Saturday Night Vibes @ Shook, Starhill Gallery

KL’s Most Happening Place is Where Saturday Nights Begin!

Something is happening every Saturday night in town and it’s a delicious one… if food and music are your loves, then head over to Shook! at Feast Village, Starhill Gallery. There’s nothing better on a Saturday night than to spend it over an unforgettable feast with lots cocktails and wine plus a live band performance to jazz up the evening!

Every Saturday night, diners will be seeing a different performer of note taking the stage with original music and mesmerising renditions of well-loved tunes. The first to join the hand-picked Saturday Night Vibes line-up early this month was FAZZ, a Malaysian band known for its soulful jazz vibes. In the weeks to come, Shook!’s guests can expect to be serenaded by the likes of Evelyn Feroza (August 26), Nadir (September 9), Reza Salleh (September 16), Jumero (September 23), Bihzhu (October 14), and Ryot Jones (October 21) to name a few.

We had the honors of smooth jazz and lively tunes from Q Sound, a world renowned trombonists. A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York, Q Sound

Shook!’s new dining concept, Saturday Night Vibes, is certainly making waves in town. It’s a multi-sensory celebration of music, magic, a splendor of flavours and a little romance thrown in for good measure.

“Shook! is more than just about the amazing food. It is about the holistic experience where our guests excite all of their senses through a medley of curated expressions of self that include food, music and magic. A Cirque du Culinaire, this unique dining concept offers only the freshest ingredients from our various show kitchens; serves handcrafted desserts as you are being entertained by our very own magician, entertainers, and even clowns; and lets you begin your evening with good company. Saturday nights will be like never before as Saturday Night Vibes gets your weekend started on the right note,” said Joerg Hontheim, General Manager of Feast Village.

Be enticed with a splendor of seafood on ice! From gorgeous Lobsters, Prawns, Crabs, and Scallops, there is also an endless load of fresh shucked Pacific Oysters, all ready to be savored with plenty of lemons and sauces.

Grilled Pacific Oysters for those who prefer these aphrodisiac cooked…

Watch out for the moving Roast station to enjoy glorious thick cuts of Rack of Lamb with Roast Vegetables, Mashed Potato, Miint Sauce and Gravy. The lamb is gorgeously pink with juiciness and tender.

Fret not if you miss the Rack of Lamb, there is also a BBQ station when one can select your own meat and seafood to be grilled and served with various sauces.

Hit the Chinese buffet for another load of seafood cooked in Chinese sauces. From Spicy Mussels to Stir Fried Clams, Slipper Lobster and Kam Heong Bamboo Clams to Roasted Duck, Hot & Sour Soup and more.

There’s also little bites of dim sum from Yam Puff, Fried Dumpling, Crispy Squid and Sesame Ball.

The Japanese bar will always be a favorite spot for some fresh Sashimi, Sushi, Tempura and Teppanyaki. There’s also some small bites of Japanese treat like Soba, Tataki and more for varieties.

From East, we head West for a Mediterranean feast. Antipasti of Marinated Olives and Vegetables, Italian Seafood Salad, Baby Octopus Salad, Eggplant & Ricotta Salad Pepperonata Salad and more. Savor thinly shaved slices of Air Dried Beef, Smoked Duck Breast and other cured meats along with breadsticks.

The Seafood Risotto is simply a must-try! Each spoonful is absolutely divine and oozing with cheesy richness of bits of al dente rice coated in lusciousness.

Besides the buffet bars, Shook! goes all out and serves more dishes, freshly cooked and served at tableside upon your order. Xiao Long Bao, Bruschetta, Braised Beef Cheeks, Freshwater Prawn Sang Mee and Grilled Seafood are some of the dishes highlighted during our visit.

Cheese lovers are in for a treat! From a solid list of hard cheeses like Manchego, Provolone, Pecorino Romano to soft ones like Brie, Roquefort, Goat Cheese and more, it’s a cheese galore.

Despite all the tempting list of dishes to be savored, one simply must save some tummy space for desserts. Pretty French Macarons, Petit Cakes, Miniature Tarts, Mango Pudding, shots of Chocolate Mousse, Panna Cotta, Financiers, Cup Cakes, Chocolate Pops, Chocolates and the mandatory Chocolate Fountain are drool-worthy sweets to end the evening of gastronomical delight.

Experience this remarkable dining concept every Saturday night from 6pm to 10pm at RM 168 nett. A beverage package is also available at RM 88 nett which comes with selected cocktails including the Signature Cocktail, Aperol Spritz, as well as other beers, wines and shooters (applies to diners of Saturday Night Vibes only) while the 1-for-1 Happy Hour is available from 9pm to 11pm - selected draft beers, house wines and cocktails are served.

Contact Shook! Kuala Lumpur for reservations at +60 3 2782 3875 or shook@ytlhotels.com.my. To make things even simpler when planning the weekend, guests can make reservations online on the website as well.

SHOOK!

Feast Village at Starhill Gallery

181 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Contact: +603 2782 3875

Website: www.feastvillage.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/feastvillage

Business Hours:

Open Daily 6.00am - 11.00pm

UK Celebrity Chef Gary Rhodes Cooks for Malaysia Airlines

#Food is GREAT Ambassador Gary Rhodes showcase British Cuisine in Malaysia

It is without a doubt that we Malaysians love our food! Food is a powerful connection that never fails to bring people together. Our national carrier, Malaysia Airlines has flown in the Michelin star Chef Gary Rhodes with a collaborative effort with UK Visit Britain to give Malaysians a taste of British cuisine. Starting 2 November 2015, Malaysia Airline's First Class passengers and Enrich Platinum members are treated to a British feast by Gary Rhodes, exclusively available only at the Platinum Lounge in KL International Airport for two weeks.

A rare invite was extended to me to experience a personal cooking masterclass with Gary and the Malaysia Airlines chefs at Culinary Studio in Starhill Gallery one morning. Thrilled to max, an opportunity to learn from a Michelin star chef is indeed precious. Thanks to Malaysia Airlines, it is an honor to be able to experience this masterclass.

Malaysia Airlines Berhad has been making extra efforts in relaunching their new since September this year. With aims to enhance their services under their latest campaign #todayishere, the nation’s carrier strives only for the best. Connecting Malaysian with food, Malaysia Airlines is set to leave a delicious mark on their flyers with Gary’s creative dishes.

From my few hours with Gary in the class, I admire the passion and the effort he takes in cooking! For a chef with a distinguished 35 years in the culinary industry, Gary has not shown one bit of restlessness in his cooking. Instead, the Chef’s Chef, as known by many in the food industry, relentlessly carries out his masterclass with precision, effort and care. Every step he takes, he proceeded to explain, to cook and to complete each task with warmth and skills. Gary has been awarded many accolades and also has a list of cookbooks under his repertoire. He continues his journey as a chef who has cooked for many distinguished diners from royalty to prime ministers, presidents, stars and more all over the world. Read about Gary’s biodata at his website: www.garyrhodes.com

A chef so detailed, he insisted on even making sure each ingredient is prepared to the best it can be. From trimming the beef to preparing each condiment and downright to the sauce, watching Gary work is an amazing experience. The class was in awe of his skills and knowledge. From chefs to media to me, it was almost pretty much silent throughout his class as everyone gave their full attention to Gary who proceeds to meticulously showed us his creations.

In line with the British High Commission's Food is GREAT campaign and Malaysia Airlines, Gary has created a 3-course meal of Pan Fried Sea Bass, Grilled Sirloin Steak and Fried Bread & Butter Pudding. Elevating Malaysia Airlines’ First Class passengers’ dining experience on-ground is the perfect start to kick off a scrumptious journey to come when they board the A380 to London and other locations in UK.

His first course of Pan Fried Sea Bass with Spring Onions and Creamy Potatoes looked flawless. Sea bass fillet are lightly seasoned and floured before pan seared in butter till golden. Served on classic British side of creamy mashed potatoes and crowned with a medley of spring onions sauce, the sea bass was truly sumptuous. The delicate fish had gorgeous robust flavours of aromatic spring onions, light hint of chili note, sweetness from mirin and umami notes from soy sauce. A pinch of 5-spice powder added a hint of unique note to this dish. The dish looked relatively simple but a lot of effort goes into perfecting the cooking of the fish and the balance of the sauce.

The main course of Chargrilled British Sirloin Steak with Buttered Spinach, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Black Olives and Basil Cream Hollandaise was presented in elegance and vibrant colors. Gary took quite a few minutes to trim the cut of beef, explaining that a certain ratio of lean beef and fat is essential to a GREAT steak!

All the condiments of vegetables, basil puree and Hollandaise sauce can be prepared in advance as these do take up some time from all the cooking process. Making Hollandaise can be quite intimidating but Gary whipped it up effortlessly. The finale was to make sure to render the fat on the steak and grilling it to the diner’s liking.

Gary reminded all of us to be patience when it comes to cooking steak. After rendering the fatty end of the cut to crisp, he cooked the steak on each side for only a few minutes on high heat. He proceeded to finish the steaks in the oven for another few minutes. To achieve a succulent steak, one must let the meat rest for a few minutes to let the juices flow evenly through the meat.

When it comes to assembling the dish, nothing is rush for Gary. Every ingredient is carefully plated with organized elegance. Even when Gary drizzled the sauce over the steak, it was carried out with such fastidious actions. The finished platter oozed with temptations of a GREAT steak.

A taste of the steak had me at hello! Utterly juicy and tender, the steak was also super in flavours. The buttered spinach, oven dried cherry tomatoes confit, black olives and basil cream Hollandaise enhanced all my flavour senses. It was savory, buttery, tangy, sweet and more in my mouth. Steak lovers should not miss this!

Bread and Butter Pudding is just about as British as it gets in desserts. Gary’s version is Fried Bread and Butter Pudding with White Chocolate and Date Fingers with Vanilla Ice Cream and Date Syrup. It looks rather plain but once you have tasted the dish, you may not be able to resist the dish. It is the richness of the ingredients that truly boosted the flavours of the dessert. The bread and pudding has a white chocolate base in the recipe, making it extra rich. To finish the dish, he takes the bread and butter pudding and pan-fry both sides of the dessert to achieve a lovely crispy touch.

Diners can adjust the sweetness of the dessert with the side serving of Raisin Syrup. I didn’t find the dessert overwhelming or super sweet. Instead I had a creamy and luscious bread and butter pudding with a crispy edge and an aromatic sweet inside. Divine…

Don’t miss this scrumptious 3-course by Gary Rhodes!

Travel First Class on Malaysia Airlines on A380 to UK and visit the Platinum Lounge in KLIA to savor an unforgettable experience of Gary’s British fare. For the whole month of November, Visit Britain #FoodisGREAT campaign also has plenty to offer for many traveling to London. Experience countless gastronomical dining in London as well as its famed attractions by traveling direct to London with Malaysia Airlines. Malaysia Airlines A380 flies from Kuala Lumpur to London twice daily.

#todayishere ... let's #keepflying

Visit Malaysia Airlines website:  www.malaysiaairlines.com and Facebook: www.facebook.com/malaysiaairlines for more information.