KAWAII & OISHI Part 3

From the land that created instant noodles, it's hardly surprising that the Japanese gets into quite a tangle when it comes to noodles. Frankly, we were bowled over by the wide variations of ramen, soba and udon from Osaka to Tokyo on our recent trip there.

Feast your eyes on these delectable offerings that came with all sorts of different toppings - from pickled, piquant vege to springy chikuwa rolls (tubular-shaped squid-flavoured fish paste). Even the soup base veers from crystalline clear to flavourfully 'misty'.

Sumptuous and silky...ramen in a deliciously sweet broth of pork bones and topped with braised belly pork chunks, pickled veges and bamboo shoot, chopped spring onion, strips of wood ear fungus and sliced char shu.Clear favourite - ramen with consomme-type soup base with chopped spring onion, kelp and slices of cha shuFancy a chikuwa roll with your Udon? Just add chopped seaweed and spr! ing onio n to perk things up furtherClassic makes the cut...Soba adorned with strips of dried nori served cold with shoyu dipping sauceKyushu Ichi-ban...possibly Kyushu's no.1 choice! Superbly springy ramen with hard-boiled egg (love the runny yolk!), lotsa spring onion, seaweed, sliced cha shu and strips of wood ear fungus.The Osaka version - simpler but equally hearty with big, porky flavourA rice ball (onigiri) to go with our simple lunch of ramen dotted with tempura bits and spring onion

Toasted Four Grain Cereal

Somehow, I've managed to pass the weekday breakfast baton. Wayne has always been the house barista, keeping me (and any visiting friends) adequately caffeinated. At some point, a couple years back, he started adding a toasty overnight oatmeal to his morning repertoire. Actually, he usually does a blend of oats and other rolled grains, but if you like oatmeal, you'll like this. Lynn, from Satsuma Press, stayed with us recently, was asking about the recipe. This is for her and any of you who are looking for a hot, filling, wintertime breakfast cereal that you can trick out with all sorts of different toppings.

There are a number of four or five-grain breakfast cereal blends you can buy ready-mixed. That said, it is incredibly easy to make your own blend, and keep it on-hand in a jar. We've been using a blend of rolled oats, rolled rye, rolled barley, and rolled spelt. But don't sweat it if you can't find those exact grains. Browse the bin section of your grocery or natural foods store, see what they have, and go from there. The only rolled grain I haven't loved as a part of our mix was Kamut.

One of the things I love most about this ritual is the one thing that might put some of you off. The "day-ahead" factor. The night before Wayne makes his cereal, he toasts the grains in a bit of butter. You have to plan ahead a bit, but the trade-off is a house that smells like a batch of oatmeal cookies is baking. Here, the scent drifts from the kitchen at the back of the house, up the hallway, and into each room along the way. It's one of the last things he d! oes at t he end of the day, and it let's you know breakfast is going to be good.

I kept track of some of the toppings I've used over the past couple off weeks and listed them below. Allow me to highlight the buttermilk maple butter, which I make for waffles, but use it here as well. Creamy, sweet, with a bit of tang - a generous drizzle is all you need.

A couple other links: I had some fun with the Remodelista ladies, for their new Style Counsel feature. And my run at the Piglet over at Food52 ended with a round two encounter with Momofuku Milk Bar, but I can wait to see how the next face-offs play out.

Continue reading Toasted Four Grain Cereal...

She made beet chips with me

Beet chips

This weekend, I wanted to prepare something fun for Lulu. Shes been sick with a cold. Shes rarely sick. But shes been a real trooper. And so despite her fever and runny nose, she wanted to spend time in the kitchen with me.

Je veux cuisiner avec toi maman, (I want to cook with you mummy) she said when she watched me peel the small beets I had kept from one of our late farmers markets. I had meant to keep them as long as I could. I had fallen in love with the colors.

Amongst others, Lulu likes crunchy foods. I am not blaming her. I do too. I knew that a bowl of finely sliced beet chips would make her happy.

All of us, as a matter of fact.

So we cooked together. And we prepared beet chips. I can still see her eyes lighting with excitement when she noticed tiny bubbles form around the slices of beets inside the boiling oil.

Regarde toutes ces couleurs maman ! (Look at all of these colors mummy) she added. She was right to notice. They looked really pretty!

Tu veux ajouter le sel, (Do you want to add the salt?) I asked.

I knew she would.

Simple things to cheer my Lulu up.

And help her feel better.

Thank you so much to all of you for your emails about the workshop. Lara and I are really happy to have received such wonderful feedback. We will be back with more inform! ation ab out to register very soon.

Beet Chips

You need:

• Baby beets*, peeled and finely sliced with a mandoline
• Brown rice flour
• Pinch of ground coriander
• Fleur de sel
• Vegetable oil, for high-temperature frying, like canola oil

*Any types of beets will do

Steps:

• Pat the beet slices dry between towels.
• Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with brown rice flour and a dash of ground coriander. Shake off the excess flavored flour.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil on high heat. When hot, add the beet slices, making sure that you are not overcrowding the pot. Let the beets fry for a few minutes, until they look crispy.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer onto paper towels to cool.
• Repeat until you run out of beets.
• Once cooled, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Enjoy!

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Exquisite food @ Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

Back in December last year, we went to Mandarin Grill to sample dishes from their new a la carte menu. With the arrival of the new chef, Reto Weber, the whole of the starters and mains section has been revamped with his signature dishes, except for the grill items which remain the same. Most of the food here are classic French dishes with a modern twist, andfocusingon the use of fresh ingredients. Apparently, the menu will be revised again in the coming months to reflect the seasonal produce that are available.

The most beautiful piece of cod fish we have eaten in 2011..

I have been here once for the MIGF review. In the evening, it is dimly lit, hence perfect for a romantic dinner with your loved one. During the day, natural light floods the restaurant thanks to the ceiling-to-floor windows with a view of KLCC park too... which makes it quite cosy and rather perfect for taking food photos. Surprisingly, the restaurant was very busy during lunch hours.. many people were enjoying the 3-course set lunch which costs approx. RM100++.

We were served two types of bread - sourdough bread and sour cream onion with black pepper bread with salted butter.

We started with a refreshing cured citrus salmon (RM56)with fennel salad and lime vinaigrette. The food presentation here is very impressive, possibly owing from the fact that the chef used to work in Michelin restaurants and other five-star restaurants before joining Mandarin Grill. I like that he uses a lot of edible herbs and garnishes to prettify the dish. I am a big fan of "beautiful AND delicious food."

Bright and delightful

On the menu, it states that ! the rest aurant endeavours to "source local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible". An example would be the smoked duck carpaccio (RM54), whereby the duck is sourced from Seremban. It is served with a mustard honey mayo, plum chutney and brioche. The combination of the slightly salty duck carpaccio and sweet plum chutney worked very well.

The white tomato cream soup (RM28) definitely got us talking. When you think about tomato soup, you instantly think that it should be red, right? But this one's white...how does he do it? Well, the chef still uses the red tomato but he clarifies it to get the white juice and then add cream to the soup. The soup is tangy and rather refreshing, served with a zucchini ricotta tortellini.

For mains, we had the smoky pepper sauce glazed beef cheek (RM88), cooked sous vide. The beef was very tender, and was served with truffled mash potatoes and root vegetables. We also noticed that they had a pan fried foie gras dish for mains (RM160), which we have been told is a whopping 150g worth of foie. Ooo la la!

My absolute favourite dish of the afternoon was the steamed black cod fish (RM98). It looks very simple but it was very delicious. The fish was very fresh and the flesh came off in flakes, just how it should be. It was served with baby spinach and a spicy sweet corn sauce.

For dessert, we had the apple tart with vanilla ice-cream which was very good. Much better than the one at The Deli's, which I find to be too thin and sticky.

Rich cheesecake topped with strawberries

And if you order a steak here, you can choose your ownLaguiolesteak knife... check out thefluorescentpink, orange, green and blue ones! Steaks here are priced between RM88 (grass fed! Black A ngus tenderloin) to RM185 (Master Kobe Grade 10, grain fed tenderloin).

Verdict: Beautifully presented food, which were all perfectly executed. All meat are Halal certified.

Pork-free.

Price: Starters start from RM28, up to RM85. Mains prices range from RM64 to RM160.

Location: Mandarin Grill,Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.


Tel: 03-2380 8888


GPS Coordinates:3.155514, 101.711555

Lion & Dragon Dance on the 6th Day of CNY @ Work Place.

It's time to bring the lions and dragons to our HQ on the 6th Day of Chinese New Year.

Everyone had a good reunion gathering back home with their loved ones and were gearing up to start work again.

The staff would gather together with their family to witness thisauspiciousoccasion.

And a simple buffet lunch for everyone.

My immediate colleagues

A Happy Chinese New Year to my associates, colleagues and all our businesscomrades. May the Dragon Year be a good year for everyone.