Millesime

Returning to Millesime. It's been far too long.

Earlier entries on Millesime: Oct. 18, 2010, Oct. 20, 2010 & Oct. 22, 2010.

Millesime has been spruced up a bit since 2010, with more furnishing & a patio-like dining area. It's a real sanctuary of elegance, perhaps the best-looking eatery at Solaris Dutamas.

Since one of Chef Max Chin's favorite ingredients seems to be cecina _ Spanish air-dried beef _ it was no surprise to have it wrapped snugly around artichoke for an invigorating amuse bouche, alongside a creamy-soft slice of chicken flam.

Mille feuille of octopus carpaccio with avocado mash & a tian of Pacific crab meat, mizuna greens & saffron aioli. Full-bodied flavors from the sea, intertwined with soil-bound, herbaceous notes for a richly complex starter.

Poele of foie gras on Pedro Ximenez sherried apple soubise with caramelized sweetbread & shaved fennel with port wine jus. Goose liver with veal pancreas? Excellent.

Hokkaido sea scallops with wine-braised beef cheeks, cumin-flavored carrot puree & red wine demi-glace. The firm, fleshy chew of the scallops & beef worked wonderfully together, with the meat supplying the bulk of the flavor.

Palate cleanser of passion fruit sorbet.

Tian of lamb loin & braised red cabbage with celeriac mousseline, puy lentils & thyme reduction. Max might not be cooking every night here these days, but he still oversees the menu, confidently executed by his right-hand man, Patrick.

Baked French Valrhona bittersweet chocolate brick with rum-macerated seasonal berries & vanill! a ice cr eam. Note: the cost of the set dinner here now starts at RM220++ per person without wine, compared to RM150++ in 2010. Inflation catches up with the best of us.

With maitre d' Albert at the helm, the ideal bottle can always be found.

Millesime,

Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Closed Sundays.

Chinese New Year Greetings,

Restoran Ayam Kampung @ Kota Damansara

I have been passing by this shop almost everyday and of late I was paying a lot of attention to this spot. This is my second time visiting it and I like the food here. It's always crowded during peak hours and their fried ayam kampung is most popular. It's also a popular place to "bungkus" (takeaway) theirdeliciousfood. So go try it out I am sure you will like too.RM10.00 for this combo and it's my lunch comprising of half portion of plain rice, a fried drum stick, bean sprouts, ulam (salad) with salad belacan, and asucculent and delicious squid.

Restoran Ayam Kampung

49 Jalan Cecawi,

6/33 Kota Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Encik Radziff Mohd Sani HP no. 016-2945991

GPS : 3 9' 43.77"N, 101 34'54.97"

Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant

Located near my office, Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant is one of my places for lunch during my work week. The food is cheap, fast and they serve up one of the best Hainanese Chicken Rice in Toronto.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Kim Po's Chicken is very tender and juicy. It is topped with a Soy Sauce mixture and chopped scallions and is served with minced ginger and their own chili sauce blend. The Rice is also pretty good both in flavor and texture. It doesn't clump together and is quite fragrant.


Egg Drop Soup

This was their soup of the day that comes with the Hainanese Chicken Rice as part of a Combo. The soup was rather bland.

Grilled Pork Neck

Another dish I usually order together with my Chicken Rice. The Pork Neck tastes similar to Malaysian style Char Siew. It also has a charred exterior giving it a slight crunch


Food: 4/5
Service:4/5
Ambiance: 2.5/5
Price: $ (Under USD $10 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 550 Hwy 7 E #6162a, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
Tel: +1 905-763-8338
Web:
Map:

View Larger Map

Grand Imperial & Esquire Kitchen

The Lunar New Year feasting is in full swing; BSC's Grand Imperial seems swamped with diners, with few empty tables even on weeknights (this photo was taken early in the evening).

Grand Imperial's 'lap mei fan' costs RM40++ for the smallest portion, which feeds two or three. The rice is well-prepared, but in comparison, the Oriental Group offers more richly flavored waxed meat & sausages. Beware: at peak hours, this can take nearly 60 minutes to serve.

We ordered 'lamian,' expecting to savor the thinnest of handmade noodles. What emerged was this thick version, reminiscent of 'pan mee' instead of the fine threads that outlets like Dragon-I & Crystal Jade offer. Still tasty though, especially with the excellent 'sui kow.'

Grand Imperial has a great wine list, but we'd deduct points since there's nothing by the glass.

A more wallet-friendly eatery for this season is the venerable Esquire Kitchen, which has branches scattered in malls across the Klang Valley.

Salmon yee sang, a midsize serving for about RM40.

Esquire Kitchen features one of the cheapest CNY sets around, about RM150 for six people, kicking off with Shanghai-style fried rice cakes.

Sweet corn soup with vegetarian "shark fin" soup, the conscience-friendly choice.

Fried chicken with herb sauce. Everything on the set is OK; not incredible, but not inedible.

Sweet-sour garoupa.

Bean curd with pumpkin sauce.

Crunchy veggies.

'Luo han gao' with white fungus. Perhaps the blandest version ever.

Grand Imperial Restaurant @ Bangsar Shopping Center, Kuala Lumpur.

Esquire Kitchen @ IOI Mall, Puchong.

Innovative Chinese Cuisine @ Gu Yue Tien, Chulan Square, Kuala Lumpur

To those celebrating, wishing you all a Happy Chinese New Year and to everyone else, enjoy the long break :)

Recently, we got the chance to sample some innovative (fusion?) Chinese cuisine from Gu Yue Tien. And if you asked me to describe it in one word.... it would be awesome-rrific!!! It was definitely one of the most memorable Chinese meals we've had this year (and I could possibly stretch as far as saying ever!).

We looked around the restaurant and noticed that there were photographs of Chef/Owner Frankie Woo with famous celebrities such as Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. There are several private and semi-private rooms on top of the main dining area.

Dragon fish yee sang

We started off with the customary yee sang. But wait, it's not just any yee sang. Instead of the traditional yee sang, the chef has created a refreshing Western salad from coral lettuce, pomelo, golden raisin, pear, pok chui, sesame seeds, raw salmon and a special strawberry sauce (made from local Cameron Highlands strawberries). And to top the salad, he uses dragon fish which adds a wonderful crunch to the dish as well as being symbolic to the Year of the Dragon. It was quite a light tasting yee sang, hence we found ourselves going for seconds and thirds.

Dragon fish yee sang (RM98++ for 10 pax)

Colorful and delicious

Here's what a dragon fish looks like! As thin as an ikan bilis and very long...

For those who do not take shark's fin, Gu Yue Tien has this thick, delicious seafood soup with crab roe. It is laden with prawn, crabmeat, scallop, tofu and squid.

The winning dish of the evening was most definitely the salt baked Spanish Iberico spare ribs. Totally mouthwatering, absolutely scrumptious and finger-licking-good! Yes, we licked our fingers (and bones) clean after we finished each rib. Best of all, the ribs all come with the "yuen kuat" (the white bit) which is my absolute favorite when eating ribs. Hubby went as far as calling this the best dish he's eaten this year! Let's see if it can hold its position for the next 11 months. A short note though that this is a salt baked dish so you will find a fair amount of salt stuck to the ribs, so perhaps not for those who has low tolerance of salt. But it really works for us!

The last time I ate halibut must have been in a Western restaurant in UK, where it's been pan fried or grilled. It was definitely a first for us to see halibut being steamed and served in a Chinese Restaurant. Chef Frankie has steamed it Hunan style (ie topped with chopped chilli, garlic and deep fried garlic). We were told that the halibut is imported from Greenland. The fish flesh was very fresh, smooth with a very clean taste. At first, we expected the fish to be super spicy as it was topped with quite a fair bit of chilli, but the amount of chilli was just right and complimented the! fish ve ry well! We really loved this and would recommend it to anyone wanting a simple steamed fish (done very well of cos!).

Steamed halibut Hunan style

Getting the special treatment from chef Frankie

Check out the chilli!

It was nice to get noodles for a change, as we're usually served rice for the last dish before dessert. The smooth noodles was served with a Szechuan Mapo Tofu sauce..... did I mention Mapo Tofu was one of my fav tofu dishes and I had to order it everytime I visited the local Chinese restaurant in Swansea?

Szechuan Mapo Tofu Soft Noodles

For dessert, we had the Vanilla Ice Cream with Seasonal Fruit and Almond Cream. Almond cream is one of those things which are acquired tastes, I don't usually like them but I did have a very nice one once at Gokuraku Ramen (almond jelly) and I found myself scrapping the glass clean here too. Guess I liked this one too eh? ;)

We ended on an auspicious note with the steamed niao gao rolled with salted coconut shreds.

Reunion and Chinese New Year menu for 10 persons start from RM758++ up to RM3999++. For smaller dining groups, you can go for the RM328++ set for 4 persons or RM128++ per person (min 2 persons). You can visit their website for full details of menu.

Verdict: The food here is most impressive, and Hubby is already planning a return visit here. Yay from me!

For full set of photos, click here to view.

Location: Restoran Gu Yue Tien, Lot B5-A, Chulan Square, 92 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2148 0808

Website: http://www.chulansquare.com

GPS ! Coordina tes:3.148808, 101.715814

*This is an invited review, i.e. complimentary.

Honda Insight Review A fuel-efficient hybrid car on the road!

I HAVE AN INSIGHT!

Ermm.. not quite.. since Honda Malaysia wont hand me the keys; and attempts at carrying the Insight off from the event proved futile! :(

A few blogposts back, I shouted out about my test drive session with the Honda Insight.
A few hundred kilometres later; Im back, smarter and better informed on how a hybrid car works.
So heres it is, my thoughts as a young (ahem), female, urbanite driver on the Honda Insight.

What is hybrid technology? What is the fuss about green cars ? Are they powered by solar?

From the start of our day at Jaya One, the term fuel efficiency was on the fly.
After all, the MAIN reason to drive a hybrid (God, doesnt it sound like like some Biochemistry term there?) is Youll boost your coolness quotient. Going Green & Saving Green aka $$.

Below: Harv, our drive consultant briefed us through the myriad of buttons and whats important for us to note of during our drive.

!

Going green =

* Hybrids can run on alternative fuels (in this case motor), decreasing our dependency on fossil fuels
* Less guilt for polluting the environment:
> Low emission -Emits Co2 at 109g/km instead of 180g */km that normal conventional car emits.
> Fuel efficient- 29km/L** compare to a normal car 15km/L
* Drivers do not need to change their habits at all. You are not required to learn or do anything differently to drive a Hybrid though there are certain points you should consider (points under DRIVING TIPS below)

Saving green aka $$ =

* Fuel efficiency = less fuel burned per kilometre and more bang for your buck.
So from one year of driving a Hybrid, the difference of of total fuel consumption can fuel your first/next pair of sexy Jimmy Choos!OH YEAY! Motivated to drive a Hybrid yet??
* Also, theHonda Insight which was launched in 2010 is themost affordablehybrid in Malaysia that costless than RM100, 000.

So the first thing for anyone seeking to understand hybrid cars is to know how the car work.

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HOW THE HONDA INSIGHT ENGINE WORKS:

Hybrid = engine and electric motor = fuel efficient vehicle

1. And NO, its not solar-powered. At least the current hybrids on Malaysian roads arent.

2. POWER comes from MOTOR (Electricity la) and petrol. YUP, we still need petrol.

Different stages of driving : What the motor does, when it assisted the car and when fuel is used.

Interesting yea? So as you can see, the motor assist at times, and thats when less fuel is burned. And thus you save fuel + money ($$)!
But all that in theory. How do you know its actually working while youre driving?
Easy!
Theres this screen on the dashboard for you to keep in- sight (pun intended) of what your Insight is up to.

EXAMPLE: Stage 3. Acceleration - Engine operates with motor assist

EXAMPLE: Stage 5. Braking/Slowing down - charges IM! A batter y

EXAMPLE: Stage 4. High Speed Cruising - Engine operates alone

Note: Pics above taken while the Insight is on the move to illustrate the motor + engine mechanism.

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HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HONDA INSIGHT:

Driving tips:

1. Step on the accelerator NOT!!!!
The key to fuel efficiency is GOOD driving habits and steady acceleration/slowing down.Be light footed & steadily build up the momentum to get to the speed that you want.

2. Brake hard. Thats what the brakes are for right??
NOPE!! Release the accelerator, allowing the car to slow down as you approach your desired stopping point while pressing the brakes gently.

3. Fast and furious driving. Drift it!
DONT drive like a mad man. This is NOT to say the Honda Insight cant be fast, I have driven it at 151km/hr on the highway (see below) and it was smooth enough. However, the Insight is not made for racing. Its optimised for CITY-DRIVING.

Below: Thanks to Nik for taking the pictures as I pushed the Insight for speed on the highway.

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Now, with some basic insight on the Honda Insi! ght out of the way, are you ready to take a ride with me?

THE CAR:

A lot of us agreed that the blue colour Insight is such a doll...

Sporty lights.

I thought the front was spacious enough, though there were grumbles around from the fat.. ermm..I meant tall ones that their legs kept bumping into the dashboard.

The panel that tells you everything you need t! o know a bout your car.

Way too many buttons for me. But useful, I'm eerr..sure.

More buttons to make your life/driving easier.

Control buttons on the steering wheel audio, cruise control and Multi-Information Display

Space for more junk! Let's see..this will fit my lipgloss, pens, hairclips, vitamins...

Compartments for F & B. Chocolates anyone?

Oh, I love these infographics .
Its so nice and colourful and concises the necessary information without too many words! Heres one that illustratesthe design:

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Next up!

THE RIDE:

And we are off!!

The pre-planned route took us on diverse terrains in order for us to get a feel of the car handling in different situations.

Winding roads.

Rural areas, where the motocyclist drives on the middle of lane and think they own the road.

Patience Becky..patience Grrrrrr

Through police road blocks

Heavy traffic at some stretch. Im happy to report that there were no casualties.

On the highway.

Narrow lanes.

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Comfort factor during the drive:

I could work on the go (minus internet connectivity cos I forgot my YES dongle) on my trusty Acer Aspire S3!

You can reach for your stuffs from the boot without stopping the car and opening the boot.

The drive was long and we alternatively took the wheel as there are 3 bloggers per car. I took a nap at the back seat and snoozed peacefully til it was my turn again.
(Picture not posted for obvious reasons..)

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Safety first!

As with all their vehicles, Honda ensures that optimum safety features are in place.

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And the last COOL feature that Im going to share with you isssssssssssssss

The ECON Assist feature a! nd Econ Mode button.

Now this is extremely cool.
Ok, I admit Im darn jakun la. This is my first time driving a hybrid car. To top that off, the interactivity of the car to driver is amazing. The panels tells you so much about your car and its behaviour. I thought that makes it a very driver-friendly car, and perfect for normal driver on the road.
ECO ASSIST

Insight is thefirsthybrid model in Malaysia that hasEco Assistthat helps driver to achieve fuel-efficient driving in three ways:

a) ECON MODE BUTTON:

Below: That littlegreenbutton is the key!

And this navigational buttons controls what you see on the panel in front of you.

These are the screens that youll see as you navigate the buttons. There are all 7 interfaces as below.

Note: The Honda Insight was stationary when I took these shots as I interviewed Harv so the readings will be different when its in DRIVE mode.

Note: Screen 1 -7 Description TBA by Honda Malaysia. Will update once I have the proper description.

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Below: Me behind the wheel.

Below: The panel shows your average speed.
Ok, I was just starting up the Insight ok. I dont usually crawl at 7km/hr!

Below: Average consumptionof fuel of our Insight on the first leg of the drive was 17.5km/l of fuel.

b) GUIDANCE FUNCTION:(Daily/Short term): Color on speedometer changes color according to driving style

i.Blue Uneconomical driving
ii. Blue-Green moderate fuel-efficient
iii.Green fuel-efficient

Below: I managed to shoot the speedometer in different colours at the same speed. This is to illustrate that its not all about speed (though speeding does affect fuel efficiency), but rather the style of driving. At the same speed, it can be uneconomical driving (you could be accelerating); and it can also be economical (you could be cru! ising st eadily).

BLUE.

GREEN.

c) SCORING FUNCTION:(Cumulatively/Long Term):

i. When ignition is ON Grow leaf while driving. The more fuel efficient driving style will encourage leaves to grow

ii. When ignition OFF The grown leaves will accumulate and gradually form a trophy to indicate fuel-efficiency driving level: Beginner, Advanced, Congratulations, which is the final level.

Below: See how my leaf grew??
Look mamma! Ive got green fingers!

Last but not least, heres a video the whole trip summarised!!

Sing with me baby!
Oooh oohhh.. I havea feelingggggan Insighttttttt..oh yeaaaa
(Soundtrack: I have a Feeling by Flo Rida)

Honda Insight Bloggers Drive Jan 2012 from RebeccaSaw on Vimeo.

The Honda Insight has won the 3rd most fuel efficiency car in its class at theAsian Auto Fuel Efficiency Awards 2011dinner on 12th Jan 2012, which wasjust a day before the drive. And yes, thats Jordhatt.

Honda is certainly not a new player in the fuel efficiency compartment. The Honda Freed; launched a few years back, won 1st prize under the Compact MVP category. And yes, thats Jordhatt again.

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Our experience wasnt just all about the car and drive. We had our fun too!

GAMES!

Scrumptious food!

Our luxurious lodging at Philea Melaka. Needless to say, I slept like a pig.

Thanks Honda Malaysia for the experience!

My other Honda Drive experiences:

1.Sneak Preview: A day out in the Honda Freed

2.wackybecky in a Honda Freed

3.VIDEO Honda Freed Day Out in summary!

All pictures taken with: