Chatz Brasserie, PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur: A Velvet Christmas at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur!

All I Want for Christmas is…

It’s almost here! Are you excited? Is your Christmas shopping done? What are your plans for the beautiful holiday season?

Christmas is my favorite time of the year… simply because the season brings loads of wonderful feelings of happiness, warmth and smiles. Let’s not forget the food. At holiday seasons, it would be ideal to cook the perfect meal for your family. The only one thing to remember is that the cook would be slaving hours over the stove for the holiday meal and by the time the cook is done, he or she would probably not be able to enjoy it as much as others.

So how about taking everyone out for a holiday meal that everyone can enjoy just by relaxing, dressing up to the nines and indulging in a big variety of holiday feast? Bringing back a popular Christmas Marathon Buffet, Chatz Brasserie at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur is set to treat everyone to a marathon of sumptuousness with its whole day Christmas buffet promotion where one can indulge at their restaurant the whole day with one price! In between those holiday indulgence, one can hop out and so some sightseeing or shopping around the city and return for more feast… how’s that for some pampering?

Catch a glimpse of Chatz Brasserie festive holiday spread to see what’s in store for you!

Turkey is a must and the big bird comes with all the trimmings at Chatz Brasserie from cranberry sauce to giblet gravy and stuffings. I always thought it’s a great idea to enjoy this big bird at restaurants or hotels since it’s a lot of work and its also a big one to finish unless one has a big family. I rather enjoy a bit of this and save room for more goodies…

Before the mains, check out their ever impressive appetizer bar where a kaleidoscope of chilled seafood rest on bed of ice together with dainty canapés, open faced sandwich, cold meat platter, salads, cheese platter and more!

Hitting the hot food warmers, the kitchen team at Chatz Brasserie has prepared classic hot dishes to warm your tummies like Moussaka, Venison Stew with Celeriac, Pan Fried Salmon Fillets and more. A lovely load of sides like Sauteed Brussels Sprout and Fried Pin Potatoes make great sidekicks to all the sumptuous mains. Some local treats are also available to cater to those who just love their Malaysian cuisine!

As usual with holiday treats, make sure to save room for Christmas treats! From gorgeous sweet Warm Christmas Pudding, Christmas Fruit Cake, Christmas Yule Log to Ginger Bread, Christmas Cookies and Mince Pies, there is more than a little for everyone’s sweet tooth!

Besides all the above, the actual Christmas Day Marathon Buffet will feature, lots of Cold Selections, Cream of Asparagus, Chinese Hot and Sour Soup, Chicken Rendang, Ekor Asam Pedas, Unagi Fried Rice, Fried Prawns with Seven Spices, English Cut Roast Beef, Satay, Char Kuey Teow, Waffle, Chicken Rice, Seafood Noodles, Asam Laksa, and a whole load of international and local desserts!

 

While enjoying the holiday treats, let’s not forget to do our bit for the nation!

In this season of sharing and giving, PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur has not forgotten the less fortunate, the children at Stepping Stones Living Centre, a home for children from needy and broken homes are in need of essentials such as school uniforms and school shoes for the upcoming year. PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur would like to invite well-wishers to make Christmas for these dear children more memorable as the return to school next year. Founded in 1998, Stepping Stones Living Centre was set up by Pastor Johnson. Presently located in Taman Seputeh, children and single mothers are taken into the Home regardless of background or belief. Together with PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur, you can fulfill their needs by purchasing a ‘Back to School’ envelope from the hotel’s Christmas tree at the lobby.

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CHRISTMAS

Chatz Brasserie

Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner

6.30pm - 10.30pm

RM 108++ per adult / RM 54++ per child*

[1 glass of cocktail/mocktail inclusive]

Christmas Day Marathon Buffet

12.30pm - 10pm

Dine away from lunch until dinner at an amazing price!

RM 98++ per adult / RM 49++ per child (4-12 years old)

*Kids below 4 years eat for free

Hot Gossip & Velvet Vendor @ Lobby

Festive Fift Boxes and Goodies

Christmas Roasts, its side orders, Christmas Mince Pie, Chocolate Log Cake and much more!!

Available from 3 - 31 December

@Hot Gossip 8am - 10pm

@Lobby 10am - 10pm

NEW YEAR

Chatz Brasserie

New Year’s Eve Buffet Dinner

6.30pm – 10.30pm

RM 108++ per adult / RM 54++ per child (4-12 years old)

*Kids below 4 years eat for free

[1 glass of cocktail/mocktail inclusive]

New Year’s Day Hi-Tea 

12.30pm – 4pm

RM 58++ per adult / RM 29++ per child (4-12 years old)

*Kids below 4 years eat for free

Pool Bar - Poolside Carvery Night

Let’s countdown to the New Year beneath the stars! 

7.30pm – 10.30pm

RM 98++ per adult / RM 49++ per child (4-12 years old)

*Kids below 4 years eat for free

Klix Lounge - Groovy Night

31 December - 9pm onwards

Groove the night away with a live band performing contemporary, classic jazz, pop and some country music. Party and be merry with our fine selection of house pouring, beer, wine and spirits.

**All in-house guests and diners on New Year’s Eve receive a complimentary pass to countdown at our poolside to experience the spectacular fireworks display!

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PARKROYAL KUALA LUMPUR

Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2782 8301

Email: chatz.prkul@parkroyalhotels,com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/Parkroyalkualalumpur?sk=wall

*More pictures in my Facebook: ChasingFoodDreams

Restoran Fai Fai, Seri Kembangan: Rustic Home Style Chinese Classics!

Simply Ho Chiak and Ho Liao!

When food comes into the picture, we will go all out for it… even if it means hunting it down in rural Seri Kembangan area! Yeah we got lost a bit but it was truly worth it for some good old Chinese classics by Chef Jeffrey. One may remember him from Restaurant Lek Lek in Serdang here. Chef Jeffrey is now out on his own and his Restaurant Fai Fai located in Seri Kembangan, serves up no frills Chinese classics.

Be prepared for no ambience but basic necessities at Restaurant Fai Fai. It certainly didn’t deter anyone as the place is packed despite it being newly open a few days ago. As long as the food is good, foodies like me will flock there any time!

Kicking off the evening is a simple and classic dish that appears almost in every Chinese household usually during festive season. Poached Village Chicken with Ginger Sauce uses a beautiful pale yellow chook poached and serve up with house special ginger sauce recipe. The chicken is quite lean and firm with a good bite since it is free-range and is perfumed with a little fried shallot oil and supreme soy sauce. I walloped the chook happily with a liberal amount of the gingery sauce!

A family guarded recipe, every Hakka household claims that theirs is the best! Hakka Char Yuk is well braised here with a strong hint of five spice powder and fermented bean curd. Using thick cuts of pork belly, first marinated and deep-fried, before braised till thick and creamy with black wood ear fungus is a beautiful rendition of the infamous classic. Foodies went after this so fast, it was wiped out clean before I could even go back for round two…

I love this dish a lot! Vietnamese Style Tilapia featuring whole crispy fried tilapia fish doused with a sour piquant spicy sauce. Enhancing the flavors further are lots of spring onions and onions, whetting the appetite even further. Double fried for extra crispiness but the flesh remains soft and sweet, the fish is really a must order!

A house signature, the bean curd is home made. Crispy outside, soft eggy inside, topped with a savory and slightly spicy minced meat and preserved ‘Choy Poh’ summed up Home Style Bean Curd. It’s a humble dish meant for daily savoring.

Some greens for our vegetable intake!

‘Korn Chin Har’ or Supreme Soy Sauce Prawns is just bursting with flavors. Deep caramelized soy sauce brought out the sweetness of the juicy prawns. With the shells open, the aromatic sauce coated every nook and cranny of the crustaceans. Truly sumptuous!

Thai Deep Fried Pork Knuckle does look a tad dry but the meat is fatty enough to provide succulent flavors. The crispiness of the skin really had us all munching on it happily. The knuckle is salty and full of umami flavors. Dip the meat in Thai sweet chili for extra flavors.

How good was it? Ask the kid who spent the rest of the meal gnawing on the knuckle happily!

If that earlier swine laden cholesterol wasn’t enough, here’s another one in the form of Salted Egg Yolk Squid! Squid, tentacles and all are lightly battered and fried to golden beauties, it was then dressed in a lavish sandy salted egg yolk sauce to heighten its pleasure. Kudos for serving the tentacles… my favorite part of the squid!

I was about to wonder how this meal become a swine affair when this appeared. Fermented Bean Curd Pork Belly is no newbie to us as we had this before. Knowing how awesome this was, we dived right in without much invitation. Crispy fragrant bits of lean and fat are truly seasoned with the pungent flavors of red fermented bean curd, making the pork a salty treat. Even the acoustic of the crunchy sound is fabulous…

Ok… at this point, there is just no going back. Heading full throttle, we finished off the meal with the utterly unctuous Hokkien Mee crowned with crispy lardy cubes of ‘Chu Yau Cha’. Chef Jeffrey really makes a kick-ass braised noodle. It has every quality of a good Hokkien mee with deep sweet and robust soy sauce flavors while the lard bits boost up the addictive flavors even more. If there is one dish to order here… go for this one!

Restoran Fai Fai is dead serious about its classics. Every dish we tried is injected with loads of love from human and swine. If you can overlook its minimal ambience and persist on to locate this hidden gem in the rural area of Seri Kembangan, you will be treated to a gorgeous Chinese soul food experience!

RESTORAN FAI FAI

No.1095, Jalan Kuyoh, Seksyen 5

Seri Kembangan,

43300 Selangor

Tel: 012 364 2016/012 342 8822

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ RestoranFaiFai

Business Hours: 11am to 12 midnight

Mulberry Restaurant and Bar, Jalan Ampang: A Merry Mulberry Christmas Menu!

Have Yourselves a Merry Mulberry Christmas!

I am back for more at Mulberry. My recent visit here definitely got me addicted to their modern European with a little local cuisine in their gorgeous menu. Mulberry Restaurant and Bar is proud to present an exquisite Christmas Party menu on December 24^th for an unforgettable holiday gastronomic meal.

All setup for the holiday mood, Mulberry is dressed up artistically and this year, it looked like gifts are in store. White Christmas trees glow gracefully while wall panels are nicely wrapped! There is also a cozy lounge cum private room to hang out.

Mulberry’s Christmas Eve Party Menu is gorgeously worthwhile as the 4-course dinner menu comes with free flow of house cocktail till early evening. In addition, yes, there’s more… kids below 12 years eat for Free from their kids’ menu! All these for a steal at RM150++ per adult. Let’s check out their offerings…

House cocktail is Mulberry’s Sangria… a fruity red wine concoction soaked with fruits. It’s deliciously addictive and the best of it is that its free flow… one is definitely not enough! There is also a choice of Long Island Tea.

Cream of Cauliflower and Celeriac with Toasted Rice Crusted Scallop and Plum Tomato Concasse

Stunningly creamy, the thick vegetable bisque played so lovingly on taste. The delicate hint of cauliflower tingled with the silky root celeriac, making the bisque earthy and luscious. What separated this bisque from others is the toasty golden scallop crusted in rice. The scallop, cooked till just right, had a contrasting texture with the crusty rice while a little tangy tomato sauce brought out the flavor nicely. My little one loved the soup so much, we actually had to swap his soup with this one…

Timbale of Slipper Lobster with Melon Duo, Chilled Cucumber Soup, Petit Sprouts, Honey Lime Aioli and Caviar

A garden of colors, a lot of efforts are noted here with its brunoise of fresh juicy melons and sweet slipper lobster crowning a lovely chilled cucumber soup laced with prawn oil. Textures also shined here between the firm melons and soft lobster meat while fish caviars popped in the mouth. Creaminess is lighten with the invigorating cucumber soup. What makes the dish popped is the hint of prawn flavor that ends the dish beautifully.

Grilled Rib eye with Polenta Walnut Bread, Seasonal Vegetables and topped with Marjoram infused Oxtail Stew

Going into main course, one can choose from the three mains in the set menu. I am a big beef foodie so this would definitely be my choice. Succulent piece of beefy goodness is guaranteed to satisfy your steak craving. What surprised me was the delectable warm polenta walnut bread as the dense and nutty bread goes so well with the flavorful braised oxtail stew and the steak. An interesting combination of hearty and creamy stew mingling with the smoky rib eye was so good that it didn’t really needed any sauce. Nestled beneath the bread is a duxelle of four mushrooms enhancing the earthy and smoky flavors of the beef.

Lemon Salt Seared Sea Bass on bed of Cauliflower Couscous, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots, Sugar Peas with Orange Daube Sauce

Certainly no faults with the lovely thick seared lemon salt sea bass cooked to perfection! Citrusy and salty, the flavors worked beautifully on the sweet creamy fish. I also liked the twist of crushed up cauliflower couscous tossed in butter and other vegetables. My only griped was the orange Daube sauce, which I thought was good but didn’t really jive with the fish. Others had no problem loving it so I guess it was just me…

Stuffed Leg of Chicken with Fruits and Nuts and Mashed Potato, Glace Vegetables and Ruby Port Wine Sauce

Christmas in a chook describes this stuffed chicken studded with bits of colored dried fruits and nuts. While others thought it was a little sweet, I digress as the flavors met towards the Western palate of pairing turkey with sweet cranberry sauce. I liked the lean clean flavors despite the sweet bits of fruits and nuts. I tasted apricots, cranberry, pistachio and raisin in the minced filling. Mashed potato is always executed very well and this time is no difference. Soaked up everything with the rich port wine sauce for a luscious sensation!

Red Velvet with Apricot Cream Cheese and Candied Fruits and Nuts

A sweet one of the infamous Red Velvet to brighten up the Christmas mood, the little twist of toffee crunch in the dense cake is a delight. Jazzing up the cake is another twist of apricot cream cheese filling making the cake sweeter than norm. I am glad that the array of berries was present to add a slight tangy taste to the cake.

Here’s the unique part of the night! Even the kids go posh this festival holiday with their Kid’s Menu at Mulberry. Kids below 12 years old eat for Free!

Mushroom Soup with Chunky Mushrooms, Truffle Oil, Chives and Croutons

I love the soup though I thought it’s a bit posh for the smaller kids like my little one but the older ones would love this. The bisque is superb in mushroom flavors and the chunky part makes it even better. Laced with lavish truffle oil and finished with a little cream and croutons, I happily finished this when my little one had my Cauliflower and Celeriac bisque!

Fish and Chips with Green Pea Puree, Capsicum Tartar, Mulberry Fries and Apple, Celery and Cabbage Slaw

Ok, its Fish and Chips! But when cooked perfectly, this back-to-basic fish and chips can easily win the crown. Cleverly using butterfish, the light and golden batter is superb while the creamy sweet butterfish is cooked till just right. My little one who does not eat much fish walloped this whole heartedly. I enjoyed the tartar sauce and the slaw a lot. This is a dish I would order repeatedly since it’s really hard to find beautiful fish and chips though many have tried.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Brown Onion Sauce and Apple, Celery and Cabbage Slaw

Chicken paillard enveloping ham and cheese made the dish famous and the version here is served with wholesome brown onion sauce and slaw. It’s definitely a lavish dish for kids compared to most kids menu serving regular chicken nuggets!

Kid’s menu also ends with the Red Velvet Cake.

It’s really a gorgeous and worthy Christmas menu in my opinion. Mulberry Restaurant and Bar serves up beautiful modern dishes made with quality ingredients that showcase little twist of delights. Coupled with free flow of house cocktails in a contemporary ambience, it really sets the mood for the holiday season. Make sure to put in your reservations early to secure a taste to Mulberry!

MULBERRY RESTAURANT AND BAR

9, Ming Annexe,

Jalan Ampang, Lebuh Ampang,

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: +603 2078 8830

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mulberrykl

Business hours: Mondays to Fridays 10am to 10pm