Master Chef Kitchen @ Garden Shoppe OneCity

Feasting on Hong Kong Roasts!

Some food just never goes out of trend. Some never cease to satiate foodies like me. Some just are classically delicious and can never be enough for anyone. One of these kinds of food is the much consumed and much sought after Chinese roast meat and poultry. Yes, I am talking about Roast Pork, Roast Duck, Roast Chicken, Char Siew and more but you get my drift, right?

I swear a plate of Roast Pork would make my day 10 times better than anything else. So when we were invited to Master Chef Kitchen by Chris from Pureglutton, we were excited at the thoughts of glorious Hong Kong style roasts meat and poultry. Master Chef Kitchen is located at One City in Subang. It is set in a shop lot at the Garden Shoppe outside the big One City mall. It’s been 3 months since they have opened and many have yet to be aware of the signatures of their Hong Kong style roasts. Master Chef Kitchen’s roast master hailed from Hong Kong and has more than 20 years of experience in the art of Roast.

The ambience is spacious, simple and neat. It’s decorated with simplicity in mind with basic wood furniture, tiled walls, practical cement flooring and industrial lamps. There is a long counter where diners can catch some kitchen actions. Choose from regular seating tables to banquette seatings.

Master Chef Kitchen’s menu highlights their Hong Kong roast meats and poultry but they also have a list of Chinese dishes that one can enjoy with rice or noodles. Before our mains arrive, we had soups. Now we all know that it is pretty much a must for most Chinese meals, especially Cantonese, to start a meal with soup. A good soup should have great depth of flavours with good base of meaty essence. Suffice to say, Master Chef Kitchen does a few types of double-boiled soups in their menu.

We had two and both are beautifully tasty and comforting. Homestyle Lotus Root Soup and Sweet Corn & Buddha Palm Soup have all the makings of a full-bodied soup with lots of warming essence. The chef uses sufficient ingredients hence both soups are delicious from the long hours of simmering.

The first dish to arrive was Beef Char Siew (RM25), an unctuous plate of Australian beef marinated and roasted till tender and doused with a robust and sweet Char Siew sauce. The dish is perfected through time and even won an award under beef category in a Chinese Muslim culinary competition. It’s got a heavier beefy flavour than the classic Char Siew but nevertheless tasty and fork tender.

I highly doubt many will be able to resist this platter of golden crispy Roast Pork. It was so good, we even forgot to ask the price. One can see the layers of pork belly moist and glistening with translucent bits of fats. The crackling of the skin is sinful and addictive. Master Chef Kitchen’s Roast Pork is heavenly and simply a must-order…

Roast Duck (RM16 to RM68) is another signature that one must try at Master Chef Kitchen. Chef Chan uses a younger duck for his roast because the duck has less fat and has a finer meat texture. The Roast Duck has a gorgeously hued rich deep amber lacquered skin. The skin is superb in taste while the flesh is tender, juicy and flavoured with a scent of spices and herbs. Served in its own jus, we simply cannot get enough of the Roast Duck.

Another unique signature of Chef Chan is the Long Jing Tea Smoked Chicken (RM18 – RM50). Chicken braised in special ‘lou sui’ and then smoked with Dragon Well tea leaves. It is served with a dark aromatic sauce that is lightly savory and sweet with a nice tea aroma. The chicken is moist and goes well with the side of Hong Kong style ginger and spring onion sauce.

To go with all the luscious roasts, Master Chef Kitchen serves rice and noodles as well. We had their Fish Soup Wantan Prawn Noodle which is available in soup or dry. The wantan noodle has got a good firm bite and is sufficiently dressed in the classic soy sauce for the dry version. The soup version is also comforting and tasty. Prawn wantans fared well too with a good filling of prawns.

We also tried some a la carte dishes from their dinner menu as well. Master Chef Kitchen serves up more comfort classics such as Braised Soft Pork Ribs and Steamed Fish with Bean Curd and Wood Fungus.

The Braised Soft Pork Ribs is a pretty satisfying dish to be enjoyed with rice. The salty notes of the thick sauce enveloped the soft pork ribs beautifully together with pieces of tender carrot and radish. It’s moreish and lip-smacking yum!

Fish lovers will be please at the choice of Steamed Fish with Bean Curd & Wood Fungus. It’s a Cantonese classic that highlights the fish well as the delicate bean curd or tau kan and wood fungus are both light in flavours. Coupled with the supreme soy sauce, one can really enjoy the freshest of the fish that way.

For vegetable, we had a very delicious Stir Fried Lotus Root with Nuts and Fermented Bean Curd. This one is really yummy and all the ingredients worked well together. Lotus roots, celery, almond flakes and macadamia nuts are given a quick stir fried and every ingredient retained its lovely crunchy textures.

My little one loves Fried Rice (RM14.50) and got his wish. It had good wok hei and well-seasoned. One can even enjoy this with all the roast meats…

Chef Chan also has a few Hong Kong snacks under his menu. Hong Kong style Baked Polo Buns and Kai Tan Chai or Bubble Waffle proved to be a hit, especially the Kai Tan Chai!

The Baked Polo Buns has that golden signature crusty top with a soft bun filled with sweet and sticky Char Siew filling. The Kai Tan Chai is so aromatic and full of eggy flavours. You get crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We love the Kai Tan Chai so much we had three portions of this. That’s how good the Kai Tan Chai is…

Master Chef Kitchen also has lunch sets available and for under RM10, diners gets to choose from 21 options from their lunch set menu that also comes with free drink. Highlights of Master Chef Kitchen are all their Hong Kong style Roasts, homemade soups and Kai Tan Chai of course!

MASTER CHEF KITCHEN

D-01-GF Garden Shoppe OneCity

Jalan 25/1A,

47650 Subang Jaya

Tel: 011-2313-6769

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Chef-Kitchen-大厨工房-馬來西亞

The Shepherdoo Valentine Set Menu

Orange Romance Valentine’s Day Menu

Though everyone is busy with the coming festive CNY, let’s not forget that Valentine’s Day comes first. So make a date to take your loved one out for a romantic dinner this Valentine’s Day and set the mood for some romance in the air before our festive cheer.

This round, I headed back to The Shepherdoo Restaurant and Lounge at One City Mall to catch a taste of their upcoming Valentine Set Menu available on 14 February. The Latin American themed restaurant and lounge has prepared a couple Valentine Set Menu filled with much fruity essence to sweeten the romance of every couple. The Shepherdoo serves up a fun and creative Latin American cuisine in its regular menu. This Valentine, The Shepherdoo is so going a step further by injecting other inspired cuisine into this love menu with an Orange Romance Valentine’s Day Menu.

Our Valentine menu starts with Smoked Duck Breast Salad with Caramelized Citrus Dressing with two servings for each couple. Salty smoked duck slices, cherry tomatoes, melon balls are nestled on classic mix greens and dressed with a lovely fruity and tangy orange dressing all completed with edible flowers. It’s simple and makes a light started for the following courses.

The next course is two sets of soups for the couple, a gorgeous Carrot-Orange Seafood Soup. Contrasting beautifully on the white plate, the bright hue of the orange bisque also has pan seared scallops with cherry tomatoes. It was indeed very flavourful. The orange citrusy notes are well balanced with the carrot and there is a good mix of sweetness with savory and hints of sour notes. The soup is very silky and creamy too. The seared scallops are juicy and savory. Some may find this very orange intense but I really enjoyed the fruity notes of the soup.

For main course, there are three choices so the couple can choose one each out of the three. There is a choice of salmon, chicken or beef for the mains.

The Orange-Lemon Chicken Confit Accompanied with Melon Delight is absolutely gorgeous at sight and in flavours. A whole leg of chook, cooked in its own fat for hours before being seared up just before serving is beautifully prepared. The chicken remains so moist and the skin is tasty and crispy. The sour orange-lemon sauce cuts beautifully with the chicken and made the dish very bright and sublime.

Served with potato gratin and a side salad with melons, the dish is finished off with a sprinkling of citrus peel and caramelized slice of orange for freshness. Highly recommended for those who love chicken and citrus flavours!

Beef lovers may want to opt for the Red Wine-Orange Skin Braised Angus Beef Short Ribs. A large thick cut of beef ribs has been slowly braised till tender and tasty and served with a robust red wine and orange sauce. A side of lemony couscous is served with the beef ribs together with a drizzled of reduced balsamic vinegar. I really like the caramelized and rich sweetness of the balsamic with the beef rib. It enhanced the flavours of the overall dish wondrously. My only gripe is the portion may not satisfy big eaters for some men but it is plentiful for ladies. Other than that, the dish is unique and delicious with the addition of the orange to give the beef a different level of flavours.

The third choice is so pretty, almost too pretty to be eaten. Poached Norwegian Salmon Coupled with Orange Zesty Mashed Tuber is an interesting dish that is paired with fruits and truffles. The thick cut of salmon is nicely poached with chopped truffles and remained moist. A tangy and fruity zesty orange sauce with raspberry provided the taste for the salmon. The salmon on its own is mild and delicate but it is the sauce that really makes the dish delicious and enjoyable.

Our salmon is paired with mashed sweet potato and has pretty edible flowers strewn all over the plate!

In theme with the previous dishes, dessert is a tall glass of Blood Orange Panna Cotta meant to be shared by the couple. After all, it is Valentine’s and sharing is the perfect excuse to spice up the romance level. Our beautifully set panna cotta is executed well with flavours of more oranges.

The Orange Romance Valentine’s Day Menu is priced at RM168 per couple at The Shepherdoo One City Mall only.

Drinks are not included in the Valentine menu and The Shepherdoo is famous for their cocktails so check out their classic Cosmopolitan, Mango Margarita and Lychee Mojito or simply ask the bartender to whip up your favorite cocktail!

Make sure to book your reservation to secure a table that evening…

THE SHEPHERDOO RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

A-GF-07, Sky Park, Ground Floor,

One City, Jalan USJ25/1A,

47640 Subang Jaya

Tel: +6018 337 8828 / 6018 656 8828

Website: www.theshepherdoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theshepherdoo

The Shepherdoo, Sky Park @ One City: Latin American Soul Food

From Nachos to Tacos, It’s Latin American at The Shepherdoo!

In pursuit of its successful outlet in Centro Mall, Klang, The Shepherdoo opens its second outlet at Sky Park in One City recently. This outlet screams Latin American all the way from the moment one walks into the restaurant cum lounge. The six of us was here for a magazine shoot as The Shepherdoo is gorgeously decorated with a Latin American ambience to match its menu.

There are two levels at The Shepherdoo. Enjoy your meal at the dining area below or simply head up to the next level for more privacy and comfort. There is also the casual bar area that has a huge mural of bodacious sceneries in Latin America. The stairs leading up to the next level is brightly painted a sunny yellow to mimic the colorful houses in that region. Choose your dining in the restaurant or al fresco on both levels.

The upper level has a large sofa area for chilling while dart machines will keep many busy. A large wall covered in a beautiful poster of houses from a certain area in the region provides the backdrop for the ambience. Its’ all about bold colors to create a happy and easy-going ambience that makes diners want to hang out there.

Enough about the ambience, let’s see what the menu has to offer! The Shepherdoo team takes their food and drink list and amps it up with loads of fun flavors. We were recommended some of their signature cocktails and mocktails that evening to unwind the day. The Shepherdoo’s mixologist makes pretty cool drinks.

I love the Passion Fruit Heineken. It’s a beer smoothie! Pretty fresh and delicious… and I don’t even like beer. We also had their Classic Mojito, Mango Margarita and Afrutado. The Mango Margarita is lovely too but it’s more of a ladies cocktail because of its fruity sweetness.

The team at this restaurant takes their drink list seriously… there’s about 10 pages of drink list alone! From Freezing Smoothies, Hot Sun Coolers, Coffee, Tea, Mocktails and Cocktails to Beers, Shooters, Wines, Champagnes and Liquors, there’s plenty of giggle juice to keep everyone pretty happy. Happy hours are even better… with Buy 1 Free 1 deals and more.

The menu is filled with lots of choices too. There are plenty of appetizers, snacks and tapas while mains are plentiful as well. We had Pollo Nachos, Mexican Buffalo Wings and Quesadilla de Hongo.

Even Nachos alone, the menu has several options. Our Pollo Nachos is a pile of crispy tortilla chips covered with a beautiful mess of cheese sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, pico de gallo and crowned with a scoop of housemade guacamole. This version has grilled chicken pieces for that extra protein. It’s a mount of flavors and textures and a great one to be shared!

The Mexican Buffalo Wings is really awesome. Ticking off the essential checkmark of crispiness, kicking tang and spicy flavors and the meaty wings, this one disappeared pretty fast off the plate.

Quesadilla de Hongo has sautéed garlicky mushrooms and cheese as a filling before it’s sandwiched with tortilla and chargrilled for a toasty texture and finished off with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It makes a nice snack when shared or one can even have this as a main course if you are going meatless.

Our mains had us starting off with Pizza de Mexicana. It’s a fairly simple pizza made with tortilla topped with sauteed sweet and soft bell pepper, sweet onions with a light red sauce and plenty of cheese. This one makes a great bite with cold beer. I like the light and crispiness of the tortilla pizza.

We also had Taco-Taco, The Shepherdoo’s rendition of crispy tortilla shells stuffed with fish and the standard taco filling of shredded greens, pico de gallo, guacamole, chipotle aioli, cheese and sour cream. We had three orders here as each order has two tacos. This is very flavorful as one gets a burst of sour, creamy, savory and a little heat together with its various textures of the tortilla and fish. I daresay it’s a little messy to eat but hey… it’s a beautiful mess!

We were told that their fajitas is a popular choice and we must their Combo Fajita which had wild mushrooms, chicken and beef all piled up into one sizzling plate! The fajitas had mixed peppers and onions for sweetness while the spices in it jazzed up the flavors. Simply take the accompanied soft flour tortilla, heaped on the fajita and dressed it with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. I usually piled on a lot of the condiments since I love them. It’s a hearty taste of Mexican cuisine. These are also the heart of the street food in Mexico and one can literally see them on every nook and corner in the country.

I am no Gringo but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try The Shepherdoo’s Gringo Burger! Thick beef patty has a blanket of melted cheddar cheese and is dressed with turkey bacon, sunny side up egg, lemon mayo and greens with a sesame seed bun. This one was tasted decent and the fact that the sunny side up egg had runny egg yolk makes the burger better than other regular ones.

We also settled for Chicken Parmigiana ala Mexicano, a breaded chicken breast baked and sauced up with a spiced tomato sauce and topped with melted cheese. This one comes with curly fries and side salad. Despite it being a breast, the chicken is really moist and flavorful. The sauce is tangy and tomatoey with a good dose of spice undernotes. Not usually a chicken parmigiana fan, I seemed to enjoy this a lot as the chicken is really juicy and tender.

The next dish was my favorite of the night. Pasta ala Pollo features a French cut Mexican rubbed chicken breast nicely chargrilled. It lies on a bed of pesto sauced pasta and is crowned with a chargrilled caramelized pineapple. The aroma and flavors are simple marvelous. The pesto sauce has such great depths of herb and cheese flavors that make it so scrumptious. The chicken again is utterly juicy and tender while the spice rub makes it very flavorful. What seals the dish had to be the caramelized pineapple, adding a little fruity sweetness to the chicken to remind us of its Latin American flavors. A Must-Order!

Pierna Rojo Vivo is also top in my list of Must-Order. Spicy marinated chicken thigh is beautifully chargrilled and comes with a fruity and tangy papaya salsa with potato salad and greens. The flavor combination worked really well. A squeeze of orange juice from the orange wedge does more wonders for the chicken.

The Shepherdoo does have some desserts and we had their signature Cinnamon Wafer Tortilla. It has crispy golden tortilla chips served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream before being drizzled with lots of caramel sauce. Sweet and crispy, it’s really easy to enjoy, especially when I am such a fan of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

It’s fun all the way at The Shepherdoo. The ambience is groovy and colorful while the food and drink is as bold as the ambience. Prices are decent too for the food and drinks. It’s perfect for hanging out with family or friends and definitely a great place to unwind…

THE SHEPHERDOO RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

A-GF-07, Sky Park, Ground Floor,

One City, Jalan USJ25/1A,

47640 Subang Jaya

Tel: +6018 337 8828 / 6018 656 8828

Website: www.theshepherdoo.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theshepherdoo