The Oriental Group From Macau to KL Grand Dinner 2020

 

Majestic Macau to KL Feast with Chef Yap Poh Weng & Chef Chung Kuy Fai

 

The much-anticipated Grand Dinner series by The Oriental Group is back this year with honorary Macau Master Chefs Yap Poh Weng & Chef Chung Kuy Fai. 4 hands, 9 exclusive evenings from 22 Aug to 8 Sept 2020, the Grand Dinner menu with the master chefs will be available across the Group’s various restaurants.

Chef Yap Poh Weng and Chef Chung Kuy Fai, both have over 30 years of culinary experience with international stints across the globe. Award winning Chef Yap, having named one of “China Top 50 Celebrity Chefs” by Food and Wine magazine as well as listed as diamond-rated chef by both Asian Diamond Chef Association and the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, is currently helming the legendary Yan Yu Chinese restaurant in Guangzhou along with the award-winning Grand Dragon Chinese Restaurant in Hangzhou and world-famous restaurant Whampoa Club in Beijing and Shanghai. 

Chef Chung has also trotted across the globe with stints in Tokyo, Shanghai, California’s Napa Valley before settling in Macau as executive chef. Renowned for his bold culinary-scapes, he also has several accolades including an inclusion into the prestigious Black Pearl Restaurant Guide.

 

The first Grand Dinner series kicked off at Ruyi located at Bangsar Shopping Centre. Ruyi, a modern multi conceptual dining space that combines a beautiful bar with an award-winning pork-free kitchen serving eclectic Chinese menu, a mezzanine area and a Western bistro as well as private rooms. 

Dinner commenced with five Signature Appetizers Combination. The Suzhou Style Crispy Eel, stacked high in a pretty noodle basket and crowned with crispy meat floss and sugary strands, tasted as good as it looks. The crispy eel pieces are glazed with a caramelized sweet honey glaze, making it deliciously enjoyable.

Upperhouse Kitchen and Dessert Bar @ Bangsar

Hidden in the bustling square of Bangsar area lies Upperhouse Kitchen and Dessert Bar. Despite the not so noticeable location, foodies are known to flock to Upperhouse Kitchen and Dessert Bar through the many beautiful and delectable food pictures on their social media platforms.

Owned by passionate duo Gerard Ng and Hester Ling, Upperhouse is their culinary fortress for foodies who enjoys delicious food along with gorgeous desserts. It is a foodie sanctuary as the restaurant offers a realm of peace among the busy area of Bangsar.

Besides adults enjoying the restaurant, little ones will jump with glee too as the owners of Upperhouse are thoughtful to set up a kiddies corner filled with children’s toys and activities to keep them busy.

Upperhouse is design with an open concept kitchen where diners can catch all the kitchen actions of the team whipping up their food and beverages. The owners believe in making everything from scratch and goes all out to incorporate elements of healthy and nutritious options to their menu.

With a wall panel of glass that offers natural lights into the dining area, coupled with their painted mural of ‘Wings’, Upperhouse is perfect for Instagrammers as well as other social media enthusiasts for photo opportunity.

The restaurant is very spacious and designed with minimalist concept incorporating natural wood with plenty of whites to give it a clean and comfort ambiance. It is also perfect for private events and special functions.

We visited Upperhouse for a taste of their new menu as well as some of their classic signatures. Kicking off the list of beverages, their house made Sangria (RM11) is deliciously satisfying. The concoction has been steeped with fruity notes and has a smooth and lingering finish.

There’s also Planter's Punch, Mojito, Sparkling Pomegranate and Apple Oolong Tea (RM12 each) for those who enjoy fruity mocktails.

For hot beverages, Upperhouse signatures include Housemade Almond Milk (RM8), Hot Chocolate Lolly (RM12), Satongo Hot Chocolate (RM12) and Sweet Potato Latte. Their hot chocolates are simply divine with various cacao intensity of your choice. The Housemade Almond Milk is also very enjoyable as it has a lovely and rather delicate nutty almond aroma that is not overpowering.

For a healthier option, go for their Housemade Kombucha tea with two options of black or green tea Kombucha. Fermented using tea and sugar, Kombucha is said to have health benefits such as rich source of probiotics and antioxidants, strengthen the immune system, detoxify the liver and may reduce heart disease and help with weight loss. The fermentation of the tea gives it that hit of tang and is easy to enjoy.

Upperhouse is launching a new menu that consist of some newbies and some of their best signatures. We started with golden crumbed Croquette (RM13) served with ketchup. Decent with crispy breading and creamy soft potato filling, this one makes a good snacking option.

What impressed us was the Creamy Crab Bisque (RM21), served ‘kopitiam’ style in an old school coffee cup with some golden croutons on the saucer. Comes with a cloud of foamy topping, the crab bisque is full of robust seafood essence. With just the right creaminess, the bisque is so tasty that one might even contemplate to drink from the cup!

The Wild Mushroom Soup (RM18) is also delicious. Served with mushroom bruschetta on the side along with fried mushroom and finished with a drizzle of cream, the soup is thick, earthy and creamy. Every spoonful is redolent of mushrooms. The clever injections of the bruschetta and the fried mushroom added a nice touch of textures and flavours to the soup as well.

For those who wanted sharing appetizers or even a meal, the Savoury Toast (RM27 for set of 3) makes a lovely option of a variety of open sandwiches. From fresh tomatoes to earthy mushrooms and crispy fried shrimps, each of these has their own flavours that will certainly appeal to many easily.

Moving on to mains, Upperhouse does a beautiful rendition of a classic breakfast favorite of Smoked Salmon Benedict (RM30). Not only does the presentation look so pretty and colourful, the benedicts are generously topped with sublime smoked salmon before being crowned with perfectly poached eggs and luscious hollandaise sauce. A must-order!

Pasta is always a popular main and Upperhouse offers a nice selection of pastas such as Mushroom Aglio Olio (RM20), Buttermilk Chicken Pasta (RM26) and Salted Egg Yolk Prawn Pasta (RM25).

Out of the three pasta, the Buttermilk Chicken Pasta is the most popular choice for many it seems. Generous crispy golden buttermilk marinated fried chicken, served with aglio olio pasta, makes a hearty meal for anyone. The chicken is moist and flavourful while the pasta is cooked al dente and has a light note with some heat.

The Mushroom Aglio Olio is great as meatless option. Packed with robust garlicky flavour with some heat, the pasta makes a lovely light meal. It comes with sautéed and fried mushrooms for added textural bites. The Salted Egg Yolk Prawn Pasta is the opposite of the mushroom pasta as it is heavier and richer with creamy and unctuous notes of salted egg yolk. Fresh prawns, tomatoes and crispy fried fish is added to the pasta to make it more sufficient and enticing.

Standing tall and mighty, the Buttermilk Chicken Burger (RM24) is one burger to take on. Generous portion of the tasty and juicy fried buttermilk chicken along with the hearty condiments, this is a burger that will surely please many burger lovers out there. The thick cut fries are done well and is the perfect sidekick to the yummy burger.

If there is one thing that foodies flocked to Upperhouse, its their desserts! Fans of Upperhouse are attracted by their gorgeous desserts, all made from scratch from the pastry team. The effort the pastry team at Upperhouse puts in is indeed noticeable as every little detail is well thought and set at each plate of dessert served.

Available only during weekends, the Strawberry Watermelon Cake (RM15 per slice) is simply a must-order. In fact, this is one of the best version here in Malaysia. Commendable portion and each layer of fluffy sponge, crème pâtissière and watermelon slice is meticulously sandwiched and finished with dollops of whipped cream, lots of chopped strawberries and sprinkling of pistachio nuts. The fresh and juiciness of the cake is what makes this dessert so easy to enjoy without the guilt or heaviness…

Cheesecake lovers will swoon over the Burnt Cheesecake (RM15). Made famous by a Japanese eatery, the version here is the closest to it in my opinion. Sinful and luscious, every spoonful offers a cheese haven of silky rich cheese custard. This is one dessert that is hard to stop once you had a taste of it…

Carrot (RM20) is a clever interplay of various dessert components such as carrot sponge, carrot jelly, Greek yoghurt parfait, honeycomb pieces, walnuts, chocolate soil and burnt honey ice cream. The dessert is pretty and dainty while the flavours are uniquely delicious. The burnt honey ice cream is sublime!

Another pretty dessert to check out is the Mille Feuille (RM24), with buttery and flaky layers of mille feuille pastry is filled with decadent chocolate orange mousse and topped with whipped vanilla cream. The finishing touches of dried fruit to edible flowers and lacy decoration gave the dessert its wow factor. Hay ice cream is another delicious house made ice cream that complimented the dessert so well.

Last but not least, there is currently an Afternoon Tea (RM65 per set, available daily from 3pm-6pm) promotion daily. A value-for-money tea set of dainty and mini versions of Upperhouse’s signatures of savory and sweet along with tea of your choice for two. This is great for catch-up sessions with friends and family. The best part is the little array of choices on the tiered tea set makes great conversation starters as well as instagramable worthy!

Upperhouse Kitchen and Dessert Bar is such a hidden gem in Bangsar. We think the owners are super passionate about what they do and the effort that they put in can be seen through all the little touches they take to make their food and beverage, not only pretty in presentation but delicious as well. This place is also really great to hold private parties and is kid-friendly. Must-orders are Creamy Crab Bisque, Wild Mushroom Soup, Smoked Salmon Benedict, Salted Egg Yolk Prawn Pasta and all their desserts, especially the Strawberry Watermelon Cake!

UPPPERHOUSE KITCHEN AND DESSERT BAR

27-A Jalan Telawi 3

Bangsar,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-2872 0083

Facebook: www.facebook.com/upperhousebangsarkl/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/upperhousebangsarkl/

Business Hours:

11am to 10pm

Closed Wednesday

Donkey & Crow Irish Pub @ Bangsar Shopping Centre

Classic Favorites Pub Grub

Scotch Eggs, Dublin Coddle, Grilled Pork Ribs, Crispy Pork Belly and Irish Stew… pub grub fans would agree on how tempting those dishes sounded. The folks at Donkey & Crow Irish Pub knows how to let their diners enjoy classic comfort food with a good beer or stout!

Located at Bangsar Shopping Centre, this is the second outlet for Donkey & Crow. With their first outlet’s success at TREC KL, diners can now also enjoy the same pub experience at the BSC outlet. It’s all about having a good time at Donkey & Crow. Besides being a family-friendly restaurant serving classic Irish and British favorites, one can enjoy their long list of jolly pints of beer while catching up with some live sport actions.

The pub offers alfresco seating as well as indoor seating. Expect lots of woodwork, a long bar, a mosaic mural, brickworks and Irish green fairy lights plus lots of friendly smiles from the service team at Donkey & Crow.

Pool table for some fun!

It’s almost obligatory to order some giggle juice if you’re not into beer. Ours are Beejito (RM38), Mad Dog (RM38) and Apple Tini’s (RM38). Mad Dog and Beejito was so fabulous, we had a second round of these…

With our cocktails, we had to order a classic British pub favorite, Scotch Egg (RM23). Minced meat stuffed with egg and fried to a golden ball, ours was a generous one too. Packed with seasoned sausage meat, the scotch egg is quite a filler on its own.

The pale but flavour-packed Blue Cheese Mushroom (RM23) is delicious. The unctuous flavour of the blue cheese is an explosion of flavours, so much so, one cannot stop dipping the toast into that luscious thick sauce studded with chunky mushrooms.

An Irish classic, the Dublin Coddle (RM33) epitomized homecooked comfort food. Said to be straight from the heart of Dublin city, the Irish stew is a hodgepodge of bacon, sausages and root vegetables that is a sure crowd pleaser. Beautiful stew that has a robust hearty note of its ingredients, this is a dish that one can enjoy often. A must-order, especially if one is craving for simple comfort pleasures…

The Snacks Platter (RM68) offers a little of everything to go with drinks. A sharing platter obviously, there’s golden Onion Rings, Pigs in the Blanket, Smoked Duck Breast, Nacho Bacon and Chips with side salad and sauces. Snacks like these are sure crowd pleasers, especially that yummy bacon wrapped sausage and delectable smoked duck breast slices.

A platter that is perfect for snacking with beer or cocktails!

Another signature dish at Donkey & Crow is the Grilled Pork Ribs with Whiskey Sauce (RM49). Half rack of pork ribs marinated with spices ad slow baked till tender. Not falling-off-the-bone kind of rib but this one has a solid meaty bite of the meat. Pour on the whiskey sauce for added flavours though we personally thought the whiskey sauce could do with more oomph of the whiskey… nevertheless, the pork ribs are well-seasoned and meaty.

The pub only offers Brownies with Ice Cream as their dessert. Its passable but I prefer my brownies to be the fudgy kind. Generous in portion, this dessert is definitely a sharing one…

DONKEY & CROW IRISH PUB

Lot G130, Ground Floor,

Bangsar Shopping Centre,

285, Jalan Ma'arof,

Bangsar

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2011 1868

Website: www.donkeyandcrowirishpub.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/donkeyncrow2

Lucky Bo @ Jalan Bangkung

A Tomahawk Meat Up!

While there are plenty of steak places in our city, there’s only a few that takes steak to a whole new level of deliciousness. And so they say that everyone can cook a steak but we all know that it takes a serious steak connoisseur to zone in on how the perfect steak should be with every single detail being scrutinized from the beef to the cooking and serving.

The folks are Lucky Bo are one of them. Two owners, “Leng Chais” Ed and Peter, was dreaming of owning their own hot pot restaurant. One thing led to another, Lucky Bo was born. Named after Ed’s dog, Lucky Bo serves local comfort food during lunch and goes Wagyu in the evening for steak lovers.

Lucky me, I had the honours of visiting Lucky Bo one evening to see why this place is the best value wagyu steak in town. Located along the quiet neighborhood of Jalan Bangkung area, Lucky Bo has been opened for more than 3 years. Foodies know how to hunt down this place for local comfort food during lunch and best value wagyu steaks in the evenings.

Elegant interior with warm low lights ease diners for a place to relax for the evening with awesome steaks and good wines. The menu is kept rather neat and tight, featuring enough on what they do best at Lucky Bo. While some may have thought it’s rather odd to see hot pot together with some local dishes and a list of steaks, pasta, and other Western dishes in the same menu, I find it rather interesting. After all, we are Malaysians and we have always been accustomed to our melting pot of cultures and cuisines.

Lucky Bo’s steaks are listed on a signboard to showcase their list of premium beef cuts and weights available that day. Ed and Peter prized themselves on their signature Australian Margaret River Wagyu cooked in Spanish Josper charcoal oven. Diners are treated to premium cuts from Striploin, Ribeye, Brisket to the whopper of beef - The Tomahawk. Now all you need is a good choice of wine or beer to go with your steak.

Before we get to the showstopper, we gladly tucked into Chef Ong’s Wasabi Prawns (RM28). These little golden prawn bombs are delightfully crispy with a bouncy prawn paste texture. Natural crustacean sweetness prevails and the wasabi sauce added a subtle note of zingy sensation.

Our next appetizer of Black Pepper Smoked Duck with Garlic Crisps (RM34) is light and enjoyable. The duck breast has a subtle smoky and savory note, elevated further with a drizzle of creamy sauce and garlicky its. Decent dish for those who especially enjoys duck.

The Grilled Spanish Octopus (RM45) was my favorite dish of the three appetizers. Octopus, when cooked right, is amazingly delicious. These were perfection in my books as the octopus was gorgeously tender, smoky and a soft hit of paprika note. Served on a bed of crisp greens, radish, cherry tomatoes and red pepper sauce, the dish was simply irresistible in flavours and textures.

Moving to mains, we tucked into large pieces of Chef’s Beef Ribs with Emperor Sauce (RM75). Generously coated with the rich sauce, the meat was tender with a nice bite. The sauce resembles a spiced up garlicky bbq sauce with a harmony of sweet, savory, sourness and a little spice heat. The portion alone is substantial so one may want to share this unless you have an appetite of a caveman that hasn’t eaten a few meals.

We had to restrained ourselves from immediately diving into the Kyushu Wagyu Rib Loin (200g RM268 & 300g RM378) at sight. Drool-worthy at first glance, this Japanese premium wagyu screamed flavour. In fact, the meat tasted buttery and much umami notes of pleasure. So tender from all the marbling, this piece of wagyu is lusciousness in every bite. Price is on the premium side but once you’ve had a taste of this wagyu, you actually might find this worth indulging for…

We came to our showstopper of the evening. Making its grand entrance is the mammoth Wagyu Tomahawk. A Tomahawk is a bone-in ribeye. This primal cut never fails to impress at the serving table because of its gargantuan size. Ours that evening was graded MB5 and weighed 1.6kg (RM728), enough to be shared by at least five meat eaters.

Fear not if you don’t have a party of five, the restaurant has smaller tomahawks for small parties but this cut is basically a sharing one. Well,, unless you could be starving and have a fetish for taking on your meat intake for a week in just one meal…

Cooked in charcoal Josper oven, the tomahawk is a masterpiece at sight with its rich hue of colour, golden roasted potatoes, colourful steamed veggies and a pot of au jus. If I was sitting in the kitchen of my home, I would have chuck out all my manners and attack this tomahawk by gnawing my way through the rib bone. At last, I wasn’t and so I waited patiently for this beautiful meat to be sliced up at our tableside…

It is recommended to enjoy the tomahawk at medium rare doneness and so we oblige to this recommendation. Our tomahawk was cooked to a gorgeous pink doneness. One can even see how juicy this mega hunk of wagyu is. The meat is sublime with moreish notes of pleasure. Not only does the wagyu taste that good, there is still a good bite of texture that I enjoyed very much when it comes to my meat.

Savor this with the au jus or a little mustard or even horseradish for extra scrumptious note!

Lucky Bo’s Tomahawks starts from MB3 to MB5, price from RM468 onwards depending on grade and weight.

Ed graciously told us how it all started with Lucky Bo’s Wagyu and Char Kway Teow. A friend had brought in a steak to ask him to cook one day. With the meat, there was a piece of fat attached. Now knowing hardcore foodies, nothing should go to waste. And so the fat was rendered down as requested. Instead of the usual fried rice, Ed loves Char Kway Teow. And so he asked for his Char Kway Teow to be fried in the rendered beef fat… the rest is, as we all say, history…

Lucky Bo’s Wagyu Beef Fat Char Kway Teow comes with your order of a tomahawk. This precious plate of CKT is said to be so darn yummy that many are now said to order the tomahawk just to savor this CKT. This version is only available with the tomahawk’s fatty bits and comes with just one serving. No more, no less.

Full of ‘wok hei’, this was a darn good plate of CKT! Every strand of the rice noodle is a joy to eat. Plenty of beansprouts and chives along with a lovely note of soya sauce gave this CKT its winning score. And now I fully understand why many have raved for this plate of CKT. Perhaps it is also the moment that I was fully ignited to the same club of this CKT as the rest of the foodies…

Sides of Japanese Fried Rice (RM8) and Lucky Onion Fries (RM8) are always a treat.

By now, our tummies were fully satiated with much wagyu pleasures. Then we were told of Lucky Bo’s dessert menu. Cakes by the fame FatBoyBakes, known as Cheng Yi to many, was not something one can no too. And so… we said yes to a Pandan Gula Melaka Cake and a Macadamia Cheesecake. Both delightfully good in their own flavours with much sweet richness to end our meaty meal.

We also couldn’t resist Forty Licks Ice Cream among us. With flavours like Bailey’s & Coffee, Coconut Salted Gula Melaka and Guinness, ice creams have gone beyond the norm. For those who have yet to try spiked up ice creams, be warn as you might just end up doing what its name says… forty licks of yum!

LUCKY BO

65, Jalan Bangkung,

Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar

59100 Kuala Lumpur,

Tel: 03-2092 1222

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LuckyBoKL

Instagram: www.instagram.com/luckybokl

Business Hours:

Daily 11am to 11pm