Saturday, December 12, 2009

Babette's Feast

One treasure I did manage to find during my day trip to Singapore was Babett's Feast. A film I've been dying and aching to find ever since I stumbled upon the film in YouTube. Here are a few snippets of it available from the site.

I urge everyone who hasn't seen it yet to at least try get a copy for their personal library. But be forewarned that watching this movie can make one hungry and tempted to eat even while viewing it. I know...I simply must eat my meals while watching this movie otherwise I wouldn't be able to lst through the acid built up.



C'mon,with a movie that has almost half of it filled with cooking and partaking of the finest recipes concocted by a culinary French genius,who wouldn't want to watch this??? Kudos to the Academy for rewarding this film justly with the covetted award.
Enjoy folks!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Munakata @ Life Center KL

Last Saturday, my chow hound pals Viv and Joyce ventured into KL to try out a Japanese joint called Munakata which,according to Viv, had a set menu of all you can eat for 60++ per head. She re-called reading up articles of their limited though stellar and fresh ingredients maintained by the chefs there and she was right! We were required to place our orders on a small list provided and pass it to the Kimono attired waitresses who will then fill our orders dish by dish. Each dish cooked to order which made the meal more enjoyable,be it piping hot, cold or crispy fried dishes. We were very fortunate to've chosen that night to dine there as it was their final day for the RM60++ offer before the restaurant begins charding an additional RM10 to all customers starting the very next day.
My dual order of Chawan Mushi. So flavorful and steaming hot,Viv actually beat us all with an overall 4 helpings of it if am not mistaken.

Our orders of Sashimi Salmon. Noting each sashimi slice had an extra welcoming thickness to their volume which made each bite worth every penny. Very fresh with additional thickness, this one won us over.


I especially love their salmon sushi. I could eat them all through the night had it not been for the other dishes we were sampling at the same time.

Edamame. Alway a welcome repost and diversion to the heavier dishes.

The seafood salad. Personally,I found none of the salad orders standing out. But that's ok, we weren't there for the greens anyway. It was always about the fresh seafood dishes.
Wakamame salad.
Fresh Garden salad.None all too appealing for me.
Eringi Butter Yaki/Pan-fry King Oyster Mushroom with Butter. We all loved this.

Enoki no Butter Yaki/Pan-fry fresh straw mushroom with butter. YUM!
Hourensou Butter/Grilled spinach with butter. I felt no green leafy veg should have to endure such a buttery ending.
Hotate Butter Yaki/Grilled scallops with Butter. Now this is something I really like. Very flavorful and pleasing with each mouthful. This one appeared more grilled and flat compared to our first order below. But I didn't mind, they were both equally yummy!

Saba Shioyaki/Grilled Mackeral with salt. Joyce was not a fan of mackeral at first,but after sampling, I think the dish has fully converted her successfully. I've always loved mackeral myself.
Sake Teriyaki/Grilled Salmon coated with sweet soy sauce. Both fishes were very good indeed. Am just sad our stomach didn't have a seperate compartment like bovines do in order to store away more lovely seafood.
Gohan & Miso soup. Standard and very pleasing. he miso soup had both flavor and ingredient 1 up above the rest I've eaten before.
Unagi Tamago?Grilled eel wrapped in omelette. This I love. Eel and egg goes very well together but then,we all know that.
Shira Ebi Karaage/Deep fried Japanese glass shrimp. This dish maintained its crispiness eventhough we took our sweet time samplnig it. Each bite exudes a strong pleasing flavor we all enjoyed and I regretted not order more.
Shishamo/Grilled pregnant smelt fish didn't win us over. We all definitely preferred the mackerel to it anyday which packed more oomph and flavor compared to these unfortunate bloated fish.
Mini Croquettes. I regrettably popped one in too soon and singed my mouth momentarily so be careful folks when diving into these petite morsels. Other than that unfortunate incident, I like it.
Kaki Furai/Deep fried oysters I love and ordered dual helpings. Sadly, the last piece was oozing with black ink which left a strong muddy after taste I wasn't used to so made me squirm while chewing my last bite.

Tori Tsukune Yaki / Skewered Chicken Meatball coated with savory sauce. Nothing special, nothing outstanding. Wish it was real gamey and meaty chicken meatballs, instead, this one tasted more floury than I'd fancy.
Tempura Moriawase/Assorted seafood and vegetable in batter. Was good and appreciated it had maintained its crispiness to the end.
Unagi.Big and fatty....YUM!


Gyu Saikoro Steak/Beef Steak Japanese style. Standard issue that went well with the cripy garlic garnish. Pity it couldn't be wagyu for the price we were paying for.
We ended the meal with an order of fruits,green tea ice cream topped with red bean paste and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for me.
Overall, the meal was worth the bill and I wouldn't say no to another visit. Only it has to be after a long fasting day if I really want to enjoy the full experience of it. I will be required to pay an additioanly RM 10++ now onwards after all.

Cheers folks!

Food Munching during the Asian Television Forum @ Singapore

2nd December 2009



Well,I've had a fun filled day during my recent short trip to Singapore to attend the official launching of Saladin the tv series at the Asian Television Forum in Suntec. Check out the Malaysian and Saladin display booth there. Neat ain't it?
Who knew cocktail food such as these were so tantalizing that it managed to satisfy my cravings throughout the entire evening. Of course I was spoiled for choice.

These tangy prawn with mango canapes were very lovely indeed.
Of course,paired with friends like the Thai prawn on lemon grass baguette and the fois gras with pickled fruit barquettes, the night was made for one joyous tasting session.


No successful shot of the mozerella with cherry tomato and olive. :( I was too quick in the mouth to snap the pretty display.
The smoked salmon with cream cheese tower was something unforgettable and something I'd love to add to any future cocktail parties.
I'm one proud mama right now.


Of course, after the evening's networking and a quick dash to the video store, I was ravenous by the time I arrived back to the hotel. I consoled myself to just a slice of apple that night before hitting the hay,happy with the knowledge that a good breakfast will be awaiting me when I wake up. And the PanPac hotel's Global Kitchen didn't fail in delivering a very good hearty breakfast. Thankfully I was the last in line they were able to accommodate at the time as the queue kept on increasing and they staff were forced to divert the other guests to the hotel's other restaurant which were serving Indian cuisine. And I didn't want that. I wanted my omelette.
I admit, I went for seconds with some really good selection from the salad bar, egg station and western buffet smorgasbord.


Another quick snapshot of the plate. I definitely epitomized the typical Japanese tourist look with my bulky digicam on the side. And below, not forgetting my privileged roots, I couldn't resist a small samplnig of their chicken congee with steamed peanuts,chives,slices of tamago and sweetened pork. A dash of light soy sauce and VOILA! A perfect porridge bowl.
The spectecular and breathtaking decor at PanPac.

Even their Cookie house display was fun and inviting. Too bad I couldn't spare the time to brouse their sweet wares. I made my way around Suntec and the Marina instead.
Sadly, my tight schedule did not allow any sampling whatsoever here. Dash it!!! Marvelous Cream, I SHALL return!

Cheers folks!