Dawn to Dusk @ Sands Skypark // Sky on 57 // Ku De Ta

Have you ever tried to spend a day on a sky deck of a hotel? It is not impossible to spend the whole day on a 380-metre long rooftop deck which spans across 3 skyscrapers of Marina Bay Sands on the 57th floor. If you really want to know how big it is, it's actually the size of 3 football fields connected end to end. I might sound like a crazy woman but I ain't one yet!

Morning Swim @ Sands Skypark

The day for me started at 7am where I forced myself to get out from the comfy bed, put Bangsarbabe on the line, adorn my bikini and head towards 57th floor. How about a swim at the 150m long infinity pool at 7.30 in the morning? It was pretty chilling in the morning BUT if I had not taken the swim at that hour, I'll never have a chance to due to the hectic schedule and crowd.

Guest hotel keycards are needed to access Sands Skypark. If you're visiting the restaurants on 57th floor, you'll need to get access cards from the MBS lobby for non-staying-guests.

Let me warn you, this is probably the most-photographed pool as you can see everyone here is swimming with an iPhone or camera. It's not a place to do your laps but rather a place where photographs are a must! The pool opens at 7am and closes at midnight and mornings are the best time to have a swim here and to enjoy its bird's eye view of the city.

Morning Breakfast @ Sky on 57

At 9am, we were at one of  the Celebrity Chef's restaurant by Chef Justin Quek for breakfast and then have a chat with Tamir Shanel, Vice-President for the overall F&B operation at MBS on just about anything we want to know about the restaurants and its operations of the hotel.

We were greeted with Chinese-doll-like images on these beautiful plates as we entered the room.I thought we would be using these plates to dine but those are just for deco as the staff collected the plates when they served us our breakfast. Looks like they don't trust us with these beautiful china.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Tonkotsu Ramen - "Char Siu" Pork Ramen, seaweed, soft-boiled egg and leeks. 2. Slow-Cooked Organic Eggs - Sauteed mushroom, spanish ham and chicken jus. 3. Laksa - thick rice vermicelli with spicy coconut broth. 4. Egg "Benedict".

Apparently one of the must try here is Chef Justin's Laksa. According to Sue Lynn, it's like the Laksa Katong style but this one here is more flavourful and the taste of coconut is stronger. However, I have one complaint - the bean sprouts are just too thin! They need to get some juicy ones from Ipoh. Justin did told us that of course the laksa at his restaurant could not be compared with the stalls as the price determines the quality of the ingredients that you are going to put into the cooking. Breakfast is available at Sky on 57 for S$38++ a person with a selection of one breakfast dish and a cup of Vittoria Gourmet Coffee or a Gryphon Selections of Fine Tea.

The Pirramimma, Marina Bay Sands' own bottling of red & white wines.

While we indulge in our delectable breakfast which comprises baskets of freshly baked breads and a platter of an array of tropical fruits, we had the chance to ask Tamir on just anything! He joined MBS in March 2009, the year it was opened bringing over 25 years of experience. It's just amazing that this man here has a team of 2000 staff handling 60 different food concepts in a 1.2m square feet of F&B space. On the latest developments of the F&B section of MBS, he let us on a secret - one more Celebrity Chef restaurant will be introduced soon. This would be an Asian chef who has been running a Michelin-star restaurant but he ain't revealing the name of the chef! To Tamir, "food is so creative, it's like an art" and there's never a limited number of artists. Therefore, under his leadership, the menu is a constant evolution and he continues to seek iconic, highly recognised restaurants, unique and interesting restaurants to add to the already gourmet heaven in MBS.

Come in early January 2013 would be a 3-day Epicurean Market where they hope to hold it annually to encourage people from all walks of life to come and sample the food of every restaurant in MBS for a nominal ticket fee. This event would be marketed in late November, so gourmands out there, do take note!


Lunch @ Sky on 57

Of course we didn't have lunch right after breakfast. We did something interesting and I shall only reveal it soon as it's probably one of MBS' best kept secrets. Anyways, coming back to Sky on 57, it's helmed by Singaporean Chef Justin Quek, who has a take on traditional Asian and local cuisine - using premium ingredients, refined techniques and served with a hearty dose of Asian hospitality. It's a place where you can bring your overseas guest and wow them with the local cuisine admist stunning views from the highest point of MBS. Offering an unparalleled vista in dining be it night or day, this is the place to go!

 
We were quite lucky to be able to catch Justin in his restaurant. You'll be surprised that Chef Justin is quite a friendly and chatty chap. There's so few airs about him and he got comfortable with us eventhough we have just met for a minute or two. I can see the passion he has for the perfection of his food and his offerings such as his own wine labels and even cigars.

He mesmerized us with his stories and more importantly, his food!

Demitasse of fresh mushroom cappuccino. Served in an espresso cup, I wished I can have a bigger cup! It's one of the most refined "mushroom soup" I've had. Light textured, foamy & smooth, packed with fresh mushroom and earthy flavours with mushroom bits on the finish.

Slow cooked organic egg. With artichoke puree, foie gras emulsion and runny egg. I love the sauce which has robust earthy and nutty flavours from the mushroom.

 Oriental Seafood Fried Rice "Mui Fan". The rice was wok-fried with egg, and then immersed in a light starch broth with asparagus, big scallops, grouper fillets, tiger prawns and bok choy. I love the silky texture of the starchy broth which resembled the porridge except that the rice was still in perfect grain and slightly burnt on the edges due to the frying. Scallops were a little overcooked but the prawns were just juicy, succulent and fresh!

 

Australian lamb cutlet. Served with wok-fried julienne vegetables and tapenade jus. Perfectly grilled to a medium, tender and juicy.

Jack Fruit Tart with Crumble. Paired with cream anglaise and accacia honey ice-cream. Although I'm not a dessert-kinda-girl, I have to give this a try. I love the filo pastry that was so crispy and went crumbly when I sank my teeth into it. The tart has a base of jack fruit and topped with red raspberries. Goes extremely well with the honey ice-cream. I thought I would die of sugar rush but I didn't and I've even managed to finish up the dessert. For that, I deserved a pat on my back.

Gosh! Writing all these at 12 midnight makes me hungry especially when I didn't have any dinner tonight. My eyes are squinting already but I am determined to write my longest blog post ever on this historical day.

Cocktails @ Outdoor Terrace of Sky on 57

With Joyce sipping on cocktails & other media members.

I can't count the number of times I've been stepping into Sky on 57. At 4pm, we are already on happy hour at the pinnacle of pleasure and prestige on the highest floor of MBS. This is also the place to savour an exquisite pairing of Krug Grande Cuvee and steamed Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao for a limited time only at S$88.

 There's no lack of good drinks here. See those Cristal bottles?!!

 Sky on 57 has a total seating capacity of 240 seats in the entire venue. That includes 150 seats in the main restaurant and 90 seats at the outdoor terrace.

Signature cocktails - Pink Gin Asiana, Raspberry & Nutmeg Martini, and Mango Tango. 

All for $18++.

Bar Menu - Clockwise from top right : 1. Wok-Fried US Kurobuta Pork fillet in black pepper sauce (S$20) 2. Croque Monsieur with classic French ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich and potato chips in wasabi flavour (S$22) 3. Sauteed King Prawn with Chilli Sauce "Singapore style" (S$49). Time: 2.30pm - 11.45pm

I like all the dishes served during our cocktail session particularly the Croque Monsieur (minus the wasabi potato chips). What I don't get is Singapore's rave about the wasabi-flavoured chips. Why?!! Anyways, I wished I could get some of these finger food in the KL bar scene too.

Do you know that they even provide binoculars for your to appreciate its panoramic sky view. Ask and you shall be granted!

Night Cap @ Skybar KU DÉ TA

One of the best places to have a drink at night would be the Skybar at KU DÉ TA due to its iconic bar that is perched on the obeservation deck of Marina Bay Sands. You get music, DJ, panoramic views and a long list of drinks.

Just remember to get the access card from the lobby of Tower 3 if you are not a staying guest. There's cover charge of S$38 on Fridays and Saturdays after 9pm which does not come with any drinks.

The drinks aren't too expensive. Cocktails are priced from S$22 and above and I had a glass of Suntory Hibiki 17yo for S$20. The bartenders are very nice people as well and of course nothing beats the view. This is really a happening drinking scene in Singapore!

 Sue Lynn looking all posh and pretty for the party!

You can really spend the whole day on Sands Skypark! I've not even mentioned the Chocolate Buffet that one could indulge in the afternoons at The Club @ Skypark. I'm glad I've tried my best to summarize everything that I can do on 57th floor in one post. The post could be longer but I'm having a difficult to keep my eyes open. Good night peeps!

Marina Bay Sands

57th Floor

10 Bayfront Avenue, 

Singapore 018956

Tel: +65-6688 8868

Website

Balbair 89 & Scapa 16yo

I can't believe that I'm already on my 65th bottle of whisky from the Ian Buxton 101 Whiskies to drink before I die. It's been 2 years now and it's getting more and more difficult to source for some of these whiskies in the list. Thanks to a friend of mine, we managed to sample another 2 bottles from the list which I would have trouble looking for them.

The book does not have whiskies that are overly expensive, otherwise known as "water of emptiness" - whisky that empties your bank account. I was glad that thru this book, I have learnt to be more adventurous when it comes to tasting whiskies as there's so many out there! I've tried some Indian whisky (Amrut), grain whiskies, bourbons and also blended whiskies. If you want the list, just drop me a comment with your email, and I'll send it to you.

Name: Balblair 1989
Distillery: Balblair (Northen Highlands)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: Not stated (Vintage 1989)
Alc/Vol: 43%

Did you know that the Balbair distillery which is on the north of the village of Edderton is the 2nd or 3rd oldest distillery in Scotland? However, that statement depends on whose evidence you listen to. Originally dating back to 1970, though there are also records that show distilling done on the site as far back as 1749. The distillery had barely had a brick changed since it was rebuilt at the end of the last century and it had always been a architectural benchmark for all the other distilleries, including the world's malt distilleries.

How ironic for such a whisky that is so rich in history to be completely absent from our single malt market in our country. I have not heard of Balbair until I read that book. How unfortunate! While they do adhere to traditional methods of making a single malt, they do differ from other whiskies by pursuing a strategy of releasing vintages exclusively instead of the aged variants. I think vintages worked really fine, just like The Glenrothes. Every year, the Distillery Manager, John Macdonald selects the finest samples of Balbair from the maturing whiskies which he believes that it will best exemplify Balbair Highland Single Malt Scotch whisky with notes such as spices, fruits and leathery notes.

I do believe that there is some merit in the argument that whisky does have a character that varies from year to year and thus deviating from the normally aged expression to a vintage timed for perfection is not a bad idea. The Balbair 1989 won a Gold Medal in the 2007 International Wine & Spirits Competition (WSC) as it's not only affordable, it's definitely drinkable to a half-whisky-snob like me!

Tasting Notes : On the nose, it has aromas of sweetness from raisins, fruits and hints of coconut. The first sip was a bit rough on the edges but it does evolve into a spicy and citrusy palate with hints of nutty oak. It has a quick finish with hints of smoke and marine.

 

Name: Scapa 16yo
Distillery: Scapa (Orkney)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement:16 years old
Alc/Vol: 40%

We have all heard of the Highland, Speyside and Isle malts but what about distilleries from Orkneys? The Orkneys are a group of islands in the north-eastern corner of Scotland and perhaps fate has made this place a less well-known whisky producer because its two distilleries (Highland Park & Scapa) is seen as a microcosm of the industry as a whole. Huh Scapa? What is that? It is almost virtually unheard of except for a few connoisseurs in the know.

From what I read, the exterior of the distillery is somewhat characterless, doeful and ugly which can be seen from the shores of the Scapa Bay. For some time, the 14 year old expression was sold but it was not for long until Chivas Brothers replaced it with this 16 yo expression. It's for those who appreciate a lighter, unpeated island style that was unique.

This is a whisky that I would say that it's not worth my second visit. The taste is rather light with some honeyed sweetness and a tinge of saltiness. It's pleasant but not distinctive. It's a whisky that I would like to taste just to see how it fared but it's not one that I enjoyed sipping. It's definitely quaffable but I wouldn't buy a bottle on my own.

 Macanudo Baron de Rothschild

Cigars and whiskies are like lovers. They complete each other and of course a good smoke will give the right note to a night cap. This 6.5" X 42 will give you a 40 minutes relaxation. Oh well, it also depends on how you smoke it because some might take up to 50 minutes. This Macanudo here is aged for years in my friend's humidor and you can see that it's well-kept and humidified. The size of this ring gauge looks really elegant for a lady.

The cigar is indeed beautiful with its shiny Conneticut shade wrapper. Rolled in the Dominican Republic, Macanudo is well-known for its mild flavour. It's not a cigar that will knock you off your seats but this one here gives you that laid-back feeling. It's probably a morning smoke or something you would take in the evenings. There's an initial kick but it didn't last very long. It's light, sweet, with hints of chocolate and a vanilla finish.

One thing about this Macanudo, you can easily have a few inches of white ashes before it decide to fall (due to gravity pull?) Haha... I had my white ash almost to 2 inches before it fell onto the table. The draw was smooth and easy. The burn was also even. I don't think the Macanudo is as expensive as the Cubans but this one here is quite an enjoyable smoke. And because it's well-aged, it doesn't have that grassy taste that you tend to find in the dominican cigars.

  

 That's a 6.5inch Macanudo that I'm indulging!

Can't help but to have that sheepish look when I wrote that.

A birthday dinner @ Kam Lun Tai Restaurant

I was invited to attend a birthday dinner of a friend's wife at Kam Lun Tai in Sri Petaling. This is my 2nd time to the restaurant. It's one of the older restaurants which has withstand the test of time and the executive chairman of KLT himself is a master in chinese culinary scene in Malaysia. He also teamed up with a veteran Hong Kong chef which founded the Palace Group in 2003. Imbi Palace was opened in 2003, followed by the Klang Palace two years later. Now they have a few more restaurants under the Palace group called Jaya Palace, Grand Palace & Mutiara Palace.

The Menu of the night that got me drooling.

But seriously, it's customary that before we start the dinner, we always have a few drinks first. And with this group of dining partners, cognac is the drink! Maybe the older generation are all cognac and whisky fans and they do have a brand loyalty. This friend of mine has always been serving us cognac that is older than me for every dinner.



This time, he took out his Hennessy EXTRA Nostalgie de Bagnolet. This bottle is kept for more than 40 years old and it's deinitely older than me! Bagnolet is where the Hennessy castle is and look at the box, it's like an antique to any collectors. The nose is still very intense with all the aromas of spices, and sweet tobacco but on the palate, you can notice the lack of alcohol and it's a smooth drink down the throat.



The appetisers is indeed a feast iteself. We started with a plate of pig's ears and intestines, followed by a fried fish paste which was so nice and then a plate of sinful deep-fried soft shell crab with salted egg yolk. This is the ultimate dish to go with booze. Then, a plate of chunky roasted pork (siew yoke) was served. It was freshly cut from the whole roasted pig!



It was the time of the year again for mitten crabs. This is my 2nd mitten crab/hairy crab for the year and my friends prefer having the male crab than the female ones. The video on how to dissect the mitten crab here which I've done years ago. We also had a friend whom brought along a dish of deep fried beancurd that is paired with century eggs with preserved ginger and cucumbers. Wah, such a simple dish can taste so good!



The highlight of the menu was of course the Monk Jump Over The Wall. This is one of the chinese delicacy which is expensive due to the ingredients involved in making it. And the best thing is, it came boiled in a melon! You can see the huge abalone, sharks fins in bundles (I know it's cruel but hey, I didn't order this) and big scallops. The soup was so flavourful and intense with the additions of mushrooms, sea cucumber and also a piece of the "kam wah foh tui" (a cured chinese ham). This pot of soup is really nutritious.



After that, I switched to drinking whisky and I reall wanted to try this Nikka Yoichi 20 years. This Japanese single malt is of cask strength 20 year old single malt from the Yoichi distillery that previously beat some very high-profile Scottish malts at a blind tasting in 2003 and received 95 points in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. It's a very bold whisky with notes of spices, vanilla, caramel and sourness. It's sharp and has a long finish. Very interesting whisky indeed and this is one of the better Nikka I've tasted. Anyways, I saw the price tag - RM600.



A birthday celebration is not complete without the cake-cutting ceremony but to the older generation, having the chinese birthday bun is a must! I love the chinese birthday buns compared to a cheese cake as this small buns has a stuffing of lotus paste and a full salted egg yolk inside. I wished I can have two of these but I was reminded of my cholesterol levels, so I better not push it.



A sweet ending is a must and for that, we had a bowl of double-boiled birds nest for everyone! Wohooo... it's every women's favourite and that includes me as well. The birds nest is so thick and I can see there's a lot of effort in removing the feathers from the birds nest too. Whoever thought of eating birds nest is nutritious is indeed brilliant... haha.. This is definitely an indulgence.

I went home that night fully stuffed with all the good food. And then the next day, lucky I managed to wake up early for my flight to Manila and the dishes still lingered in my memory until today.

Kam Lun Tai
(the restaurant is situated at the row of shops beside Sri Petaling Hotel)
No. 38D-G, 38D-I, 38C-G, 38C-I, 38B-I,
Jalan Radin Anum,
Bandar Baru Seri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur
tel: +603-9059 5122

Tenjin Japanese Cuisine @ Grand Millennium Hotel KL

There's a new Japanese restaurant in town and it's located in Grand Millenium Hotel KL. I've known about the news months ahead because one of the partners of this place is someone I knew. Recently, I finally have a chance to dine there with a group of "makan" friends and also my usual suspects.

Since it's quite new, you can expect that this is not a very crowded joint. What I liked about this place is that there is a main dining hall with a small sushi counter and then there are a few private rooms with one that can sit up to 18-20 people.

That night was also the day of my 1st ever Standard Chartered 10km Run where I managed to complete in 1 hour and 24 mins. Not exactly a very good timing but it's my 1st! It was such a wonderful night of good company, food and drinks! We started off with a bottle of Krug, then followed by a very old bottle of XO called Bisquit, a bottle of Yamazaki 18yo and then 2 bottles of Sake (Nanbu Bijin Honjozo Karakuchi 1.8l - RM385). Love the sake, it's smooth...

I'm not very good with Japanese food as I'm a rather cheap date when it comes to this. I will never be able to remember the Japanese names and I'm also not a fan of sashimi. The only Japanese food I like is Tepanyaki.

This is a mixed appetiser platter which you can order them separately but we wanted to try a little of everything so the chef made this for us. It's raw octopus with basil sauce (RM38), half boiled salmon with anchovies sauce (RM28) and Tuna marinated with Korean Dressing (RM22). I really liked the octopus as it wasn't too tough and the basil sauce is refreshing.

Potato Salad (RM12)
I really love this potato salad that is served with Salmon roe which gives the salad a little saltiness.

We were all given a plate of sashimi consisting of 2pcs of o-toro(tuna fatty belly), kanpachi (yellowtail) and shrimp. If you were to order the items individually, the prices are : O-toro (RM140), Kampachi (RM50) and Shrimp (RM40). The o-toro melts in the mouth like butter - tuna butter! And when you savour it with a Krug, oh my oh my... it's a wonderful world...

Confused about Chu toro and o-toro? These are two grades of toro. Chu-toro is slightly to the rear of the tuna and is less fatty, therefore less expensive. Just anterior to chu-toro is o-toro, ultra premium, uber fatty tuna belly. After you have tried these, you won't be able to take the regular maguro again.

Honestly I can't remember the name of this fish but my friend told me that this is off the menu and it's the owner's own stocks. Haha... it was really good as it was grilled to perfection where the flesh of the fish is still juicy and smooth. Very fresh indeed.

Salmon Belly (RM10/pc)
Some of the wonderful nigiri sushi that we had that night was the salmon belly. OMG, it was just so good - tender, fresh and buttery.

Chicken Tepanyaki
Love the crispy skin and the sweet miso sauce that adds flavour to the chicken.

We get to try a few types of cold soba that night - Zaru Soba (RM18), Cha Soba (RM22) and Hiyashi Soumen (RM18). Then we had the Dragon maki where you have the deep fried king prawn maki topped with avocado (RM38).

The meal wouldn't be complete without dessert and I wanted to try the Kurogoma ice - cream (black sesame seed) RM10 and also the Maccha ice cream (Green Tea) RM10. Both the ice-cream are smooth but I think that the flavours are not strong enough especially the Kurogoma. I like the strong black sesame seed flavours but this one here is quite mild.

Overall, this is a decent place for good Japanese food as their forte is really in the fresh sashimi and grilled fish. Would love to come here again and try out the other dishes!

Tenjin Japanese Cuisine
Grand Millennium Hotel KL
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2143 9399
email: tenjin@tenjin-gmkl.com
Website

Business Hours :
Lunch - 11.30am - 3.00pm
Dinner - 6.00pm to 10.30pm

More whisky at Auld Alliance @ Singapore

This is my revisit of Auld Alliance in Chijmes Singapore (1st post here). This is one place for serious whisky drinkers and you'll NEVER EVER get bored with the selection of whisky here because there is just too much for me to comprehend! And everytime I visit Emmanuel, there's always a new bottle somewhere on the bar top...

Joining me at the bar is Ervin from Taberna Wine Bar who loves whisky too besides his wines. This time, I was there in my sober self and was able to try more whiskies unlike the last time when I've already had some wines before adjourning to Auld Alliance. The first bottle that I wanted to try is none other than Basil Hayden's, which is an American Bourbon on my 101 Whisky to Drink list!



This bottle is actually part of the Beam Global Spirits & Wine family of whiskies. This is a singular bourbon that bridges the flavor of rye whiskies and small batch bourbons together. Aged 8 years at a relatively mild 80 proof, you can actually taste a hint of peppermint, notes of pepper complimented by slight citrus overtones, and a spicy finish. It's dry and delicate. Basil Hayden's can be enjoyed alone or in cocktails such as a Juicy Basil and Basil Bubbly.



The 2nd bottle of the 101 list is actually Crown Royal, which is a blended Canadian whisky. This brand is under Diageo and at 80 proof, 40% alcohol, it's said to be the best selling Canadian whisky in US. Hmm... When I was at Charles De Gaulle Airport, I saw this bottle and was tempted to buy it but I already had 3 other bottles in my bag! Oh well, lucky I didn't carry this bottle all the way as the effort wasn't paid off in taste. I didn't really like it. There's some caramel and oak with a very mellow palate. It would be better if it's drank with Coke! haha...



A very interesting whisky is the Rosebank 1991 from Gordon and Macphail's Connoiseurs Range. The Connoisseurs Choice is a series of malt whiskies from various Scottish distilleries many of which are no longer producing whisky. The Distillery was closed in 1993 despite being widely recognized as one of the premier distilleries Taketsuru 21 was crowned World's Best Blended Malt Whisky at the 2010 World Whiskies Awards.in the lowland region. Only through independent bottlers, we still can taste the whisky which was once produced at Rosebank. This is a laid back style of lowland whisky which was triple distilled for extra smoothness. Don't be fooled by the light hue as it is very smooth, crisp and has some spicy and floral notes with a long finish.

This bottle of Nikka Taketsuru 21 was crowned World's Best Blended Malt Whisky at the 2010 World Whiskies Awards. Labeled as a “pure malt”, in this context it seemed to mean a “vatted malt.” Vatted whiskey is similar to blended whiskey, except that there's no grain alcohol in the mix and it's made from all single malts. And single malts are just a single malt whiskey, from a single distillery. Thus the Taketsuru Pure Malt is a vatting of different Nikka single malts.




It comes in three standard ages: 12, 17, and 21 years old. We’re here to drink the 21yo as I've already tried the 17yo. On the nose, there were a plenty of oak influence with notes of prunes and cocoa, espresso beans, slight touch of anise. There were some spicy notes with black pepper and orange peel on the palate. Definitely a long, good oaky grip finish! Simply divine...

So once you've started on Japanese whisky, you can't stop! I've been dying to try the Karuizawa series and tonight's the night! The more famous Japanese whisky distillery are Suntory and Nikka but that night I wanted my maiden taste of Karuizawa!



The Karuizawa "Noh" series was recommended by Emmanuel as I want to try one Karuizawa on every visit. This is a sherry butt from the 1995 vintage, bottled in 2008 at a staggering 63% ABV at 13 years old. When you sip the amber liquid, you can feel a burning sensation down the throat! I can take it neat all the way and thus settled for an ice ball for the rest of the whisky after a few sips neat. It's quite on the oaky side with some tangerine notes. I really recommend water to go with this or else you might need a fire extinguisher after downing the whole glass!



After I declared that I have enough for the night, Emmanuel pulled out this bottle and insisted that we drink a shot of this before I crawl out of this place! Since it was on him, I would be glad to try out the Solstice Benriach 15. Honestly, I think I had too much to drink and I really couldn't remember how it tasted like! Oops...



As you can see, I did have quite a number of glasses. Was actually quite spoilt as there were some whiskies I didn't like and I didn't finish them. But lucky, Ervin was there to drink everything! So none whisky was wasted in the process.

This is really a wonderful place to go if you're really into whisky. But even if you're not, it's still a wonderful place to hang out with vintage-leather sofas and a room for some cigars! You know what I really love about the bar?!! They serve roasted sheets of seaweed to go with the whisky and oh boy, the taste of seaweed compliments the whisky so wonderfully well!

Auld Alliance
Chijmes, 30 Victoria Street,
#01-08, 187996
Singapore
Tel: +65 6337 2201
Facebook

Trying new dishes @ Grand Palace Pavilion KL

I've been having so much of western cuisine that when my friend asked me on a Sunday if I would like to join him for a chinese dinner at Grand Palace in Pavilion recently and I straightaway agreed! Luck was with me as it was a night where the "gang" wanted to try some new dishes from the chef. God, I was so into trying new chinese dishes.

And as a surprise, we started off with a piece of luncheon meat. One of my friends bought this can of meat from Singapore and they wanted to try if it's any good. And the lady boss personally pan fried it for us. Starters couldn't get any better than this!

My comfort food!
What a piece of (luncheon) meat... haha

The next dish we had was quite an interesting dish considering that chinese usually do not take raw food like the Japanese whom love their sashimi. A plate of julienne carrots, cucumber, ginger, fried yam, and sliced garlic and onions were laid on the lazy susan. Along with it came a bowl of onion oil and some roasted sesame seeds and peanut. We taught we were having the "lou sang" but it was not Chinese New Year yet. Then, the gigantic bowl of raw fish arrived.



It was actually the "Shunde Yee Sang" 順德魚生 which is literally translated as Shunde Raw Fish. It's a Cantonese dish using the Wan-yu 鯇魚 , a type of carp, thinly sliced and then mixed with all the ingredients that I've just mentioned. It's almost like a Chinese salad. With a little soya sauce, it's ready to be savoured and the taste was so good especially the flavours of the sesame seed and oil that compliments the raw fish.

And we can't skip any dinner without drinking. That night, we had a few bottles to choose from and there was a choice of a Japanese whisky (Suntory Yamazaki 18yo), a blended whisky (Old Parr 15yo), a single malt whisky (Macallan 12yo) and and a cognac none other than a Hennessey XO. Well, the whole night I was drinking the Japanese malt whisky which I truly love.

Next comes the fish maw soup with geoduck. Fish maw 魚鰾 or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and allows the fish to stay at the current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming. It's a chinese delicacy. Although not all fish maw are expensive but there are some that are considered luxurious just like the dried scallops or sharksfin.The Geoduck on the other hand is also called a "elephant trunk clam" because it does look like an elephant's trunk before it is cut into pieces.


The soup was so flavourful and you can actually taste the sea! Grass carps were also used to boil this soup and the result was just wonderful.



The chef has been very creative and in this dish, he uses the egg to make the skin of this dumpling. And inside the dumpling, there were two generous pieces of scallops braised in with winter melon and superior stock. I called this the chinese scallop ravioli. haha...



This is not an ordinary fish. Ok, maybe it wasn't very ethical of me to be eating this "endangered" species of fish but hey, I wasn't the one who ordered it. The fish that I was talking about here is a coral reef fish or commonly known as "su mei" in Cantonese or humpheads in English. Apparently, there has been an over-fishing of this fish and now it's facing extinction. Those who want to flaunt their wealth and success would indulge in this pricey fish in restaurants especially in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Malaysia. What used to sell for RM30 a kg in 1980 now goes for RM250 to RM300 a kg. The taste? It's heavenly. The flesh is so soft and smooth and the skin has a texture like tofu!



Have you tried cheese baked brocolli at a chinese restaurant? Well, if you haven't, you can have a go at this restaurant. Everyone was quite full after so many dishes and there were 2-3 dishes that I didn't put up here because they are not exactly very special. So can you imagine how much food we had that night?

And I thought the dinner was over. Well, it hasn't until rice shows up for any chinese dinners!


Lucky I just had to taste 2 spoonfuls of the Gultinous rice wrapped with Lotus Leaf. But I must admit that even I was full to the brim, I just couldn't resist this dish. It was so fragrant and the rice looks so perfect and so I had no excuse not to try it. It was truly tasty especially when they used duck meat instead of pork.

What a dinner and I'm in luck.