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Monday, January 21, 2013

Cooking class with Chef Sam Leong @ Tao, InterContinental KL

The Master of Chinese Modern Cuisine, chef Sam Leong was recently in KL for the grand opening of Tao Chinese Cuisine in InterContinental Hotel KL. In conjunction with the grand opening, chef Sam Leong also conducted a cooking demonstration showcasing his unique Chinese creations. 

Unveiled at the end of December 2012, Tao is the hotel's newly renovated Chinese restaurant. The restaurant has undergone an overall change in concept and dining experience, with a mix of traditional and contemporary elements. I was wowed by its stunning contemporary interior - very classy and elegant. Love the lighting in the main dining area which gives the impression of dining under the stars and also the peach blossom themed walls. Very apt, since Tao is named after a peach tree originating from China.  

The new menu at Tao is a refreshing blend of East meets West, specially crafted by Chef Wong Lian You. His style is a blend of traditional items infused with a modern presentation. 



Celebrity Chef Sam Leong


Love the new look


Pale pink peach blossom glass panels


One of seven private rooms in Tao


Chef Sam Leong has over 26 years of culinary experience and has represented Singapore at some of the world's prestigious culinary events, including the James Beard Foundation Award (1999), Master of Food & Wine, Australia (2002) and Flavours of Asia at Napa Valley, California (2004). He also has numerous awards under his belt from World Gourmet Summits Award and Hospitality Asia Platinum Award (HAPA). Now, Sam Leong is a culinary educator at his cooking school, Forest in Singapore.

During the cooking demo, Sam Leong showcased three dishes to us, followed by a sampling of these dishes in Tao restaurant. Sam Leong entertained us with his charm and wit, it was truly an enjoyable experience. The crispy wasabi-mayo prawns with mango salsa is a dish created by Sam Leong 19 years ago. The prawns are marinated and then coated with corn flour before deep frying to give it a hard exterior. This is to ensure the prawns do not go soggy when coated with the wasabi-mayo sauce. This was followed by a flavorful, clear double boiled chicken consomme with fresh cordyceps flowers and dried conpoy. Chef Sam Leong tells us that the secret to a great consomme is to use Yunnan ham, however since Tao is pork-free, this ingredient is omitted during the cooking class. Finally, he showed us how to make the braised e-fu noodles with mushroom, a simple yet delicious noodle dish (recipe here).


Chef Sam Leong cooking the brised "e-fu" noodles


Crispy wasabi-mayo prawns with mango salsa

Juicy and crisp, love the mango salsa


Double boiled chicken consomme with fresh cordyceps flower and dried conpoy (scallops)

Braised "E-fu" noodles with mushroom (recipe here)


The secret ingredient is a final drizzle of oil to make it look glistening! 

Chef Sam Leong talks about his upcoming autobiography


For desserts, we were served the Maraicbo chocolate and berry sphere, courtesy of the team at InterContinental KL. This creation by Chef Darrell was luscious and is every chocolate lover's dream come true. A warm chocolate tea was poured over the sphere, revealing more berries and crumble within.  This is just one of those desserts begging to be photographed over and over again - so pretty!





Chocolate-coated orange sorbet lollies


Chef Sam Leong and I

I got my copy of Sam Leong's cookbook autographed by the man himself :)


I also got to meet one of my readers at this cooking class. Janice, if you're reading this, thanks for saying hello and it was nice meeting you :)


Opening times: Lunch: Monday to Friday 12.00pm-2.30pm; Sat, Sun and PH: 11.00am-2.30pm; Dinner daily 6.30pm-10.30pm.

Location: Tao Chinese Cuisine, InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur (previously Hotel Nikko).

Tel: +60 3 2782 6128

Website: http://www.intercontinental-kl.com.my/dining/toh_lee_restaurant.asp

GPS Coordinates: 3.160249, 101.717584

39 comments:

  1. He looks as good as he cooks... Hehehehe!!! Handsome, eh?

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    Replies
    1. Haha so this is the kind of man you find handsome! :D

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  2. chef sam sounds fun! hope he returns to kl sometime soon! :D

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  3. Wahhh....good le meeting chef in person, watches him cook in real person...
    Maraicbo chocolate and berry sphere looks so good and special!

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    1. Yalo, good experience indeed. Chef Sam is very entertaining. :)

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  4. A fun Saturday lunchtime :) That Chocolate Berry Sphere was something else - love the picture you have of the inside!

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  5. What a great class! And that signature is so elegant too! :o

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    1. It's very important that the chef has a great personality and Chef Sam certainly has!

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  6. I like the Pale pink peach blossom glass panels

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  7. GOSH, THE Maraicbo chocolate and berry sphere, GOSH. *LICK THE SCREEN* oh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heavenly~!

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    Replies
    1. Not just a pretty face... so darn delicious too.

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  8. Hi Yen! I like the interior of the restaurant too except the peach blossom glass panels... somehow they take away the classy look.

    Sam is a talent.... and his wife cooks very good Thai food.

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    Replies
    1. Yes he spoke of his wife, have u ever dined in his restaurant in Sg?

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  9. The dessert must be like 10/10? Yoh, wish that I am able to try this!

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  10. Luv his food. He's really rather good;)

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    1. Yala... u got to eat his fine dining menu.. so posh and looks so good.

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  11. Totally enjoyed the session with Sam Leong. Loved the soup and e-fu noodle!

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  12. I want the e fu noodles recipe! Always been curious to know how the noodles are 'braised'.

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    1. I will post it when I have time, lately too many CNY reviews! Not much time to type out recipes.

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  13. Hi Yen,

    You are so lucky to have this opportunity to have this face-to-face session with Sam Leong.

    Can't stop admiring the Maraicbo chocolate and berry sphere... Wow wow wow!

    Zoe

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    Replies
    1. Looks like everyone is in agreement that the chocolate sphere has the WOW factor.

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  14. Can learn and eat at the same time, so nice! :D

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    Replies
    1. Haha yes, can get tips on how to cook it and then get to try the yummy food.

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  15. The new layout is great! Love it!

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  16. What a beautiful restaurant and I wish my dining room is like the one in peach blossom room! That chocolate and berry sphere is incredible! Some people are SUPER talented. WOW!!

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    1. They totally transformed the restaurant... very posh!

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  17. love this food! rather impressive chef that thinks out-of-the-box! waiting for your recipe for the ee fu noodles... :)

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  18. Oh wow!
    What beautiful pictures! It seems to me that it is so talent to cook like to write music. I'm just going to attend cooking courses https://culinarylabschool.com in the hope that I can cook better! Of course, I can't cook like this guy, but I have something to strive for!

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