New Lunch and Dinner Menu @ Beast by BIG, Intermark KL

Earlier this week, I was invited to BEAST by The BIG Group for The BIG Feast week as well as the launch of their new lunch and dinner menu. BEAST is located at Intermark Mall and is well-known for their steaks as well traditional dishes with a dramatic flair.

The set lunch menu is no more, and is replaced by a new lunch menu with deluxe a la carte selections such as lobster pappardelle and pan seared grass-fed tenderloin. There are also brand new additions to the dinner menu, such as roasted miso cod and 6-hour sous vide grilled rack of lamb. You can find the menus for BEAST here.

Let's begin with the starters...

The hot smoked salmon salad (RM38) definitely wowed us. The dish arrived at the table with a glass dome, complete with smoke and all. Not only did it look good on the plate, it was very tasty too -loved the salad with tangy Korean dressing and fresh salmon roe.

Escargot Wrapped in Flaky Puff Pastry with Buttery Parsley Sauce (RM35)

The miso dressed portobello mushroom salad (RM28) may be a vegetarian dish, but I can assure you that even meat lovers will dig this. My favorite dish of the afternoon - love the meaty textures of portobellos and the earthy miso flavour.

Roasted cauliflower soup (RM18) - creamy and velvety with chunks of cauliflowers. A great soup!

Thinly sliced beef carpaccio with arugula salad (RM32) - light and fresh!

Spicy calamansi beer battered calamari salad (RM22) - light and crispy batter, sure wouldn't mind eating a whole bowl of 'em!

The main event...

Truffle mac 'n' cheese (RM38) - this is so decadent and yummy! Baked with a medley of cheeses (Parmesan, mozzarella, Gruyere, Brie & Cheddar) and topped with truffle oil and truffle paste. Oh-la-la. 

Pan seared grass fed tenderloin (RM78), served with mashed potatoes, shallot confit and bone marrow gravy.

Half-a-lobster pappardelle (RM168) in a robust lobster bisque reduction - yet another rich, luxurious dish.

Quarter roasted beer brined chicken (RM48), served with brussel sprouts and duck fat roasted potatoes.

6-hours sous vide grilled rack of lamb (RM98), served with baked eggplant caviar, pearl barley and wild rice salad. Succulent, tender lamb!

Roasted miso cod (RM98), delicious flaky fish served with creamy, thick pumpkin cream. 

I still have room for desserts, so here goes...

Tangy Passion Fruit & Mango Trifle with Tropical Accents (RM25) - lots of lovely textures going on in this dessert and I love the addition of tangy passion fruit. Makes this a really refreshing dessert.

Dark Chocolate Fondant Filled with Peanut Butter (RM25) - peanut butter and chocolate, need I say more? (PS CK, I think you will love this).

The Beasty Tiramisu (RM35), an interesting take on tiramisu

Pavlova with fresh seasonal fruits (RM25) - definitely unique as it showcases some of our local fruits such as mangosteen, jackfruit and rambutan.

And thank you for the cute chocolate moustache! #movember

Opening times: Mon-Fri 12.00pm - 2.30pm; Mon-Thu 5.00-11.30pm; Fri-Sat 5.00-12.30am. Closed on Sundays.

Pork-free.

Location: BEAST by BIG, Lot G-01, Ground Floor, The Intermark, 182 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 2163 5732

Website: www.thebiggroup.co

GPS Coordinates: 3.161620, 101.719670

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Kampachi Japanese + Gelatomio Lounge, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

When I was growing up, we would sometimes make trips to KL to eat Japanese food at the reputable Kampachi Japanese restaurant located in Hotel Equatorial. Their Sunday buffet was legendary and it was something we looked forward to as the food was always delicious.

Chirashi don

The Kampachi in Equatorial KL is no more (hotel under redevelopment), but one can still find Kampachi in Equatorial Penang & Malacca, Troika, Johor Premium Outlets, Plaza 33 and Pavilion KL. The latter has been around for many years, but last month we visited it for the first time when we had our Japanese cravings. The restaurant in Pavilion KL is spacious and service is good although the restaurant was very busy during lunch time.

Sushi counter

I ordered the Soba/Udon & Chirashi Don set (RM54) and Hubby had the Una Don & Shake Sashimi set (RM62). Out of the two sets, I felt that mine was better value in money.

I opted for cold soba which came with 2 deep fried tempura prawn, as well as a delicious chirashi don. The raw fish topping (salmon, hamachi, tuna, squid, ebikko) was fresh. The tempura was also nice as batter was crisp. Enjoyed this set.

At one time, you could watch the chef preparing the handmade soba noodles at the shop front. 

Hubby's set comes with grilled eel served over rice (Hubby commented the eel was really tasty but the portion was a little small), as well as 3 slices of fresh salmon sashimi. His set also comes with miso soup.

Nice, fresh salmon sashimi, but wish there was more!

After some shopping, we stopped at Gelatomio Lounge for some ice cream. There are around 50 flavours of gelato to choose from here and does not contain any animal fat, coloring or preservatives.

We went for a large cup to share (RM16 for 4 scoops), and went for 3 flavours - cookies and cream, caramel with chocolate and mint chocolate. The latter two flavours were pretty good, though I would have liked it better if the texture was creamier.

Opening times: Mon-Thurs 11.30am - 9.30pm, Fri 11.30am - 10.00pm, Sat 11.00am - 10.00pm, Sun 11.00am - 9.30pm.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill RM146.15.

Location: Kampachi, Lot 6.09.00, Level 6, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 3 2148 9608

Website: http://www.kampachi.com.my

Gelatomio Lounge, P4.17.00, Level 4, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (opposite Cotton On)

Tel. : 03-2144 8382
Website : www.gelatomio.com



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Recipe: Honey-Mustard Glazed Pork Ribs in Oven and Broiler (Bobby Flay)

Hi everyone! We're finally at my favorite month of the year :) And for the whole month of November, we will be cooking along to Bobby Flay's recipes. Sadly, this would also be our last "Cook Like a Star" event, so do join us!

Bobby Flay is a well-known American celebrity chef, and restaurateur. He is also the resident grill master for Food Network. After browsing through his recipes, I came to a few conclusions - 1. Bobby Flay likes cooking on the grill, 2. he loves chilli (Fresno, ancho chile powder, habanero, Thai birds eye chili, jalapeno, poblano.... he loves them all) and 3. his recipes in general have a long list of ingredients.

Sweet and sticky honey-mustard glazed pork ribs

Although my kids can take moderately spicy food, most of his spicy recipes sound a bit too hot for them. Hence the first recipe I chose to try is his honey-mustard glazed pork ribs - it has received good ratings on the website, doesn't contain chilli (want my kids to be able to enjoy whatever I'm making) and it has a relatively short ingredients list.

And boy, we sure enjoyed this! The ribs does not require any pre-marination, so just pop it in the oven with the soy sauce, water and ginger mixture and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Then glaze and place under the grill for several minutes until crusty. I really loved the glaze, sweet and sticky, super appetizing and delicious. Am definitely using this glaze next time I cook grilled ribs or even chicken. Overall, super easy and super delicious!

 Sure is finger-licking good.

Honey-Mustard Glazed Pork Ribs in Oven and Broiler
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Bobby Flay
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 3/4 hours
Serves 6


Ingredients
For the honey-mustard glaze:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
3 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the ribs:
20 pork ribs, about 3 kg
1 cup light soy sauce
4 cups water
2 to 3-inch piece ginger, skin-on and sliced thinly



For the honey-mustard glaze:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and brown sugar over high heat and
cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved and
mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey and mustard and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

For the ribs:
1. Preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F. (I used the no-fan setting)

2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the soy sauce, 4 cups of water and the ginger and bring to a boil.

3. Arrange ribs in a roasting pan (I used one with a lid) and pour the mixture (from Step 2) onto the ribs. Wrap the pan with foil or cover with the lid and roast until the ribs are tender, about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours.

4. Remove the ribs from the oven and transfer to baking sheets lined with foil or parchment paper. Turn on the broiler/top grill in your oven (high heat) and let heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Brush the ribs all over with the glaze, and broil until golden brown and a crust has formed about 7-8 minutes. Do keep an eye to avoid the ribs from burning. Brush with remaining glaze and serve.

Note: It will be best if you can get baby back ribs or St Louis style ribs for this recipe, however since I could not get those from the wet market, I just used spare ribs.

****************

I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Bobby Flay" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Grace of Life Can Be Simple. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Bobby Flay websites or cookbooks for the whole month of November 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in November 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Grace of Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


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Frozen Banana Ghost Pops + Happy Halloween!

Last weekend, I was browsing through my Instagram feed and came across BBC Good Food's frozen banana ghosts photo. Since we have bananas in the house, I thought it would be fun to make these Halloween treats with/for my kids. 

Mummy (M): Baby C, let's make some Halloween ghosts.
C: Ghosts? Will it be very scary?
M: You be the judge later.

After making the ghosts....
C: Mummy, I thought Halloween is supposed to be scary... but these ghosts are so cute! And they're so YUMMY too!

Regardless of whether your kids find it scary or not, these frozen banana ghost pops are really easy and fun to make. All you need is 5 ingredients, followed by melting the chocolate and coating the bananas with the chocolate and coconut. And you'll have some really delicious treats for Halloween... or any day of the year if your kids love them! One way of adding fruit into your kid's diet. Spookily enough, it does taste like creamy banana ice cream.

Happy Halloween to all - enjoy dressing up and have a spook-tacular time!

Any guesses to what this is - looks like scary fingers right!

Halloween Frozen Banana Ghost Pops
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from BBC Good Food
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Makes 8 ghosts



Ingredients
150g bar white chocolate, broken into small chunks
2 tbsp whipping cream
4 medium-large, ripe bananas
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (you won’t use it all)
A handful dark chocolate chips

1. Place chocolate in a small bowl and gently melt the chocolate either in the microwave (in short bursts on high) or over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). If you find that the chocolate is a bit thick, then add some whipping cream to a liquid consistency.

2. Peel the bananas, cut in half, and push a lolly stick into the middle of each piece. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment, and make sure there is room for the tray in the freezer.

3. Spread the coconut out in a shallow bowl or plate. Using a pastry brush, coat each banana in chocolate, letting excess drip away. Sprinkle with plenty of the coconut until coated, then set it on the prepared sheet. Now add two chocolate eyes and a mouth, and if you like, cut a few little eyebrows from the chocolate drops too. Freeze the lollies for at least 4 hrs, and up to a week.

Let's try to make them as scary-looking as we can!

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Wordless Wednesday: Fairy Cakes

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Nyonya lunch @ Limapulo: Baba Can Cook, Jalan Doraisamy, Kuala Lumpur

Do you like Nyonya food? A good place to get delicious, affordable Nyonya food is at Limapulo. It is located on the Asian Heritage Row at Jalan Doraisamy (adjacent to Sheraton Imperial KL Hotel).

Lunching at Limapulo

The restaurant was packed with customers, just 15 minutes after opening time. Seems that on some days, you even have to queue to get in. Uncle John (also affectionately known as Baba), one of the owners of the place can often be found at the front of the restaurant welcoming the customers.

You can either order from their set lunch menu (available from 12 to 3pm) or their a la carte menu. We chose from the set lunch menu, which was reasonably priced, at RM9.90 each - amongst the items you can choose from are nyonya laksa (Mon/Wed/Fri only), nyonya fried mee/mee hoon/rice, pongteh chicken,and gerang asam fish (pari).

Authentic mee siam + Peranakan Ale

We ordered the mee siam (a special on Tue & Thurs) which was served with a spicy nutty sauce (apparently it's not authentic if it's served without it) as well as the tamarind chicken and ayam berempah. The latter two comes with rice, fried omelette and a side of vegetables. They were all very tasty, but out of the three, I loved the ayam berempah the most. The sauce was thick, creamy, spicy and very appetizing. We were told that the tangy tamarind chicken is made without any oil at all, definitely great for those wanting a healthy option for lunch.

Since we were here on a Thursday, we didn't get to try the nyonya laksa. I am definitely going to return for that.

Ayam berempah.. my fav!

Tamarind chicken

Some other side dishes that we tried - mangga patchree (a sweet-sour poached mango curry with turmeric).

Pai tee (RM2 each) - hot from the fryer... crispy with a delicious filling 

Mystery Green, an appetizing made with the by-product from the Mangga Patchree. We also tried the Peranakan ale (RM4.50), nice and gingery, great for my cough.

My boy loved this classic dessert, sago gula melaka (RM3.50). Richness + sweetness level is just perfect.

Thanks Eunice for the lovely cakes from Yut Kee :) as well as your company during lunch. xoxo

On a separate visit, I went back to try their Nyonya laksa (RM9.90). It's available here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during lunch time. The broth is rich and delicious and inside you will find tofu puff, half boiled egg fishcake and fishballs and if you do not specify, it will be served with both meehoon and yellow mee. Big generous portion too!

*They have also opened another outlet in Intermark called Limabelas. It is located at LG Floor (near Jaya Grocer).


Pork-free.

Opening times: Monday to Saturday 12pm - 3pm; 6pm - 10pm.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill RM54.10.

Location: Limapulo, 26 Jalan Doraisamy, 53000 Kuala Lumpur. (near Sheraton Imperial KL/Heritage House)

Tel: 03-2698 3268

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baba-Can-Cook/635621076504974

GPS Coordinates: 3.158284, 101.699541



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