New Menu @ La Cucina, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting La Cucina's new sous chef, Chef Ramiro Alberto Moya as well as sampling the new menu that the restaurant has to offer. Born in Argentina, Chef Ramiro grew up under the influence of the Amazonian food culture and has cooked with world-renowned chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Pablo Massey and Fernando Trocca.

La Cucina is the first specialty cuisine restaurant at Pullman KL Bangsar, which serves Italian and Medirerranean-inspired cuisine. The inspiration behind La Cucina comes from the warm hospitality of small countryside homes along the beautiful Mediterranean coast, where guess are invited into the kitchen, the "heart" of the house. Hence, diners can watch as the chefs showcase their skills in the open kitchen located in the centre of the restaurant.

Fresh seafood, prime cuts of meat, game and antipasti will feature on the new menu. To start, we had the Burrata cheese served with sauteed peaches, lentils and white balsamic vinegar (RM40). Made from mozzarella and cream, this burrata cheese is imported and has a wonderful rich, soft and creamy texture. It goes well with the peaches which adds sweetness to the savoury cheese.

The salmon tartare with mango (RM45) proved to be a hit - not only is it attractively presented, we loved the combination of ingredients (capers, lemon juice, mangos and Norwegian salmon) which makes this a light and refreshing appetizer.

Other starters you may find on the menu are snapper ceviche, beetroot macaron, as well as baked provolone. The ever-popular pasta and fire-oven pizzas are also available. Here is the Penne Ai Frutti Di Mare (RM39), which features scallops, plum tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Mains now include Australian beef op rib, striploin, Patagonian lamb, quail risotto and grilled baby octopus. Chef Ramiro prepared 2 types of beef for us to sample - a 300g tenderloin as well as a 250g filet mignon. Chef Ramiro tells us that these are both Australian grain fed beef. We liked how the filet mignon was plated - the prettily arranged vegetables added finesse to the dish. The filet mignon was served with a green peppercorn sauce and roasted tomato.

The tenderloin, wrapped in beef bacon, was cooked to a perfect medium rare, was served with roasted tomato and garlic, as well as truffle mash and beef jus. We thoroughly enjoyed both cuts, as they were both beautifully cooked - juicy and tender.

For desserts, we chose from the dessert display counter - chocolate fudge cake and peach crumble to share. Desserts are priced at RM18 for one dessert of RM28 for a choice of two desserts.

Opening times: 12:00- 2:30pm ; 6:00 - 11:00pm daily.

Service: Good.

Location: La Cucina, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, No 1 Jalan Pantai Jaya, Tower 3, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2298 1888

GPS Coordinates: 3.115850, 101.6632

Website: http://www.pullmanhotels.com/gb/hotel-7962-pullman-kuala-lumpur-bangsar-/index.shtml

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Btw, did you know that Accor, the world's leading hotel operator is now known as AccorHotels? With its new name, AccorHotels, the Group aims at increasing the clout and visibility of AccorHotels, which is both an institutional and a commercial brand, by connecting it to its digital platform AccorHotels.com.



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Michelin-Star Chef Mario Gamba of Acquarello Munich @ Mandarin Oriental KL

I was excited to hear that Chef Mario Gamba of Michelin-starred Acquarello in Munich was coming to KL and was even more excited when I received an invitation from the Mandarin Oriental KL hotel to attend a cooking demo and 7-course dinner at Mandarin Grill.

Chef Mario Gamba will be at the award-winning Mandarin Grill from 19 to 22 November 2014 and diners can choose from a 5-course dinner for RM498++ per person or 7-course dinner for RM698++ per person. There will also be a 6-course wine dinner featuring Chateau Cantemerle on 22nd November for RM598++ per person.

Chef Mario Gamba's restaurant in Munich, Acquarello was awarded one Michelin-star in 2000 and has been listed among the world's 100 best restaurants by Forbes. He has trained under Michelin-starred Chef Alain Chapel in France, Chef Heinz Winkler of Tantris and Chef Gualitero Marchesi. He is specially flown in by Qatar Airways with his assistant Chef Bastian Gebhardt to give diners an exclusive Italian dining experience.

Earlier at the cooking demo, Chef Mario Gamba shows us how to make a pea risotto topped with scallop saltimbocca and Amalfi lemon foam. He tells us that to make a good risotto, it is important to buy good risotto rice (either Carnaroli or Vialone Nano). During his cooking demo, he uses the 9-years aged Acquerello rice, which is often hailed as the "Roll-Royce of rice" due to its superior quality. The aging process guarantees a perfect stability of the starch within the grains, that is indispensable to exalt their qualitative and nutritional values.

Saltimbocca is given a twist by Chef Mario Gamba, as he tops the lightly seared scallops with raw tuna drizzled with sesame oil. Another tip that he shares is to add some acidity to the risotto, either by adding a splash of wine or white balsamic vinegar and butter to finish off the dish. The risotto was perfectly executed and by the time I finished eating it, I was certainly looking forward to the 7-course dinner that was to come.

For dinner, we were ushered into the private dining room in Mandarin Grill restaurant. To start, we were served a selection of bread with salted and smoked butter, followed by an amuse bouche of veal with tuna foam, his take on the Vitello Tonnato.

Our dinner venue, the elegant Mandarin Grill

During the cooking demo, Chef Mario Gamba revealed that in his Acquarello kitchen in Munich, he prefers to serve a light menu to his diners by using less butter and sugar. He also tells us that his favorite method of cooking is sous vide, as it is healthier and the flavours of food are sealed in. The veal in the warm veal filet salad was prepared with the sous vide method, and then served with artichoke, basil oil and truffle shavings. Yup, be prepared for a truffle extravaganza ;)

"You must try the gold egg later" Chef Mario Gamba enthusiastically tells us. And I can see why - the truffled egg is topped with edible gold leaf, celery mousseline, and Madeira foam. This was definitely my favorite dish of the evening - absolutely exquisite and bursting with flavour.

Chef Mario Gamba grew up in Northern Italy, and his grandmother used to make ravioli for the family on weekends. For the next course, we were served with a potato ravioli with sherry foam and white truffle shavings. I liked the texture that potato filling gives these delicate parcels and the sherry foam packs quite a punch flavour wise.

The filet of cod was served with a sauce made from duet of bell pepper coulis, topped with scallop cream, black truffle shavings and cannellini beans foam.  Super love the sauce, paired with flaky fish.

Cappuccino of Potato with Parmesan Foam and Truffle

The main course is a lamb loin in a crisp bread crust. Beautifully pink in the centre, this was served with a rosemary jus with ratatouille and baked eggplant praline on the side.

By the way, Mandarin Grill is also having a truffles promotion- RM180/g for white truffle, and RM90/g for black truffle.

And to end our wonderful meal, a gorgeous ricotta souffle served with Alba white truffle ice cream, pear coulis and Tahitian vanilla. The truffle ice cream was amazing, wish I could have more of that!

Thank you to Mandarin Oriental KL for extending the invitation to this exquisite dinner.


Opening times: 12pm to 2.30pm; 7pm to 10.30pm.

Pork-free.

Price: RM698++ per person

Location: Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2380 8888

GPS Coordinates: 3.155514, 101.711555




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La Cucina @ Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

La Cucina is the urban dining specialty restaurant in Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

During our staycation here, we dined in this restaurant twice - once for their steak promotion and another time trying out their a la carte menu for dinner. They have a wide range of salads, pasta, pizza and main courses available here.

King prawn salad

Freshly baked bread

The kitchen is located smack in the centre of the restaurant - yup, an open kitchen for the viewing pleasure of the diners. There is also a Mediterranean salad bar whereby you can make your salad selections and watch the salads being prepared before your eyes. Select your desired toppings; one salad for RM24 or selection of two for RM34. We went for the king prawn salad - it was fresh and the king prawns were huge and meaty. 

Over at La Cucina, the pizzas are baked in a clay oven and you can customise your own pizzas - ie you can choose the base and toppings. For the base, we chose mixed herbs and garlic confit as well as Maldon salt and olive oil, and for the toppings, it was misto verde, a vegetarian selection of grilled courgette, portobello mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and baby spinach and on the other side, it was wild mushrooms with spanish anchovies and dried figs. Great thin pizzas and delicious toppings. 

Our customized pizza

It's no secret that we all love scallops, so my kids squealed in delight when the risotto with sea scallops arrived at our table.  Delicious creamy risotto served with plump scallops.... it was indeed a delight to savour. Please note that this dish is usually served with 3 scallops only.

The Linguine All’Anatra Affumicata was rather good; the linguine was tossed golden-roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil and chilli flakes, giving it a lovely spicy kick and then topped with yummy smoked duck breast. We like this a lot.

We also shared two mains - the red mullet fillet as well as braised Australian grain-fed beef cheek. The fish is lightly seared and served in a saffron infused seafood bisque. The beef on the other hand is slow cooked for 7 hours til tender, and is served with Parmesan polenta and olive tapenade.

For desserts, we had a selection of cakes and macarons as well as a chocolate ball. The creme brulee was pretty yummy.

Open kitchen concept

Verdict: Overall, we enjoyed both our meals here at La Cucina - nice restaurant serving good food. 


Pork-free.

Opening times: 12:00- 2:30pm ; 6:00 - 11:00pm daily.

Service: Good.

Location: La Cucina, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, No 1 Jalan Pantai Jaya, Tower 3, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2298 1888

GPS Coordinates: 3.115850, 101.6632

Website: http://www.pullmanhotels.com/gb/hotel-7962-pullman-kuala-lumpur-bangsar-/index.shtml


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Kebab @ Lara's Imbiss, Regensburg, Germany

Due to the huge Turkish population in Germany, the döner kebab has become one of the staples of the German fast food scene. Döner kebab (literally rotating kebab in Turkish) is meat roasted on a vertical spit. The German version of the kebab is different from the original döner kebab, also known as the Iskender kebap. The meat is sliced off the vertical spit and served in a pita bread with a salad and a choice of sauce, usually a yoghurt based sauce, or a hot sauce. The result is a great snack which is loved by the young and old.

Our choice of döner kebab came from this small shop called Lara's Imbiss. The shop here sells kebab of the turkey meat variant.

Located within close proximity to the Steinerne Brücke (Old Stone Bridge), this can be a good alternative to the renowned Wurstkuchl, and at the same time a bit lighter on the wallet.

Take away one of these babies for €4 a pop...

Carbs check, protein check, greens check

Pretty balanced considering this is fast food!

Be it lunch, an in-between meal or a late night snack, there's always a time and place for the döner kebap

Seagulls by the bridge

Price: €4 each.

Location: Lara's Imbiss, Silberne-Kranz-Gasse 1, 93047 Regensburg, Germany.

Phone: +49 (0)941 5861754

*This is a guest post by The Unc.

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Recipe: Homemade Hummus + Vegetarian Wrap

During Christmas lunch last year, I was more adventurous and served several tapas / light bites since I had extra help in the kitchen (Hubby and The Unc). Hubby is very fond of hummus, so instead of buying it from the supermarket I decided to try making it myself. I used a recipe out of a cookbook that I got from the Big Bad Wolf Sale.

Homemade Hummus with Pita bread

Our Christmas 2012 Lunch Menu

The Christmas Tapas Spread

Hummus is a Middle Eastern food dip or spread made from cooked chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas are a good source of protein and dietary fiber and the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Two to three tablespoons equate to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables. Eating too much chickpeas however, can give you wind so eat in moderation! ;P

Boiled chickpeas

Hummus is the new "kaya"..

When making hummus, I choose to use organic chickpeas, it only costs about RM1 more for every 400g. Making hummus is relatively easy as you only need to soak the chickpeas overnight, boil them, and then place it in the blender with the other ingredients. At Christmas time, we served the hummus with homemade pita bread (recipe soon), but on other days, we eat it with toast... Hubby calls it the new "kaya"! I've made hummus using this recipe a few times now, and each batch will usually last for 10 days. We like its smooth, creamy texture with a hint of garlic. Other than breakfast toast, we also like to use it as a spread on wraps (bonus recipe below hummus recipe).

Even Baby D likes having hummus for breakfast

Vegetable Wrap with Hummus (see recipe below)

Homemade Hummus (ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna)
Recipe adapted from How to Eat In - Adam Byatt
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Makes about 500g

Ingredients
200g dried organic chickpeas
A pinch of table salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice of 2 lemons
75ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
150ml tahini paste
150-200ml cold water
Sea salt and cayenne pepper

To serve
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley, to garnish

1. Put the chickpeas into a tupperware/bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, drain the chickpeas and tip into a large saucepan. Pour in plenty of cold water to cover the chickpeas well and add a pinch of salt. Bring up to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Simmer gently over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are soft. Drain and keep in a covered container in the fridge until ready to use.

3. Put the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and tahini paste into a food processor and blend on full speed until the mix becomes smooth and creamy. Add the water little by little until you reach the texture you want; I used about 160ml. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper (a pinch should be sufficient).

4. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Drizzle with some EVOO and season with pepper before serving. Serve with pita bread, or with toast (cut into strips) or as a spread on wraps.

Vegetarian Wrap with Hummus
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Makes 2

Note: You can use any type of salad vegetables, the following is a general guideline. 

Ingredients
3 butterhead lettuce leaves, cut into 2 inch pieces
4-5 cherry tomatoes, chopped finely
6-8 grapes, quartered
3-4 sugar snap peas, cut into 3 parts
1/4 carrot, finely grated
2 tbsp homemade hummus (see recipe above)
2 pieces tortilla wrap

1. Spread 1 tbsp of hummus on each piece of tortilla wrap. Place all other ingredients on the wrap (in the centre), leaving some space on the side for folding.

2. Roll the wrap until a long cone is formed, then fold the ends to secure. Cut into half and serve immediately.