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