after much deliberation and exclamations of ‘ohmygawd, dont make me choose!’, Kelvin and i finally decided on the Equatorial’s Chalet for our first MIGF do.
the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is a month-long fine-dining event presenting 25 different Festival Menus of different cuisine, from 25 of the country’s top restaurants. (though i must say, the term ‘top restaurants’ is arguable; i would really like to know what qualifies a restaurant to be part of this elite 25) this year, as i’m sure most of you would know by now because all the write-ups mention this, restaurants from outside the Klang Valley are also participating, turning what was previously an exclusively-KL epicurean event into one that deems a change in moniker from KLIGF to MIGF.
very excited, Kelvin and i decided to pick our restaurant by process of elimination. (it really gets easier once you remove all the Japanese and Chinese restaurants from your list of options) and after coming down to a final 3, we (okay, I) made the ultimate decision based on… the dessert. and so Chalet it was!
the first course was the Cold Starter- Smoked Salmon with Aphrodisiac Pearls, Horseradish Sour Cream and Hot Hash Brown Potatoes. the smoked salmon was really good - sliced thickly, and with a beautiful subtle aroma of smoke. done just right! the 4 slices of salmon were served on a bed of horseradish sour cream; a pairing which even i, hater of all things wasabi related, must admit is good. the ‘aphrodisiac pearls’ are black caviar and salmon roe, and these when popped in your mouth atop the salmon slices + sour cream + a small forkful of the hash brown is … omg*heavenly*.
the Hot Starter comes next - Crisp Parmesan Glazed Asparagus and Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino. pooh to the crisp parmesan asparagus. what’s good is the mushroom cappuccino!!! i sooooo love it. it’s really just a very good cream of wild mushroom soup, but frothy at the top to emulate a cappuccino, and with lots of yummy mushroomy bits! it is served in a little espresso glass, and i suspect that’s what makes this soup very cool to me. sorry lah i very superficial wan, you dont know meh.
the intermezzo was lime sorbet, which we both thought was way too sweet for a palate cleanser. neeeext.
time for the mains! in Chalet you get to pick from 4 choices -
+ Broiled Boston Lobster and Pacific Cod on Linguini in Boullabaisse Stock
+ Pan Seared Canadian Lake Trout Fillet with Crustacean, Cilantro Salsa on Garlic Mash with Fragrant Dill Courgettes and Yellow Squash
+ Mustard Crusted Rack of Tasmanian Baby Lamb on Braised Potato and Leek Compote with Minted Apple and Thyme Gravy
+ Pan Seared Veal Steak on Onion Soubise and Morel Sauce, with Caramelized Carrots and Potato Spirals
Kelvin went with the first- Broiled Boston Lobster and Pacific Cod on Linguini in Boullabaisse Stock. he completely hated the lobster cos it wasnt fresh and was too tough. the portion of codfish was fine, but i did think that the linguini was overcooked and the boullabaisse lacking flavour. overall, a mediocre dish. nothing epiphanic, as Luxe and the Martian would say.
my first choice was really the rack of baby lamb, but because i’m a sissy and get really fluttery when i see the word ‘baby’ on my menu, i decided to go with the trout. but then the waiter said nooooo, the trout not nice, you must have the veeeeeeeal. arghghhgh veal was so totally my last choice. but i’m a sucker for cute waiters who look like they know their stuff, so… veal it is. yes, even though it’s baby cow. nvm. as long as i dont read it on the menu.
again, an average dish. the meat was bland boring blah. saving grace was the sauce it was served on - a combo of a deliciously thick and sweet mushroom sauce (the darker brown sauce in above pic), and a savoury onion sauce with a bisque-like texture (lighter brown). yummy. i finished the sauce, but not the meat, as a form of protest against the cute waiter who bluffed me and said the veal very nice.
why doesnt a restaurant stock up on their wine when they’re participating in a food festival? the Late Harvest SB, which was on their Festival winelist, was what we really wanted but couldnt have, cos Chalet hadnt recieved their stock. neither did they have their Cabernet. -___- wtf gimme my Cabernet. anyways we had 4 glasses of wine each. first glass came with the cold starter and was a Chilean SB which was very nice. Chardonnay came with the mushroom cappuccino, Merlot before the main, and lastly a very crappy Shiraz with the main.
and finally, time for dessert!!!
Dessert- Warm Manjari Chocolate Pudding with Lemon Myrtle Ice Cream and Caramelized Orange Sauce. okay, first of all, when you say Chocolate Pudding, you dont give ppl chocolate cake, ok? and secondly, when you say Warm, make sure the cake/pudding/whatever IS actually served warm, ok? yeah. and when you say Warm Cake, it generally means there’s molten chocolate in the centre, correct or not? so can someone explain to me why Chalet gave us Moist Chocolate Cake With No Molten Chocolate Centre, instead of Warm Manjari Chocolate Pudding?!?!?!
GRRRRRRRRR.
okay lah with all that said, that moist chocolate cake with no molten chocolate centre was actually not bad. texture was totally off, but at least it tasted good. the lemon mrytle ice cream that came in a little biscuit bowl was nice. oh and the little kiwi slices were very sesat.
dessert also came with little chocolate thingies - milk chocolate shells with vanilla ice cream inside, as well as white chocolate shells with chocolate ice cream inside. politically correct chocolates. i like.
one of the Visa perks for Chalet is that you get complimentary after-dinner Vodka Espressos at Flo Bar downstairs. yay. i’ve never had vodka espressos! and they turned out pretty good too. the vodka used was honey-infused, from the NZ vodka brand 42 Below. the very nice bartender, Guna, later gave us free shots of that, cos i was so excited to see honey-infused vodka. heehee!
but all in all, i’m pretty disappointed with this dining experience. it’s alright if the dishes arent innovative; but if they’re going to go with safe & boring, they should at least have them tasting damn bloody good. but i am most pissed off about the dessert. once again, plain moist chocolate cake is not warm manjara chocolate pudding. *shakes fist* Chalet, thou art no longer one of my favourite restaurants. even if your little quartet does a very good rendition of Tears in Heaven.
next MIGF stop, Marche at the Renaissance. hopefully that one turns out better.
after consulting his travel Bible - which is the Luxe City Guide - Martian wanted to take me to the Sofitel Metropole for its famous Sunday brunch. ‘Sundays were made for the Sofitel Metropole’, a sign at the entrance boasts. but me being me refused to wake up that early, and so we missed the only chance we had to experience this existential validation of every Sunday we’ve ever had.
but then! we strolled past the Sofitel the next day and GUESS WHAT!
THEIR CHOCOLATE BUFFET IS ALL WEEK LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
of course we went in!!! and i *DIED*. i swear i died. but here are some pictures to tempt your palate. mine was satisfied 50 times over that afternoon :P
clockwise from top - chocolate spring roll, royale chocolate cake which was @#$%(%*$ly awesome because of the peanut butter base at the bottom, chocolate croquant, chocolate mousse
the ubiquitous chocolate fountain that came with the ubiquitous marshmallows and fruits. this one had mango in the fruit selection. chocolate + mango = no
chocolate truffles
chocolate creme brulee!
little chocolate nems (spring rolls)! crispy flour skins that ooze out chocolate when you bite into them. yummmmyyyy.
butter biscuit tarts with chocolate filling. VERY good indeedy.
hard white chocolate sandwiched between dark chocolate pieces
marshmallows coated in chocolate, sprinkled with chopped pistachios
chocolate canneloni! sooo nice because there’s so much chocolate in each bite
chocolate cake in fondue and raisins
chocolate cookies, yum
NOISETTES MY ULTIMATE FAV TYPE OF CHOCOLATE EVARRRR
pralines. Martian loved them
last but not least, my fav - the Chocolate Bombe, which is a moussey icecreamy sort of cake topped with gooey chocolate sauce. each bite is like an express ticket to heaven.
siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. and so much more. they had other stuff too- like chocolate ice cream, different types of chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse, milk and pieces of chocolate with diff cocoa concentration for you to make your own chocolate milk… and all for USD 8!!
it’s official - Sofitel Metropole’s Chocolate Buffet is what I came to Hanoi for.
and so the 30th of September 2006 marked the demise of Project Puasa - Decline All Desserts.
i was DOING SO WELL! i went for a mooncake gathering (where there were sooo many nice mooncakes!) and managed to not touch a single mooncake. went to Bakerzin and successfully blocked out all thoughts of cake while the others waved forkfuls of chocolatey heaven in my face. ignored the Free Smells (haha damn cheapskate) from Famous Amos everytime i walked pass their stalls. told my housekeeper to hide all the chocolate in the house.
yeah yeah yeah. all that WORK only to be offset by…
Martian came back to see me this weekend, bearing a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
when he was *fully aware* that i was on Project Puasa -_____________- damn bad right.
how can you look at those yummy pretty glazed doughnuts and not want to bite into em - having the sweet, sticky filling ooze out onto your fingers so you can lick them off and then continue savouring the soft, fluffy doughtnut in your mouth, while its topping melts deliciously on your tongue? arghghghghgh.
some more malaysia dont have Krispy Kreme :( how to resist?!
siigh. i figured that if i had to break my Project Puasa, i’d do it as minimally as possible so that the project wont completely FAIL. i’d be just .. cheating.. or something. so all i had was half a doughnut (the caramel kreme crunch one! omg so yummy) before i announced that i wasnt going to have anymore. so i brought the whole box to Vin’s farewell dinner and watched sadly as my friends devoured my 11-and-a-half pretty precious doughnuts :(
(actually no lah, they only devoured 11. i had another half at Vin’s dinner, hahaha)
okay so Project Puasa Day 7 was a flop. however, i’m not going to cancel Project Puasa.. am gonna just keep at it! this is just a minor deterrent! i can totally do this! Day 8 onwards will still be dessert-free!
*DETERMINED*
evil Martian -_-
——–
edit : a conversation between me and kevin -
Dev1l says:
hahah noo im not going to bring back krispy kreme for u as well =P
».¸.·* pinkpau says:
PLEASEEE
Dev1l says:
now u.s still kenot let ppl bring food to planes
».¸.·* pinkpau says:
aiya u dont tell them la
Dev1l says:
haha think they stupid meh.
Dev1l says:
donuts and americans..they can see it in an instant thru the scanner
with the Mid Autumn Festival approaching this 6th of October (which is a good day for more than one reason!!), it can only mean one thing.
… the MOONCAKE is back!
for the past month, i’ve been going on a crazy mooncake sampling spree, what with all these funky flavours popping up everywhere (the latest being Cendol mooncake. omg?!) and all these wonderful people in my life who keep giving me mooncakes :D haha despite that i’m still not quite jelak of mooncakes yet. keep bringing them on, i say!
anyways, just thought i’d share 5 of my favourite mooncakes this time around. and dont you tell me you dont like mooncakes. cos everybody loves mooncakes!
Top 5 Mooncakes Of 2006! (so far)
1. Toffee Coconut Mooncake by HYT
Hei Yuet Thong’s toffee coconut mooncake is of the traditional baked variety, but with a lurvely toffee taste laced into its lotus paste filling. at first, i thought adding toffee to lotus paste would make the entire thing way too sweet, but it really tastes just right. the toffee is light and subtle, allowing you to still taste the fragrance of the lotus paste.
this mooncake has a roasted coconut centre that is unbelievably yummy. it’s got a bit of a gula melaka (palm sugar) taste to it, and goes very well with the toffee! this coconut centre along with the kuaci (melon seeds) in the toffee lotus paste lends such texture to each bite. oh damn these crunchy stuff, always leaving me wanting more.
it goes for RM 9.90, and you can get it at Jusco supermarkets.
2. Mini Snowskin Durian Mooncake by Neubay Garden
get this, people - this snowskin mooncake’s filling is REAL durian pulp! lovely genuine, bona fide, unadulterated durian pulp!!! hahaha none of that yucky durian flavoured lotus paste shit, yo. because Neubay Garden uses real durian pulp, the taste of durian in this mooncake is really strong, natural and doesnt have that gross artificial taste. i totally recommend this for durian lovers.
goes for rm4.90, and you can get their mooncakes at the Neubay Garden restaurant in Kampung Pandan or at Jusco supermarkets.
3. Nyonya Sambal Mooncake by Yong Sheng
for the past few weeks, i’ve been pimping this mooncake to ANYONE who will listen to me. i’m like, ‘eh you guys! guess what! that day i had the best ever *SAMBAL* MOONCAKE okay!!!’
.. and the reaction i get every. single. time. is “YUCK!”
haih! people, you must open your mind to all these totally weird but amazing combinations of flavours! but er i must admit that before i met the saleswoman at the Yong Sheng mooncake stand, i was a narrow-minded fool too. i was buying their cheese mooncake (which is bloody good as well, it would have been number 6 if this was a top 6 list) when i saw this sambal mooncake in the display. i pointed at it and said to her, ‘yerr people actually buy that wan ah’. then she opened her eyes wide like this O__O and went ‘miss!!! it’s our bestseller!!!’ i totally didnt believe her. but she insisted it was damn good, and she was so passionate about it, that i just had to see what all the fuss was about. so i bought one home. and tried it.
and i fell in mad, orgasmic love. i swear it. it’s so fucking fantastic that i love it even more than my boyfriend :D
so what it is, is baked skin mooncake with lotus paste and a sambal centre. if you dont know why this is weird .. well it’s cos spicy shrimp paste (sambal!) doesnt usually find its way into mooncakes. or anything sweet for that matter. but see this is the utter genius behind Yong Sheng’s bestseller mooncake (ok aunty i believe you now)! the lotus paste filling isnt as sweet as in most mooncakes, and its subtlety blends in with the savoury sambal like you wont believe. the sambal is not overly spicy either, but is just right. furthermore, in between the baked skin and the filling, there’s this crumbly biscuit layer that just adds more oomph to each bite. yum. this mooncake is an amazing combo of sweet and savoury, and i totally love it, and i will continue to pimp it to everyone i know.
priced at RM 9.75, and you can get it at, yes, Jusco supermarkets.
4. Milk Chocolate Mooncake With Peanut Butter and Puffed Rice Crunch by Mandarin Oriental
Lai Po Heen, the chinese restaurant at the Mandarin does not disappoint once again! encased in a hard milk chocolate shell, this pseudo-mooncake has a filling of totally orgasmic chunky peanut butter along with crunchy bits of puffed rice. the milk chocolate used to make the shell is of fantastic quality, and the whole thing is just *insanely* addictive. it’s like every girl’s PMS solution, man.
(eh guys you can buy this for your girlfriends! they will love it!)
it’s quite reminiscent of the Mars candybar and Reese’s peanut butter cups. haha two things i really like, so it’s no surprise that i absolutely love this mooncake :D i think i’m gonna go back to MO tomorrow and buy some more..
priced at RM 9. you can get it from Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental’s chinese restaurant on the 1st floor.
5. Mini Snowskin Mango Cheese Cake Mooncake by the Prince Hotel
this snowskin mooncake is one of those that you just wanna keep eating. one bite’s not enough, seriously. the cold mango-flavoured snowskin goes well with the cheese filling, and is so refreshing that you cant do with just one portion of it. just gotta have another! :D the snowskin has one of the better textures i’ve seen - not powdery nor too chewy. and the cream cheese filling is great - it doesnt have that cloying feeling that cream cheese normally gives you, but instead has a very light and delicate taste that is just perfect for snowskin-type mooncakes! there are bits of dried mango in the cheese filling as well, which make the mooncake taste absolutely heavenlyyyyy when you pop it into your mouth.
so yummy and refreshing. i lurve it :D
this one goes for RM 10.50, and you can buy them at the top floor of Isetan KLCC as well as Prince Hotel’s chinese restaurant Tai Zi Heen.
————–
this list is in no particular order - my favourites in this list are the Sambal Mooncake and the Chocolate Peanut Butter one :)
oh and if you wanna buy the traditional type mooncakes like plain lotus paste, red bean paste, pandan paste blablabla - buy Tai Thong’s! so the best!
other mooncakes i liked :
Mini Snowskin Chocolate Whiskey by Prince Hotel
Peanut Butter Snowskin Mooncake with Yam Custard by Tai Thong
Cocoa Chocolate Chip Mooncake by Baker’s Cottage
Snowskin Black Sesame Mooncake by Lavender
Coffee Macadamia Mooncake by Renaissance Hotel
Sweet Bean is a little cafe in Sri Petaling that ivan took me to the other day. he insisted that the wantan mee there is reeeeeeeally nice, but i didnt believe him, cos everyone knows only the coffeeshops and wet markets serve the best wantan mee! how can cutesy little establishments with pastel walls and air conditioning serve good wantan mee?! just so wrong lah. but i layan him anyway, and so off to Sweet Bean we went! (but only after i camwhored on his car, hehe)
the first thing that we had was the Red Bean Glutinous Rice Dumpling With Ice And More Red Beans On Top or some other long-ass name like that. it is a shaved ice dessert in coconut milk, then topped with LOTS and LOTS of red beans, and then finished with two red bean tong yuens (glutinous rice dumplings) on the side. i LOVE it cos the redbean topping was really very good, plus they were so generous with the beans! coconut milk was thin and not too sweet - just lovely.
next up is the Deep Fried Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumpling. okay i wouldnt order this if i were you, cos the moment you pop it into your mouth, all this OIL oozes out onto your tongue. yeah i can hear all the girls going ‘eeeewwww!’ already. that’s what ivan and i said too. we also ordered their Fried Wantan, one of ivan’s favourite dishes in that place. it’s quite good but i dont have a pic of it.
and THIS is the wantan mee that ivan keeps raving about! the one in the picture is Wantan Mee with Honey BBQ Chicken. nope that’s not char siew, this place is actually halal. oleh itu, semua orang melayu mesti datang sini try the wantan mee, ok?! cos it’s damn good. really!!! i take back what i said about only the coffeeshops and markets selling good wantan mee! y’all MUST TRY Sweet Bean’s wantan mee. the sauce in the noodles is just perfect, and the honey marinade for the chicken is just wow. i kid you not.
yesterday we went back to Sweet Bean again because i was so craving the wantan mee. this time around, we also tried the Egg Milk Pudding thing, which was amazing. the texture is just right - not too flimsy and not too thick .. and the taste! the taste! it’s like this *perfect* ratio of egg and cream and vanilla! it’s really one of the better chinese desserts that i’ve ever had.
this is the Peanut Paste + Sesame Tong Yuen combo. in Sweet Bean, they have all this tong shui combinations - you can mix and match any of their paste desserts with their tong yuen. this is great for people like me who want just a bit of everything, haha. anyways their fasang wu (peanut paste) is absolutely divine. it’s really hard to find a good peanut paste that isnt too watered down, or even worst, so cloying (like KTZ’s) that you feel like soaking your throat in hypotonic solution after just a few spoonfuls. so from now on, if i ever crave peanut paste, Sweet Bean is the place i’m gonna go! ivan, you will go with me right??
above is the Mushroom Cheese Chicken Chop Noodle that Li Shun recommended! if you’re ever starving and need something that will really stick to your bones, this is totally for you. the gravy on the noodles is reminscent of cream of mushroom soup, but thicker and more flavourful with a strong meld of cheddar cheese in it. then there are all these yummy mushroom bits in the gravy too! the chicken chop itself is good as well. i quite like it! the only complaint i have is that there’s perhaps too much MSG in the gravy.
this place is great! a bit hidden away but totally worth the trip. it’s not too expensive either, will put up the prices when ivan emails me the receipt. we totally recommend this place for a quick bite or for any dessert/wantan mee cravings you may have! :D
Sweet Bean(map)
No 25, Jalan 13/149L,
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling,
57000 KL.
Tel : 019-317 4681 (Raymond)
Pinkpau is Su Ann. 19, Malaysia. Hostile when hungry. Sometimes a shapeshifter, always an optimist with a penchant for pessimism and shoe-shopping. More?
Contact at : pinkpau[at]gmail[dot]com
Quaintly.net
The point of the pinkness of this site is to annoy the crap out of you. Really. What made you think I was a nice person? More?
