Marini's on 57 @ Petronas Tower 3

There might be no better perch in KL for sipping a Sangria while soaking up the sunset; launched this month at Petronas Tower 3, Marini's on 57 hopes to raise the bar for what a rooftop bar and restaurant can be.

The entrance to Marini's can be best spotted from outside Mandarin Oriental Hotel's lobby; take the express elevator, which whisks customers within 60 seconds to near the top of the 58-floor Petronas Tower 3.

Spacious, sleek and sleaze-free, flooded with natural light in the early evening. Marini's opens by 4pm everyday, closing a full 12 hours later before dawn breaks.

Marini's on 57 features air-conditioned and alfresco areas. There'll be separate sections for an Italian restaurant and a whiskey lounge by mid-July; we're keen to see what those will look like.

And for folks keeping count, yep, this is now KL's highest-level watering hole; Skybar, Luna Bar and The View are mostly on the thirtysomething-floor of their buildings.

The trump card might be the unbeatable proximity to the Petronas Twin Towers. Positioned as both an after-work haunt and a late-night party place, Marini's seems to require reservations for the best tables.

Bar bites here are better than average too, but as expensive as expected. Nevertheless, these French fries (RM15++) are mighty fine, especially with a moreish house-made truffle dip that's buttery-creamy and earthy-fragrant.

Lamb kofta with harissa sauce grilled bread (RM28++). Giving the staff members here their due: service is lightning-swift and sunshine-warm.

Marini's happy hours stretch from 4pm through 9pm. Excellent bargains include RM25++ for a glass of Prosecco La Fara ...

... or a glass of Italian Coste Delle Plaie Rosso ...

... or a pleasurably potent Mojito.

As more eateries work to open before Ramadan, we're looking forward to the next few weeks.

In an eerie coincidence, this entry on Marini's on 57 comes a day after our Midi 57 post(the former's on the 57th floor of its skyscraper, the latter's No. 57 on its street). Perhaps that's a number that warrants a closer watch.

Rest assured, a few more up-in-the-air hangouts will open before 2012 is over; keep an eye out for THIRTY8 by the time the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur opens in September.

Marini's on 57,
Menara 3 Petronas, Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2161-2880

Key Lime Cream Cake

I made this Key Lime Cream Cake to go along with a fun handbag giveaway for today.

If youve followed the blog for a while you may remember this Red Velvet Clutch or this Buttercream Bag from a while ago. I know handbags are kind of weird to show on a baking site, but not when the theme is cake and when the bag colors come in fun flavors like Key Lime Cream. Umm yes please. The bags are from the Petunia Pickle Bottom line called Cake. And Ive been enamored with them for a while now. They are actually fashionably disguised diaper bags. But you can totally rock them without having to carry diapers around all day to justify wearing one. They are definitely too pretty for just one purpose.

Ill show you in a minute. But first a little Key Lime Cream Cake.

Decorated with swirls of whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs. Yum!

And four layers of key lime cake. Four uneven layers that I could have split better. But thats okay. Still good.

< /a>

Heres the recipe or if you are more interested in the giveaway, just keep scrolling.

Key Lime Cream Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup key lime juice
3/4 cup sour cream

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans.
• Sift flour, sugar, powder, soda and salt into mixer.
• Add eggs, oil and lime juice. Beat until smooth.
• Add sour cream and beat until smooth.
• Pour in prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 16 oz boxes confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup key lime juice (optional)
green food coloring (optional for color)

• Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. For really creamy frosting, mix in 1/4 cup of key lime juice. You can also leave it out or add more confectioners sugar to make it thicker. Add a small amount of green food color if youd like the frosting tinted.

Whipped Cream
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Chill metal bowl and beaters in freezer for about 20 minutes. When ready to whip, add ingredients to the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.

Divide cake into four layers and frost. Pipe top with whipped cream or add crushed graham crackers to the side of the cake if desired. Refrigerate.

_______________________________________________________

Hey there! W! ant to k now more about the giveaway. Well, heres the bag in Key Lime Cream Cake. Its made of cut velvet and comes with straps to carry several ways. Pretty handy. Oh and it has a separate little clutch, too. Check out this post on the red velvet bag I gave away a while back it really shows off some of the details. The custom stamped name and zipper pulls are enough to make you swoon. And for more info on the bags from Petunia Pickle Bottom, click here.

Want one? Want to pick your own flavor?

Enter for a chance to win a $325 Petunia Pickle Bottom Society Satchel Cake Bag.

• To enter, just leave a comment on the blog and tell me which one of the flavors below that youd like to win. Easy enough.
• Deadline to enter is Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 7 pm ET.
• One winner will be chosen atrandom and announced sometime Tuesday evening.

Disclosure stuff: Handbag is courtesy of Petunia Pickle Bottom and giveaway is sponsored by me because I like these bags.

Good luck!

Edward Kwon, Celebrity, Actor, Chef, Korean.

To those of you who still subscribe to the mainstream media, The Star, in particular, might notice these lavish full page ads, which if read quickly, might be misread as He has cooked Tiger....and a US President. And there's this boyish figure, who looks like someone out of a Korean drama, that is all the rage....so, who is he?



Well, basically he's a Korean celebrity chef who has cooked for Madonna, Tiger and a US President. And, now, he's ahem, cooked for me. And a few hundred thousand others.

A glitterati press event held at the KL Hilton, in midday, was a lovely distraction from the dull humdrum office life. As usual, we were given an insight into the celebrity's life. He is brought in by Li TV, to highlight his new series, Edventures in Asia; in case you're wondering, its about culinary adventures in Asia. To this end, we discovered that his most amazing meal, which he diplomatically declined to say was in our beloved country, was in Mongolia, where they made a lamb stew out of nothing.

Also, he must have told this story a million times, but apparently when he was young, he wanted to become a priest. He didn't elaborate what kind of priest, but I am guessing most priesthoods insist on a certain kind of celibacy. Well, from celibacy to celebrity, that I call a quantum step.




Above, a collage of the various faces of Edward Kwon. Interviewed by some chick with a fo! reign ac cent, and also a brief cooking demo with the Li TV Director and a Maybank fella, he whips up a Galbi Jjim, Soy Braised Wagyu shortribs. Of course, such things can only happen on TV, when one can whip up a dish like this in 10 minutes.

Lunch was VERY good!








Sam Gye Tang - Chilled Chicken Roulade, Ginseng Espuma and Jujubes. It's totally unique, and I can't say I've ever had anything remotely close to this before. It kind of reminds me of the chinese chilled chicken in gelatine dish, only much more refined.


Foie Gras and Douen Jang - Which according to google translate is Foie Gras, Korean Bean Paste and Chervil. It was so good, everyone on the table wanted seconds. It's kinda like a soup, but not quite a soup, but not sickly thick either. So yeah, I guess it's like a soup. Again, very unique tastes, with subtle hints of foie gras, complementing rather than stealing the show.


Galbi Jjim (interesting to have two consecutive Js in a word) - Soy braised wagyu shortribs in Romme Puree, Apple Chilli Salad and Root Vegetables. Seriously good stuff. The meat was tender, and must have fallen off the bone, and you can taste the results of the long slow cooking that is involved. The juices and sauces have seeped into the meat, enhancing the taste even more than I thought possible. The tangy apple helps neutralize any heaviness that might be potentially derived from the meat.





Yuza and Bokbunja - Yuza and Yoghurt Mousse, White Chocolate Crispy Rice, Vanilla Plum Wine Jelly, Bokbunja Sorbet. Bokbunja is a korean fruit wine, to the uninformed. Yuza is an expression of delight, YUZAHHHH, korean for yahoo. Okay, I kid. I don't know what it is, as google did not help.

A lovely end to a fabulous lunch. Loved loved LOVED the sorbet.

Well, if you are salivating, (if you are salivating over the man, forget it, he's married, and his wife makes the kimchi), then pay heed to the NUMEROUS FULL PAGE ADS in the papers, offering you numerous ways to win a chance to dine with Edward Kwon.

Thanks Roots Asia for the invite. That was one pleasant surprise.

Such a happy cherry tart

Rainier Cherry Tart Recipe (gluten free)

Oh miam, je veux manger la crote ! (Oh yum, I want to eat the crust!) Lulu exclaimed as she reached for one golden piece of crust from the tart I had left to cool on the kitchen countertop.

Attends ! (Wait!)

It was already too late. Her mouth was full and she was smiling, reaching for more.

By looking at the cherry tart with its missing crust around the edge (not the one you see here in the picture), youd have thought that tiny mice had come in the house for a snack.

I am no blaming Lulu. At her age, I, too, was very fond of la crote of the many tarts my mother baked, sweet and savory alikeand it has not changed. In French, we even refer to this part of the tart as le trottoir (literally meaning the sidewalk). And you either like le trottoir, or you dont.

My family and I belong to the first group.

We loved my cherry tart so much that I thankfully baked it a number of times with Rainier cherries which, right after I tasted one, I fell in love with.

Every year, I am eagerly waiting for cherry season. I check the market regularly; I ask my parents how their cherry trees are doing, and how much fruit they think theyll have. This year, P. and I even decided to plant a cherry tree in! our bac k garden. We want Lulu to grow up with cherry trees around her.

AND SO when we are not eating cherries as a snackat this time of year, theres always a bowl of cherries sitting on the table, and yes, I am one of these people that cannot stop once I startI like to can them, prepare salads, make soup, or bake with them in clafoutis, and tarts.

Like this tart.

Wouldnt you fall for their beauty too?

Of course, the tart welcomes any type of cherries, even if my preference will invariably go for the cheerful colors and flavor a Rainier brings to a dessert.

I baked the tart using a crustwhich comes from my cookbookmade with millet, rice flours, and almond meal combined with olive oil and flavored with lemon zest. The crust is delicate and has a firm crunchy texture that I love. (But I imagine that many other crusts would go well with it too, like this one.)

And then, I chose a light egg-based topping allowing the flavor of the cherries to stand out.

Maman, ca cest ma tarte pour aprs lcole, (Mummy, this one is my tart for after school) Lulu exclaimed one morning after catching sight of a batch of cherry tartlets I had prepared for an afternoon goter with friends and children that same day.

Mais oui, si tu veux, (Of course, if you want) I said, with a smile.

I was looking forward to watching her.

I knew that she was particularly excited about nibbling on the crust of her own tart.

That enough made it oh so memorable and a happy moment shared together.

Rainier Cherry Tart Recipe (gluten free)

Ah, le temps des cerises, how special you are in our family!

Rainier Cherry Tart Recipe with Lime and Lemon Thyme

For a 9-inch tart (or 4 tartlets)

You need:

• Olive oil sweet crust flavored with lemon*recipe from my book, or another olive oil crust you like, like here
• 14.5 ounces (425 g) Rainier cherries, pitted and halved
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon lemon thyme, finely chopped
• Zest of 1 organic lime (or lemon) finely grated
• 1/4 cup (50 g) blond cane sugar

*You will have leftovers which you can use for more tartlets if you want. For 2 more tartlets, add to the batter 1 egg and ! 2 tables poons sugar

Steps:

• Prepare the crust as per instructions. Roll and garnish the mold. Make small holes with a fork and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper and add dry rice or beans. Cook for 10 minutes and then remove the parchment paper and beans. Cook for 5 more minutes.
• Garnish with the cherries.
• In a bowl, beat 2 eggs with the sugar, lime zest, and lemon thyme. Pour this batter over the tart and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is cooked and the flan is set. Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Culinary prodigy whips up supper club dinners at age 13

LOS ANGELES, June 25 Move over Ferran Adri and Grant Achatz, theres a new chef in town, a ginger-haired, freckled boy whose 13-year-old vocabulary includes words like nasturtium and fennel fronds and whose dinners sell out to some of the most discerning diners in Los Angeles.

His name is Flynn McGarry, a teenage boy who commands the kitchen with ease, delivering orders to cooks three times his age in an adolescent voice stuck in the awkward phase between child-boy and young man.

Screenshot of McGarry when he appeared on NBC Nightly News. He is being called the hottest chef in the US right now.

Hes being called everything from culinary prodigy to the countrys hottest chef and what the blogosphere refers more widely to as koodies, foodie kids with sophisticated palates and cooking chops.

Profiled in a segment on NBC Nightly News in the US this week, McGarry shared his passion for cookery, showing off his knife and plating skills at Playa Restaurant in Los Angeles, where chef John Sedlar handed his kitchen over to the teen for a special dinner. On the menu: a nine-course meal that included trout with braised leeks and caramelised fennel, wild fennel fronds and nasturtium flowers served to a sold-out crowd.

Flynns a very unusual young man and hes very, very passionate, says Sedlar in the segment.

By teenage boy standards, its true. McGarry is a very unusual young man.

So strong is his passion for cooking, the young man has turned his bedroom into an experimental kitchen laboratory.

Instead of video game consoles, baseball trophies and movie posters, McGarrys bedroom is lined with mixers, pots and pans, cutting boards and a stainless steel work table.

Its where McGarry cooks his monthly pop-up dinners which are served from his familys dining room, a mo! nthly su pper club hes called Eureka.

McGarry is a precocious cook, whose hands move deftly and confidently in the kitchen, skills hes been honing since he was a child. Well, a younger one, at the age of 10. When asked if its an interest he picked up from his mom, he replies in a resounding no, repeating it five times.

What started out as a means of self-preservation from his moms meagre cooking turned into a passion the teen hopes to parlay into a career bedecked with three Michelin stars and a spot on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, he said.

Meanwhile, McGarrys 13-year-old rsum is already richer and more impressive than most cooks multiple times his age. On his itinerary for the summer: after interning for Grant Achatz at Next and Alinea in Chicago, Modernist Cuisines Food Lab in Seattle, McGarry plans to finish 8th grade.

To follow McGarrys development, visit his site here. AFP-Relaxnews

Share it with others

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•