Yummy Malaysiana: 07/16/12

CAPE MENTELLE WINE PAIRING @ PRIME, LE MERIDIEN KL

I just touched down from Kuching yesterday and last Sunday I had way too much food at one too many outlets. If you havent seen the pictures of what I ate in mere 10 hours, you really should check it out HERE. LOL!

After so much Chinese and hawker food, today Im pampered with a wine pairing lunch at Le Meridien KL. Im not sure about the menu yet but for the wines this was what I was told to expect Cape Mentelle from Australia.

Cape Mentelle is a founding winery of Margaret River, established in 1970. Cape Mentelle today has over 200 hectares of its own vines across four regional vineyards. One of the most remote wine regions in the world located in the south west corner of Australia, its natural beauty with spectacular coastlines captivates visitors. Here the maritime influence of the Indian Ocean ensures ev! en tempe ratures, providing consistently excellent vintage conditions.

In 1965 agriculturist Dr John Gladstones had a gut feeling about Margaret River as a wine region with strong similarities to Bordeaux. He saw undulating well-draining ironstone gravel soils carrying healthy marri trees, which were an indication of prime vineyard soil. Wine industry pioneer David Honen and his brothers established Cape Mentelle Vineyards in 1970. The phenomenal Cape Mentelle journey started with just 16 hectares of vines planted on what is now referred as the Wallcliffe Vineyards.

Cape Mentelle pioneered many of the regions renowned wine styles and today is a benchmark for the quality of the regions wines. It has played a leading role in defining the regional style of cabernet sauvignon that now stands alongside the worlds best. It recognised that blending sauvignon blanc and semillon created a striking evocation of place and has bravely so! ught to push boundaries with the sometimes challenging, always compelling zinfandel.

Accolades including consecutive wins of Australias most prestigious wine trophy with the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon in 1983 and 1984, helped put Margaret River on the international wine map.

The wines made in Cape Mentelle reflect their origins in every possible sense and anyone who has ever set out on a journey of great discovery will see something of themselves in the wines of Cape Mentelle.

Alright, thats what I got for now. Lets see shall we? Ill be sipping on this in an hours time!

Christmas in July

I have a surprise to share.

I havent said anything before now, but Ive been busy dipping. Dipping and rolling and crumbling. And creating and photographing and writing a NEW Cake Pops book. I started earlier this year and Ive been working hard to get it finished in time for the Holidays for one very important reason.

Its a holiday season themed Cake Pops book.

I can hardly believe its finally done. I started working on the book the beginning of this year and wondered on a few occasions if I could finish it in time. Its been a challenging last year as many of you guys know.

But I did. YAY! And heres the super cute cover.

I love the little snowflakes.

Cake Pops Holidays! This book is smaller than my first, and Im loving the size. You know how I am! with al l things little. I think it makes the book even cuter. It would be a sweet present for a baker, crafter or cake pop maker. Stocking stuffer maybe? Secret Santa gift? And I hope it makes some of your shopping easier this year.

There are more than twenty new projects all devoted to the holiday season like these wreaths, polar bears, stockings, and gingerbreads that you see on the cover.

Of course youll find some Santas, too.

And theres more cute holiday season cake pops for winter, Christmas and Hannukah along with instructions and tips to help make your cake pops turn out great.

And YAY this book also has the wiro binding. So excited about that.

So if these make you happy

And if candy gets your creativity going or sprinkles make you smile

T! hen, I h ope you enjoy my new book. Get ready to spread some holiday cheer.

Its available this October wherever books are sold, but you can pre-order it now:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Chronicle Books
Target(link to come)

Also available here:

Canada:Amazon.ca
Netherlands: Bol.com
Norway: Norli.no
UK:Amazon.co.uk

Yakitori Do @ Solaris

Solaris Mont Kiara may have irrevocably lost the battle of the buzz to its Dutamas counterpart, but there are still outlets opening here every so often that remain well worth visiting.

Yakitori Do's specialty is (no surprise) what its name suggests _ flawlessly grilled, bite-sized skewers of chicken and its components: the wing, breast and skin to the heart, liver and gizzard.

Each serving costs RM5, steeper than the norm, but the chicken is chunky and chew-worthy, cooked with salt or teriyaki seasoning and served with mustard.

We wish quail eggs were available here, but Yakitori Do is all about meat, as evidenced by these pork balls, dabbed with mentaiko, wasabi and ume plum sauce.

Albumin admirers will likely consider this wobbly yolk dip a thing of beauty (and a joy for eating).

Wagyu beef, about RM10 a stick. Some will wonder whether Yakitoro Do or Shurakunearby is the better bet for supper snacks in Solaris Mont Kiara; the latter's menu is more extensive, but Yakitori Do has one plus point: its kitchen closes later, at 2:30 a.m.

Mentaiko mania! Our favorite order here is not the skewers, but these guilty-pleasure treats of potatoes topped with pollock roe mayonnaise, a nightmare for carb-and-fat-fearing customers.

Mentaiko cream udon (about RM22), a uniquely Japanese riff on spaghetti carbonara.

Seaweed-wrapped, mentaiko-stuffed rice balls (about RM5). Is it any wonder we weighed ! a pound or two heavier after this meal?

Starchy side include a potato-pork salad, perhaps perfect for a potluck party.

Service is friendly, but folks seeking a lively hangout should be warned that this isn't it.

Yuzu wine and Chilean Chardonnay and Cab Sauv complete a very satisfactory meal.

Yakitori Do,

19-1, First Floor, Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6204-9796

Open for dinner, closed Sundays.

Quick Lunch: Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

A refreshing, healthy lunch..

Soba is a kind of thin Japanese buckwheat noodle which can either be served cold with a dipping sauce (in summer) or in a hot broth like a noodle soup (in winter).In KL, we are experiencing a hot weather spell hence I made the cold refreshing version.

Japanese cold soba with quail's egg, grated radish and scallions

I managed to find a bottle of soba tsuyu dipping sauce (no MSG added) from Shojikiya, The Gardens which I could use instantly so it saves more time. The tsuyu should be refridgerated so that it's cold, and you can add one ice cube to it when serving.

The soba that I used is the dried Shinshu soba, which is first cooked and chilled in ice water. I chose to serve it with chopped scallions (spring onion), grated radish and a quail's egg, which is mixed into the tsuyu. I semi-cooked the quail's egg by submerging it in boiled water for 6 minutes for a runny egg. You can also add wasabi to your soba, for those who like it with more of a spicy kick.

Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

Serves 2

I! ngredien ts

100g dried Shinshu soba noodles

2 quail's egg

2 spring onion, finely chopped (or you can use chives)

4cm radish, finely grated

120ml soba tsuyu dipping sauce

2 sheet nori seaweed, cut into thin strips

2 tsp sesame seeds
Wasabi (optional)

1. Cook the soba noodles according to pack instructions, about 5-6 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Once noodles are cooked, drain and run under cold tap, then place the noodles in ice water.

2. Meanwhile,put 450ml of water into a 18cm saucepan and bring to the boil. After water is boiled, remove from heat and place egg into the water. Using a cloth/dishtowel, tilt the pan slightly so that the egg is submerged in the water. Cook for 6 minutes and remove from heat and place in the bowl of ice water.

3. Squeeze the water out of the grated radish.

4. To serve, drain noodles and place on a plate or zaru (sieve-like bamboo tray). Garnish with nori and sesame seed. Place quail's egg (top peeled off), radish and spring onion in a separate plate.

5. Using chopsticks, place the content of quail's egg, radish and spring onion into the tsuyu. Pick up a small amount of soba from the tray/plate and swirl it in the cold tsuyu before eating it.