El Meson. Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, KL. Lunching with Immanuel.

(non halal)

Ever since I was in Primary School, in a little backwater coastal town, I was fascinated by history and literature. We had a starfruit tree in the front yard, and a lot of sleepy afternoons were spent lying on one of the branches, lullabied into a dreamy reverie by the gentle sea breeze. As my eyelids grew heavier, I always thought to myself. What if all of this is not real, and I am just a part of somebody else's dream, or am I dreaming now myself. What is reality? How does my brain will my little finger to bend? What if there was only nothingness and emptiness and darkness? I voiced my questions to my best friend in school, (Isa, if you are reading this, don't snigger) he said I was mad.

Interior of El Meson. Rustic and warm.

In my teen years, I discovered a subject known as Philosophy which attempts to address these questions. In fact, the Mathematician, Descartes wrote extensively on this problems and of course a very clever film maker made tons of money from The Matrix. I do not wish to bore you guys with Descartes, Putnam and Plato or technicalities, but try to Google "Brain in a vat" and read some very interesting arguments on Cartesian Dualism and Putnam's causal constraint.

Philosophy has also taught me to question a lot of things and help put things into perspective. Courses on ethics make me realize that most people do not know what they are talking about when they talk about ethics and morals. Please join Michael Sandel's course on Justice free of charge, right in the front row of Harvard University. You can appreciate what a good and interactive lecture he gives and why his course is one of the most sought after at Harvard. There is also an interesting forum at his site for you to discuss his lectures, plus assessment tests!



There is also Philosophy of Aesthetics. What makes music, art or even fragrance good? What is good literature? Why is some art repulsive or obscene? Why does a mother encourage her teenage son to view Botticelli's Birth of Venus at the Uffizi, yet shields him from a bare breasted playboy centrefold?

When I was El Meson, I heard a couple of tracks from Bebo & Cigala's Lagrimas Negras album. Take the Gypsy Kings, put it through a strainer and compress it to get the essence and mix it with a Quartet of Piano, Double Bass, Trumpet and Percussion. Why does Cigala's beautiful wailing move to to tears and make me smile at the same time? Flamenco is distinctively Spanish. Yet the Phrygian Tonal Modes and the undeniable Arabic influences has made it into an exclusively "Spanish" music. Any visitor to Spain will be able to see the influences the Moorish have left in the country. An interesting observation would be the commonly used expression "ojalá que", which means "if it is God's will". It is derived from Insha' Allah.


Another dish from Meson is Gambas al Ajillo. Prawns sauteed with chilli and garlic. Beautifully succulent, large prawns sauteed in Olive Oil with garlic and chilli flakes. It tastes almost like Chinese fried prawns. Is the dish Spanish or Chinese? Does it matter?

Ontology which is a branch of Metaphysics which studies the basic categories and relations, whether the entities exist or do not exist and it's hierarchies. Terribly dry, and did not appeal to me at all, just like the next dish.


The Honey Iberico came highly recommended. But the one I had was too charred and although the meat had a nutty flavour to it, the overcooking rendered the meat tough, which is a pity because Iberico is considered the Wagyu equivalent of pork.

My favourite philosopher is Immanuel Kant. He is part of the German Enlightenment philosophers that included Schopenhauer, Hegel and Nietzsche. In 1784, he wrote an essay entitled "What is Enlightenment?". I would lile to share it's opening passage here:

"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! [dare to know] "Have courage to use your own understanding!"--that is the motto of enlightenment.

Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why so great a proportion of men, long after nature has released them from alien guidance (natura-liter maiorennes), nonetheless gladly remain in lifelong immaturity, and why it is so easy for others to establish themselves as their guardians. It is so easy to be immature. If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at all. I need not think, if only I can pay: others will readily undertake the irksome work for me. The guardians who have so benevolently taken over the supervision of men have carefully seen to it that the far greatest part of them (including the entire fair sex) regard taking the step to maturity as very dangerous, not to mention difficult. "

This was written in 1784. But isn't it amazing how it is still relevant 250 years later? The full text is available here. Reading it will only take 10 minutes.

The Piquillos stuffed with minced pork and beef was exquisite. The pepper itself was sweet and slightly spicy and had been slightly roasted before it was stuffed. Beautiful and fresh it is a source of amazement to me that this could be found in KL.

When I first discovered Kant, it was also a source of amazement to me as well. If you have a vision of Kant being a godless, degenerate and hedonistic Philosopher you will be in for a surprise. He is a pietist, which is a movement within the Lutheran movement and is particularly austere. He himself led a very simple, disciplined and frugal life.

"But would a society of pastors, perhaps a church assembly or venerable presbytery (as those among the Dutch call themselves), not be justified in binding itself by oath to a certain unalterable symbol in order to secure a constant guardianship over each of its members and through them over the people, and this for all time: I say that this is wholly impossible. Such a contract, whose intention is to preclude forever all further enlightenment of the human race, is absolutely null and void, even if it should be ratified by the supreme power, by parliaments, and by the most solemn peace treaties. One age cannot bind itself, and thus conspire, to place a succeeding one in a condition whereby it would be impossible for the later age to expand its knowledge (particularly where it is so very important), to rid itself of errors,and generally to increase its enlightenment. That would be a crime against human nature, whose essential destiny lies precisely in such progress; subsequent generations are thus completely justified in dismissing such agreements as unauthorized and criminal."

You have to forgive his writing style. It is terribly convoluted and bad. He means to say that the people who hold power in a religious organization, in this case the church, cannot bind it's believers to a particular interpretation of the bible for eternity. As a society progresses, our knowledge and capacity for knowledge changes.


The Octopus Salad was disappointing. The amount of octopus i barely detectable and was soft and mushy. Serrano Salad was as good as the Ham, and Natillos with Chocolate mousse was unremarkable.

The Gutenberg Printing press led on a mass dissemination of knowledge that led to the Renaissance and Enlightenment in Europe where the old order was destroyed. The Catholic Church resisted the change and never realised that frightening the masses with the bogeyman of Hell and Satan did not work anymore. It did not reform itself when challenged with Luther's Theses at Wittenburg and lives to suffer the consequences until today.

"A prince who does not find it beneath him to say that he takes it to be his duty to prescribe nothing, but rather to allow men complete freedom in religious matters--who thereby renounces the arrogant title of tolerance--is himself enlightened and deserves to be praised by a grateful present and by posterity as the first, at least where the government is concerned, to release the human race from immaturity and to leave everyone free to use his own reason in all matters of conscience."

We are now facing a second wave of information explosion. We are connected to information everywhere. Our phones have data packages. Our ipod touch and soon to be launched ipad is connectable to the internet. Starbucks and even Mamak shops attract customers by offering wi-fi services. There is no way you can stop a person from thinking and deciphering the assault of information available out there in the internet. It is a change or be changed scenario now.

And one last quote from the essay,

"Nothing is required for this enlightenment, however, except freedom; and the freedom in question is the least harmful of all, namely, the freedom to use reason publicly in all matters. "

My journey in Philosophy has not been easy. It is one fraught with more questions than answers. But as someone close to my heart once remarked, it is the journey and the questions that are important, and not the answers. And I agree. I would not want to be led by my nose all my life and be told what is good or bad by accepting it blindly, nor delude myself that I already know everything there is to life just by accepting blindly what was written in a book. I will not allow my feelings to overcome reason and I will never ever delude myself that whatever selfish motive I have is for a greater cause.

I hope this little post which had barely scratched the surface of Philosophy have not scared you away from my blog, and sincerely wish all readers would take the journey of enlightenment, free from any encumbrances of what we have been told or taught and to start thinking for ourselves and maybe inspiring a few daring souls, to attempt to read philosophy.

All the quotes in BOLD letters are from Kant's Essay, "What is enlightenment?". Link above.

My lunch while musing about Immanuel Kant's essay after reading the newspaper was at:

El Meson
61 Jalan Telawi
Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6.03.22.82.82.90

Cilantro, Micasa All Suite Hotel, Jalan Tun Razak, KL. Mummy! I swallowed Cod Sperm!

(no pork served)

After 3 weeks of suffering from separation anxiety, with tears, whimpering and tantrums, I am back. Everybody teases me about my abnormal fixation to Sage. I know. It's that bad. My week is never complete without me being tantalized and seduced by some of the finest food available in KL. And now, Sage's mother cum precursor is back in business.

"Cilantro, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Ci-lan-tro: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Ci. Lan. Tro."

(plagiarized from the opening passage of Nabokov's Lolita)

Had a horrid day, and a have a feeling that I will be having an impending meltdown soon. I need to be reminded why I have to work. At the precise moment, the radio blasted out Black Eyed Peas who are probably psychic and they were singing:

A feeling, woo hoo, that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night

Tonight's the night, let's live it up
I got my money, let's spend it up
Go out and smash it like oh my God
Jump off that sofa, let's get, get off

I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down and go out and just lose it all
I feel stressed out, I wanna let it go
Let's go way out spaced out and losing all control

That is just about as close I can get to a religious experience, I guess and a sign for me to go for my overdue visit to Cilantro.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Interior, Cilantro. 2. Another shot of the interior with the stairs leading down to the Cigar room. 3. Venison Carpaccio 4. Sea Urchin Angel Hair Pasta.

The feeling that I got when I entered was claustrophobia. Used to the space and view at Sage, Cilantro felt like a dungeon. No window views, and the cellar and cancer club in located one floor below. The few mirrors they had on the pillars did not do much to give the illusion of space it required. But the old, familiar figures from Sage were there, including Jason the knowledgeable Maitre'd/Manager who does an excellent job of puting diners at ease and recommending dishes and wines.

Seaweed Butter (foreground) and Truffle Butter (background)

The loaves at Cilantro are perfect, as expected. Instead of the Pesto like olive oil mix in Sage, they were served with the most unctuously fragrant truffle butter and a very very lovely seaweed butter. I wished I could take them home with me. I could have wet dreams thinking about them.

Tsubugai with Oba leaf

I arrived very late, at about 10pm and all the other diners were either leaving or waiting for their checks. I am really grateful to the chef for being able to oblige me with the degustation menu, which consists of 5 items. 3 starters, one main and desserts plus coffee. The amuse bouche was Tsubugai with Oba Leaf. Tsubugai is a kind of whelk that is slight chewy and that evening it was served Sashimi style with a minty Oba Leaf. Beautiful play of taste and texture.

Tuna with Arenkha

The plate of hors d'oeuvres was a source of amazement and wonder. The tuna with arenkha was fresh and beautiful. Venison carpaccio served with daikon and truffles was a divine mouthful of indulgent creativity. Sea urchin with Angel Hair begged for an encore and the oyster reiterated my belief that it is a gift from Neptune. The platter came with a shot of Japanese Plum wine.

Oyster

The plate of hors d'oeuvre left me panting for more. Everything was so perfectly executed and in place. It was frighteningly perfect.

Consommé with Tarashirako

The meal proceeded with Beef Consommé with Tarashirako, or more precisely, Cod Sperm Sac. The Consomme broth was beautifully clear with scallions and truffles. It was the first time I swallowed some fish cum but I have to admit that it was a marvelous experience. Creamy smooth and rich, only a genius could have masterfully matched this with a perfect consommé.

Unagi with Foie Gras

The Pièce de résistance of Cilantro. Unagi with Foie Gras. Breaded and fried, and then baked and doused with a tiny bit of Port Sauce. The consistency of the foie is perfect and creamy. A marvelous showpiece of ingenuity and perfect cooking technique.

Main Lobster Acqua Pazza with Asari

The chef decided to do something off menu for the mains, the Maine lobster was poached in Acqua Pazza (Crazy Water) together with Asari (Japanese Clams). The results was a heavenly blend of briney perfection, with hints of Basil and seafood. I'm in love, and transported to the sea. The texture of the lobster was slightly too rubbery, but other than that, no grouses.

Chocolate Terrine with Pistachio Ice Cream

The desserts at Sage has never disappointed me. At Cilantro, it is also beautifully perfect. Chocolate terrine with Pistachio Ice Cream. A sinful, indulgent treat with an irreproachable texture and taste. I went home and threw that last piece of dry Sacher Torte that I have been saving up.

This is certainly not the proper place to discuss the morality of Humbert's obsession and lecherous intentions for a 12 year old Lolita, nor the place to debate the difference between love and lust. But the book is both lyrical and has a dark sense of humour.

And just like Humbert, I too have an obsession for Cilantro. Having to accept that the world is imperfect and having to brace myself to the necessity of having to trudge through the mundane chores everyday, it is a blessing to be able to dine in solace in a place where the food is almost faultless. Cilantro has risen again and Easter came early to KL, last December 16th to be exact. Hurrah!

Cilantro
Micasa All Suite Hotel
Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur

To Read Lolita:

1. Cheap and Easy: Downloadable in PDF at http://www.vahidnab.com/lolita.pdf

2. For Scholars : The Best version would be The Annotated Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and Alfred Appel Jr. ISBN: 978-0679727293. I last saw it at Kinokuniya, but you can purchase it from Amazon or get the lovely, helpful elves at Kinokuniya to order it for you.

3. For lazy readers. The book is chillingly read by Jeremy Irons. Lolita Audiobook (Unabridged) Read by Jeremy Irons ISBN: 978-0739322062. Last spotted at Borders before Borders was put into a shrinking machine. I stopped going there after that out of disgust and disappointment.

MBG Fruits, LG Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, KL. Size Does Matter.

New Year came and went. Another year, another list of unfulfilled resolutions. Flip the papers, depressing news. Surf the internet news portals, MORE depressing news. Job sucks. The continuous need to code switch and use so many languages at work is driving me up the wall. There's an expression Spiderman would love to use. Maybe I should get bitten by a radioactive spider and learn to stick on the wall. Effortlessly.

Aren't you amazed by the ability of Malaysians to politicize everything? I for one am sick of politics. How can we talk about politics if we cannot even come to any common ground on where to start? How can we discuss anything when both parties are not rational and everybody is so confrontational? We say the westerners are rude and pride ourselves for being well bred, good mannered and religious. It doesn't show at all. Words like bastard and big ape used in Parliament. Everything is threatened with blood shed. At least Wendy Wright did not threaten to kill Dawkins and cursed that snooty academician to an after life of eternal suffering and damnation when they debated about creationism and intelligent design. Nor were there threats of blood shed and death to atheists. And Dawkins did not use words like stupid and unable to tolerate idiocy, despite being a godless heretic. They were behaving rather civilly despite being passionately militant about their causes. Politics in Malaysia often drive me to a Kafkaesque angst. Trudging through life here is like living out The Castle.

Political scavengers from BOTH sides of the political divide just love to circle around issues like vulture around carcasses. And inevitably the ones that makes the most noise will be the has beens or the minions that are looking for an opportunity to rise up and be noticed. Bearing no other talents and obviously lacking in intellect, they can just rise up and bay, bay, bay. Howl and thump their chest in front of the pack and reject civilised debate and dialogue. Same rhetoric, day in day out. Sort of reminds me of a T-shirt I had which has a picture of a Chicken calling the cat "Pussy" and the cat calling the chicken, well, "Chicken!".

How come when it comes to race and religion, there are so many defenders. MCA defending the Chinese, Hindraf defending the Indians... When it comes to the specifics like the homeless, drug addicts, school dropouts and hospice patients, nobody wants to rise up and defend them. Nobody organizes any rallies to highlight the welfare of the old and feeble, lack of welfare for the handicapped? The media coverage both in the MSM and the Internet for SMILE campaign was so, so,so much less than an idiotic politician making an inflammatory remark.

If there is anybody who needs some defending, it would be me. A Secularist, Humanist, Wagner loving Kant worshiper who believes in the preservation of Mak Yong has to be listed in the endangered species list in Malaysia. Just in case you guys accuse me of being a snobbish anglophile, I would like to set the record straight by saying that Latin should be the lingua franca of the world. At least while trying to conjugate both the verbs and nouns (which is as pleasant as trying to ease yourself while suffering from hemorrhoids) at least there is some time to think and reflect, instead of spewing out the usual rhetoric of venom and hate.

Guys, just stop fighting one another. The country needs some serious governing. Our education system is in shambles, our borders are porous with more people getting in and out illegally everyday, more than the nether regions of a whore in Chow Kit. Crime in the streets are driving the residents of quiet suburbs into paranoia. Highways that turn in carparks on bad days and are car parks at their exits on normal days. Housing for the poor? Affordable housing for the middle class? The list is endless.

Amidst the babble and cacophony of mindless rhetoric, at least Khairy seems to be making some intelligent media statements that are intelligible to the sushi munching, macchiato sipping crowd. Only time will tell if it is just a matter of political survival, shifting his support base to middle class urbanites who are getting more opinionated. Perhaps he finally realizes that those he had banked on for support last time would drop him like a hot potato when a taxi permit is dangled in front of them.

Amidst the gloom and doom and uncertainty, fueled by the general nastiness of the politics in Malaysia, where can a ravenous, chronically stressed, Sage junkie Android find solace?

At the most unlikely place. A fruit store in Mid Valley and a sight for sore eyes. Lusciously sweet and fragrant and definitely the ideal snack while watching some soppy Korean tele-drama. After eating, the taste of strawberries lingered on in my mouth for a long time...

Mangoes from Australia. Look at size of 'em MFs. Again, sweet, fragrant and delicious to the last bite. Nectar for a disillusioned Android.

Bing Cherries from Australia. Humongous, sweet and luscious. Sweeter than the Rainier in the previous post. Cherries. See? We need diversity. If Australia never existed and we insisted dogmatically that winter months must be in December, then we will not be getting these large, beautiful Cherries now. The wonder of living in Malaysia is the nation is never paralyzed during festive season. During Chinese New Year, the Mamak Stalls are open. During Hari Raya, Chinese Doctors will take over the running of essential services in Hospitals and Malay Doctors can take a break.

Growing up in the 1970's in a small town was so idyllic. Climbing up trees and running aound fields, oblivious to the political turmoil both in Vietnam and Cambodia. As I grew up and started watching movies like the Deer Hunter and Killing Fields, I begin to realize that there were so many atrocities committed so near Malaysia. All of the despots were ultra nationalists. So many lives were lost. The Genocide was especially worse in Cambodia where the first to be killed were the intellectuals. Gifted singers such as Ros Serey Sothea and Sinn Sisamouth were interred in concentration camps and later executed. (Just a diversion, Ros and Sinn's version of psychedelic grunge continues to inspire until today. A rock band known as Dengue Fever is inspired by Khmer 70's rock and has produced 3 albums to critical acclaim)

Peace is so fragile, please be careful and responsible. As I walked away from MBG, all i could think about is Fellini's Dolce Vita. Instead of Anita Ekberg dancing away at the Trevi Fountains, mine version was her, stuffing strawberries seductively into her mouth, playing with bananas and mangoes at a fruit stall. My version of modern morality in the midst of consumerism.

I walked to the car park after having stuffed myself with the RM18.80 set meal at Crystal Jade, sipping the beautiful Caramel Frappe from Austin Chase with my hands bogged down by the fruits. I felt better. I now that the traffic will not improve, the scary Politicians will still be there, the toll rates will just rise and rise. Life may suck at times, but is still relatively good. Of course it can be better. But at least I for now, have good food and beautiful fruits to cheer me up. Happy New Year, Malaysia. May you continue to grow and prosper. May your custodians walk their talk.

Albion, Jalan Berangan, Kuala Lumpur. Hail Britannia!

(non halal)

After disappearing for three weeks, I returned to Changkat Bukit Bintang and was amazed by the changes. The dizzying turnover of restaurants along this small stretch of road matches an acne outbreak on the face of a pubescent teen. Engka Portobello has disappeared, which was disappointing as it served reasonably priced and delightful food. Reggae Bar popped up. Some new Spanish restaurant seems to be under construction next to Werner's.

A new restaurant that has popped up is Albion (which means the Islands of Great Britain, Gaelic, if I am not mistaken) which is located next to Bar Italia along the quieter stretch parallel to Changkat. Chic and smart, with a slightly spartan yet contemporary setting, it offers modern British cuisine and has been open for about 2 weeks now. The menu is not too terribly extensive, but please bear in mind that this is a new place and they are just breaking into the scene.

Starters are fairly interesting here. Besides the usual offerings of Parma Ham and Melon, there is Fishcakes with Strawberry Salad and Blue Cheese Salad. I had the Chorizo a la Plancha (which means grilled Chorizo in Spanish) and it came as a Bruschetta look alike with the Chorizo sausages bathed in sourish tomato paste and basil. The dish is no eye candy, but tasted delightfully fresh on a humid Sunday night.

For mains, I had seared duck fillet with Blackcurrant sauce. The duck was a little bit too tough but blackcurrant sauce that came with it was a welcome departure from the normal as the fruitiness of the sauce tempered the gaminess of the duck. The potatoes would have been better if they were Dauphinoise.

For dessert, I had the Toasted Mature Fruitcake (which was mature enough to vote in the coming GE) that came served with Vanilla Ice Cream on top of some candied pineapple rings. Although the fruitcake was nothing to shout about, but the way it was served with the pineapple was brilliant as it cuts down the satiety. Albion probably warrants some return visits again.

I am terribly excited about Cilantro's re-opening and must find time to dine there soon (although both the Queen and Goddess of KL foodblogs did not attain food nirvana there).

Just to end this fruity post, Rainier Cherries are available from Imbi market now! These are pale and pink and sweet, not the usual tart read ones that are used for cooking, but sold at an exorbitant price in KL.

Here's to wishing all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

And I hope that your LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES THIS YEAR.

Cheong Liew at Senses 5th Anniversary, KL Hilton. Something Old, Something New. Something Borrowed, Nothing Blue.

(no pork served)

It is not easy, the adaptation of Asian Tastes and Sensibilities and combining it with Western Cooking Technique and presentation. A lot of people have attempted it, many have failed. You cannot hide bad cooking with heavy sauces and beautifully presented dishes, more so with Asian styled cooking, where the emphasis is on the natural taste and freshness on the ingredients and the masterful blending of ingredients.

Cheong Liew is the face behind the Grange and had been recently been honoured with a lifetime achievement award by Restaurant an Catering, SA in view of his contribution to the food and beverage industry in Southern Australia. Quite and achievement for a Kuala Lumpur boy. It would not be difficult to see why Australians love Asian inspired fusion cuisine, being a virtual cultural melting pot for so many different ethnic groups from all over the world. Accolades include one of the 10 hottest chefs alive from the American Food And Wine Magazine and Medal of the Order of Australia.

Clockwise from top left: 1. The amazingly energetic Cheong Liew explaining the dishes he created 2. Dominic Versace 3. Michael Elfwing 4. Cheong Liew

Cheong Liew was back in Malaysia recently for the Fifth Anniversary celebration of Senses Restaurant. He was both modest and affable and I had the pleasure to chat with him before and after dinner where he filled me with little anecdotes on his travels, the changes in KL and the Australian food scene plus about his childhood in Malaysia.

"For example, a mother’s job was traditionally not only to cook but to think about the family’s health – ‘my son has a cough, my husband is working hard, the sun is hot’. So she will come up with dishes that will fit each person’s needs. Whether Indian or Chinese, it’s part of the culture of Asia." - Chef Cheng Liew, interview with Sumptious.

It was a wine pairing dinner with Dominic Versace, but I would not be mentioning the wines much, as they failed to impress me. Typical South Australian Fruit bombs which can be very attractive and seductive if you are into that sort of wine. Unfortunately it lacks the complexity and the depth that I normally look for. Only 2 mentions, the 2009 Rossini Rosso is fresh and light and would be ideal as a picnic wine and this Rose is made from Sangiovesse. And the unvintaged Premium Sparkling Shiraz which would make a great party wine with lots of berries and cassis on the nose with moderate longevity on the palate. Better than the Lumbruscos.

Senses Sea Dance: Saffron Gin Kingfish, Drunken Prawns and Oyster, Boston Bay Mussel Jelly.

Senses is part of the KL Hilton Studio Restaurants and is currently headed by a young Australian Chef, Michael Elfwing. It features contemporary Australian cuisine and is still being overseen by Cheong Liew. Throughout the meal, flashes of brilliance were evident and there is no disputing that Cheong Liew is a very clever chef. Chinese cuisine is deconstructed to it's essence which shows a remarkbable understanding of Chinese Cooking Technique and Philosophy and resurrected as again, married beautifully with perfect western cooking techniques. Take for instance, the starter. Those of us who have had Chinese dinners before would be familiar with the Chinese cold plate starter, which is not dissimilar to what we had. The drunken Prawns were marinated in Shoaxing and the cereliac provided it with an interesting twist. Intead of cold chicken jelly, we had Boston Bay Mussel Jelly and a light salad and Sashimi styled Kingfish marinated in Saffron and Gin.

Truffled Scallop Chicken Wings, Dried Octopus Custard with Wild Game Consomme

Each time a new dish is served, Chef Cheong will come over to our table and explain the intricacies involved in creating the dish of which we can see his brilliance. De-boned chicken wings, stuffed with scallop and minced chicken meat and scattered with truffles, tofu smooth soya bean jelly, with shredded dried octopus inside and smoky Venison Consomme, cleared with lobster. A perfect blend of tastes, smokiness blended with the taste of ocean.

We’re always in search of experience. In the whole cuisine of Malaysia, not one dish is fixed in one culture. One dish can have Malay, Indian, Chinese influence, sometimes even Portuguese or Dutch influence. This is how original cuisines evolve. Even 600 years ago in Europe, Paris-style food evolved from a mix of many different cultures. - Cheong Liew, Interview with Sumptous.

Patagonian ToothFish, Black Fish sausage, Snow Pea Prawn, Cuttlefish Rice

However, the union of east and west is not perfect and may result in a discordant, jarring cadence. This dish is heavily influenced by Mediterranean Cuisine. Squid Ink coloured the sausage skin with fish paste, Spanish equivalent of Carnaroli Rice Risotto with Aioli somehow or another did not result in a harmonious transcendence that I was hoping for.

Salt Baked Free Range Duck with Slow Cooked Abalone, Abalone Wakame Sauce

Farm grown Abalone was used and it was double boiled with scallops to give an illusion and taste of dried abalone. The duck was wrapped in a salt meringue before being baked, and although the skin was extremely salty, the resulting texture of the meat was perfectly tender and gamy, and tasted like smoke cured duck meat. Wakame seaweed was mixed with abalone blood to produce this rich tasting sauce and the accompanying broccoli and mushroom was tossed onto a bed of shredded dried scallops. Genius, I could hardly imagine that Cheong Liew started off his career as an Electrical Engineer.

Braised Wagyu Short Rib with Japanese Pumpkin Ricotta Ravioli

The Wagyu beef rib was braised to perfection with some Chinese Cardamom, and the texture was perfect and tender. The Pumpkin ravioli was dressed in some heavy Parmesan cheese and sweetish. The plain grilled wagyu loin eased the satiety of this dish a little, but I found this dish to be slightly too heavy.

Dessert Platter

Dessert Platter was some Cinnamon Ice Cream, Green Apple + Lime Jelly and a Mixed Fruit Loaf with Sago. It was not particularly inspiring.

An old wedding custom dictates that the bride should wear:

Something Old, Something New,
Something Borrowed, Something Blue

And with this marriage of East and West, all the requirements of were met, except nobody was blue after the meal. The only blue we saw was while paying the bill where we parted with quite a few blue coloured bills. This may not the the perfect marriage, but as with any cross cultural relationship, there was a lot of effort made to understand each another, respecting the traditions of each other and not to dominate, but to co-exist in harmonious union.

The exquisite Iced Grand Marnier Souffle with Chocolate Sauce

It was certainly enlightening to be able to taste Cheong Liew's food and actually experience his ingenuity in the kitchen. Not only that, we had the pleasure of interacting with a very down to earth and friendly chef who actually lived up to the hype. The dinner was very intimate and we were awed by the hospitality and interaction from both Cheong Liew and Michael Elfwing. I had the opportunity to make some new friends and fellow foodies, and this was a great way to end the year 2009 and certainly one of the memorable meals this year.

The face behind "The Grange" will be leaving it and will be taking a sabbatical. I wish him all the best, and hope that he will be back to cook again in KL soon.

Merry Christmas, y'all, and Happy New Year 2010!

Sage, Gardens MidValley, KL. Can Chef Daniel Hold The Fort?

(no pork served)

KL foodies were abuzz when news of Cilantro's soft opening at Micasa hit the streets and the million dollar question everyone was and is still asking now, what will happen to Sage? After all, the iconic Chef Takashi is almost synonymous with Sage, which draws both accolades and brickbats from KL foodies. Fans of Sage will go on and on about how innovative the French cuisine with a Japanese touch is, and detractors were put off by the pretentiousness and quirky results. I do not see what the fuss is all about, Ramsay started The Maze with Gallic-Asian fusion too, but the citizens in KL seem to be lapping the food up.

What usually is a quite place for me to do lunch previously has turned into a bustling hive with Tai-Tais and Gordon Geckos crowding up the place, with almost unbearable noise levels. Dinners on Fridays and Saturdays are impossible unless one books a week ahead.

So, how is the new Sage, post Takashi era? Can Daniel hold the fort? Well, Chef Takashi still overlooks the menu and there is an ongoing collaborative effort between the two Chefs. I was there for lunch and had their seafood, and back later for dinner for their poultry. And to me, there was no discernible difference, except the dishes seem to be more robust, rather than subtle.


The Mousseline of Sea Scallop with Crab Bisque came in a golden hue that tasted as good as it looked, and the bisque seemed to be more frangrant than usual and the whole dish was a treat for the senses with the creamy mousseline adding richness to the Bisque while playing with the perfect texture of the scallops.


The Almond Crusted Atlantic Cod came sitting on a bed of Porcini Mushroom which was wading it it's own Porcini sweat. This was supposed to be a new dish created by Chef Daniel. It was a fabulous play of textures again, with the crunchy, dry almond crust surrounding a piece of moist, perfectly cooked piece of Cod topped by the wonderfully aromatic broth.


And Dessert was the warm Chocolate Galette with Nougatine and Vanilla Ice cream.

As for the Dinner menu, there have been some revisions as well.


I tried their poultry for dinner, and the Confit of Duck Leg with Puy Lentlis and Olive as a starter was perfect. Beautifully smoky and gamy and tender, the condiments gave a Mediterranean zing to the duck. The dish was hearty and whet my appetite for the next course.


The Chapon came with two different cuts of meat, cooked in 2 different ways. The Thigh was grilled to perfection with a crispy skin (I usually hate chicken skin, but I devoured it with relish) and some steamed breast meat. The Morel Fricasse tossed onto the chicken was slightly sourish with shalots and some herbs (Tarragon) thrown into it which tempered down the satiety of the chicken skin. Inset is the amuse bouche.


The Almond Blanc Manger was silky smooth with a slightly bouncy consistency which came with a perfect Mango Sorbet. Beautifully light dessert for a late dinner.

Though I arrived at 10pm, the dining area was still almost full and the private dining room occupied. Will be back to try their red meats later.

Mid Valley Megamall seems to have taken up the Spirit of Christmas with a Harry Potteresque floating candles decoration. There seems to be an abundance of German Stollen cakes, available from Cold Storage. The Biscuit tin that houses some Chocolates and Gingerbread from Bahlsen looks like an open book. With all the Christmas Songs in the and so many beautiful decorations around KL, I am almost convinced that the world is a beautiful place filled with people bearing no ill will against each other... Until, I read the newspaper.


Ciao! And Merry Christmas!

Mezze. Jalan Kasah, Damansara Heights, KL. Of Turning Chickens Into Butterflies

(non halal)

Mezze. Another fancy term which means finger food or small plates of appetizers or tapas. For ages we have been trying to catch up with this great twitterer @minchow. Finally, after an exhaustive study of migratory pattern of twitting birds and radio tagging her (the findings will be Published in the ornithology journal later, and her migratory pattern involves between home, work and watering holes in the PJ/KL suburbs) we managed to pin her down and decided to check out Mezze, which has seen a lot of buzz among foodies recently. For a postionally challenged (Boo says it sounds rude) Android, still getting the hang of getting around KL, I scouted out the place in the afternoon so that I will be able to make it on time for dinner.

It seem that Mezze is rather easy to locate, because it is just next to Vintry, (which I have never dined in) and behind the venerable Victoria Station, an Icon of the KL dining scene. The menu is fairly limited, but very wittily categorized under Grazing (starters), Greedy (mains), Indulge (desserts) and Afternoon Quickie (lunchtime specials).

We had the board menu specials for starters.


The Grilled Pork Belly came together with some apples with cinnamon, which was rather Christmasy. Unfortunately, the skin of the belly was very very tough and took quite an effort to chew. Anyway, I am not a big fan of lard anyway which makes it all the easier to disregard this dish.


I usually get very embarrassed when my blog readers comment on my photography. I do not use any fancy equipment, and am too cheap to buy Adobe Photoshop, which costs about RM 1700. The photo above is the undoctored version, and the one below, after manipulating with GIMP, a GNU Imgae manipulation program, available free from www.gimp.org. For some really serious food porn, I have just discovered Lady Iron Chef's website.


The next dish was Sumac and Sichuan Fried Calamari, which all of us thought a weird combination. Sumac is usually used as an ingredient to add tartness to Middle eastern food such as kebabs, and some varieties may be poisonous. The calamari fritters though crunchy and light, came out too bland even when dipped into the aioli sauce.

For starters, I had the Barbecued Spatchcock Chicken. Now, the term spatchcock has got a very interesting history. I googled it, and guess what? It is probably Irish in origin and comes from a shortened "Dispatch Cock!", in other words, send the chicken in quickly. How do you do that? Well, the spine or backbone of the chicken is removed, and the chicken is flattened onto it's breast and the end result of it would look as if you were lying flat on your stomach, spreadeagled. This reduces the cooking time by increasing the surface area.

Guys, if you have been a good boy, your wife might whisper demurely in your ear, "Spatchcock?", which is distinctly different when you have been bad and she screams, "I'm gonna Spatchcock you!". The term describing a chicken, with no spine, it's legs permanently spread open waiting to be .... also reminds me of certain politicians. And to prove how non-partisan I am, from BOTH sides of the political divide.


Notice the picture above? That was the Spatchcock Chicken I got. The Drumsticks were touching the wings? That would be akin to lying spreadeagled on your belly and being able to tickle your armpits, which could only be possible if you were a contortionist, or had some really serious Yoga training, or if i just chopped you up and put your legs under your armpits. OK, OK, I'm just nitpicking here. The chicken was halved. So what? How was the chicken? Well, the skin was nice and had a very honeyed, smoky flavour but had over charred bits, but unfortunately the insides were not very well cooked. Kinda like the BBQ wings we did while camping during our school days. Of course, during that time our chicken was not served with aubergine salsa and potatoes. Joe from lotsofcravings seemed to have gotten the real deal from his photos here.


Next on the list was Ballotine of Lamb, which was marinated with tnagine spices. Probably the best dish of the night, the lamb cutlets were flavourful and tender, but the cous cous was way too bland, which was a pity. The above picture shows that if the photos were really badly taken in the first place, there is no way you can save an out of focus shot.


We also tried the Giusando Alicante, which was Saffron Broth, with Calamari, Mussels, Fish, Chorizo and Chilli. The soup was rather disappointing. It tasted like tomato soup, and did not impart any hay like flavour of Saffron. Neither were there any subtle hint of Pimento from the sausages. Compare this photo and the one posted on Aly's blog here. Now, be honest and tell me that there is no difference between dining there as an influential food blogger on an invited (free?) review and when you go there as ordinary folks and pay for the soup with your hard earned money.

Desserts were no longer on our minds and we just wanted to hurry out and go for desserts somewhere else (The Pressroom). To be really fair, the place had an a decent wine list, and the prices of the wine was reasonable. We paid 155 for a Prosecco. Dishes were also reasonable. 20's for the mains. The lamb was 42.

This post was not meant to insult the bloggers who went there, but the food you got and the food we got were not comparable, and I was just blogging about my SINGLE experience there. I already am a social outcast, and guys, please don't send me to have my meals at the Spratly's!

Mezze
No. 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-20950122

A Lazy Post, with Apologies. Elegant Inn, Dim Sum, Menara Hap Seng KL. Da On Korean Food, Pavilion, KL. Sage Menu this week.

(non halal at Elegant Inn, no pork served at Da On and Sage)

Sorry for another very hasty and lazy post. Been very busy, running around in circles and finally, I have got my Identity Card, 10 years down the road. Since having the Hairy Crabs at Elegant inn, I wanted to get back there to sample their Dim Sum.

Elegant Inn
2.01, 2nd Floor, Podium Block,
Menara Hap Seng,
Jalan P.Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +6.03.20.70.93.99


Their Fried Yam Rolls were wonderfully crispy, crunchy and light. The ones I have had at other places were usually badly fried and very heavy and soggy. I really have to compliment the Chef at Elegant Inn for his frying technique.


The Bean Curd Rolls were filled with fish patty. Nothing outstanding. The obligatory Har Gao and Siew Mai in any Dim Sum was palatable, although the shrimp in the Har Gao was a little bit too cooked, resulting in a very tough consistency.


The Lotus Leaf wrapped rice here is a bit special. They used duck meat and shredded dried oysters and is beautiful carbo laden dish.


For dessert, I had glutinous balls with black sesame in ginger syrup. Another beautiful chinese dessert and the ginger takes away the satiety of the brunch.

Da On Fine Korean Cuisine
Lot 6.40, Level 6,
Pavilion KL
Tel: +6.03.21.41.21.00

On the same day, I had to go to Parkson at Pavilion to get finish up some shopping vouchers and by chance, landed at Da On, which is a swanky looking Korean Resturant with a cavernous interior that has somehow eluded me in the past. I had wanted to get some Thai at Celadon, but they were closed for renovation.

Photos were taken with my Mobile Phone Camera (I did not expect to be posting anything later that day).


As you have noticed, I was at nearly at the end of my meal when I hastily took some photos of the food. The Chicken BBQ was excellent and they were of course served with the little Korean Side Dishes including Kimchi, Stir Fried Vegetables, Mushroom and some pickles. The Kimchi soup (bottom left) deserves and honourable mention beacuse it was so piquant and served with slivers of beef. Dessert was some beautiful Black Sesame Ice Cream. I wmust come back and do a full meal here again.

Sage
Gardens Hotel and Residences
Tel: +6.03.22.68.13.28

This week's menu at Sage is a little bit less decadent.


The Fricasse of Foie Gras with Sweet Bread and Mushrooms. Sweet Bread is the Thymus Gland of Veal/Lamb and here, it was breaded and deep fried. It lies behind the piece of Foie. The mushroom fricasse was slightly heavy with cheese.


The mains is a rustic French/Creole Meunière of Pomfret Fillet with Crab Brisque served with Vegetables in Cocotte. The Pomfret fillet was lightly dusted with flour before being fried and them served on Prawn Bisque instead of the traditional brown butter sauce.


The vegetables were served in a separate pot and consisted of French Beans, Endamame Beans, some local sprouts and choy sum.


Dessert was a spectacular Gratinated halved Strawberries with Cointreau Sabayon and Kiwi Sorbet. Masterful.