MIGF 2016: Samplings on the Fourteenth, Berjaya Times Square Hotel

That time of year is upon us again. From 1 - 31 October 2016, MIGF, now known as Malaysia International Gastronomy Festival, promises an epic month-long event (themed 'High Octane Chefs') where restaurants will be offering exciting menus to entice diners.

We were invited to Samplings on the Fourteenth, Berjaya Times Square Hotel to sample their MIGF menu. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Val,  and offers Western Classic cuisine. For MIGF this year, Chef Val has put together two menus, a 7-course Full Festival Menu (RM228 without wine, RM388 with wine) and a 5-course Light Festival Menu (RM178 without wine, RM288 with wine). 

To start, we were served with an amuse bouche of lamb tartlet with goat cheese croquetas. This was followed by the appetizer, pan fried haloumi, chilled marinated vegetables and lemon emulsion. These two courses were paired with the Hugel Gentil Alsace, France 2014. Haloumi is a semi-hard cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. Since haloumi is a salty cheese, Chef Val pairs it with a selection of marinated vegetables (radish, carrot, mushroom, tomato, sugar snap peas) as well as a chive flower. Not only does it work as a garnish for the dish, the chive flower is added as he feels the mild spicy flavours from the flower works well with the vegetable components of the dish.

I enjoyed the Green Pea Cream soup, which was rich and smooth. Sitting in the centre of the soup plate are tomato tartare with artichoke chips, peas and a whole cherry tomato. Hot soup is then poured tableside onto the plates. The tomato tartar gives the soup a lovely added texture as well as making it more visually appealing.

Then, we were served the second appetizer, the Poached Baby Mackarel, with chick pea puree, smoked garlic cream and walnut. Chef Val tells us that the baby mackarel was cooked sous vide for aout 4-5 minutes. This was paired with the Tahuna Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2014.

Palate Cleanser - Malibu Lime Sorbet served in a mini coconut shell

For the main course, diners can choose from either the Pan Fried Halibut Fillet, Slow Cooked Cutlet of Lam, or Wagyu Beef Medallion. No prizes for guessing which one I went for. :P

Pan fried Halibut Fillet, smoked tomato puree, parsnip, shell fish froth

Slow cooked cutlet of lamb, baked stuffed red onion, glazed root vegetables, and jus of cherry

I went for the Wagyu Beef Medallion, served with duck foie gras, pumpkin with a hint of Xeres vinegar, and thyme jus. The beef was beautifully cooked to medium doneness, and was tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, the foie was slightly overcooked and I'm not a fan of polenta, otherwise this was a great dish.  This was paired with the Trivento Reserve Malbec, Argentina, 2014/2015. 

We loved the dessert - Guanaja chocolate delice, with sea salt flakes, butterscotch and cream cheese mousseline. Just the right amount of sweetness, balanced beautifully with the sea salt flakes. This was paired with the Graham's Fine Tawny Port, Douro. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here, many thanks to Berjaya Times Square Hotel for the invitation!

Pork-Free.

Opening times: Dinner only (6.30pm - 10.30pm). Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

Location: Samplings on the Fourteenth, Berjaya Times Square Hotel, 14th Floor, East Tower, 1 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2117 8131

GPS Coordinates: 3.142637, 101.709538



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MIGF 2015: Imperial Rama, Maxims, Genting Highlands

The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back for the 15th year and this year's theme is "Galactic Chefs! 2015: A Food Odyssey". Last weekend, we were up in Genting Highlands to sample Imperial Rama's Festival Menu. Imperial Rama specialises in Thai & Chinese cuisine and is located in Maxims Hotel, Genting.

For MIGF this year, Chef Andy Seng Lup Meng will be showcasing Cantonese cuisine, particularly premium seafood. The Festival Menu is available for both lunch and dinner throughout October 2015, and is priced at RM338 nett (without wine pairing) and RM468 nett (with wine pairing).

To start, we had the Crystal Prawn appetizer, which according to Chef Andy, has undergone a laborious process to achieve the translucent, crystal-like appearance. He uses large tiger prawns for this dish, which is rinsed under cold running water for a couple of hours and then marinated before it is poached and lightly sauteed. The taut, fleshy prawn is paired with ikura as well as avocado and tuna for a buttery finish.

Next is the double-boiled chicken soup with 6 head abalone and dried maca, one of my favorite dishes of the afternoon. Dried maca is a medicinal herb which the chef has specially imported in from Peru for the Festival, which is said to be nourishing and good for fertility. Using free-range chicken, the soup is double boiled for at least 2 hours, and then abalone from South Africa is added and steamed for a further 1 hour. This soup is comforting, and especially lovely eaten up here in the cooler Highlands.

For entree, we had the Baked Golden Pomfret with Chef Sauce. The fish is marinated and baked in the oven, and then served with chef's homemade sauce, which is pretty similar to a BBQ sauce. The fish is served with an appetizing salad, dressed with calamansi lime juice.

We thoroughly enjoyed the main course, stuffed sea cucumber with noodle cheese sauce. Chef Andy uses the highly popular sea cucumber from Dalian, China which is perfect for individual portions. We love the bouncy texture of the sea cucumber, which has also been further stuffed with a pork and prawn mix. This is served with noodles from Taiwan and a mild Parmesan cheese sauce.

The meal ended on a sweet note, with the bird's nest with mango puree and snow mango mochi. Lovely and refreshing! For guests taking the Festival Menu without wine, you will be served complimentary Genting Signature Pu Er Chinese tea.

With Chef Andy

Non-halal.

Location: Imperial Rama, Level 2, Maxims, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-6105 9663

GPS Coordinates: 3.423579, 101.792267


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First World Hotel was recently conferred the title of "World's Largest Hotel" by the Guinness World Records (7351 rooms). We stayed in the refurbished XYZ Deluxe Room - the rooms are compact, clean and comfortable, and comes with basic amenities such as tea/coffee making facilities, hair dryer and safe.

Catch the Superstars of Magic 4, the fourth installment of Asia's largest magic variety show at the Genting International Showroom. Available until 25 October, the 1.5 hour show was entertaining and includes illusionists such as Shawn Farquhar (Canada), Joseph Gabriel (USA), Jay Mattioli (USA), Jeff Lee (Taiwan), and Ted Kim as well as One Gun from Korea.

In the month of October, you can also partake in Oktoberfest at The Genting Club 0n 10 & 13 October. The Genting Club is usually open to members only, however for Oktoberfest it will be opened to members of the public upon registration. The price is RM180 for 2 pax, and includes 5 beers, and buffet dinner including cold cuts, pork bratwurst, Bavarian roast chicken, Black Forest cake and more.

Love gelato? Check out the latest ITALGELato, available in several locations around Resorts World Genting, including First World Lobby and Hou Mei. Currently, there are 13 gelato, 5 sorbetto, 3 yogurt base flavours as well as stick ice cream and minou (golf ball size) ice cream available here. You can get the 8 or 12 mini cones to try out more flavours. We particularly enjoyed the fruity flavours such as orange cheesecake, yogurt strawberry, lemon sorbet as well as the red velvet, dark chocolate gelato. The gelato is made in-house, using products imported from Italy.

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MIGF 2014: Nook, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral

It's that time of the year again and Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back for its 14th year with the theme "Red Hot Chefs". Making its debut last year and back again this year is NOOK in Aloft KL Sentral, which will showcase their festival menu throughout the whole month of October.

NOOK's innovative festival menu is created by Executive Sous Chef Rozaiman and his team. Diners can choose to indulge in a 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Staying true to Aloft's fun and playful style, Chef Rozaiman's menu showcases local dishes with a modern twist. There is even some molecular action thrown in. Overall, I was most impressed with the dishes - beautifully presented, tastes great and so much fun to eat!

Chef Rozaiman with his Festival menu

For a sassy start, we were served a unique Malaysian-style kerabu salad (with a fusion twist, of course)- marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern (pucuk paku). This was undoubtedly the prettiest dish of the evening. The sea conch (a first for me), is marinated in lime juice, spicy chilli, salt and pepper, sort of like a Asian-style ceviche. Mix everything well together and you have one tasty salad. The salad is paired with a delicious WXYZ Mojito.

WXYZ Mojito

Marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern 

The second dish is chicken noodle soup, which I thought was pretty fantabulous. A meal in NOOK is afterall incomplete without some syringe action - the liquid made from black chicken is injected into the hot soup to create your noodle strands. How cool is that! The consomme soup was very tasty too - Chef explains that it is a pindang style soup with galangal and lemongrass.

Good, interactive fun

For the first main course, we were served the sambal beef tongue and tendon served with percik sauce and achar crudite. The flavours are bold and punchy and we like this a lot! Chef Rozaiman tells us that the beef tongue is cooked sous vide style for 12 hours, shredded and then cooked with sambal sauce. No wonder it is so tender, almost like eating Wagyu beef. The tendon have also been cooked til tender, absolutely delish.

This is paired with the Miguel Torres Santa Digna Chardonnay Reserve

A refreshing lemongrass, lime and pandan sherbet to cleanse our palate

My favorite dish of the evening is the cod fish assam pedas, served with garlic rice, salted egg and tempura egg plant. Cod is such a delicate fish, but the spices in the assam pedas is just right, making this simply delectable. Chef Rozaiman explains that in his kampong, salted egg is commonly served with assam pedas. I wish I could have more of this!

For a sweet ending, we had the NOOK Cendol paired with a Sour Boy. The cendol is served with syringes filled with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, and you can adjust the taste to your liking.

Sour Boy - Cointreau, lime, assam boi

Pandan rice flour jelly, ba'kelalan salt, palm sugar, red bean and glutinous rice

Playing with your food is highly encouraged here. :)

Coffee, tea or ABK is served with the Festival menu. If you are a coffee lover, then go for the ABK (Ais Batu Kopi) - ice latte served with Bristot espresso cubes. The cold milk and sugar syrup are served in beakers, how fun!

Pork-free.

Price: 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Location: NOOK, Level 1, Aloft KL Sentral, No 5 Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2723 1154

Website: http://www.aloftkualalumpursentral.com/

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MIGF 2013: Grill 582, Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, KL

Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) 2013 kicked off on the 1st October and we were invited back to Grill 582 at Best Western Premier Dua Sentral Kuala Lumpur to sample their 6-course festival menu. 

Situated in one of KL's newest hotels, Grill 582 serves the finest cuts of meat and the freshest seafood in an elegant fine dining ambience. This is Chef Siti Arini Darsom's first year participating in the MIGF.

Seafood Bouillabaisse with Freshwater Crayfish, Coconut Cream and Lemongrass

Restaurant interior

The Full Festival Menu (6-course) is priced at RM298++ per person with wine and RM198++ without. There is also a light menu option (3-course) for RM98++ per person without wine.

Warm bread with roasted vegetables spread

For starters, Chef Arini served a foie gras mousse with avruga caviar and smoked olive oil. Smooth and rich, the caviar adds a nice texture and a touch of luxury. We asked Chef Arini what smoked olive oil is and she explains that she mixed some smoked paprika with olive oil.

Served with Miguel Torres Hermisfero, Sauvignon Blanc, Chile 2010

My favorite dish of the evening was the seafood bouillabaisse with freshwater crayfish, coconut cream and lemongrass. Chef Arini gives this French classic an Asian twist with the addition of lemongrass and coconut cream. Other than being rich and full of flavour, this soup had lots of textures going on too. Underneath the crayfish are some chunks of seabass which has been pan fried until the skin is crispy. The blue mussels which have been blanched and sauteed with butter also had an interesting texture - both soft and crunchy at the same time. Lovely presentation as well.

A taste of the sea

Palate Cleanser - Lime Granitas, Seawater "Air"

For mains, you will start with a dainty air flown dover sole with a plantain crisp and mustard sabayon. Air flown in from Europe, the fish is first deboned into fillets and then rolled for a more interesting appearance. Next, you will be served the sous vide of Australian lamb loin with roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine, russet potatoes, beetroot and au jus. The lamb loin has been seared, coated in herbs and then sous vide for 24 hours for tender, perfectly pink meat.

Dessert is artistically presented on the plate and made pretty with the edible flowers. The chilled chocolate chilli chiboust had a smooth texture, complemented well by the crunchy crumble. Beware though that this has a spicy punch to it, thanks to the chilli flakes that Chef Arini used in making this dessert.

Tea and petit fours

Pork-free.


Opening times: Monday to Sunday 7.00pm - 10.30pm.

Location: Grill 582, Level 2, Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, 8, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03- 2272 8888

Join their Facebook page here.

GPS Coordinates: 3.136185,101.693356


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