WIP’s 24 Carat Christmas, Bangsar Shopping Centre
December 27, 2014 at 1:06 am | Posted in christmas, Food reviews, Foods, Uncatogorized | Leave a commentWIP’s 24 Carat Christmas
Review by Choy Kwok Ming & Erica Sam
I’m always on the lookout for a great place to chill after a hectic day. Most days, your choices are limited to either good food with bad ambience OR good ambience with lousy food. This Christmas, the wife and I were feted to all of the above, and more. On Christmas eve, we were invited to WIP for great food, fantastic music and a very relaxed place to chill out. Exploding with a 24 Carat Christmas theme, WIP rolled out the red carpet for us.
WIP at Bangsar Shopping Centre has always been known as a great place to go for a drink. The regulars are a mixed crowd of expats and Bangsar locals, who expect great ambience and an equally well stocked bar. It’s the place where the beautiful go to be seen, and where everybody knows your name. I loved how the staff treated us with utmost professionalism, yet were able to maintain a buddy, buddy feel.
As part of the SOULed OUT group of restaurants, it’s also famous for its innovative marketing ideas and energetic crew. Tonight’s presentation was no different. Featuring a live band that had many a patron dancing by their table side, and a crew of 24 carat golden fairies that went around greeting the guests, it was no surprise that WIP is THE place to go.
WIP, however, is usually off my food radar. I had a misconception that a great bar could not contain a great chef. WIP proofed me wrong that night! Promoting a Christmas dinner choice of Baked Crusted Seabass, Karuma Prawn or Provencal Crusted Beef, the wife chose the seabass while I had the beef. We were both astonished by the quality of the cooking. The seabass was both moist and firm. Sweet to the core, the seabass was large enough to share. Perhaps a touch of tangy sauce would have created a delicate contrast to the fish.
The beef, however, ruled the roost. Consisting of an Angus tenderloin, my steak is, in my opinion, the best steak I’ve had in a long time. Cooked medium, the beef had a nice mineral taste and was so very soft to bite. It was almost like cutting butter with a hot knife. Although not as well marbled as a Kobe steak, WIP’s chef managed to cook it beautifully. Even my wife loved it, and she usually shies away from beef. Kudos to the chef.
In addition to the main courses, WIP had also laid out a buffet of starters, the traditional carvings of turkey and roasted lamb and a small selection of Christmas desserts. I generally appreciated the buffet, but felt the main course was more than sufficient. The portions both pleased the palate and satisfied the belly.
WIP ended our meal with a selection of Christmas cocktails, specially created for this Christmas package. We sampled their Fire & Ice and the Gold Rush. While both were delicious, it was the Fire & Ice that stood out. A tasty concoction of Gin, peach puree and lime juice, this cocktail had an exotic lacing of fire. Rimmed with a touch of chili, it gave my nostrils a flare of fire that was immediately quenched by cool lime juice. What a wonderful creation! My hat’s off to the barkeep.
In summary, WIP is a complete package: great entertainment, food and drink all in one place. As a bonus, you get a fantastic presentation of professionalism yet friendly crew, who try their utmost best to make your night an enjoyable one. If you read this early, try to book their New Years’s Eve dinner. WIP promised us an equally fantastic meal awaits, to be topped off by a blazing display of fireworks, celebrating both New Year’s Eve and BSC’s 50th anniversary.
Checker’s Cafe, Dorsett Regency KL
December 23, 2014 at 5:19 am | Posted in Uncatogorized | Leave a comment12 Dishes of Christmas Compilation
Review by KM Choy & Erica Sam
Christmas is all about giving. At Dorsett Regency’s Checker’s Cafe, it was all about giving your tummy a great feast. Presenting their “12 Dishes of Christmas Compilation”, my wife and I were invited to preview a Christmas dinner with all the bells and whistles. As we settled down in our seats, our waitor asked us if he could serve our welcome drink. It seems we were to start off our meal with a pleasurable peppermint hot chocolate. The brainchild of Dorsett’s Marketing Manager, it featured a homemade peppermint stick dipped in a mug of rich, hot chocolate. Yummy!
Dorsett’s cafe is an all-day dining, mid sized restaurant that seats about 25 tables. Although not very large, Checker’s Cafe’s buffet variety match many of the other larger establishments I’ve visited. The normal offerings were there: manned stations for Japanese sushi, local noodles, soups, breads and cheeses, desserts, various seafood and oysters. For the “12 Dishes of Christmas Compilation”, Checker’s Cafe came out with a special 12 Christmas main course to supplement it’s usual buffet choices.
We started of with the Compress Risotto with Bravo Chicken. My wife loved the risotto. She found the rice to be well cooked, to a nice creamy consistency. While agreeing with her, I would have added a slightly stronger tasting cheese to give that extra oomph.
Next, we were served the California Mussel Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse was originally created as a stew or soup by Marseille fishermen. At Dorsett, the chef used California mussels in lieu of fish. Paired with a soup consisting of onions, tomatoes and various herbs, the bouillabaisse was a nice contrast to the mild risotto.
The third dish was an Oxtail Stew served in Malay Style. While technically not an authentic Christmas dish, the oxtail stew served to us was delicious. It was not too sweet, as is usually the case with Malay stews.
The fourth dish served to us was a Tender Beef with Holland Onion & Blue Cheese Dressing. Having never tasted a blue cheese dressing, I was expecting a strong smelling dish. Surprise, surprise, the beef was tender, as promissed, and the dressing was delicious.
My wife and I agreed that the next dish was one of the best dishes of the night. Imagine a piece of smooth, sweet, firm fish fillet, lathered in a rich, creamy, nage sauce. We definately savoured every bite of the Poached Butter Fish with Roasted Nage Sauce
Next on the list was an Oyster Omelette. I had expected the oyster omelette to be something simillar to Penang’s Ochien. While the dish had the nice flavour of oyster permeating it, I felt the omelette itself was a bit of a let down. It was not enhanced in any other way except by the insertion of the oyster.
After the oyster omelette, we were served Braised Beancurd with Pumpkin. It was a trully golden dish, with the golden pumpkin sauce cupping the yellow beancurd. Best eaten with rice and oxtail stew, the mild beancurd had a very Chinese influence.
As opposed to the beancurd, I could eat this dish all day on its own. The Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushroom was an exquisite dish. Paired with mushrooms, the sea cucumber was soft and so full of flavour.
The next two dishes represent a very meaty Christmasy tradition. Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Black Pepper Sauce and Roast Turkey With Cranberry Sauce are two must have dishes in every Christmas dinner, in my opinion. Inexperienced cooks tend to overcook turkey, and dry out the meat. Dorsett did not disappoint, with a lamb shoulder and roast turkey that was perfectly cooked, and juicy at every bite.
After the huge chunks of turkey and lamb, we were given some Sous Vide Salmon Zabaglione to try. Sous vide salmon is a method of cooking salmon sealed in airtight plastic bags, in a water bath. The purpose is to cook the salmon evenly, without overcooking the exterior. I’m a great fan of salmon, and love it both as a shashimi or as a grilled steak. I have not tasted this method of cooking salmon and found it a bit mild to my taste.
The Grilled Foie Gras with Wild Citrus Consomme was the last of the 12 main course dishes. The creamy, buttery foie gras was heaven to bite into. It literally melted in the mouth and gave a delicious aftertaste.
After all the food, we had to sample the desserts. Looking even more attractive than the main courses, it would appeal to the child in you. The product of Dorsett’s Pastry Chef, Chef Mohd Sabri Norizan, Checker’s Cafe typically displays between 25 and 30 different desserts per buffet.
A 1st prize winner of the California Bread Competition, he has whipped up about 40 different desserts for this Christmas special. Among my favorites at this sampling was the X’mas Pudding with Vanilla Spice Sauce, Milk and Raspberry Bavaroise with Earl Gray Panacotta, Black Sesame Terrine With Passion Fruit Cheese Cake and Green Tea Tiramisu With Cherry Cake
Chef Mohd Sabri’s desserts are not your typical sugar bombs. They are lovely mouthfuls of flavour that doesn’t make you cringe with a sugar high. It’s like having a “kurang gula” dessert, yet maintaining a delicious I-want-more feeling. The icing on the cake (pun intended) is that his desserts are actually much healthier than many other offerings out there. Chef Mohd Sabri uses Treasure Drop Natural Sugar replacement, which he claims to contain only 20% of the calories found in an equivalent amount of sugar. Now, that’s having your cake and eating it too!
For those who want to enjoy a quiet , cozy Christmas dinner with your loved one, head down to Checker’s Cafe at Dorsett regency. The Traditional Christmas Eve & Day Buffet Dinner is going for RM98.00++ (Per Person) / RM190.00++ (Per Couple)
DIY clay ornaments
November 28, 2014 at 9:06 am | Posted in christmas, DIY gift, Preschool plays, Uncatogorized, xuen and Lyn | Leave a commentWe loved the idea of DIY Christmas ornaments. I found a few recipe online and I tried working with the recipe that contained glue. It was not turned out well (blame my skill). I then found an easier one provided by an awesome blogger at http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/12/white-clay-ornaments-tutorial.html. I followed exactly her tutorial and we are happy with the result. It is so easy to make. The clay dough was soft and easy to knead. My girls had so much much playing with it and we ended up making clay dolls instead of Christmas ornaments. We will make the next round for the ornaments.
Kids cooking is always the best and fun play for kids.
We used cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. The pink dough was added food coloring.
After baking the clay. We decorated it with colorful florecent gel pens.
Have a Lovely DIY day!
Lovely DIY with BlogsyEdible water beads
November 13, 2014 at 8:17 am | Posted in Homeschool, Kids activities, Preschool plays, Uncatogorized, xuen and Lyn | Leave a commentToday's weather was windy and partly cloudy, it is just a wonderful day for children to carry out a fun outdoor activity. My girls have cousin E to join the fun play today. They wanted to have a mini camping and fun games. The three cheeky pies wanted to play with mix water beads with colors. They seen this activity from Pinterest a few days ago. Go ahead kids!
We had a great fun and messy play outdoor.
We used big pearl sago. Cooked it for abot 30 minutes or until it swell up. Leave it cool down or rinse it with cold water so that children can place their hands in to play it.
Sago is a starch taken from the center of sago palm stems. Sago has similarities to tapioca, including its look, taste and feel. However, sago is not tapioca, which comes from a different plant. You can, however, substitute tapioca for sago in many recipes.
The kids mixed sago beads with food coloring.
Time to get mess!
Mess is Fun,
.”….so, what are we going to do with these beads?”
“Kids, you got to help to clean up the mess. Tell me what can you do with it?”
” We had a great idea! Lets add it into the compost.”
Wishing you have a lovely DIY day!
Maleficent food art
October 30, 2014 at 11:22 pm | Posted in food, food art, Uncatogorized | 4 Comments
Trick or treat with Maleficent. It was made of rice, seaweed to make the eyes, hair and clothes. Baked pumpkin with cashew nuts. Bye October, Hello November
DIY ruffles flower necklace
September 24, 2014 at 3:44 am | Posted in DIY gift, fabric crafts, Girl's accessories, Necklace, Uncatogorized, Upcycled projects | Leave a comment
This beautiful ruffle flowers were taken out from an old T-shirt. I am going to turn it into a pretty necklace.
I added tiny blue rose buds along the ruffle flowers. Then hot glue the thin pastel green ribbon at both end of the ruffle flowers. Now the old ruffle flowers had changed into a totally new look. Isn’t it beautiful?
Tip : You can get the similar ruffle flower from sewing craft shop.
My little Sweet Pea and the ruffle necklace. I think she looks pretty with the necklace :).
Have a Lovely DIY day!
Fry wonton
August 21, 2014 at 9:12 am | Posted in food, food art, Foods, Kids foods, Uncatogorized | Leave a commentWonton is a type of dumpling which commonly found in Chinese cuisines. Wonton skin is made by spreading a square wrapper (a dough skin made of flour, egg, water, and salt).
I often wrap wonton with the leftover meats and vegetables. What I did was I blend the foods with blender to make them fine so it will be easy to wrap. By doing so, there will be no wastage of foods because my family love to eat wonton either cook it with soup or fry them. Besides, it makes a good snack for kids.
I would like to share with you the basic way of wrap wonton. This is how I did:
Place the wonton sheet this way. Put the fill at the center of the sheet.
Fold the wonton sheet as shown above.
Join point A to B
It will look like this.
My snack! I love to eat it with avocado 🙂
Have a Lovely DIY day!
Preshcool- Fun learning alphabets
July 4, 2014 at 10:15 am | Posted in Uncatogorized | Leave a comment
My little Sweet is pea is actively learning now. Preschooler activity should be fun so that children will enjoy the process of learn and play. I bought some plain pre-cut cards from Mr DIY. I thought they are very useful for kids activities. First I used this card for my my girl to do crafts. She decorated it with left over material we have, then I wrote on the alphabets . She learns the letter, then she arranged the letters in sequence.
Kids learn to arrange the letters in sequence.
Each of the card was decorated with left over art material that we have.
Have a Lovely DIY day!
Panda rice ball
May 15, 2014 at 9:40 am | Posted in food, food art, Foods, Kids foods, Uncatogorized | Leave a comment
My three years old is literally scooting away from babyhood in search of new adventures. Haha…she loves to ‘play’ with real cooking. I think making rice ball is a fun and safe activity for her to play. Kids cooking helps motor skills development.
-First, we wrapped the rice in a piece of cling wrap, then shape it into round shape.
– Attach the ears with boiled black beans ( I cooked black bean soup today, so I made used of them to make the ears). Fix the ears to the rice with a stick of spaghetti.
– use nori seaweed to make eyes, nose and mouth by cutting them out or you can use nori cutter. (cutting part has to be done by adult).
* I used normal rice instead of Japanese rice. My rice was soft, it is easy to shape. Otherwise, you can steam the rice with egg first before you shape it. Steam egg rice created soft and stickiness of the rice. It is easy to shape.
Fun and easy, isn’t it? Now you can do it with your little one too 🙂
Have a Lovely DIY Day!
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DIY custard pudding (with caramel)
May 14, 2014 at 10:11 am | Posted in food, food art, Kids foods, Uncatogorized | Leave a commentRecipe to make about 4 medium bowls of custard:
Recipe for caramel:
30g granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
Recipe for custard:
3 eggs
300 ml milk
50 g sugar
1. To make the caramel. Put the sugar and water in the pan and simmer until it turns browned.
caramel
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