown.

11. Serve hot!

Ah, baked and all fluffed up. I thought Ive had enough cinnamon sugar, but no!! More cinnamon sugar would be yummier!, thats for sure.

So now, any suggestions of stuffs to make with em kids?

suggest

Invited Review: Kuchi Japanese Restaurant @ New World Park

We have pass by this Kuchi Japanese Restaurant some time back, and it did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary. But then again, looks can bedeceiving!It was an invitation through our blogging friend, Lonely Teacher. He had tried the place out and recommended that we give them a chance to sell what they have to us picky eaters.

Kuchis co-owner, Alex Soon, was present to keep us inform of what was to be serve and what are their initial concept for their few months old restaurant that is nestle just opposite the famous Sri Batik Nyonya eatery. From him we got to know that they will have in their menu fresh seafood that are caught in our local waters and also air-flown chilled varieties that are imported from various sources. They even have live octopus on the menu for people who are adventurous enough to give it a bite.

It was short sampling session after business hours. We only samples 7 dishes out of the many that are contained in their Japanese Asian fusion menu. First up was theirSpecial Maki RM11 (Sushi) or Dragon Roll to me. Large deep fried battered prawn encase in a firmly hand pressed sushi rice roll coated with sweet and savoury prawn roe.

Then we had their Name Ika Teriyaki RM25 or grilled squid which was one of our keylikable. Crunchy yet tender squid generously seasoned and flavoured with their specially concocted sweet earthy sauce.

Kaki Guratan RM18or oyster baked with butter and crumbs. I a mouthful, there was the feeling of crunchy grainy bread crumbs with the smooth soft texture of the oyster. Flavour wise, it was rich creamy and buttery with a medium salty end.

Ginmutsu Teppan Yaki RM26 is a deep fried cod and home-made kimchi dish that goes very well with dry noodles or plain old white rice. Though the fish was deep fried till crisp, it was still moist inside. The sweet and spicy sauce was quiteappetizingfor people who like a bit of heat in their food.

Saikoro Steak RM24 or beef cube served on hot plate garnish with deep fried slice garlic. It is a dish best tasted while its is pipping hot, but dont burnt your tongue! The beef cubes were tender to slightly over. Taste was typical with the right consistency of saltiness, sweetness and beefiness.

Special Inaniwa Udon RM15 is served in aspicy, sweet and fruity soup broth with seafood and tempura prawns on top. The smooth springy noodles are call Inaniwa udon and are made in Akita Prefecture and are one of the highest quality udon made in Japan. This udon has good flavour and remains pleasantly al dente after cooking.

Lastly we had theirSomen Chanpuru RM13 or Japanese Mee Sua. The stir fried somen was firm and not too oily to taste. It was a light noodle dish that has lots of vegetables.

Taste

3.5/5 (Good) The flavours were pleasant although the dishes have been infused with Asian tastes.

Texture

3.5/5 (Good) Basically the dishes we tried nicely prepared with good mouth feels.

Service

3.5/5 (Good) Good explanation from Alex and their chefs when we shot questions at them.

Cleanliness

3.5/5 (Good) Clean and neat dining area.

Atmosphere

3.0/5 (Average) Not much to look for as they are not theme or concept restaurants.

Price

3.0/5 (Average) Price are reasonable.

Portion

3.0/5 (Average) The dishes that we had were quite standard inportion size.

Value

3.5/5 (Good) The food was flavourful although portion and price may be average in comparison to other Japanese restaurants around.

Consistency

NA/5 stay updated.

Address: 102-A-5, New World Park, Burmah Road,10500 Penang

Tel: 04-2285176

GPS: N5 25.212 E100 19.638 View Gourmet Garden Food Trial in a larger map

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

With the random blizzard, this Halloween looks like the concluding scene from the Nightmare Before Christmas: jack o' lanterns packed in mounds of snow. Guess that means I have to pull out my giant plush Donald Duck costume for the snow. Yes my parents gave me one as a joke. They thought it was hysterical. I was jibbed on a b'day gift.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

What you need for the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

2 1/4 sticks butter, at room temp

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

What you need for the frosting:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a bowl attached to an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add each egg one at a time until fully combined. In another medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, buttermilk and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/2 of the wet ingredients, another third of the dry, the remaining of the wet and the remaining of the dry. In that order. Divid! ed among cupcake liners and bake for 22 minutes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled make the frosting. In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butters and cream cheese. Add the confectioner's sugar on medium speed then add the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Frost the cupcakes.

Beef Stew Recipe

This Beef Stew Recipe is comforting. It is simple yet all the flavors work in harmony.

Beef Stew is made by simmering beef in liquid until it becomes tender. This process makes the beef tender while releasing all its natural flavor. The liquid can be water, beef stock or broth, or even wine. This recipe makes use of beef broth, which is readily available in any grocery store.

The vegetables in this Beef Stew Recipe does not only contribute to the nutrition of this dish, it also adds flavor and aroma. The carrots, for example, gives a sweet flavor to the dish. The celery ribs, which is also called celery stalks, provides nice flavors and aroma.

I consider this dish as a comfort food. During cold seasons, eating beef stew makes me feel warm and pampered. This can be eaten as is or with steamed rice. You can also have this with bread.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef, cubed
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery ribs
• 3 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 pieces bay leaves, dried or fresh
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch diluted in 2 tbsp water
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Watch the cooking video:

Cooking Procedure

Heat oil in a pot.

Sear the beef, add onion, garlic, bay leaves, ground cloves, and paprika. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Pour-in beef broth and let boil. Simmer until beef becomes tender.Note: This can take u! p to mor e than 1 hour depending on the meat that you will use. Add water as needed.

Add celery ribs, carrots, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 6 to 10 minutes.

Pour-in diluted cornstarch. Stir and cook for a minute more.

Turn off heat and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve. Share and enjoy!

Number of servings (yield): 6

If You enjoyed this post, you might like:

• Easy Crock-Pot Beef Stew for Those Who Can Wait
• Braised Beef
• Beef Mechado
• Beef Nilaga
• Shepherds Pie

Urban Picnic

Love the name, love this place; hidden at the back of Menara IMC, Urban Picnic is an oasis of Mediterranean cooking in a culinary desert.

It's a simple set-up, with both air-conditioned & alfresco areas, lined with shelves of olive oil, cheese, gourmet pasta & other products for purchase.

Urban Picnic opens at 7:30, so early birds can load up on a Big Breakfast: sunny-side-up eggs, house-made sausage, cheese toast, butter, jam & salad.

The real attractions arrive when the menu changes for lunch at noon. This looks like a salad, but it's more sinful than a Big Mac: warm slices of duck with onions, mushrooms & best of all, crispy duck lard croutons for a calorie-packed crunch!

Soupe au pistou, a French Provencal summer soup comprising veggies with pes! to. Tast es pretty rustic, thanks to its wholesome, natural savoriness.

Roasted lamb Mechoui-style, with semolina & raisin sauce. A Moroccan favorite, encouragingly hearty & engagingly flavorsome.

Hazelnut monin iced latte & Valrhona hot chocolate (sumptuous!). For fans of booze, only beer is available, with no sign of wine, unfortunately.

Our main lament: Urban Picnic's last call for food orders is at 2:30pm. And it closes at 6pm. Also, it only opens on weekdays.

Urban Picnic,

Menara IMC, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2026-5040

Mt Jelliriffic!

What I really wanted to make for the finale post for the Jelliriffic! Challenge was a chocolate marquise using After Eight Mints that my friend Su had bought for me from KL (none in KK, can you believe it!), as per Gordon Ramsey's recipe in an old issue of Good Food (can't tell you which isssue now because I'm in Hub's office and it's 11:25 pm). I wanted a chocolate shell that fits over the choc marquise, with the lines of the mountains but that failed because the choc shell couldn't be pried off the mould without breaking.

So what I did instead today was covered the choc marquise with melted dark choc with the intention of drawing the outline of the mould using a metal skewer but because the marquise was frozen (and it had to be or it'll melt fast in hot weather because it's so rich) so the melted choc hardened quickly when smeared onto the choc marquise. It was impossible to draw the lines on hardened choc. With trembling hands, I peeled the hardened choc off. Parts of the marquise came off with the hardened choc too. What a mess! In the end I drew the lines of the mountain on the marquise. It wasn't what I expected but I was thankful that at least it wasn't so bad looking.

For FIL's birthday tonight, I used pink choc to 'wrap' the choc cone. I think the cone done up this way would be great for a promotion cake, or a graduation cake to signify achievement

I like using the mould to hold flowers too. It's small and looks classy enough on a wedding cake, don't you think?

So there you are, my last 3 ways to use the beautiful Jelliriffic! mould. It's been a stressful sleep-deprivedfun month. I want to thank all of you for staying with me and supporting this Challenge. Goodnight!



Choc marquise is a very rich choc dessert which I usually can't eat more than two spoonfuls but the addition of mint choc in this recipe makes the choc marquise very refreshing and SO yummy! Thumbs up Gordon!

Gordon Ramsey's Choc Marquise (1 cone)
60 gm dark choc, melted
30 gm unsalted butter, softened
30 gm caster sugar
1.2 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
1 egg yolk (I omitted this; don't want raw eggs)
90 ml double cream
60 gm After Eight Mints

1. Whip the butter with the sugar.

2. Mix in the dark choc, the cocoa powder and the double cream. If using egg, whisk it with half the sugar and add in now.

3. Put a spoonful of choc marquise into the mould, place a small piece of mint on top. Repeat until mould is full. Cover with wrap and chill until hardened.