EATme @ Level 32, Traders Hotel, KL: Romantic Dining With an Amazing View

This KL skyline view never gets old. Now, you can dine to this million dollar view at Level 32 of the Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur every Friday and Saturday with their current EATme promotion.

With red rose petals lacing our table and a spectacular view to boot, the Traders Club Lounge is transformed into a romantic dining venue, perfect for a celebratory meal. Glasses of Prosecco get the evening started and before long, we were served the amuse bouche of smoked salmon with capers which paired beautifully with the bubbly.

Petronas Twin Towers view

The 4-course menu features a choice of appetizer, soup and main course as well as a sharing dessert platter. For appetizer, you can choose either the Tuna carpaccio with semi dried cherry tomatoes, orange segments and yuzu dressing or Buffalo mozzarella medley of tomatoes, basil and balsamic reduction. A nice and light start to our meal, a prelude to the richer soups to come.

I have to say both soups were equally excellent - Hubby had the Wild mushroom soup with truffle oil while I had the Lobster Bisque with tarragon cream, prawn ragout and brandy. The latter captured the essence of the sea to perfection, with generous amounts of diced prawn in every spoonful.

Philippe Dreschler, Riesling, Alsace (France), available by the glass

Enjoy the view somemore before tucking into your main course of either beef, lamb or cod fish. I still remember my first meal at Gobo Upstairs many years ago where I had the lamb shank. Fast forward 7 years and the lamb shank is still awesome here. Tender and falling off the bone, the New Zealand braised lamb shank is served with pomme puree, asparagus and carrots. Hubby had the Braised short rib with red wine reduction which was also generous in terms of portion and flavour. Highly recommended to be paired with Ruffino Chianti (Italy), available by the glass. You can also order additional vegetable to go with your meal (roasted potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, garlic mashed potatoes or pomme puree).

For the finale, a dessert platter featuring red velvet, chocolate moist and cheese cake will be served along with coffee or tea.

EATme Menu

The EATme promotion is available every Friday and Saturday from 8.30pm onwards at Traders Club Lounge. The 4-course menu is priced at RM460 nett per couple, inclusive of two glasses of Prosecco.

Location: Level 32, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (complimentary parking for hotel guests).

Tel: 03- 2332 9888

GPS Coordinates: 3.154271, 101.715417

Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/kualalumpur/traders/


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Quayside Fish Bar, Gourdon, Aberdeenshire (Chipper / Takeaway)

Last year, we had a lovely meal at Quayside Restaurant and Fish Bar in Gourdon and we vowed to come back and try their chipper (located downstairs for takeaway orders).

As the food is cooked to order, there will be a short wait for your food. We had the Jumbo Haddock supper (£8.20), large scampi (£6.60 for 15 pieces) and crab cakes (£4.30). If the weather is good, you can sit and enjoy your meal at one of the two tables provided outside the chipper or on one of the benches facing the harbour.

The haddock was moist with a lovely, crisp batter and chips were good too. As Quayside is famous for their seafood, particularly for crab, we had the crab cakes in lieu of our usual haggis pudding. It was a nice change, and it went well with the garlic mayo dip that came with it. The crab cakes also come with a side salad.

The kids shared the scampi, and they commented the scampi was smaller than other chippers we have tried. Overall, we enjoyed our fish supper from Quayside and the view is definitely a huge plus point.

Quayside chipper was nominated in the National Fish & Chips Award 2018 for Best Newcomer Award.

Gourdon Harbour View

Opening times: Mon-Tue 4pm - 8pm; Wed - Sun 12pm - 8pm.

Price: Total bill £21.75 for 4 pax, including 2 drinks.

Location: Quayside Restaurant & Fish Bar, William Street, West Quay, Gourdon, Montrose DD10 0JZ, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 1561 360111


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Thaikhun Aberdeen, Union Square - Amazing Thai Street Food!

Three weeks into our holidays, we were craving for Asian food. So, we visited Thaikhun in Union Square, Aberdeen, which serves great, authentic Thai street food.

The name, pronounced "Tycoon", is a celebration of the street hawkers back in Bangkok. We were warmly welcomed by the restaurant staff and our kids were presented with a Kids Activity booklet each to keep them amused until the food arrived.

We were delighted to see that they have our favorite Thai iced tea (£3.95) on the menu... made even more sinful with a generous swirl of whipped cream.

It didn't take long for our starters to arrive. The kids loved the Tempura king prawns (£9), sea battered prawns in a lovely light, crisp batter as well as onion rings. No wonder it's such a popular dish here. We also had the sweetcorn cakes (£5.50), a delicious treat when summer corn come in season in Bangkok in September. I especially loved the fragrance of the kaffir lime leaves.

For mains, we selected a variety of stir fry and curry dishes to share; all these come with unlimited Jasmine rice. Baby D's favorite dish here was the Stir Fry Beef with Chili and Thai Basil (£12.50), which came with tender slices of beef with fresh chillies and basil. Mildly spicy, this was so good that the kids wiped the plate clean. Delicious!

The founder of Thaikhun, Kim, used to run an award-wnning pad thai cart in Bangkok, so we did not hesitate in ordering a Pad Thai with prawn (£11.50) to try. Thin rice noodles are fried in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce with beansprouts, carrots, egg and spring onions. Pour over the crushed peanuts, toss and enjoy! We ordered the half portion for this and the portion was substantial and enough for feeding 2 pax (sharing). It was indeed very tasty and authentic.

We also had the Pork belly in red curry sauce (£13.50); the pork has been steamed and then roasted (just like "siew yok" - roasted pork) then stir fried with green beans and red curry sauce.

Another great dish that we had here was the Thai green cury chicken(£10.50). This is often our must-order dish whenever we visit a Thai restaurant and the version here was awesome. Served with green beans, courgettes and Thai basil, we enjoyed the curry sauce with the rice.

For desserts, we shared the Mango sticky rice (£5) and banana fritters (£5) with vanilla ice cream. The mango was lovely and sweet, and it was a great take on the classic Thai dessert.  We were also pleasantly surprised with the banana fritters as the bananas were nicely ripe and sweet and the batter was nice and crispy. Loved it!

Click here for the full menu.

Opening times: 12pm - 10.30pm.

Service: Good.

Location: Thaikhun Aberdeen, Union Square Shopping Centre, 29 First Level Mall, Union Square, Guild Square, Aberdeen AB11 5RG, Scotland.

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 583477

Website: https://www.thaikhun.co.uk/thai-restaurant/aberdeen/


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Recipe: Mushroom risotto with scallops, pancetta, samphire and Parmesan

What does your ultimate risotto look / sound like? Mine consists of these ingredients: large sea scallops, unsmoked pancetta, samphire, white button mushrooms, arborio rice and 30-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano.

Samphire is something we cannot find in KL, so I always try and cook with them (at least once) when we're in the UK. They pair really well with seafood (ie scallops) and adds a natural saltiness to a risotto dish. The crispy pancetta adds texture and also a subtle umami-ness to the dish. This risotto dish tastes absolutely amazing!

Mushroom risotto with seared scallops, pancetta, samphire and Parmesan
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
250g carnaroli or arborio rice
2 small shallots, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp butter
1.3 - 1.5l chicken stock
30g Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 pack white button mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly

90g unsmoked pancetta, sliced
1 pack samphire (70g), washed
12 sea scallops

Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. In a large non-stick pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Increase heat to high, then add the rice. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the rice with the onion, making sure that the grains are coated with the olive oil/butter until slightly translucent and the rice starts to crackle, for about 2 minutes. This process is called tostatura. It helps the rice absorb the stock later.

3. Dissolve one chicken stock pot in 1.2l water. Turn the heat down to medium low and add enough stock to cover the risotto, about 1 cup. Keep stirring the risotto constantly as stirring massages the starch molecules out of the rice, hence creating a rich, creamy texture.

4. Allow the stock to be absorbed before adding more stock to the rice. Keep adding small amounts of stock (1/2 cup at a time) to the rice until the rice is soft but still has a bite to it (al dente). This will take about 20-30 minutes. Taste the risotto rice occasionally to check if it's ready. If you run out of stock before your rice is ready, you can add boiling water as a substitute for the stock.

5. In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5-8 minutes, until they are crispy and golden. Remove from heat with slotted spoon and set aside.

6. In the same frying pan (from Step 5), add the samphire and saute over medium heat for 1- 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat with slotted spoon and set aside.

7. Using the same pan (from Step 6), add the mushrooms and saute for about 2-3 minutes, season, then set aside.

8. When the rice is almost ready (95%), lower the heat, then stir in the sauteed mushrooms (from Step 7). Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmesan into the rice (the mantecatura process) as well as 1 tablespoon of butter. Taste and adjust seasoning.

9. Heat the pan (from Step 7) with 1 tbsp oil and some butter over high heat until very hot. Pat the scallops dry with kitchen towel and season with salt. Once pan is very hot, add the scallops and quickly sear, depending on the size of your scallops (about 1-2 minutes). Remove once cooked and set aside.

10. To serve, place risotto onto a plate, then top with scallops, samphire and pancetta. Garnish with more shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately.

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