Shameless Covers 2 @ PJLA, PJ

Friendship, music and laughter - what's not to love? :)....

Just last week, I went with some friends to watch the Shameless Covers 2 performance at the PJ Live Arts (PJLA), starring Melina William (lead singer of Tempered Mental), Reza Salleh, Zalila Lee and Mia Palencia, all experienced veterans(?**) of the local music scene:
(** Well, they are all still young lah, but are all very established in their own right, IMHO...)
So talented lah! They can play so many instruments - piano, guitar/ banjo, saxophone and drums...
They had already disclaimed upfront that they are only doing (shameless) covers of their favourite songs... so what's the big deal, right? What's so special about this musical performance over all others that I've seen/ heard?

Well, these 4 talented singer/songwriters are good friends in real life (as far as I know), and when they are on stage together, their warmth, humour and love for music are positively infectious.
Saxy Zalila...
Their selection of songs was also really interesting, spanning alternative (eg. Garbage, Nirvana) to R&B (eg. Destiny's Child) to local hits (Ella, Alleycats) and a fantastic boy band medley!

There was even a LOL-tastic Francesca Peters nationalistic song (Setia) rendition by Reza - here's the video if you're curious: Click here.
(I really wished they did more of their lovely renditions of cartoon songs like the last time, but that wasn't the underlying theme this round....)
Francesca! Is that you? LOL...
I love how they chose songs that you may not have thought of, but love, and brings back happy memories.... It's also so much fun singing along (which they encourage completely).
(For example: Haven't heard this song for ages! - Layar Impian, Ella, which Melina definitely did justice to....)
(Ah! And their encore routine/ homage to Queen! - loved, loved, LOVED it!)
Guitar Hero?...
I have it from a reliable source (one of their sisters) that they won't do another Shameless Covers unless they are confident that they can bring it to another level/ keep the standard high enough to amaze everyone.... but gosh, I really REALLY hope they do.
:)
(What can I say?: While I respect their pride/ passion/ professionalism, I enjoyed Shameless Covers 1 and 2 a LOT and I definitely want more!)
Me posing with Melina and Reza...
Note: Sorry. This event is already over, but just wanted to do a short post as a homage/ my way of saying thank you for all the fun I had that night. :)

SHOUT OUT:
- Thanks to Melina William, Zalila Lee, Reza Salleh and Mia Palencia for yet another wonderful night of music and laughter.
(Pssst. Please bring us Shameless Covers 3, ok? Thanks in advance!)
The fantastic 4 at the informal "meet the fans" session after the show...

I guess this is my sort of mini-petition for Shameless Covers 3? :),
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, PJ Live Arts, PJLA, Petaling Jaya, Shameless Covers 2, Personal

Festive Set Menus @ Zuan Yuan, One World Hotel

I never knew being proven wrong could be so delicious....

Hey there, happy new year!.... :)
Just to give you a head's up, this is an invited review:
(Here are my usual disclaimers)
1) I have not been paid to write this, but neither have I paid a cent for my meal,
2) I will still be as objective as possible re. the food/ restaurant, and
3) If I go back to the restaurant incognito and find that the food/service is horribly different from this experience, I will amend my ratings here...

Amazing how fast time flies - 2010 has ended and now, Chinese New Year is just around the corner!
The doorway to Zuan Yuan....
Anyway, just last week I was invited to sample the new festive menus available at Zuan Yuan, One World Hotel.

Looking at the different menus on offer, there is an interesting mix of food items - with an array of classics (eg. Braised Shark's Fin with Dried Scallop and Crab Meat) and classics with a twist (eg. Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Mint Sauce).
(Note: We were presented with items from a few different sets)
Sophisticated, beautiful ambience with a strong Chinese touch....
- First up, the CNY "must have" item - Yee Sang with Seaweed and Assorted Fresh Fruits:
A fun CNY tradition :) Lou ah, lou ah!....
Overall, it was a deliciously crunchy mix, with the fresh fruits like the juicy pomelo sacs adding a refreshing twist to this festive classic.
(Nice)

- Next up, the Roasted Duck with Unique Spicy Sauce:
Crispy delicious duck....
Mmmmmm.....
The moment my fork poked into it and I heard the CRUNCH of the skin, I knew I would like it. :)

Tasty meat, tender enough but still with some bite to it, and crispy skin with a small layer of fat. The sauce was also interesting, spicy instead of the usual savoury sauce....

- Wok-Fried Prawn Hong Kong Style:
Crustaceans, all lined up on the plate....
The prawns were fresh and fairly juicy, accentuated by the addictive pieces of fragrant minced hae bee (dried shrimp).

- Steamed Coral Fish with Pickled Radish and Chili:
RAWR....
To be completely fair, the fish was ever so slightly overcooked, but the most important thing is that it was fresh, with the flesh firm and complemented well by the slightly spicy soya based sauce.

- Braised Diced Sea Treasure, Dried Oyster and Sea Moss in Golden Bag with Green Garden:
(Wah lau, what a long name. lol..)
Yummy parcels of seafood....
A tasty mix of succulent savoury cubes of sea cucumber and assorted goodies in a slightly sweet inari skin.
(Again, an interesting twist on the usual dish....)

- Steamed Lotus Leaf Rice with Assorted Preserved Meat and Chicken Chinese Sausage:
The classic presentation for Lotus Leaf Rice....
Calories? It's ok if it's worth it....
No pork in it? Didn't care. The liver sausage added a velvety texture, while the rice was fluffy and fragrant. All in all, a delicious bowl of carbs.

Yum.
No, really!: YUUUUMMMMMM.

- Lastly, we were served 2 desserts, the Double Boiled Sea Coconut and Organic Birds Nest, Red Dates and White Fungus....
Bowls of double boiled goodness....
- ..and the Deep Fried Avocado Custard and Ninko with Katafi Filo:
Crispy golden brown strands of filo....
Nothing wrong with the Sea Coconut dessert.... but the it was the deep fried avocado custard filo that really stood out for me.

First of all I really liked that the smooth avocado and ninko mix inside was not too sweet... and the filo. OMG. While the strands have a heavy/ dense texture (in a good way), it was so crispy that it was a real pleasure to eat.

Me? Enjoying a PORK FREE** Chinese meal?
I never thought it would happen. :)
(** If I'm not wrong, they serve wine/alcohol here so they are not 100% Halal if you measure it by the strict standards)

Still, I don't mind being proven wrong, especially when its done so deliciously.
:D

DETAILS OF FESTIVE MENUS:
- Appreciation Set Menus (aka. "sau gong chau" - to celebrate the end of the year)
(Available: 1 - 31 Jan 2011)
3 nine course set menus to choose from, priced from RM 888++
(Promotion: Add 120++ for 2 bottles of wine)

- Auspicious Lunar New Year Set Menus (aka Chinese New Year Set Menus)
(Available: 1 - 20 Feb 2011)
Also 3 special nine course menus to choose from, priced from RM 988++
(Promotion: Add 120++ for 2 bottles of wine)

- Prosperity Yee Sang
(Available: 21 Jan onwards)
4 different types of Yee Sang (Seaweed and Assorted Fresh Fruits, Salmon and Shredded Sweet Turnips, Chuka Hotate (scallops) and Jelly Fish OR Sliced Abalone and Snow Pear), priced at RM55++ per half portion and RM110++ per full portion.

Last but not least - SHOUT OUT:
- Thanks to Florence and Crystal of One World Hotel for being such lovely hosts that night,
- Thanks to Bangsar-bAbE for extending the invite,
- and to all the others there that night *HUGS*: Nice seeing you all, and sharing my first lou sang with you! :)


Overall: Sophisticated restaurant in the 5 star One World Hotel, good range of Pork Free classic Chinese dishes and classics with a twist BUT nothing much bad to say - while not everything was perfect, there were some stand out dishes that made me wanna go back soon and it has changed my mind about Pork Free Chinese cooking :)....

Summary Sheet:

Zuan Yuan @ One World Hotel, PJ

One World Hotel, Ground Floor, First Avenue, Bandar Utama City Centre, Petaling Jaya

Telephone No.: 03-7681 1159
Opening Hours: (Open daily for lunch and dinner) 11am - 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Parking: OK

NO PORK SERVED

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- alilfatmonkey
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- thenomadGourmand
- Fat Boy Bakes
- Pillow Talk with Bangsar-bAbE


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Chinese, One Utama, One World Hotel, Reunion Dinner, CNY Set Menu, Chinese New Year

Lucky Dessert (發記甜品) @ Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara

A famous Hong Kong dessert restaurant has arrived at our shores :) ....

I heard about this new and apparently famous dessert restaurant chain from Hong Kong (newly opened in Sunway Giza, just a few months ago), and dropped by after dinner with some friends to satiate our sweet teeth.

The location isn't very good** but it's actually fairly easy to find - just look for the Hong Leong bank branch on the outer corner, and its just a few shops away around the corner.
(** It's in the outer layer of shops with no door from the main courtyard inside Sunway Giza, and it's not even facing the main road)
Outside Lucky Dessert....
There, you have a choice of either sitting in the simple but comfortable air conditioned section inside or in the also comfortable open air area outside.

I forced my friends to sit outside because the whole inside section smells faintly of durian (due to their specialty desserts). It's not that it's that bad lah, just that I CAN'T STAND the stuff so I'm sensitive to even the slightest whiff of (durian) scents.
(Sorry for not being very Malaysian... :P)
Outside, looking in....
Similar to our home grown KTZ (Kei Tak Zek) outlets, Lucky Dessert has a large (actually, larger I think) variety of desserts like heartwarming tong sui (eg. red bean soup, fuu chok yee mai), sago lo lo, ice cream, pastries and many more.
(The key difference is that they do not serve any mains/savoury food, opting to specialise only in desserts)

That night, I decided to try the Mango Rollz (RM 10):
The Mango Rolls....
The crepe "skin" of the roll was supple but not starchy, with a good amount of smooth cream and ripe yet firm mango cubes inside. Overall, nice but I just wish the mango and cream were more fragrant - would be more outstanding to me.

We also ordered the Trinity Mango Delight (RM 11):
Icy dessert....
Overall it was pretty good - refreshing and not too sweet, with an interesting mix of textures from the bits of pomelo, mango, ice and jelly(? dunno what these little black dotty things are called - always thought they look like frog eggs though. *lol*).

I told my friends that the Durian Crisp (RM 15) is one of the key specialties here, so (being lovers of that thorny King of Fruits), they had to have it:
Stinky/ Fragrant? Depends on you....
Obviously, I didn't take a single bite of this (as I was too busy suffocating) but my friends RAVED about how fabulous it tasted - fragrant chunks of good quality durian that was moist yet not too gloopy enveloped in a light and crisp pastry, atop a bed of icing sugar.

Those who cannot stand the smell/ taste of durian (like me) but want something similar can order the Banana Crisp (RM 12) instead:
Bananas!....
Nice, as the bananas were moist and the pastry was crispy.... but next time, I will order some ice cream to go with this - it's just not the same without it!
:)

While the prices are slightly more expensive than some local dessert restaurant chains, I thought it was ok... as the environment is nice and the quality of the fruit/ ingredients used seemed pretty good.
(Now I know where I can go when I get my sugary cravings!)

Summary Information:;
Lucky Dessert (發記甜品) @ Sunway Giza

Opening Hours: 12 noon to 11.30 pm
Phone: +603-61483798
Address: C-11-G, Sunway Giza 2, Jalan PJU 5/14, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

NO PORK SERVED

MAP:

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- i'm saimatkong
- Food point of interest.com
- Malaysian Foodie
- Mimi's Dining Room


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Lucky Dessert, Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chinese, Hong Kong, HK Desserts, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Laomazis Home Cooked Dishes @ Jalan Ipoh, KL

Interesting little restaurant that aims to "Revive Local Dialect Food"....

"What a quaint little restaurant", I thought as we walked up to Laomazi (roughly translated as "mother" in Cantonese?).

Tucked away (sort of in an alleyway) behind Menara Yoon Cheng, off Jalan Ipoh, it's definitely not a restaurant that I would have stumbled across/found on my own, as it is out of my usual comfort zone:
(Map at the end of the post!)
The restaurant "main entrance", at the back of the building....
Again, my colleague (Thank you Mr Wing!) lived up to his reputation as our KL F&B Manager and brought us to this interesting place.
:)

I think due to the renovations being done, the restaurant is sort of in a make shift area (which used to be a car park, judging from the yellow boxes painted on the floor!), but it's still comfortable - well ventilated and well lit:
Inside the restaurant....
Not only do they have a wide range of dishes on their menu (fish, prawns, chicken, pork, venison, vegetables, tofu, etc. prepared in a variety of styles)... but some of them sound really interesting.
(Like the quirkily named "Doggy Duck", which I hope to try the next round)

After some deliberation, here's what we ate that day...
- Chin Chai Steamed Fish (RM 42):
Healthy protein option :)....
Yum!
The flesh of fish was fresh and perfectly steamed - supple yet moist, complemented by the slightly spicy, sweet and salty black bean sauce.
(Actually, I don't particularly like the sweetness of black bean sauce, but I think that this is better than average)

- Smoked Pork Belly (RM 19):
A porky line up....
Not bad. :)
The meat was fragrant of spices, and tender enough, although still with some bite. A few pieces were a bit too fat though (80% fat and 20% meat?).. and 1 of my colleagues said he could taste a hint of the yucky porky smell....
(I didn't notice though)

- Spicy Pepper Stomach Soup (RM 18):
Great on a rainy day....
Also not bad. :)
Not quite spicy enough but it was still pretty good, with tender slices of pork stomach - my first time actually eating this! Got past my squeamishness and took the plunge to munch on piggy spare parts...

- Salted Egg Brinjal (RM 14):
Crispy slices of eggplant....
Yummy - The fairly thin slices of brinjal had a lovely crisp texture, not oily and oh so fragrant from the bits of garlic and chili.... I didn't taste much salted egg though...
(Still, would definitely order this again - delicious....)

- Rice Wine Egg (RM 18):
Claypot of heartwarming broth....
While there was enough rice wine in the broth, it was a little on the sweet side. The egg was also kinda forgettable in the mix, not leaving much of an impression...
(This was the only dish we all didn't like that much, but mostly because are tastebuds are skewed to salty, I guess...)

Including rice and Chinese tea, this meal only cost us about RM 21 per person, which I thought is really reasonable (for KL prices).
(Am thinking of taking my parents there soon!)
:)

I have attached a map at the bottom to help you look for this place, but just in case, look out for this landmark:
(This building is on the main road, and the restaurant is at the base of it but you have to enter it by turning into the alley behind the building)
The front facade of Menara Yoon Cheng....

So, it's: Simple but comfortable setting, wide range of interesting Chinese dishes at reasonable prices, free parking behind the building! (for now) BUT your car will get a bit dusty (major construction next door) and traffic in that area can be a pain....

Summary Information:;
Laomazis @ Jalan Ipoh, KL

Opening Hours: 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm (Note: Closed on Monday)
Phone: +603 90768606/ +6012 236 9893/ +6012 223 1132
Address: Basement, Wisma Yoon Cheng, No. 726, 4 1/2 Miles Jalan Ipoh, 51200 Kuala Lumpur.

NOT HALAL

MAP:

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OTHER REVIEWS:
- Feed Me Lah
- hAppY HapPy Life is Great

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Laomazis Home Cooked Dishes, Jalan Ipoh, Menara Yoon Cheng, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chinese, Cheap Eats, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, KL

Photo filler post?: A walk around Taman Titiwangsa inspired some thoughts....

Time seems to fly by so very fast,
From one day to another - a year has passed,
Stress infects, so take some time,
To relax, to reflect, to clear your mind....
:)

Sometimes you must see,
Beyond just "me"...
(Looking at the famous sights from a different point of view was quite interesting... KLCC looks really pretty and serene from this angle)


Don't worry about things too far ahead,
Just cross that bridge when you come to it...
(It was nice walking along the fairly well maintained paths, shaded by the trees.. and looking at the little "rivers" and lakes)


The actions we choose are like ripples on the water,
So, endeavour to do good, to make things better...
(The lake was surprisingly clean, by Malaysian standards)


When you feel yourself hovering at the edge of darkness,
Just take a step back and smell the flowers...
(Cannot be compared to the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens of course, but there were pockets of nice flowers to look at)


Treasure your loved ones, show them their worth,
Don't wait till its too late, to share your feelings and words...
(Actually, I think this here "pledge of love" is considered VANDALISM. There are other, better ways to express your feelings lah, don't you think so?)


Life can be cruel, but try to leave your pain and scars behind,
Keep your eyes and heart open! - you never know what you'll find...
(KITTY! It was looking at me so suspiciously, but it was so cute)



Post 2010 contemplations,
J

PS/
Yes lah. This post is mushy and kinda naive(?) sounding... but just some thoughts that came to mind when I was walking around the park, trying to clear my mind.... :)
(Also, NINA: If you are reading this, I hope you are not foaming in the mouth from my "creative" usage of the English language :P)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Romulus Hub @ Solaris Mont Kiara, KL

Yet another coffee franchise, but with a slight difference :) ....

In case you were wondering:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini history/ mythology lesson:
ROMULUS

One part of the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, who were half God/ half human and raised by a wolf.....

(For more details, you can refer to Wikipedia, or an actual book :P...)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know why they named it after such a mythical and powerful Roman icon, but from the outside, Romulus Hub just looked like any other normal coffee place... I had never tried it before though so I thought, "Why not?":
Outside Romulus....
Inside, it was cosy and fairly spacious, with the colourful murals evoking images of Europe.... but also fairly empty. Actually, I'm not sure if this is a normal occurance, as it was the New Year weekend when most of KL was like a ghost town (from ppl being away for holidays, etc):
Comfy sofas are available....
I had the Mocha Romaniccino (RM 12.50 for large) and PA had the Espresso Macchiato (RM 6):
The ice blended Mocha and the Macchiato....
I liked that my ice blended Mocha was not too sweet, and well blended (no chunky ice chips) but otherwise, it was just ok - would have liked it to be a bit more chocolatey.
(... but maybe I'm just greedy like that. :P)

As for PA's choice, he said it was ok... but noted that Expresso Macchiatos shouldn't be served with a huge dollop of cream.

Although we already had dinner, PA decided that we were not fat enough and ordered the Smoked Chicken and Sweet Corn Tortilla Pizza (RM 12.50) to share:
Sort of like thin crust pizza....
The toppings are very simple (slices of smoked chicken sausage, juicy kernels of corn and ample amounts of possibly not very high quality but yummy cheese), but somehow I really enjoyed the mix of flavours and textures atop the light, crunchy tortilla base.
(Definitely wouldn't mind ordering this again)

For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Orange Mousse (RM 11.50):
Citrus+chocolate....
Overall, not bad - the sponge layer was moist, matched well with the smooth chocolate mousse with bits of orange rind in it...

One of the specialties there are the pretzels which are (wow!) freshly baked/ made to order, so we tried the Original Pretzel (RM 7.80):
Twisted bread....
To be fair, I found it just ok - it was freshly baked (as advertised) and with an interesting fluffy yet slightly dense texture... but overall the taste was a little bland for my palate. Still, I think I am outvoted on this as TNG and PA really enjoyed this.
(BTW: Tuesday is Pretzel day - 50% discount of all pretzels! I think I'll go there then to try out the Cinnamon Sugar and Parmesan pretzels....)

What I really liked about Romulus was that most of the food is freshly prepared, instead of the usual pre-packed then just reheated food served at most other coffee chains**... and that's definitely what will keep me coming back if I'm in the area.
(** It's not really their fault - It's the way franchisers generally use to control quality amongst their many many outlets, but I feel it does impact the taste and freshness of the food somewhat)

So it's: Fairly new coffee chain in Malaysian, comfortable ambience, wide range of food ranging from freshly baked pretzels to pasta and burgers BUT nothing really bad to say - it won't change your life, but the food options seem decent so far....

PS/ *HUGS to TNG and PA* So nice catching up with you both. :) Here's to many more rounds of food and talking about anything and everything!
(Although I still don't really understand Kant)

Summary Information:;
Romulus Hub @ Solaris Mont Kiara, KL

Opening Hours: 7am till 11pm.
Phone: +603-6304 9733
Address: No. 2, Ground Floor, Jalan Solaris 3, Solaris Mont Kiara,50480 KL
50450, Malaysia.

NO PORK SERVED

MAP:

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- My Life's With You


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Hartamas, Solaris Mont Kiara, Romulus Hub, Coffee, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Roadside Stall (Steamed Fish) @ Taman Maluri, KL

Simple but delicious!....

Cheras.
*shudder*

Another place where the traffic jams and road rage/ agressive driving levels have achieved such infamy that I would never venture there alone, especially on a normal (working) weekday....

... which is why I had never tried this gem of a roadside stall, situated in Taman Maluri, sort of diagonally opposite the Hotel Maluri:
(Map at the end of post - don't ask me for directions. Am lost there. Sorry...)
Just a little roadside stall/ shack....
Of course the ambience is simple :) - it's pretty much a makeshift wood and zinc shack, with basic plastic tables and chairs, so don't expect too much in terms of comfort:
(It can get a bit warm actually)
Seated inside the stall area....
Note:
Don't be fooled by the above photo - it gets very packed during lunch time, with many people waiting around for a table. We were just really lucky, as we missed the lunch crowd by about 5 to 10 minutes.

They have a very limited menu there - doing only a handful of steamed dishes and some vegetables. The specialty is the steamed fish though, so we had to try that:
The steamed fish.....
YUM.
The fish was fresh and perfectly steamed, with it sweet flesh bouncey and supple. Also, the accompanying soya sauce + oil mix was perfect and accentuated the fish, with a beautiful balance of salty fragrance - flavourful yet delicate somehow (... which I was told is because they only use the best possible quality of soya sauce).

My only gripe is that they only have river fish available here, with its evil little pronged bones.
:(

If you are really too scared/ lazy to deal with the fish bones though, you can always just order the Steamed Chicken:
Now for the steamed chicken....
Essentially, the ingredients in the soya sauce base is the same as the fish, but with the proportions tweaked (I think).... Somehow, it tasted interestingly different enough that you would not notice/ care, again accentuating the perfectly steamed pieces of chicken....

We also ordered the Steamed Tofu and some vegetables (kai lan):
- The tofu:
Apparently eating more tofu will make your skin smooth?....
- The vegetables:
Tasty greens....
Both were nice, with the tofu texture being wonderfully silky smooth and the vegetables having a nice crunch - yay! Not chewy and fibrous.
(Overall, delicious...)

I don't know how much each dish was... but it cost us only RM 39 (RM 13** per person) for all that and drinks!
(** Roughly equivalent to a mind blowingly affordable USD 4 / Euro 3 / British Pounds £ 2 per person!!)

If only there were some way that I could go eat there more often....
:(

So, it's: Very simple setting (in a road side shack), delicious and fresh steamed Chinese food, very reasonable prices BUT limited menu, traffic/ parking can be a pain and it's a popular place for lunch so be prepared to wait for a table....

Summary Information:;
Steamed Fish Stall @ Taman Maluri, KL

Opening Hours: Lunchtime only - approx. 11am to 3pm
Phone: -
Address: Roadside stall, Jalan Jejaka 3, Taman Maluri, Cheras, 55100 Kuala Lumpur (Sort of diagonally opposite Hotel Maluri)

NOT SURE WHETHER HALAL

MAP:

View Steamed Fish Stall in a larger map

OTHER REVIEWS:
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TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Roadside Stall, Taman Maluri, Cheras, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chinese, Cheap Eats, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Yummy New Year's Resolution?

If you are searching for a new year's resolution - here's one to consider :)....

"Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia?", I wondered, "What's that?"

I never imagined that there would such a specialised and professional cooking/baking school right here in Malaysia, newly opened in the not so new Wisma Thrifty in PJ (very near PJ Hilton):
Spacious and well equipped "classroom"/ kitchen...
While there are full time courses (9 months or 6 months, I think), for professional certificates, there are also a large range of short courses (2 days/ 1 day/ half day) for beginners who want want to learn how to bake, or hobbyists who want to expand their skills.....

Other than the basic stuff (eg. Baking bread, biscuits, cakes), you can learn more complicated stuff, like wedding/ decorative cakes:
So pretty...
.... and how to make pretty little chocolates and sugar art too:
I want to eaaaaaaaatttt...
That day, I was there to learn how to bake a chocolate fondant (YUM) through a special introductory class followed by a "Bake Off" contest with the RED fm DJs**.
(Aly, Jeremy, Terry and the new addition to the RED fm family - Rudy, were there that day)
:) :) :)

It started off with a demo/ instructions by the charismatic chef Guillaume Lejeune:
(He makes it look SO easy, but well, I guess it's because he has more than 15 years experience in this line....)
Voila!.....
After that, we went back to our teams and had to try it out by ourselves. It seemed so very simple - with only 5 ingredients and about 5 steps on how to make it:
Sugar, chocolate, butter, flour and eggs - that's all you need...
... but of course, whether or not the fondant is too dry/ too moist/ rises/ deflates depends on skill (and a lot of experience/ practise).

Our chocolate fondants turned out quite well though, I think (IMHO), although it was just a eencey weency bit too dry:
Some of our fondants...
Our team didn't win. :(
(Aly's team won)

... but all in all, I had a really fun day out - made some new friends and learnt a yummy new skill! :)
(This was just a short intro class though, so it wasn't anything too complicated)

- Don't get between me and any yummy chocolatey desserts, ok?
(You have been warned! :P)
This is me trying to look scary...

SHOUT OUT:
- To RED fm: Thanks for organising such a interesting and fun contest/ event,
- To my team mates (Rudy, Tania, Jessica and Nadya): Nice meeting you!
AND
- To Chef Lejeune, Chef Wei Loon and the rest of the team at the Academy: Thanks for being such good and patient teachers to this bunch of newbies. :)


Now I just need to buy an oven....
*lol*

Signing out,
J

Summary Information:
Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia @ Wisma Thrifty, PJ

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am - 5pm
Phone: +603 7960 3846 / +603 7960 3848
Email: info@academyofpastryartsmalaysia.com
Address: Lot 2-A, 2nd Floor, Wisma Thrifty, No. 19, Jalan Barat, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
(Also, check out their Facebook or website for more details on classes/ courses available)

Map: (Below)

NO PORK THERE

MAP:

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TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal