Serai@Life Centre

images Veronica Ng, text Dave Avran

Serai@Life Centre is the latest baby of the Serai Group Sdn Bhd’s first successful initiative Serai Thai in Shah Alam. Serai means Lemongrass in English. Serai Thai has been around for 23 years while Serai@ Life Centre is an Asian, Western and fusion restaurant which opened its doors in September 2012.

Serai@Life Centre is a little more high-end with weekly specials for diners. The service and attention by the waiters is great while the decor and ambience is really pleasant, spacious and roomy to have a wonderful get-together.

Although Director of Operations and Marketing Ms Qistina Taff is a graduate in Bachelor of design, Interior design from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia her passion is in wanting to share Serai’s range of culinary offerings with her patrons.

Her husband Najib Hamid, who is the director and executive chef of the restaurants, is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide. He attributes his extensive knowledge in Western cuisine to his 10 years in Australia working in hotels and restaurants, where he fine-tuned his passion for food.

For this upcoming festive season, Serai has come up with a Christmas Set Menu priced at RM120++ per person that features mains of Tarragon de Paris butter roast chicken stuffed with smoked turkey, Tasmanian double brie served with cranberry sauce, Beef Wellington with onion marmalade and Baked salmon with maple syrup and lemon thyme.

The condiments that go with this set include Rosemary salt new potatoes, Buttered brussels sprouts, Honey glazed roasted vegetables, 3 style mash and fresh cucumber salad.

Dressings come in the form of Mint sauce, Horseradish cream sauce, Chicken jus with roasted garlic while dessert is a Christmas tease – cake of the day. To complement your meal a Serai Christmas mocktail of soda, mint leaves, raspberry, passionfruit pulp and a dash of orange juice has been created especially for you.

Serai is also offering special order goodies such as Christmas turkey at RM350++ per bird, for which you get a 3kg turkey stuffed with chestnuts served with Pesto mash, Roast capsicum mash and cranberry sauce and jus.

There is also the Honey Mustard Australian leg of lamb at RM400++ for 2.5kg which comes with Orange glazed roasted root vegetables, Mint sauce and Parisian mash potato.  

Also on offer is the Seafood platter at RM450++ for 3 to 4 pax which features Tasmanian oyster 3 ways, cured salmon, Boston lobster thermidor, fresh cold Sabah prawns, crispy soft shell crab, salted egg yolk squid, fresh Asian cucumber salad, Turkish bread with yogurt pesto dip and roasted capsicum & cumin dip.  

Pre-booking of 2 days in advance is required with a minimum order of 4 pax, and all prices are subject to a 10% service charge and 6% govt tax  

Ground Floor, Life Centre

Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Open daily   from   11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Contact: 03-2181 6717

Doraku

images Veronica Ng, text Dave Avran

The road to happiness is a pretty subjective and individual subject. Luckily here at frigglive, our (rather substantial) stomachs rule and for us, Doraku which literally means “road to happiness” in Japanese, is the new hip, chic, and inventive hub of happiness for jaded Kuala Lumpur urbanites.

At Doraku, a unique blend of sushi, sake, cuisine, art, and music celebrate the rich origins of Japan with upscale Pan-Asian cuisine, zen décor, and a fully-appointed bar serving an expansive selection of your favorite alcohol.

This is not your typical Japanese restaurant as the décor is indicative of the Doraku philosophy. The Zen-like setting conveys a minimalist Japanese feel, with dining tables discretely separated by the use of wood and trees. The outside dining lanai is a real jewel- a quiet and serene space overlooking the hustle and bustle of busy Jalan Sultan Ismail below yet somehow managing to maintain a quiet aloofness from the city centre clamor below. The lanai comes complete with a DJ booth for late-night lounging.

Look closely and blended into this serenity are a state-of-the-art kitchen, trendy bar area and high-tech sushi bar.

Hafez M. Hashim, the CEO and founder of HMH Group in Malaysia is himself well versed in the new culinary era in Asia, and he has certainly outdone himself by spotting and snapping up this new gastronomically exciting experience from USA by partnering with Doraku in a unique collaboration.

Doraku is founded by Kevin Aoki, son of Hiroaki (Rocky) Aoki, the founder of the famed Benihana f&b group. Here’s where things start sizzling - Kevin's also the brother of famous musician Steve Aoki and actress Devon Aoki.

Doraku strives to be inventive in its cuisine by audaciously combining traditional Japanese ingredients with Pan Asian and Latin flavors. This is certainly a great way to end 2012 by reviewing one of KL's most exciting new eateries.

A glance at the menu confirms that this is no ordinary sushi place as their approach in the contemporary food scene blends many different flavors, spices, and herbs with creations customized carefully to tantalize every taste bud.

The executive chef of Doraku, Yutaro Tsuchiya is an experienced and talented chef who has cooked for many celebrities including Tiger Woods, George Bush, Beyonce, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, Julio Iglesias and Anna Kournikova.

Right. Let’s get down to the business of food, then.

Salmon Carpaccio (RM28)

Thinly sliced salmon sashimi and red onion creatively garnished with creamy ginger sauce and tobiko. It's a heavenly pairing.

Tuna Avocado Salad (RM25)

Chunks of succulent Ahi tuna, fresh avocado, crispy fried wanton, cherry tomato and spring onions tossed with wasabi yuzu dressing. A refreshing yet mildly spicy interlude.

Baked Mussels (RM26)

Chopped green mussels, tobiko, scallions, and bonito flakes baked and served stuffed in the shell. While the meaty mussels were good, we didn’t quite like the black burnt bits that fell off the back of the shell as we picked it up and left a carbon trail all the way from the plate to the tablecloth to our napkins and finally our clothes. A quick wet wipe in the kitchen before serving will do this dish wonders. 

Japanese beef ribs (RM58)

This is the chef's daily special, so please ask for availability. Its is not the wimpy soft and fall-off-the-bone version. The meat is awesomely chewy, lovingly embraced by a layer of sexy, smoky sauce.

Emperor Roll (RM38)

A lavish creation of Tuna, salmon, crab, shrimp, scallop and avocado rolled together then crusted in Panko breadcrumbs and flash fried, served over a bed of spring veg and circled by tempura sweet onion finished with a special Aioli sauce. Visually appealing and tastefully satisfying.

God of Fire (RM33)

Innocent looking sushi where spicy tuna is rolled with cucumber and red chill strips, topped with tuna sashimi, chili, tobiko and spicy aioli. Innocent until you pop it into your mouth, where the fiery hot chili padi (bird’s eye chili) buried smack dab in its center will have your fire alarm ringing at level five. We loved this innovative creation which had our taste buds doing the happy feet dance one minute and Gangnam style the next.

Sweet Philly Roll (RM45)

Well marinated Salmon, luxurious cream cheese, avocado and rice roll topped with eel sauce and served with a ring of deep fried crispy and chewy sweet potato strings.

Tempura Fried Brownies/Fried Cheese Cake Ice cream

What more can we say except “nom nom nom?” Both desserts were exceptional, with the Tempura Fried Cheese Cake Ice Cream served with mango sorbet, blueberry sauce and mixed fruits being enough to satisfy the sweetest of teeth. it's a fanciful feast of colors & flavors.

The one hiccup we experienced during our dining experience was the wait staffs’ obvious lack of training. We had our single malt whiskey cleared off the table while the glass was still half full and we had wait staff continue to place dishes on the right side of our table of six despite several requests to place the dishes in the middle for easier access. They could certainly benefit from a round of training in serving diners.  

Doraku's cocktails are pretty awesome too. We had the "Asian Mojito," a ginger-infused vodka creation garnished with a Shiso leaf. Some of the specialties are the Ume margarita and the signature Doraku mojito. The Ume margarita is a sweet and sour concoction with assam powdered on the rim that is rather addictive.

Doraku opens daily for lunch & dinner, serving drinks well past midnight.

Doraku Sushi & Sake Bar,

Mezzanine Floor, Life Center, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2181-4828

We’d like to end with a little quiz - who is your favorite Aoki?

a. Rocky Aoki – because he has a cool name and he created Benihana

b. Steve Aoki – because he creates killer beats

c. Kevin Aoki – one word - Doraku

d. Devon Aoki – one word -gorgeous.

Christmas & New Year Buffet at Paya Serai, Hilton PJ

images by Veronica Ng, text Dave Avran

While every hotel worth its salt will have their own spread of scrumptious year end festive menus, Hilton Petaling Jaya never fails to impress with their creative fare. This year they have conjured an enticing buffet spread of Christmassy delights at their famed Paya Serai Restaurant.

We were fortunate enough to get a sneak taste of what’s in store for diners here.

The Appetizer of grilled vegetables with pesto sauce had eggplant, onions and red bell peppers tenderly seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil before being grilled to tenderness then topped with the pesto. We were glad they were not overcooked and remained crunchy to the bite, just the way we love our vegetables.

Next to appear before us was smoked duck with sliced pear topped with red berries. The smoked duck was moist and juicy, and it paired well with the pear slivers. The combination was indeed a great taste experience for our jaded palates.

The mainstay of all pizzas, tomato and Mozzarella were given an innovative twist here where Chef Carlos layered fresh succulent tomato with chewy gooey Mozarella to create another winner of an appetizer.

The Prawn Salad with peppers, celery and Spanish olives was fresh and refreshing, with well balanced textures and flavors.

Next, we had Pumpkin soup with truffle essence. A few spoonfuls of the  Soup will certainly not be enough if you are a Pumpkin  fan as it is deliciously aromatic, enhanced by the truffle essence and given a boost in creaminess with the sinfully rich topping. The flavors balanced each other well, resulting in a soup that’s slurp-worthy without being overwhelming.

The Oven Sage Turkey grilled with chestnut stuffing will set you well on your way into a Christmas mood. The star of every Christmas dinner worldwide is served here with giblet sauce which looks simple but tastes heavenly. Chef Carlos explained that the making it was a long and tedious process, taking almost 6 hours to come up with the perfect texture!

Of course there was the traditional cranberry sauce on the side as well for the purists.  They also have Baked Potatoes with sour cream and bacon bits. The potatoes are well baked and had a lovely naturally-sweet taste and texture.

The Lamb Shank is superbly combined with a mushroom casserole. The meat is fall off the bone tender and juicy while the mushrooms soaked up the gravy provided a generous crunch.

Our dessert was so impressively plated that it left us with a lasting impression, with all of so busy oohing and aahing that no one wanted to take the first bite!   We had a petite and very detailed sugarcraft Santa and Christmas tree, along with Christmas fruit cake, Yule log, Christmas pudding and mince pies to end our meal on a sweet note.

We have to say that the Christmas Buffet Hi-Tea priced at RM 120++ and the Christmas Buffet Dinner priced at RM 110++ is pretty good value for money as the portions are pretty generous.

To end the year with a bang, you’ll be able to countdown to 2013 with another extensive and delectable buffet spread at Paya Serai with the New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner priced at RM 125++. Or head on down to Uncle Chillies and party like there’s no tomorrow with the red hot show band MOF. For reservation, contact 03-7955 9122 ext 4060/56.

On New Year’s Day, treat your loved ones to a spanking new year with the Buffet Hi Tea priced of RM 99++

Check out the festivities at other outlets at Hilton Petaling Jaya.

Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson in Kuala Lumpur

images by Veronica Ng

You could trust Anna Olson to charmingly disarm the assorted Malaysian media, press and bloggers gathered around the table to “grill” her by turning the tables on them.  Most of us present there were already die-hard fans of her easy going style and down to earth approachability anyway.

After patiently answering a couple of questions, Anna requested for a piece of paper and a pen, and asked conspiratorially us for a list of “must eat” places to visit and food to try. She hit gold with her request as those present scrambled to volunteer their choice of local favorites.

  

We did manage to gather bits of intel before she tapped into Malaysians’ insatiable hunger for food though, so here are some juicy bits you probably didn’t know about the host and star of “Bake with Anna Olson”, “Sugar” and “Fresh with Anna Olson” on the Asian Food Channel.

Even though she is renowned for her desserts, Anna prefers savory to sweet, and her absolute favorite thing to eat is beef, so she prefers serving beef for Christmas rather than turkey. Christmas dinner is a very peaceful and quiet affair for the Olson family as there are only six to eight people to cook for. It is a nice break from the hectic schedule that is her normal work day.

They have multiple desserts for Christmas and some of her favorites are sticky toffee pudding and Mont Blanc tart with white chocolate cream on top. Also, during Thanksgiving, she would serve seafood instead of turkey! She also loves collecting new and vintage Le Creuset pots and pans and KitchenAid mixers in different colors.

Throughout the demonstration held recently and called “Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson” and subsequent interview, Anna was her usual bubbly and cheerful self, showing no signs of jet lag or the fact that she and husband Chef Michael Olson had just landed in Malaysia merely an hour before the demonstration at the Berjaya University College of Hospitality.

She kept us jaded jounos mesmerized with her anecdotes on cooking, baking, and behind the scenes stories of her various shows. The only downer was our very own ugly Malaysian photographers who hogged the space directly in front of Anna and blocked the rest of the audience from a decent view of the demonstration. Even an appeal by Emcee Will Quah to disperse them went unheeded.

“This is my third visit to Malaysia and there are so many things I want to see, eat and buy for everyone back home,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the spicy flavors in Malaysia such as nasi lemak and local desserts such as kuih lapis.”

She taught us how to make Tourtiere, a French Canadian Beef Pie that is similar to the British steak and kidney pie, and Pumpkin Creme Brulee Tarts for dessert. Each family apparently has a secret ingredient for their own version of Tourtiere.

During her demonstration, Olson shared the hilarious bloopers that happen behind the scenes during the shooting of her TV shows.

There was the time when she was making a lemon tart and she forgot to put in the lemons while talking. Her producer noticed and stopped the shoot.

“Imagine a lemon tart dish without lemons! And that’s the most important ingredient,” laughed Olson. “Also, don’t try to talk while cutting at the same time,” she warned.

What you see on TV is also very different from reality as in truth, filming can take from 12 to 15 hours for a single episode of her show. Another secret is that it could take up to 16 meringue pies to shoot a show about making one single meringue pie!

“Taping an episode is actually the retirement of a recipe because it takes many months to prepare, taste and test the recipe before we film it,” said Olson.

One of her must-haves when she visits Malaysia is coconut. It is the one thing she cannot get fresh back home.

But she gamely confessed that she is no fan of durian when frigglive’s Veronica Ng posed the infamous “D” question. “Durian is ... interesting. I didn’t like it fresh. It was an assault on the senses,” she replied, before saying that for her last trip to Malaysia, she did whip up a durian mayonnaise to be paired with gourmet burger sliders, her most daring adventure ever. She also makes kaya from scratch back home in Canada.

Anna’s die-hard fans would have memorized this by now, but for the newbies out there, here’s the requisite backgrounder:

Anna Olson is a professionally trained pastry chef with over fifteen years of experience in the culinary field. She shares her talents with the world through award-winning cookbooks, opening culinary businesses and starring in television shows such as Bake with Anna Olson, Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson, all of which air on the Asian Food Channel. Bake with Anna Olson recently premiered on Asian Food Channel.

She began her career as a pastry chef at a premier winery restaurant located in the midst of prime Niagara farm and wine country named, ‘Inn on the Twenty’. It was here where she met her husband, Michael Olson.

Anna has also published several successful cookbooks. Currently, she has six cookbook publications under her belt, with her most recent release titled, Fresh with Anna Olson. Using food as her creative medium, Anna likes to work backwards, starting with ingredients that sound delicious to create components within the recipe body to get a delicious end result.

Chef Anna loves cooking so much that she can work on her TV show for 10 hours in the studio then go home and cook for pleasure. She obviously has a rare passion for food, and it helps to explain her lively and down-to-earth programs.

Bake with Anna Olson airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on the Asian Food Channel, Astro channel 703 in Malaysia.

A big Thank you to AGC, Berjaya Hospitality and Asian Food Channel for the invite and giving us the chance to meet the witty and always charming Anna Olson in person.