Martha Stewart made it easy, as her late mothers chocolate babka is the finest out there, and not just because it contains the complicated twist patterns, pebbles of streusel and touch of cinnamon that its just not right without. Nope, her version won all prizes because it was completely and totally, bo! rderline indecently, overcrowded with chocolate. The chocolate-to-dough ratio is staggering. Its unseemly. Its some kind of wonderful.
... Read the rest of chocolate swirl buns on smittenkitchen.com
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Hey guys, heres another update on the Curious Cat as I prepare more travel and Ramadan posts! 
If you have been following my blog, youll realize that lately I have been very intrigued with Curious the cat and his sarcastic dialogues with his housemates. Though I dont normally blog about pets, this cat did got me hooked. So far Ive watched all the videos and they just tickled me pink!
Heres another one that you should check out; the Part 7 video where Curious enters Smileys house and sparking off some EPIC catty moments!
Watch it yourself and find out why Curious is airborne!
Now, I have always wondered since day one; who created these funny videos, this site and whatever for?
Recently I have neglected my daily visits to the site as I was traveling again. My latest trip was Pangkor Laut Resort (look out for that, I have some really good pics!) and when I got back, I got swamped with work.
I was reminded just a few days back when a blog reader kindly left a comment on my previous post saying that the person/party behind this site is MML (Malaysian Mosaics Berhad).
My first thought?
Wow, there are people out there that has been following this site!
Next thought?
What the heck was she talking about?? LOL.
Curious (pun intended), I surfed over to th! e Curious Cat siteand this was what I saw.
There has been an update and the cat is out of the bag (pun intended again)!
It was finally revealed that the Curious Cat site is actually the latest campaign from MML to educate public about tiles and the importance of choosing the right tiles for your home.
A tiles manufacturer behind this site all these while? Thats innovative but quite an unlikely combination right?
Well, kudos to Malaysian Mosaics Berhad for thinking out of the box! I think this is a very interesting campaign and Im certainly going to follow its progress closely.
Another plus point is the funny, rib-tickling but well-made videos which captured the essence of MMLs message in an entertaining and easy to digest manner. Now,I wonder whats next?
Video: A Day In The Life of Argento Winemaker
There is a place in the shadow of the Andes where magic is made
Cerca del Cielo (close to the sky) is a collaboration between British filmmaker James Kibbey and the Argento Wine Company. The short film follows a day in the life of Argento Winemaker Silvia Corti on a journey from vineyard to table against the stunning backdrop of Mendoza, Argentina.
Argento Productions presents a Black Shark Media film directed and edited by James Kibbey on location in Mendoza, Argentina.
Cerca del Cielo (close to the sky) from Argento Wine on Vimeo.
Interestingly this was shot on a Canon 7D with 24-105 L Lens and 35mm 1.4 L Lens. Some shots helped by a Glidecam HD 2000 and a B Hague Double Suction mount. Interesting to me as that is the camera I use although the lenses are better than mine!
Spittoon.biz - A UK Wine Blog - We Spit... So You Can Swallow
This was my FIRST Ramadan buffet of the YEAR! Yes I know it seems premature isnt it?
Anyhow Ill never say No to festive seasons and food.
Also, this is my first visit to Melting Pot, Concorde KL, of which I have heard many positive feedback on its food by a close friend of mine who is a regular here due to her work. So I was quite worked up with anticipation!
Let me start with one of my favourite dish that evening; the Nasi Kerabu with ALL of the essential elements of the dish; from the budu (a thick pungent fish sauce) in belacanto the drygrated coconut, everything was available for a complete authentic plate of Nasi Kerabu.
As with every buffet, we all want to know how much do we pay (price), how much will we get (variety) and how much more (our stomach capacity) can we eat for the amount paid.
Ill give the Ramadan Buffet at Melting Pot a solid 7/10 for varietyand another8/10 for price (RM89++/adult); which I personally felt is a fair price for a buffet in KL city.
As for stomach capacity, the dining hours are from 7pm til 10.30pm; the usual 3.5 hours of dining duration for you to partake to your hearts wish.
For an even better deal, you can opt for theRamadan buffet served at Ballroom with a special Bazaar theme.
Yes, Concorde KL has 2 venues for you to break fast this coming Ramadan!
Priced atRM75.00++/adult,Teratak Chef Abbas is another concept at Concorde Ballroom introduced for the first time. It is a bazaar conceptserving various dishes hawker stalls.
Quite an original idea Ill say, with endless choices of food in an ala kampung atmosphere with AIR CONDITIONING!
Ramadan Bazaars will always have a special place in our hearts, no doubt about that, but the weather and non-availability of dining areas may be a deterrentfor some. For Teratak Chef Abas, Chef Abbas and histeam will be seen busy cooking and whipping up deliciousdishes a la minute.
For this session, I sampled the fare at Melting Pot Cafe itself.
Everything looked good to me, which says a lot about the presentation.Chef Abbas has continuously amazed diners with his culinary skills, having cooked for dignitaries and royal families. Some of his signature items which are only served during the Ramadan season such as sup gear box, shawarma specials, whole roast lamb with flavourful briyani and ikan merah percik bermadu were present that night.
Sup Gear Box. This is a portion for ONE! With the bone marrow tooslurppssss!
Thewhole roast lamb with flavourful briyani. My favourite!
It was reduced to a ladder of ribs pretty quick, so I guess all the other guests agreed with my verdict. Oh no no, I didnt finish it myself, though I do think I could! :P
Theshawarma station.
Whats more,Chef Abbashas included the best tastes from 11 states of Peninsular Malaysia. At the spread I salivated over Penang style curries of all sorts and also feasted on authentic dishes from the East Coast nasi kerabu biru and gulai ikan tongkol, Johors favourites like sotong masak hitam, botok-botok (a wrapped otak-otak like creation), Negeris spicy ketam berlado, rendang ayam pucuk ubi and telur itik masak lemak belimbing.
The curries!
Seafood is expensive, but Im pleased to note that Melting Pot did not sting on the spread! There were not only quantity, but quality as well.
Below are theSteamed Fish with Ginger fresh and sweet, and another was the whole Siakap (I think, cant recall.. too much food!).
Other than the cooked seafood, the ice stationoffers shell mussels, fresh flower crabs, tiger prawns and fresh oysters.
The whole fish below, having had its body nicely filleted and then ! having h ad the fillets tucked into the body again was really visually pleasing!
This was at the teppanyaki station (which is called Teppan Theatre) where prawns, salmon, chicken, beef and squid are cooked to order.
Moving on, heres the Island Buffet, where the cold appetisers are.
Summer Roll, Tandoori Spiced Chicken Galantine, Smoked Duck Breast with Mango and Asparagus, Thai Seafood Salad,Roasted Tomato and Pasta, Salad with Pesto, Crab Salad with Green Mango,Roasted Cherry Tomato and Chicken, Shrimp and Rice Noodle Salad,Roast Beef and Spinach Salad with Horseradish Cream,Seared Tuna with White Bean, Grilled Tofu with Broccoli and Sesame Dressing,Calamari Salad with Salsa Verde, Kerabu Udang Thai, Kerabu Mangga,Kerabu Isi Kerang, Kerabu Ayam Berkerisik, Kerabu Pucuk Ubi,Kerabu Hati, Kerabu Limau Bali, Telur Ikan Goreng, Jelatah Harian,Acar Rampai, Kerepak Pisang, Kerepak Ubi Pedas, Kerepak Ubi,Keropok Ikan, Jeruk Buah-Buahan, Ulam-Ulam Kampung, Spicy Papadam.
It is one of my favourite section of any buffet, especially so during the Ramadan season; where the medley of ulam, kerabu and sambals is simply mouthwatering. Alright, most of you may not be as fond as I am for hot, piquant chilli pastes with raw vegetables, but Im an absolute fan!
More cold appetisers, all fresh and tasty. Yup, I did try a bit of each!
This is deep fried fish eggs by the way. Again, something different, and surprisingly pretty popular that night! Yums!
Obviously I wasnt able to eat all of these, but I had 2 companions that night that slowly but surely eating their way through the buffet! Rayyans gave thumbs up to the beef, done rare at the Teppan Theater.
From the Wok:
Lala with Chilli Butter Milk Sauce
Wok-fried Baby French Beans with Spicy Conpoy Sauce
Stir-fried Prawn with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Home-Made Beancurd with Oriental Greens
Deep-fried Fish Fillet with Portuguese Sauce
Kai Lan with Chilli and Salted Fish
Main Course:
Botok-Botok
Ayam Bakar Bersantan
Gulai Daging Kerisik Pucuk Pisang
Kari Ikan Bawal
Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Keli
Ikan Asam Keladi
Sotong Masak Hitam
Udang Asam Garam
Siput Sedut Daun Selasih
Sambal Perut Terung Asam
Pucuk Paku Goreng Belacan
Kambing Masak Kacang Pual
Ketam Berlado
Pulut Kuning Sambal Ikan Bilis
Rendang Ayam Pucuk Ubi
Nasi Briyani Burung Puyuh
Nasi Briyani Kepala Ikan
Nasi Briyani Daging Rusa
Nasi Briyani Daging Kerbau
Nasi Briyani Telur
I love the briyani section; there was one with eggs, one with quails and another is fish briyani.
Siput sedut!
I can imagine how my foreign friends would react to this. Suck, suck harder, almost there, yes yes..
Haha.. yes it would be fun to bring my foreign friends for a Ramadan buffet for them to have a feel of our local dishes.
Noodle on the Spot:
Mee Udang
Mee Ketam
Laksa Johor
Karen on the other hand, spoiled herself at the desserts counter. Some were great, some decent while there were some that could do with a little more care in the preparation.
I personally liked the Malay traditional kuih better. Perhaps Malay desserts are more of the kitchens forte here.
In an attempt to finish my meal healthy, I opted for more fresh fruits.
Ice cream and ais kacang were available too. I would normally have my meal with ais kacang; another perennial favourite of mine, but it was pretty hidden, with the machine at the back of the dessert counter so it was sadly overshadowed. By the time I found it I was already sipping on the bandung (pink rose syrup drink).
Heres more of the rich, creamy Malay desserts, in liquid form. For those who are unfamiliar, these are called bubur; ! in refer ence to the ingredients and the consistency of the liquid. Cooked with plenty of coconut milk as its base, the below are Bubur Pulut Hitam, Bubur Jagung, Bubur Kacang Hijau.
Three rotation buffet menus will be available (rotates daily). Resident band, Begema 5 Strollers take turns to entertain diners at both venues; Melting Pot as well as Teratak Chef Abas in the Ballroom.
Do drop me a comment if you have any queries about Ramadan buffets this year. Ill be most delighted to advise! For a start, do check out Melting Pot at Concorde!
Melting Pot Cafe, Concorde Hotel.
Max pax: 216-seat
Hours of Operation: 24 hours
Capacity: 216
Dress Code: Smart casual
Cuisine served: Asian and Continental
Tel: 03 2144 2200 ext 2337
Melting Pot Cafe kitchen is certified HALAL.
