October 31, 2018

Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018


A Soiree of Amazing Norwegian Seafood Feast



The Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018, hosted by Her Excellency Gunn Jorid Roset, Norway’s Ambassador to Malaysia, celebrated milestones of 50 years of bilateral relations between Norway and Malaysia as well as 25 years of the annual grand event of Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner.

*photo credit to the original owner

Held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the most anticipated event of the year continues to outdo each year with much sumptuous notes than before. A soiree attended by many VIPs and elites of the society, this year Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018 was also honored with the attendance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah.



Heartfelt thanks to the invite from Royal Norwegian Embassy and Scribe Media Link, it was truly a priceless experience at this 25th Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner for me. Right from the moment one walks into the grand ballroom of the gala dinner, the majestic sight of the ice sculpture of a Viking ship stood as the main backdrop for King Neptune’s ransom of Norwegian seafood. From monstrous monkfish to king crab, highly-prized turbot, salmon, Norwegian shrimp, langoustine and more, Norwegian Chef Frank Naesheim and his culinary team from Norway, has gone all out with an amazing kaleidoscope of seafood feast for the gala dinner.






More amazing ice art of Norwegian seafood can be seen through the spread of the feast!

For this year Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner, Head Chef and CEO of Snorre Food Pte in Singapore, Chef Naesheim has gathered special award-winning chefs such as Geir Skeie, Kenneth Loke, Markus Dybwad and Anderson Ho with him to create an unforgettable menu featuring all the guest chefs signature dishes at the live stations.

*photo credit to the original owner
Chef Frank Naesheim

The feast of the evening highlights every imaginable Norwegian seafood flown in from Norway. Chef Naesheim and culinary team features international flavours as well as local flavours utilizing Norway’s bountiful seafood produce.

*photo credit to the original owner
Clockwise from top left: Chef Anderson Ho, Chef Geir Skeie, Chef Kenneth Loke and Chef Markus Dybwad  

The evening’s best bit had to be the Guest Chefs live stations. Simply not to be missed, the award-winning chefs are personally whipping up their signatures in pretty mini versions of deliciousness. Each dish prepared with creative interplay of textures and flavours and fine cooking to enhance the beautiful Norwegian produce from the sea.


Chef Geir Skete

Pan Fried Langoustine with Celery in Langoustine Soup
Raw Salmon Salad ‘Pink Fish’ with Apple & Fennel.


Chef Kenneth Loke

Smoked Norwegian Mackarel Mousse with Horseradish, Yuba Chips & Raw Sweet Snap Peas
Pan Fried Norwegian Langoustine with Hay Infused Coconut Milk, Tumeric Tapioca Puffed & Pandan Oil
Slow cooked Norwegian Fjord Trout & Roe with Cep Brown Butter, Crispy Bulgur, Capers & Pickled Cucumber.


Chef Markus Dybwad

Varanger King Crab with Red Cabbage, Chipotle Mayo & Pickled Jalapeno
Sterling White Halibut with Cucumber, Black Olives, Feta & Basil Leaf
Norwegian Mackerel Escabeche with Anchovies Cream


Chef Anderson Ho

Cold Water Shrimps with Ebiko Cream & Squid Ink Sago Crisp
Norwegian King Crab with Granny Smith Apple & Basil


Salmon takes limelight with various preparation from smoked, poached and pickled to marinated, cured and raw Sashimi style. Tuck into Chermoulas Cold Smoked Salmon, Hot Smoked Salmon with Gochujang, Hot Smoked Salmon with Sambal, Szechuan Salmon Trout, Double Smoked Salmon Alaska Style, Lemon Pepper Salmon, Salmon Tartar, Gravlax Tartar and more.





There is also Dill Herring with Pickled Carrot & Pumpkin, Curry Herring with Apple & Mango, Marinated Herring with Asian Salsa and Sweet & Sour Salmon. These dishes are practically flavour bombs of pleasure!



A gorgeous King Crab Club Sandwich with Tomatoes and Avocado was not only a sight to behold but deliciously crafted with oceanic sweetness of king crab meat paired with fruity and creamy notes.


Another glorious piece of succulent crustaceans took form in Norwegian Coldwater Shrimp Tower!



The effort that goes into preparing the Whole Cold Poached Salmon & Medallions are truly worthy in every bite. The richness of the omega-rich salmon tasted sublime in chilled form. Savor this with some toasty baguette for extra crunch factor…



Cooked King Crab Legs that needed nothing else except a gentle squeeze of lemon for that luscious crab sweetness.



If only all salads are like Seared Pepper Salmon Nicoise with Quail Egg, Potato & Green Beans, Norwegian Shrimp Salad with Eggs & Asparagus and Potato & Smoked Mackerel Salad! Each one uniquely tasty with Norwegian seafood prepared poached, seared and smoked.





Smoked Haddock with Fennel & Onion Slaw Citrus Plum Sauce




There is the obligatory visit to the Gravlax Carving Station featuring Cold Smoked Salmon with Chive-Scrambled Eggs as well as the bountiful chilled bowls filled with Salmon Roe, Black Lumpfish Caviar and Red Lumpfish Caviar to be savored with buck wheat blinis and condiments


Chef Naesheim sneaked in the classic Japanese Sushi and Sashimi with Mackerel, Salmon, Salmon Trout and Halibut as well knowing how Malaysians enjoy the cuisine of Japanese very much.


The rows of hot buffet warmers are filled with seafood injected with international and local flavours from all the contributing chefs. From Western to Chinese, Malay, Indian and Thai, there are plenty of dishes to please even the discerning foodies.


A delectable Baked Whole Turbot with Langoustine Coulis & Vegetable Primeurs!


Tuck into Western dishes such as Seared Norway Langoustines with Grand Vegetable Mirepoix, Grilled Norwegian King Crab Legs with Blood Orange & Butter Sauce, Hot Smoked Wolfish with Egg, Capers, Hazelnut Butter & Pickled Red Onion and Fried Crab Cake with Tartare Sauce. The Fried Crab Cakes are crispy with a creamy filling of sweet crab meat that goes so well with sauce. The langoustines and King crab legs are not to be missed as well.

Thai flavours of savory, sweet, sour and spicy from Steamed Halibut with Chili & Lime Juice and Baked Whole Norwegian Salmon with Fresh Herbs and Red Curry Gravy are highlighted through the seafood.


The Chinese always seem to master the art of cooking seafood with minimalist and flavouring them well to enhance the freshness of the seafood. The team did a fantastic job this year in creating dishes like Steamed Monkfish with Superior Soy Sauce, Braised Sea Cucumber with Basil Leaf in Szechuan Paste, Fried Salmon with Spicy Szechuan Sauce and Steamed Lobster with Garlic.

Guests also savored Malay dishes like Steamed Halibut with Kalio Sauce and Oven Baked Cod with Green Chili Paste & Tamarind Skin as well as Indian dishes such as Kashmiri Salmon Tikka Masala and Wolfish Masala.


The evening ended with luscious sweet notes of international dessert buffet with highlights on Swedish and Norwegian desserts such as Princess Cake, Traditional Ring Cake, Norwegian Sweet Soup, Riskrem, Vannbakkels Blotkake, Norwegian Baked Prune Custard and more.

Besides Norwegian sweets, there are also live station serving Cloudberry Espuma and Semi Frozen, Vafler Station with Sour Cream & Berries Compote and house made ice creams. There are also other international and local desserts available.

*photo credit to the original owner

On another hand, a Congratulatory note to Jon Erik Stenslid, Director, Southeast Asia, Norwegian Seafood Council who won the Malaysia-Norway Business Council’s Special Recognition Award for his endless dedication in creating awareness of the benefits of Norwegian Salmon!

Left to right: Jennifer, Alice, Puan Sri Betty Saw, Marian


Left to right: Marian, Esther, Alice, Jennifer, Choy Peng



A big applause to the incredible team from Royal Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian Seafood Council as well as the culinary team led by Chef Naesheim and special guest chefs for making the Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018 an unforgettable event of the year.

An amazing soiree that truly epitomized the gorgeous produce from the waters of Norway!



October 20, 2018

Latest Recipe @ Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur


Just Pho You Vietnamese Buffet Dinner



Piping hot bowls of Pho, refreshing salads with a bite, chewy and crisp fresh spring rolls as well as hot crispy fried spring rolls, golden crisp pancake, smoky little parcels of grilled beef in betel leaf, sweet bouncy shrimp rolls, these are some of the delicious spread Just Pho You!


Latest Recipe has always been a favorite when it comes to buffet. Renowned for their luscious spread of international and local cuisines, diners are spoilt for choices when it comes to this all-day dining restaurant. From all the live action stations to chilled seafood bar and a dessert bar filled with glorious colourful sweets of all form, it’s a sensory dining experience not to be miss…

Catch Latest Recipe Just Pho You Vietnamese buffet promotion from 19 Oct to 24 Oct at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur this month. Featuring guest chefs from Sheraton Hanoi Hotel in Vietnam, Chef Le Manh Hung and Chef Nguyen Nam Nguyen are bringing an authentic spread of Vietnamese flavours to the table at Latest Recipe.


No stranger to the international culinary scene, Chef Le has been a guest chef at Dusit Thani Bangkok, The St Regis Shenzhen as well as Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu prior to this while Chef Nguyen visited Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur last year. Both chefs have prepared 3 menus on rotation basis for the Just Pho You Vietnamese buffet promotion.


Slurp on slippery rice noodles with a beautiful spiced up beef or chicken broth with Pho, Vietnam’s national dish.


Aromatic from star anise, cinnamon, sweet onions, the beefy broth is just as good as the chicken broth. Generous slices of tender beef or soft poached chicken slices added much deliciousness to the pho. The topping of fresh herbs and aromatics with some chili and a squeeze of lime juice completed this comfort bowl of noodle.



Savor these miniature Grilled Beef wrapped in Betel Leaf along with Grilled Ground Shrimp Skewer on Sugar Cane as well as Crispy Fried Soft-Shell Crab with Tangy Tamarind Emulsion. These appetizers are sure crowd pleasers.



The Fresh Spring Rolls ‘Neum Cuon’ with Poached Shrimps is a must-try. Lightly chewy soft fresh rice roll skin is filled with lots of fresh greens and herbs with poached prawn. Dip these into the side fish sauce for that classic sweet, savory, spicy and sour flavours that is well-known in Vietnamese cuisine.




Vietnamese cuisine features a variety of crisp and crunchy salads that is easy to enjoy. During this buffet promotion, diners will tuck into Shredded Green Mango & Seafood Salad with Spearmint, Lotus & Roasted Shrimp Salad with Fresh Herbs, Fragrant Pomelo & Prawn Salad, Banana Blossom & Shredded Free Range Chicken Salad, Chili & Lemongrass Marinated Seafood with Lime Dressing, Green Papaya Salad with Semi Dried Beef and Shredded Chicken & Onion, Bean Sprout & Laksa Leave Salad.




There is also classic Vietnamese soups such as Crab Meat & Green Asparagus Soup, Vietnamese Sour Fish Broth with Pineapple & Okra and Free Range Chicken & Mushroom Broth with Lotus Seeds.



Hit the hot buffet warmers for Galangal Braised Fish Filet in Light Caramelized Fish Sauce, Lime Leaves Crusted Chicken Thigh, Five Spiced Prawns with Fresh Dill & Chili, Lemongrass & Chili Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin, Crispy Fried Prawns in Green Orange Sauce, Grilled Duck Breast with Galangal & Tumeric along with Lotus Rice, Stir Fried Seafood Noodles and more.






As usual, there are plenty more International and local dishes on the buffet besides Vietnamese cuisine such as Chilled Seafood on Ice, Japanese Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura and Teppanyaki, Roast station as well as Pasta station and more.




Save room for desserts, especially for Vietnamese sweets like Ginger & Caramel Flavoured Sticky Rice Cake, Chilled Longan & Lotus Seeds in Sweet Pandan Syrup, Sticky Dumpling in Green Bean Syrup, Yam Cooked in Coconut Syrup, Lotus & Coconut Jelly, Coconut Flavoured Vietnamese Caramel Custard, Black Rice in Syrup & Coconut and Chilled Sago in Sweet Coconut Flavoured with Vanilla.



For more familiar sweets, there are the usual Chocolate Fountain, Fresh Fruits, Cakes, Puddings, Jelly, Tarts and Kuih Muih as well.








Just Pho You Vietnamese Buffet
Available 19 Oct to 24 Oct
Mon to Thurs  RM143nett for adults and RM71.50nett for children (below 12 years old)
Fri to Sun       RM155nett for adults and RM77.50nett for children (below 12 years old)

For reservations and enquiries, visit dining.lemeridienkualalumpur.com, email dininglmkl@lemeridien.com or call Dining Reservations at +603 2263 7434



LATEST RECIPE
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur
2 Jalan Stesen Sentral
Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 2263 7888

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