Huck’s Cafe- Private kitchen @ Bangsar, KL

If you feel like dining in a restaurant sounds too mainstream, well here’s something else that might be of your interest. Situated in a rather quiet neighborhood of Bangsar, Huck’s Cafe is an interesting home setting restaurant which serves authentic home cooking via recipes acquired by the owner himself Mr. Huck Seng while travelling to different countries. Hence the list of cuisines varies from Asian Fusion to Western, Mexican, Italian etc. and needless to say, since it’s a home dining serving authentic home-cooked food, everything is prepared fresh using mostly organic vegetables, spices, herbs without MSG, additives nor colouring (Huck’s Café, 2010). ^^

Huck's Cafe @ No.22 Jalan Abdullah.. Not an ordinary restaurant façade huh ;)

cozy and homey designs where guests are to remove their shoes/slip before entering  into something comfy & relaxing :) 

While drinks & appetizer were set for group, the rest of the dishes varies as we get to select our own starters (soups), main course, desserts & coffee/tea. We opted to the 'Surprise me!' menu which all we have to do is to inform our preferences in advance & a nicely prepared main course will be ready for us (thoughtful gesture especially for those allodoxaphobia :P). For a nett price of RM 88/pax, the dinning deal is pretty decent for an exclusive private kitchen experience whether you're hosting a private function or simply having an easy dinner with friends.

a refreshing drink to start the night: Basil Seed Mint Soda.

appetiser, nice pairing of keropok + serawak acar.

aromatic and rich Wild Mushroom Soup, love the fact that it wasn't over creamy. 

I choose lamb as my main course as it is relatively challenging to deal with compared to chicken & seafood. The lamb shank was good taste wise however it could have been better if It comes with a juicer & softer texture. One thing to be highlight here would be the mashed potato, Huck's cafe definitely has a great mashed potatoes recipe as this is one of the best mashed potato that I've tasted in town, extra credit for the dish ✔ b^^d  

 Lamb Shank with Garlic Mashed Potato. 

Seafood Spaghetti with a pretty interesting combination of sambal spices, one unique fusion of Huck's cafe East-Meets-West series ;)

Grilled Salmon which taste decent but nothing outstanding to shout for compared to the other mains we had.

Ginger-lemongrass Iced Tea which came just in time to revitalize our overpowered taste buds before the desserts.

Winning dish of the night, the tasty, smooth, rich & creamy Crème Brûlée! This is something that I would keep in my 'best desserts list' for quite some time. :P

Ended the night  with a lovely cup of warm Earl Grey Tea.^^

Huck's Cafe

22, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar,

59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

>Huck's Cafe FB page<    

Phone: 603- 2282 2126

HP: 012- 604 8719

Email: Huckseng@kingfisher.com.my

Price: RM 88-150/pax (depending on the main course menu chosen)

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Sumptuous Dinner Buffet @ CONTANGO, The Majestic Hotel KL

Occupies a strategic location along the historical mile of capital city right opposite the startlingly beautiful moorish style Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur has been well known for being an iconic and legendary hotel since its construction in 1930s.

Lobby The Majestic Hotel KL, contemporary and classic fusion at its best ^^

Being the only hotel in Kuala Lumpur to be included in the Leading Hotels of the World luxury hotel collection, this is indeed a place which showcases the perfect fusion of heritage and contemporary trends. Thanks to CarlsbergMY & Kronenbourg 1664 I was able to enjoy a luscious dinner at Contango, a luxuriously designed contemporary restaurant featured at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. ^^   

the chandelier is simply magnificent isn't it ;)

Located at the newly built Tower Wing of Majestic KL, Contango is a cosy yet elegant restaurant featuring an open kitchen interactive dining concept with spacious seating capacity, serving delightful buffet of variety cuisines ranging from Western to Chinese, Japanese, Malay and Thai. A place of great dinning atmosphere, lovely services & sumptuous cuisines. b^^d

dinning setting @Contango

Salad bar of colourful good-for-you ingredients, building your own appetiser can be a great way to kick start your buffet spree when the ingredients looks fresh & presentable ;) 

Salad bar 

Besides those appealing & surprisingly delicious ready made dishes, chefs are available at the open kitchen ready to serves some of the nicest freshly prepared to order dishes, from local delights to grills, pasta etc. 

cold cuts, love the layout :P

don't fool by the common platting, the hot items here taste equally nice so do give'em a bite :P 

randomly picked hot items, the mini-burger taste average however the rest were surprisingly good b^^d 

Wonderful open kitchen interactive dining concept, simply ask for Chef's recommendation if you really not sure where to starts or what to eat. ^^

open kitchen surrounded by foodsSs~ *happily drooling XD*

Among the selections, Japanese cuisine is still my top preference, those thick slices of sashimi on ice were simply irresistible, not to mentioned those Japanese baby octopus which I was tempted so totally that I completely forgot to snap a pic of it before I eat. :P   

sashimi chilling on ice :P

Assorted Sushi

Asian cuisine & a handful of different types of loaves, which you can have it separately or come up with your own fusion dish. *hint: ever tried bread with curry? :)    

Asian cuisine

loaves

Lastly, here's a perfect ending for almost all types of meals>> Desserts~ ;) Here at Contango extra space from your tummy is needed as they serves great assortment of cakes and pastries, ice cream, cotton candy, french crepes and even macaroons (too bad the tasty looking macaroons went out of stock rather fast..)

made in-house ice cream of different flavours ranging from the common chocolate to unique jack fruit flavour. 

cakes and pastries, the cheese cake was great :)

marshmallows & cakes, some said its a taste of happiness & I agree ^^

Eye Appealing Desserts :)

^_________^

Hazelnut (top) & coffee ice cream. I love black sesame flavour more though :P

Contango @The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur 

5, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, 

50000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel : +603 2785 8000

email: tmklresv@ytlhotels.com.my 
price: RM 98+/pax
website: http://www.majestickl.com/contango.html

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Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2014 l 亚洲50最佳餐厅2014放榜啦~

Hey there foodies, in case you haven’t notice the William Reed Business Media Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014 sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna was revealed just this past Monday on a ceremony held at the Capella hotel, Singapore. So if you're wondering which are among the top class restaurants around Asia, here's a list of restaurants to your answer :) Taking the crown this year is nobody but the Australia chef & founder of Nahm restaurant, Bangkok, Thailand, Chef David Thompson. Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa, the owner of currently Japan best restaurant Les Créations de Narisawa was awarded first runner-up & Chef Gaggan Anand from Gaggan restaurant, Bangkok, Thailand took the third place.

 

 Nahm Restaurant @ The Metropolitan, Bangkok, Thailand. [No. 1. S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand]

Although Thailand dominated the top 3 position of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2014 awards, China hails its glory by having 16 of its restaurants listed on the 2014 list, follow by Japan (10 restaurants) & Singapore (8 restaurants). Also Fook Lam Moon and Tenku Ryugin from Hong Kong, China was awarded the ‘Zacapa Run Highest Climber’ Award & 'Peroni Nastro Azzurro ONE TO WATCH' award respectively whereas Restaurant Andre from Singapore secured its title as the winner of 'The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Singapore' & 'Chefs' Choice Award'.  

Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, China. [No. 4. S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in China]

Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China. [No. 8]

* Scroll down for the full list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2014 :)

吃货们注意啦，由威廉·瑞德商业媒体（William Reed Business Media）举办，圣培露（S.Pellegrino）及普娜（Acqua Panna）赞助的亚洲50最佳餐厅2014于星期一放榜啦，而今年摘得桂冠的正是澳洲籍名厨汤普森与其位于泰国曼谷的传统泰式私房菜餐厅Nahm。紧随其后的是日本东京餐厅Narisawa，而同样位于曼谷的餐厅Gaggan排行第3。

中国凭着傲人的16间餐厅入围亚洲50最佳餐厅2014笑傲诸国，尾随其后的分别是日本（十席）及新加坡（8席）。值得一提的是来至香港的家族营运餐厅福临门及天空龙吟分别获得‘Zacapa Rum最佳进步奖’及‘Peroni Nastro Azzurro最值得关注餐厅奖’，而来至新加坡的Restaurant André连续第二年获选为‘S.Pellegrino新加坡最佳餐厅’及‘主厨之选’大奖。

*往下滚动滑鼠获取亚洲50最佳餐厅2014完整名单 :)

Jung Sik Dang, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. [No. 20. Best Restaurant in Korea and Highest New Entry]

Le Moût Restaurant, Taichung, Taiwan. [No. 24.
S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Taiwan]

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2014:

1. Nahm, Bangkok, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand

2. Narisawa, Tokyo, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Japan

3. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand

4. Amber, Hong Kong, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in China

5. Nihonryori Ryugin, Tokyo, Japan

6. Restaurant Andre, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Singapore and Chefs' Choice Award

7. Waku Ghin, Singapore

8. Ultraviolet, Shanghai, China

9. Lung King Heen, Hong Kong, China

10. 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong, China

11. Mr And Mrs Bund, Shanghai, China

12. Iggy's, Singapore

13. Caprice, Hong Kong, China

14. Les Amis, Singapore

15. Bo Innovation, Hong Kong, China

16. Ishikawa, Tokyo, Japan

17. Jaan, Singapore

18. L'atelier De Joel Robuchon Hong Kong, China

19. Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong, China, Highest Climber up 29 places

20. Jungsik, Seoul, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Korea and Highest New Entry

21. Sra Bua By Kiin Kiin, Bangkok, Thailand

22. Quintessence, Tokyo, Japan

23. Tippling Club, Singapore (NEW ENTRY)

24. Le Moût Restaurant, Taichung, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Taiwan

25. L'effervescence, Tokyo, Japan (NEW ENTRY)

26. Fu1015, Shanghai, China

27. Bukhara, New Delhi, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in India

28. Bo.Lan, Bangkok, Thailand

29. Indian Accent, New Delhi, India

30. Dum Pukht, New Delhi, India

31. Issaya Siamese Club, Bangkok, Thailand (NEW ENTRY)

32. Varq, New Delhi, India

33. Hubin Road, Hangzhou, China

34. Takazawa, Tokyo, Japan

35. Shinji By Kanesaka, Singapore

36. Wasabi, Mumbai, India

37. Eat Me, Bangkok, Thailand

38. Sukiyabashi Jiro, Tokyo, Japan (NEW ENTRY)

39. Robuchon Au Dome, Macau

40. Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Singapore

41. Sawada, Tokyo, Japan (NEW ENTRY)

42. Hajime Restaurant, Osaka, Japan

43. Sushi Saito, Tokyo, Japan

44. Nihonbashi, Colombo, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Sri Lanka

45. Yardbird, Hong Kong, China (up 1 place)

46. Family Li Imperial Cuisine, Shanghai, China (NEW ENTRY)

47. Sarong, Bali, S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Indonesia

48. Franck Bistro, Shanghai, China

49. Karavalli, Bangalore, India

50. Tenku Ryugin, Hong Kong, China (NEW ENTRY and 'ONE TO WATCH')

official site: http://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/

*Hi guys thanks for reading & I hope you enjoy it, do like my page here for updates & more fun stuff ya, cheers ◕ ‿ ◕

Shōchū (焼酎): Great Spirits from The Land of The Rising Sun

A great varieties of distilled spirits can be found around the globe nowadays as the interest in regional specialities (food, culture etc.) continues to grow, to name a few we have whisky, brandy, gin, vodka & of course our focus today --- the traditional spirits form Japan>> Shōchū (焼酎). 

     

The traditional distilled spirits made from different ingredients such as rice, barley, buckwheat & sweet potato has been produced for almost 500 years. With the utilization of koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) and different ingredients which reflects greatly on the out coming flavours, these unique Shōchū (焼酎) made can be enjoy in many ways. Thanks to Japan Sake And Shochu Makers Association some of the media friends were invited to experience the proud profile of Shōchū at the ShoChu Seminar & Tasting event together with 11 Japanese Shōchū producers, a truly enjoyable night with wonderful spirits & food pairing. ^^    

ShoChu Seminar & Tasting @ Renaissance Hotel KL

Drenched into the world of Shōchū with speakers from Japan ^^

Great variety of Shōchū from Japan, & of course we wouldn't miss out the chance to have a sip of it :P

Himezumi & Co., Ltd. fine brewed.

Yamamoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. fine brewed. 

Komasa Jyozo Co., Ltd. fine brewed.

Yachiyoden Shuzou Co., Ltd. production.

Taru Sengetsu (rice Shōchū) from Sengetsu Shuzo Co., Ltd.

Ikinokura Distillery Co., Ltd. production.

Among all the unique characteristics of Shōchū, here’s one I love the most: Shōchū goes perfectly with not only Japanese but any other cuisine. Lets verify it shall we, itadakimasu ;)

Beef Fillet in Brioche with Cream Spinach

Goat cheese

Our blogger friend Lwin trying out the Barley distilled spirits :)

having a sip of Nadeshiko (barley Shōchū) ^^

unique Red Pepilla with a taste of love from Japanese red basil ;) 

my personal favourite: Shōchū with a blend of plum b^^d

So if you happen to be in Japan, don't miss out the chance to have a taste of this national alcoholic spirit from the land of the rising sun which is equally good to be take home as an omiyage ;)

Japan Sake And Shochu Makers Association

Address: 1-1-21 Nishishinbasi, Minatoku,

Tokyo 105-0003 Japan

Website: http://www.honkakushochu-awamori.jp/english/

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