Sean Connolly "GRILLED" Tour in Malaysia! @ Samplings on the Fourteenth, KL

Chef Sean Connolly walks into the room and greets us all with a big smile. Earlier today, we were at Samplings on the Fourteenth, located within Berjaya University College Hospitality for the media event with Chef Sean Connolly, one of Australia's and New Zealand's most well respected and recognised chefs. I regularly watch his shows on Asian Food Channel, so it was nice to be able to see him cook in person.

After migrating to Australia, Chef Connolly's career took off when he was given the opportunity to head one of Sydney’s top dining establishments, Astral Restaurant. From there, he decided to take the leap and open his own restaurant in Auckland, where the series “Under The Grill” was born.

The 6 x 30 minute series, “Under The Grill”, follows Chef Connolly’s exciting journey as hetakes on the challenge of opening his own restaurant in New Zealand in less than 100 days, just in time for the Rugby World Cup. His programme, “On The Grill” on the other hand features Chef Connolly dishing up valuable tips and tricks on how to cook flavourful dishes using his favourite method of cooking – grilling! Catch “Under The Grill” every Thursday at 9pm from 15 August onwards till 19 September 2013 and “On The Grill” every Thursday at 9pm from 26 September onwards till 31 October 2013 on Asian Food Channel.

Chef Sean Connolly adds a little Pernod to flambe the prawns. Host of the event, Fay Hokulani watches.

For his cooking demo, he prepared 3-courses, namely the grilled garlic prawns, grilled Australian rib eye with miso hollandaise and fondant potato, and fresh berries with strawberry jelly and raspberry lime sauce. Chef Connolly's cooking style focusses on simple, well-cooked food using the best produce. 

He tells us that he likes cooking food in its shell and on the bone. He also advises that when we cook prawns, that we do not wash it as it loses flavour. The prawn dish that he showcased is his signature dish and the simple cooking method brings out the natural sweetness of the prawns. 

Flipped it a few times, and it's ready to be served!

Delicious - one of the best ways to eat prawn!

Next, Chef Connolly shows us the massive ribeye he will be cooking as the main course. He tells us that the secret to cooking a nice piece of beef is to season it well before cooking to get a nice crust on it. He also cooks some fondant potato, which is caramelised on one side, before chicken stock is added in. The sauce is made using one of his favorite ingredients, miso, which he likes for the umami flavour it gives. The rib eye is sliced and it looks gloriously pink and beautifully cooked. We really loved the miso hollandaise, so Hubby has given me the task to try and recreate this at home since the recipe is also shared with us.

Seasoning the steak is important

From the demo

Grilled rib eye served to the media

Finally, Chef Connolly served us a gorgeous dessert of fresh berries with strawberry jelly, almond soil and raspberry coulis. Extremely pretty and well-presented, this was light, fresh and wonderful way to end the meal.

Chef Connolly will be in Malaysia for 2 days (23-24 Sept) cooking dinner at Samplings on the Fourteenth whereby he will be demonstrating the Grilled Australian Ribeye with Miso Hollandaise, Fondant Potato and Water Cress using Australian beef sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA). Guests will also dine on a 5-course meal including dishes such as King Salmon Gravlax with Raspberry and White Pepper, Slow-Cooked Rack of Australian Lamb with Chanterelle Mushroom Ragout and Wild Asparagus and for dessert, Wild Strawberry Sorbet, Strawberry Soup and Goats Milk Jelly. Vegetarian options are available upon request.

Chef Connolly have specially handpicked three varieties of Glenfiddich Scotch Whisky - Glenfiddich 12, 15 Solera and 18 to pair with his dishes. Each premium Scotch Whisky boasts a unique and luxurious flavour to match the night’s menu.

Glenfiddich representative, Matthew Fergusson-Stewart talking about the whisky pairing dinner

For more information and registration for “Sean Connolly GRILLED” dinner on Monday, 23 September 2013, please visit www.asianfoodchannel.com/seanconnolly.

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CNY 2013: Lai Ching Yuen, Grand Millennium Hotel KL

Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the most important festival on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year cycle and each year relates to an animal in the Chinese Zodiac. Year 4711, the year beginning February 10, 2013, is the Year of the Black Water Snake. Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve.

Lai Ching Yuen in Grand Millennium Hotel KL have come up with several auspicious menus which include traditional favourite Cantonese dishes. Set menu at Lai Ching Yuen starts from RM 1,388.00++ for a table of ten persons. We were invited there last week to sample some of their CNY special dishes such as deep fried pork knuckle, roasted mini duck  and steamed squash with dried scallop .

We started off with the obligatory CNY toss, with the Yee Sang with Pearl Scallop and Mango (RM98 for half portion, RM188 for full portion). The scallop yee sang was very popular with the diners last year. This year, Master Chef Heng used smaller pearl scallops but still with the delicious strawberry sauce. He also topped it with sweet Thai mangoes.

Our first yee sang of 2013!

Pearl scallops

Final touches before we begin our toss

Tossing to good health, wealth and a good year :)

Next, we tried the roasted mini duck.. certainly a new dish to us. The chef explains that he uses ducklings, which are about 2 months old for this dish. The skin was very crisp and it tasted very similar to roasted suckling pig! This is a dish you wont mind getting your hands dirty for.

Cute wings

Prawns symbolise laughter for the new year, so you will often find this on CNY menus. The deep fried prawns was served with fresh grapes and mayonnaise sauce. We felt the grapes complemented the prawns pretty well, giving it a fresh zing.

Deep fried prawns with fresh grapes and mayonnaise sauce

Chef Heng explains that the steamed squash stuffed with pork/prawn paste and topped with dried scallops is a traditional Cantonese dish. Pretty similar to yong tau foo, this was served with spinach and a flavoursome gravy.

Steamed squash with dried scallops

The deep fried pork knuckle was delicious. The meat was tender and juicy, and I liked the appetizing Thai dipping sauce. This gets Hubby's vote for best dish of the night.

Sea cucumber is another popular ingredient during CNY as it translates to "happiness" (hoi sum). The braised sea cucumber was a tad overcooked for my liking, served with two types of mushrooms (mushroom means to strive for opportunities and longevity) and broccoli.

Braised sea cucumber with mushrooms and broccoli 

By now we were stuffed but the Chinese wax meat rice wrapped in lotus leaf was too good to say no to. It was fragrant, and the fact that the chef used normal rice grains instead of glutinous rice made it less starchy and filling.

The homemade nian gao was a beautiful hue, sandwiched between two pieces of taro. Nian Gao is a homonym for a higher and better year.

Pan fried homemade nian gao

Prices for CNY set menus from RM1388++ to RM2888++. For enquiries and reservations, please call Lai Ching Yuen at +60 3-2117 4180.


Non-halal.

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

Location: Lai Ching Yuen, Grand Millennium Hotel, 160 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2117 4180

GPS Coordinates: 3.147694, 101.712338

Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson @ KL

Anna Olson is definitely one of my favorite chefs to watch on Asian Food Channel. I was so happy when I got the chance to meet her in person yesterday during her cooking demo in Berjaya University College of Hospitality - she is so witty and charming. This Canadian celebrity chef is in Malaysia from 22 to 23 November 2012 as part of her "Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson" tour. 

Anna Olson is a professionally trained pastry chef with over fifteen years of experience in the culinary field. She shares her talents with the world through award-winning cookbooks, opening culinary businesses and starring in television shows such as Bake with Anna Olson, Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson, all of which air on the Asian Food Channel. Bake with Anna Olson recently premiered on Asian Food Channel on 16 October 2012 at 9pm.

She began her career as a pastry chef at a premier winery restaurant located in the midst of prime Niagara farm and wine country named, ‘Inn on the Twenty’. It was here where she met her husband, Michael Olson.

Anna has also published several successful cookbooks. Currently, she has six cookbook publications under her belt, with her most recent release titled, Fresh with Anna Olson. Using food as her creative medium, Anna likes to work backwards, starting with ingredients that sound delicious to create components within the recipe body to get a delicious end result.

Will Quah, MC for the afternoon

During the cooking demo, Chef Anna shows us how to make two dishes - a savoury tourtière and a sweet pumpkin creme brulee tart. Tourtière is a French-Canadian classic dish originating from Quebec, commonly served during Christmas time, and is usually made with ground veal, beef or pork. It is quite similar to the British's steak and kidney pie, however the addition of all spice powder is what makes it unique.

Chef Anna Olson with her tourtière

Next, she showed us how to make pumpkin creme brulee tarts, which will be perfect for Thanksgiving. She makes a Pate Sablee dough and pours over a creamy filling of pumpkin puree, cream cheese and egg yolks. A tip she gave us to make the dough more delicate and tender is to add a hard boiled egg yolk when making the dough. The tarts were really delicious. I think I will attempt this at home next week when I have time, I think my family will like it very much since they love pumpkin.

Chef Anna Olson with her two delectable bakes

Tourtière

Mini tourtière samplers - with the letter "A" for Anna - how cute!

Pumpkin creme brulee tarts

A photo with "poster" Anna 

And ooooh, a photo with Anna Olson herself :)

 And a photo with Eunice :) Love the tiramisu background - definitely apt for us foodies!

Will share the recipes for both the tourtière and pumpkin creme brulee tarts soon.

Thanks to AGC and Asian Food Channel for the invite and giving me the chance to meet the wonderful Anna Olson in person.

Meet the Pros: Chef Gunther Hubrechsen of Gunther's Modern French Cuisine, Singapore

Back in February this year, Hubby took me to Singapore for a weekend getaway. One of the places that we dined in was Gunther's Modern French Cuisine on Purvis St. A meal at Gunther's is how a good meal should be - you leave the restaurant smiling and will still be talking about it many months down the line. (You can read our previous review here)

Chef Gunther Hubrechsen

Gunther's Modern French Cuisine was opened on 2 August 2007, a collaboration between award‐winning Chef Gunther Hubrechsen and Roberto Galetti, representing the Garibaldi Group of Restaurants. Gunther's Modern French Cuisine has made it into The Miele Guide's Asia's Top 20 since 2008, and is currently listed No.14 on the list. They were also listed as no.84 restaurant in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2010. Most recently in 2012, Gunther’s was awarded with the “Restaurant of the Year” and “Outstanding Caterer of the Year” at the World Gourmet Summit Excellence 2012; an achievement that demonstrates culinary, cuisine and service excellence in Singapore.

 

Of Belgian descent, Chef Gunther has worked in several renowned restaurants in Belgium, including Le Bouquet, and Restaurant Gravin van Buren before moving on to France where he worked as a sous chef under his mentor, Chef Alain Passard at his three-star Michelin restaurant, L’Arpège in Paris for 5 years.

In 2002 Gunther arrived in Singapore to work with the Les Amis Group. Thanks to his dedication and talent, he brought Les Amis restaurant to 83rd position in the UK Restaurant Magazine’s list of Best 100 Restaurants in 2007.

Gunther’s cutting edge style and flair using natural jus and slow cooking techniques to enhance the flavors of a dish offer a refreshing change to classic French food. This modern angle emphasizes the importance of textures and flavors and leaves no margin for error in the kitchen.

Not only is Chef Gunther a master of the kitchen, he is also an extremely down-to-earth guy. After our meal, he approached us and started chatting to us as well as giving us a brief tour of his restaurant and kitchen - it felt like we hit the jackpot! He even made us his signature dish - the cold angel hair pasta served with white truffle oil and oscietra caviar (S$60) which tasted absolutely heavenly.  We were truly impressed with the taste, flavours and presentation of all his dishes.

Baby Sumo (BS): What inspired you to open your own restaurant?
Gunther Hubrechsen (GH): Well, after working with other group of restaurants for so many years, I thought it’s about time that I can present my cuisine that I can truly call my own. Afterall, I've always wanted my guests to focus on my food and to feel at home when they come to Gunther’s.


BS: What is your style of cooking? Do you have a favorite cooking method/technique?
GH: I enjoy cooking simple, honest and down-to-earth food, using fresh ingredients. And I like to be creative when it comes to cooking, like doing small little steps so I’m able to bring out the flavour of each ingredient. Working too much on the product is not my kind of style simply because I respect the natural shape and flavour for every ingredient. Nothing like a lobster that look like a lobster and nothing cooks better than what nature has to offer.


BS: After we were seated, your waiting staff brought out a tray of produce to showcase to us.  We thought it was a brilliant idea. Tell us more about it.
GH: We want to let our guests know that whatever we serve at Gunther’s are served fresh and of quality, because what they see on the tray is what we are going to serve on the table. Plus, we are able to do different cooking style to suit our guests’ taste. So they can ensure that the food they are eating are top-notch and enjoy the whole dining experience at Gunther’s.

BS: How often do you update your menu?
GH: We update our menus quarterly to reflect changes in season, and to include the world's finest ingredients. For our lunch menu we rotate it weekly so our guests are able to enjoy different dishes when they come. Our 3-course set lunch menu is very affordable at $38++ only! 

BS: (I can attest that it is indeed very good value for money and absolutely delicious!)

BS: What is your signature dish and what is the main ingredients and method of preparation.
GH: My signature dish definitely has to be the Cold Angel Hair Pasta with Oscietra Caviar and this is the dish that I enjoy cooking the most. It is a very spontaneous dish plus, everyone loves it. (Laugh) If I give you the ingredients and method of preparation, I will be giving away one of my most prized possessions.

BS: Is there a particular ingredient that you like to cook with.
GH: I don’t really have a particular ingredient but seafood is often my choice. For example, Alaskan king crab, blue lobster, beef, mushroom, clams and also any fresh vegetables.

BS: What are the must-try dishes for anyone visiting your restaurant?
GH: 1. Cold angel hair pasta, Oscietra caviar.  2. Fine apple tart “ à la dragées“, Havana rum ice cream  3. Alaskan king crab leg, chili Monte Poro.

*We would like to thank chef Gunther for taking time to answer our questions. All photos courtesy of Gunther's. For anyone wishing to read my full review of the restaurant, please click here. 

Join their Facebook page here for latest menu updates.



Opening times: Mon to Sat 12.00-2.30pm; 6.30-10.30pm.

Location: Gunther's Modern French Cuisine, 36 Purvis Street, #01-03, Singapore, 188613

Tel: +(65) 6338 8955, or +(65) 8655 0208 for SMS reservation.
Website: http://www.gunthers.com.sg/index2.html

A Taste of Finland with Sara La Fountain in KL, Malaysia

Celebrity chef Sara La Fountain is in KL and I got to attend her cooking demo at The Royale Chulan Hotel Kuala Lumpur today, thanks to Asian Food Channel and American Express! :)

Isn't she gorgeous?

Not only is she gorgeous, this American-Finnish sensation can cook too! Sara trained at The Culinary Institute of America, the world-renowned culinary school in New York and is currently starring as one of the hosts on New Scandinavian Cooking airing on the Asian Food Channel. Sara is also a fashion model, and in Finland where she is based, she is a popular media personality and has her own cooking show, Avec Sara. She has also published several books and her first cookbook, A la Sara, earned her the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the "Best First Cookbook" category. After four years of hard work, she has launched her second cookbook titled Passion for Food, which focuses on food that is easy to prepare and influenced by the different seasons in Finland.

Talented and gorgeous!

Live life to the fullest and enjoy it..


Despite being a very slim chef, Sara loves trying new food - food is where Sara's passion lies. She hopes to inspire people at home to cook and enjoy food. Her grandmother and mother inspired her love of food, she recalls that at the tender age of 4, one of her favorite food was oysters. Sara tells us that she has very good memories with food and through her show, hope to instil the same feeling for her viewers.

During the cooking demo, Sara showed us how to make 3 simple yet delicious dishes. The first one is a goat's cheese salad with beetroot, dark sweet bread croutons, marinated red onions and blueberry-balsamic vinaigrette, or in short "Sara's Finnish Forest".  Blueberries happen to be one of her top 3 favorite Finnish ingredients - other two being mushrooms (chanterelles in particular) and crayfish (she tells us to visit Finland in August, that's when they throw crayfish parties!). An essential herb for Finnish cooking is dill.

Sara is meticulous when it comes to plating of her dishes, with girly and feminine twists. It is certainly evident in her beautiful plates of food. And she brought along with her the dark rye bread all the way from Finland to complete this dish!

Jovial Sara :)

Putting on the marinated red onions

Posing with the finished dish

Sara's Finnish Forest - isn't it pretty?

Not to mention delicious too. 

For Sara, the five most important components in food is the flavour, idea, love (sharing with your friends and family), fun and easy to prepare. Next, she shared with us a dish that she love to eat during summer. She uses seasonal ingredients such as peas, potato and radish for this dish. A simple, yet nicely executed dish - fried fish with summer potato vegetable salad. 

The salmon roe, sugar snap peas and radish adds colour to the dish!

Fried fish with summer potato vegetable salad

Sara shares stories about her cookbook, Passion for Food, with us. She styles and takes her own photos for the cookbook!

Who doesn't love milkshakes and popcorn!  Unfortunately this cookbook is not available in English yet.

Paparazzi!

Lastly, Sara prepared a summer pavlova with passionfruit cream served with strawberries and pistachio - definitely my favorite dish of the day :)

Sara loves music and is currently taking DJ lessons. She hopes to do disco cooking in the future, that sounds so FUN!

Sara is so photogenic, don't you agree?

Delicious dessert

Lucky me got to take a photo with celebrity chef, Sara La Fountain! :)

Will be sharing the recipes for the three dishes soon! Sara will be holding a sit-down dinner with cooking demo tomorrow in The Royale Chulan KL, more details here. 

Location: Bunga Emas, The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, 5 Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

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