The Malaysian Insider

By Eu Hooi Khaw

So good -- the Tasmanian Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper Sauce

FEB 6 — The Oyster Shooter, the Poached Prawns with Herb Clarified Butter and the Tasmanian Beef Tenderloin all made a great lunch at Kanpei recently, matched with an excellent New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
But then I would also “kan pei” (bottoms up) to the Hainanese Chicken Curry and the Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup. They are all in the Asia-Euro menu of the Kanpei Restaurant and Bar at the newly reopened Micasa All Suites Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

It used to be the old Tapas Bistro. Kanpei is not gourmet or high-end like Cilantro, just a moderately-priced casual dining restaurant that has its place in a hotel like this. I like the open spaces of this restaurant that overlooks the garden. There’s an open deck outside where you can sit, eat and drink.

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By Eu Hooi Khaw

The pair of jelly koi fish not only look great but they symbolise wealth... perfect for Chinese New Year.

JAN 30 — Chinese New Year is all about auspicious symbols, especially when it comes to the food you eat and the gifts you present to close friends and family.

If you are tired of the usual hampers with cookies and mandarin oranges, try sending wishes of prosperity with a pair of Jelly Koi Fish Swimming in a Water Lily Pond.

Koi symbolises abundant wealth, and it’s truly a Yee Sang. It’s made of Japanese jelly and decorated with mandarin orange segments and nata de coco.

A pair of Koi Fish Yee Sang Jelly is available from Jelly-Lah! at RM35 per set, including decorative leaves, mandarin oranges and blue food dye (for the blue “pond”). (more…)

Poached Jumbo Tiger Prawns with Cherry Tomatoes, wild rocket salad with grapefruit dressing... an absolutely delicious pairing.

By Eu Hooi Khaw
JAN 30 — I have had the best ravioli here, the smooth filling of cep mushrooms and creamy potato scented with thyme, spurting into my mouth with one light bite. The skin was so thin, the texture perfect, and these heart-shaped ravioli tinged pink with beetroot juice might be just the thing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with at Sassorosso, an Italian restaurant housed in a bungalow in Kuala Lumpur.

The Ceps ‘n’ Potato Ravioli with lentil herb sauce is an entrée in the menu for V Day dinner, to be held earlier, on Feb 11. Otherwise the romance of the occasion will be drowned in the rousing Chinese New Year celebrations.

Chef Giovanni Koromilas launched into the intricacies of making this ravioli – the sautéeing, chopping, boiling , blending… no wonder they were so good. He’s a chef of the old school, passionate about his craft. “You feel the food,” he said. (more…)

Salt Baked Ikan Haruan... the fish is so sweet and moist, you will want to eat every bit of it.

By Eu Hooi Khaw

JAN 23 — The Ikan Haruan, a variety of catfish, has always been known for its fast-healing properties post surgery. But lately it has been appearing on the menus of restaurants. It’s a fish I like for its smooth texture and sweetness, and the traditional Chinese way of eating it is in a soup.

Imagine my delight to see it being encrusted in salt and baked at E San Thai Kitchen in Ara Damansara, near the Subang Airport. Remove the crust with the skin and the lovely aroma of the fish is released. The 1kg fish had also been stuffed with finely chopped serai, pandan, sweet basil and other Thai herbs. (more…)

The divine roast duck... with the best-in-the-world taste.

By Alexandra and KW Wong

JAN 23 — “Is it my imagination, or is the Ipoh food scene ostensibly divided into two camps?” KW asks thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” I furrow my eyebrows distractedly, trying to search for an empty lot.

“For dim sum, you have Foh San vs Ming Court,” he begins.

“Ming Court!” I pipe up.

“For bean sprouts chicken, there’s Loe Wong Wong vs Cowan Street bean …” he continues.

“And now Restaurant Hong Kong vs Restaurant Hong Kong Oil? Amazingly, not only do they sell the same thing, their shop names are only different by one word! Which is better, in your opinion?” (more…)

By Eu Hooi Khaw

The Havana Salad is one of the most popular items at Marmalade.

JAN 16 — I love the salads in Marmalade in Bangsar Village II. They make a delicious, nutritious and well-balanced meal even if you just eat this. Take for instance, Sounds of Havana which has a star next to its name on the menu. It has roasted chicken cubes, pineapple and coconut salsa, peppers, cashew nuts and haloumi cheese over a bed of lettuce with a sweet and sour pineapple vinaigrette.

You crunch into the salad and immediately taste the cashews, small slices of haloumi that look like white tofu and the juicy pineapple cubes, in the light, tangy dressing. If you don’t want to eat anything else, it’s alright, because this fills you up in the nicest way.

Avocado Accents, another salad, stands out too for its combination of roasted chicken cubes, avocado, peppers, apples, raisins, cashewnuts, apple, raisins and sundried tomatoes over a bed of lettuce, and tossed with a mustard dressing. (more…)