Every year in October I religiouslydid my rounds for almost all of the restaurants that participated in the MIGF . 2012 marked my 3rd year, and in preparation I have doubled my gym and runs sessions to accommodate the additional calories as I eat my way through some creatively crafted menus by some of the top chefs in the country!
Malaysia International Gourmet Festival marks 30 days of gluttony gourmet pursuits, starting 1st to 30th October where chefs of selected restaurants from hotels or stand-aloneestablishments craft their best menus to best showcase their culinary skills.
This years line-up of participating restaurants list does look promising.There are the veterans such as Sunway group of hotels, Al Amar and Mandarin Oriental while new ones from Best Western Sentral and Ten Japanese Cuisine showed showcased pretty exciting menus as well.
It was a grand affair, the gala launch, as it has been every year. As usual I stuffed myself silly, tasting samples from each station and checking their menu.! Below a re the menus from each outlet, as well as snippets or pictures of the food if I managed to snap some decent shots. Enjoy! Circus and Al Amar International and Lebanese cuisine at its finest.
The lamb at Al Amar is legendary. And whats Lebanese without its baklava and sweets?
A newcomer into the scene, Best Western Sentral has just opened its doors a few months ! back. He aded by a rather cheery chef, Grill 582 specialises in meat and seafood. Im a huge fan of MEAT; lets see ifI can fit a dinner here in the first 2 weeks of October.
For French food, one must visit Nathalies Gourmet Studio at least once. I recalled those times where I would visit Nathalie Gourmet Studio, Solaris Dutamas rather religiously every month since her menu changes every 4 weeks. Her current outlet in Menara Taipan KL is not one of my favourite areas so I have stopped going since. Perhaps its time for a re-visit.
And who can forget Nathalies macarons?
I was very impressed with Ten Japanese Cuisine when they first opened in Solaris Dutamas. They have just shifted over to Marc Residences on Jalan Pinang, to a bigger and better venue they say; and to serve an even largerdemographicsof clientele.
I tasted some of their samples that night and loved all of it! Perhaps Ten should be on my MIGF list of restaurants to visit!
These Yuzu sorbet with champagne was a delight!
Im heading to The Westin for sure. Prego, Qba Latin Bar and Grill and 5senses are all involved in the MIGF this year.
Qba Latin Bar and Grills menu sounds amazing; Master Kobe sirloin, Cuban beef, Peruvian chowder, churros with hot chocolate. Mamma mia! Count me in for this one!
For Italian, one cant go wrong with Prego. Squid ink potato gnocchi and wine braised veal cheeks sounds tempting no?
Last but not least, the newly rebranded Five Sen5es serves the best of refined chinese cuisine.
Fancy some Korean? The new kid in town Onsemiro Korean Fine Dining might satisfy your cravings.
Im hopping in The Restaurant for my favourite Chef Alexanders menu tonight. He owed me foie gras ice cream for a VERY long time. Finally I shall have it! And perhaps I shall visit Chef Fillipo for a taste of Sicily too?
Say hi to both good looking chefs!
The current humid weathe! r warran ts a drive up Genting Highlands. Cool weather and good food always makes life rosier yes?
The chef himself seems rather accomplished and I had a taste of his Portobello Carpaccio that night which was deceptively simple but very delicious!
The 2nd restaurant from the Genting group is Imperial Rama. Guinea fowl and sturgeon fish are definitely uncommon compared to the rest of the MIGF menus.
Every year I was intrigued with The Pomelo; an advocate of healthy living and cuisine but I have yet to visit til today. Maybe this year I might just make a trip.
I believe Grand Dorsett is a newcomer into the MIGF scene. Their menu certainly looks fit for an emperor with luxe items such as bird nest, cordyceps and ginseng.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel is back with 2 of its signature outlets showcasing their best menus. Mandarin Grill tempts me with rabbit loin and black angus while Chef Ricky Thien from Lai Po Heen seems to have pulled out all the stops with offerings such as Double-boiled Kungfu Soup with premium dried seafood cordyceps and Steamed Dragon Grouper Roll.
Im less familiar with Renaissance Hotel as Ive only been there once last year for their Venezuelan feast week. Sagano has always been said to serve pretty decent Japanese food while frankly, I have hardly ever heard of Dynasty; whether for its pure Chinese cuisine or its dim sum.
For Malay fine dining, Enak KL should suit the bill for this year.
The Royale Chulan in Kuala Lumpur featured 2 of its restaurant this year. I went for LHeritages MIGF in 2010 and came away rather unimpressed. This year however, the SwissAmbassador is overseeing the menu so Im sure the food would be more palatable! My previous experience with his cooking here >Fritz Tschantrefrom Switzerland.
Fritz Tschantrefrom Switzerland.
Sampling that night: Gooey hot Swiss cheese and pickles!
Heres the menu for Bunga Emas of The Royal Chulan Hotel which offers Malaysian cuisine albeit with a modern twist.
Other than TEN Japanese Dining, the lesser known Kofuku Japanese Cuisine atSeri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur has a decent menu to satisfy your Japanese cravings. I havent dined there before so I cant offer any personal recommendations.
Italian, Japanese and Chinese fare dominates MIGF menus this year. Well, one cant deny the popularity of these cuisines! Nerovivo takes the representative flag for The Nero Group this year with veal rump (yums!) and Neromisu theircreatively branded! dessert .
Neromisu anyone?
The Sunway Group of Hotels has been an avid supporter of the MIGF 2012 every year.
West Lake Garden, their famed Chinese restaurant (I love their mooncakes!) is back with some reallysumptuous items being featured in their dishes.
New OrleansBar & Grill is the place to ! go for d ishes that embody trueNew Orleansflavour, culture and jazz music and just recently they have launched theirweekly Jazz series which will continue through November and December; bringing soulful entertainment to this part of the city, and rewarding guests with an excellent blend of Jazz, Swing, Blues, Latin, Rock, Fusion, Funk, Soul and other genres, amidst distinctive Continental Brasserie-style cuisine.
The Berjaya Group is represented by Sampings on the Fourteenth. What the hell is home smoked balik style salmon??
Yesterday night was my first MIGF menu review. The Makan Kitchen at DoubleTree Hilton had a very clever menu throwing together the best of Malay, Indian and Chinese influences. Watch out for my post on it!
There you have it! The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2012!
Thats a lot isnt it? Im certainly looking forward tomore culinary surprises for the next 30 days!
So what do you think? Which restaurant is most likely your choice if you have to choose ONE? Tell me!
Perhaps I should do ! a giveaw ay on my blog for a dinner for you at a restaurant of your choice? Yay or nay?
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