Champagne Brunch at Prego, Westin KL

Prego, housed in The Westin Kuala Lumpur is a multi-level Ristorante Italiano with a stone terrazza overlooking the vibrant Bintang Walk. Dining in Prego promises to be an "Italian culture of laughter" with its rustic Italian cuisine.



Come Sunday and you will have an opportunity to experience Prego's famed and indulgent "Sunday Bubbly Brunch". Recently Prego welcomed the celebrated House of G.H. Mumm to its Sunday Bubbly Brunch as its star bubbly - to add more zest and lustre to its culinary offerings.



From nearly 200 years ago, G.H. Mumm champagne was the preferred drink of French kings and the royal families of Europe. It is still the leading brand in France and Italy and is definitely growing in popularity in Asia and more than 100 countries worldwide, with nearly 8 million bottles sold each year.

As the 3rd largest champagne producer in the world, G.H. Mumm offers champagnes with a sense of tradition and for all occasions, to be enjoyed on their own or with food, whether savoury or sweet with a rare balance between freshness and intensity. In this range, you will find the G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge, G.H. Mumm Demi-Sec, G.H. Mumm Rose, G.H. Mumm Grand Cru, G.H. Mumm Millesime, Mumm de Cramant and Cuvee R. Lalou.



You will be totally spoilt for choice with the vast selection of alcoholic beverages offered at Prego's Sunday Bubbly Brunch. Besides champagne, indulge free-flow of vodka such as Smirnoff, SKYY Vodka and Grey Goose, Italian prosecco - Prosecco Batasiolo Cascine 7, amongst other exclusive beverages.





With an open kitchen that houses a wood-fired pizza oven, pasta counter and rotisserie, you will be able to see the chefs at work and their theatrics, led by Chef David King - Westin Kuala Lumpur's Director of Kitchens.





You will be greeted by the formaggi arrangement at the entrance - a bounty of beautiful imported Italian cheese (tallegio, gorgonzola, asiago, pecorino, fontina, aged parmesan wheels among others), homemade breads and condiments...



The array of "casalinga" home-cooked items on display was mind-boggling, to say the least! Choose between potato salads, pasta salads with tuna confit, pumpkin/asparagus/radicchio/
octopus salads, scallop carpaccio, fritatta (italian omelette), caprese, tourte milanese, insalata ai quattro funghi (all kinds of mushroom salads) ... the list was endless ...









Oyster lovers will be mighty pleased with the selection of freshly-shucked oysters flown in from Donegal, Ireland - creamy, smooth-textured slippery oysters - perfect with the G.H. Mumm bubbly!



Besides oysters, other seafood on ice are Spring Bay black mussels and tiger prawns and various types of salmon... smoked, bake breaded, steam pickled and even honey-cured...





The chefs and service attendants come round to your table with trays of freshly-baked pizzas - I lost count of the variety they served that day! Sottobosco, quattro formaggi, margherita, pizzicosa, romazzino - honestly, I can't remember the rest!



I actually overheard one of the service crew speaking urgently into his walkie-talkie "there is no chef out here in the terrace - get a chef out here NOW!" That summed up their concept of "heightening the sense of interaction and generous hospitality" practised by Prego - a casual interplay between house and diner.

More pasta, ma'am?

Endless rounds of Prego's famed pasta - penne, fusili, farfalle, orecchiette, capellini served in different sauces (alfredo, arrabiatta, bolognese, napoletana, aglio olio, boscaiola etc!) came to the table, offered by the smiling crew...



Oh, did I mention that the champagne re-filling was endless too?



Main course selections were also served at our table... the menu varies from week to week. Special mention had to go to their Lamb Shank with rissotto, Short Ribs alla genovese and Red Wine braised Wagyu Beef Cheek with parmesan polenta - absolutely superb!





Ohh... don't ever pass over their famed Figs baked in gorgonzola cheese - it's something you can actually go gaga over!



Truth be told, I was truly too stuffed to have anything from their BBQ Grill... but if you love BBQ, go for it! Savour grilled yummies like whole lamb on the spit, lemon & rosemary chicken, roasted striploin, seafood like octopus, tiger prawns, squids and vegetables...





Desserts... on display: pastries, tarts, cheesecakes, sweet dumplings, mud pies, pralines, homemade icecream - these pictures merely showed a fraction of those!





Even if you are by now stuffed to the neck, you have to make room for the Soffiata di Cicoccolato... their famed Chocolate Souffle, which is made to order... served with a scoop of malt icecream, drowned in espresso coffee...



Do you know that bubblies can certainly make you all sweet and rosy and happy...:-))





The Sunday Bubbly Brunch is priced at RM268++ per person every Sunday from 11.30am to 2.30pm serving food and free-flow of G.H. Mumm champagne, Italianesque cocktails, selected wines, house pouring spirits and beer. For a non-alcoholic brunch, the price is RM168++ per person and RM84++ for children aged 4-12 years.

For reservations, please contact:
Westin Dining @ 03-2773-8338
or log onto westindining.com.my

Prego is located in:
The Westin Kuala Lumpur
199 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2773-8013

*Many thanks to Marian Eu for the invitation & Westin KL for hosting this review!

Another delightful day at Bayan Indah

After that first one, we wanted another one!

I'm talking about Cooking with Rohani Jelani at Bayan Indah. Hehe... yeah, a bunch of us had tremendous fun in our 1st session with Rohani a couple of months ago and we wanted more!

So that was how a 2nd session was planned and we were at Bayan Indah again last weekend. This time we had a few more new friends joining us. Just like the first time, entering through the white gates of Bayan Indah, that remarkable place never fails to take my breath away, with its serene idyllic almost-ethereal beauty.

As I walked up the steps into the building, the immaculate dining table, all decked and set up was a sight to behold...



Rohani always uses the natural materials found in her garden to decorate not only her table, but also for the food we cooked. This time, the theme was "Local Malaysian Fruits!"...



Before class started, there's always some yummy refreshments for us. This time it was Cucur Udang Jagung... piping hot from the kuali - so divine, really!



You better pay attention when Rohani is giving her briefing... her tips are all very useful when you start on the actual process of cooking! You don't want to be sent to the corner for "detention" (like someone did!) for not doing the right thing, hehe!



So what did we cook this time?

We worked in teams and cooked a combination of yummy yummy dishes like ....



Nasi Dagang with Kari Ikan Tongkol (Tuna Curry)... served also with this tangy Acar Timun (cucumber salad)...



Different ways of presenting your food - from tips by Sifu Rohani and my cook mates' amazing creativity...



Stop salivating, ok! :-P



We did Mee Rebus too...



We learned how to curl the noodles into balls like these - it certainly looks more elegant and refined this way, don't you agree?

Everything was prepared from scratch ... from boiling the chicken/beef stock, pounding the spices, frying the prawn fritters, shredding/slicing the other condiments for the Mee Rebus ...



Next was Soto Ayam... we served this with Glass Noodles instead of Nasi Himpit...



A few teams cooked Chicken Rendang...



I heard they had great fun frying the "kerisik" (coconut shavings) for this traditional well-loved dish...



Desserts - 2 choices: the ever-popular Kuih Talam and Kuih Bengka...



The lovely green colour of the Kuih Talam came from pure pandan juice from the pandan plants which grow in such lovely fertile abundance in Rohani's garden!

When all is done and with droplets of perspiration still trickling down our happy hungry faces, we sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labour...



Can you blame us if we want more of this?? There's just something very nice and fulfilling to enjoy a great meal prepared lovingly (albeit with lotsa "fun-poking" & "friendly insults"!) by a group of food-loving fun-loving people :-))

This photo is courtesy of Nigel Skelchy

I have a feeling we are going to do this all over, again, soon.



To all who were there - you know who you are - and to Rohani, of course - thanks for the laughs, the camaraderie and the fun for that lovely session!

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab

If you are familiar with Hong Kong, you would know that Causeway Bay is one of the most densely-populated areas in Hong Kong and a major shopping district. What's interesting is that Causeway Bay (known as "Tung Lo Wan" in Cantonese) started as a fishing village and due to the typhoons which often strike the island, shelters were built at the bay to protect the inhabitants against the strong forces of nature. As time went, people actually live in the boats in these typhoon shelters (known as "pei foong thong" in Cantonese) and a population of "boat people" (known as "Tanka" folks) thrived there. The people of this community have their own distinct culture, from their language to their customs, rituals, beliefs and of course, their food. However, since the mid-1990's, many of these boat people have moved onshore but the typhoon shelters remain an attraction in Causeway Bay.

One of the famous dishes served in the typhoon shelters is their Crabs, which is still served in many restaurants in Hong Kong. Now you don't have to go to Hong Kong to try this delicacy as we now have Causeway Bay Spicy Crab Restaurant right here in Hartamas. With their original outlet in Hong Kong, Causeway Bay Spicy Crab is about 2 months' old here. Located behind Soul'ed Out, you can find it easily.



Their signature dish - known simply as "Authentic Garlic & Chilli Crabs" - that is how the famous crab dish is cooked.



When this dish was served, we could hardly discern the crab underneath the mountain of fried chopped garlic and chillies. Move those aside and you can then see this...



The crab was very fresh and according to the affable Eric, their crabs are sourced from various places, like Sabah, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The crab had been firstly fried in hot oil to seal in the juices and flavour before being tossed in the fried chopped garlic and chillies. Very simple - no other frills needed. So what you get is pure unadulterated succulent crabmeat, made more heavenly by the bits of fragrant garlic and chillies. Crabs' prices go according to market rates.

The thing I like about their menu is their very explicit names... you know exactly how it's cooked and what you're getting, just by their names!

Another signature item - Razor Clam Steamed with Garlic & Vermicelli...



They are served in individual plates and are charged according to market prices. Push aside the vermicelli (aka "glass noodles") and you can see the razor clams...



Clams generally are a bit chewy but they exude a sweet flavour as you chew upon them... and the vermicelli did a good job absorbing the sweet sauce it came with. Seasonings were kept at a minimum - just some good quality soya sauce, chopped garlic and chinese parsley, which enhanced the natural flavour of the Scotland-imported clams.

The simple cooking method was replicated in the Steamed Prawns in Chinese Wine & Eggwhite (RM25/38/48 for Small/Medium/Large portions respectively)...



The addition of chinese wine lifted the prawns one notch higher, taste-wise and the smooth creamy eggwhites ensured a more delightful passage. I find that most other restaurants usually render the eggwhites pretty hard in similar prawn dishes but Causeway Bay Spicy Crab had got it done perfectly. Eggwhites tend to harden quickly upon cooking but in this dish, it turned out to be slippery smooth - much like the texture of soft-boiled eggs. It was so good that DL practically slurped all of it!

One of the first items that Eric recommended was their Fresh Clams in Salted Soup (RM18/26/33)...



This, for me, was not really my favourite dish that evening. Cooked in a milky soup, with angled loofah, baby corn, sliced canned mushrooms and glass noodles, the clams were a bit overwhelmed, I would say.

Seeing duck tongues on the menu, we could not resist this and Eric recommended their Sauted Duck Tongues with Chinese Chives (RM16/24/32)...



These were Brazilian duck tongues, sourced via Hong Kong. The chinese chives maintained their crunchiness from the high-heat saute'ing, the tongues were well-marinated & tasty... so if you are a duck tongue lover like me, there's nothing not to like about this dish.

For something lighter on the palate, try their Golden Crispy Beancurd (RM10/18/24)...



Nicely spiced with their "7-flavour powder", the cubes of beancurd were really smooth on the inside beneath the light golden skin. You don't even need to dip them in the accompanying chilli sauce - they taste pretty good on their own.

Even though its name imply that this is a crab/seafood restaurant, Causeway Bay Spicy Crab does serve a variety of meats too. One of their recommended pork items is the Honey Garlic Fried Pork Ribs (RM20/28/38)...



A typical pork rib dish, the caramelized meat would go well with rice. However, that evening, the honey must have been caramelised a tad too much, resulting in a slight bitterish tinge to the ribs. Other than that, the good-sized pieces of ribs would have adequately fulfilled any porcine crave.

Baby Cabbage in Supreme Broth (RM18/24/38) wasn't stellar. Steeped in a brownish broth, the baby corn, carrots, sliced canned mushrooms (about 3 types of them!) and baby cabbage beneath a sprinkling of dried scallops didn't really do much for the taste buds.



Hmmm... I'm not sure if the amount of canned mushrooms in it kinda diverted the dish into mediocrity but this can certainly be improved.

Now, as far as carbs are concerned, I would say their XO Sauce Seafood Fried Rice (RM18/28/38) rises above the average ranking.



The grains of rice were nicely separated and had thoroughly infused all the yummy brineniness of seafood chunks (shrimps, scallops, crabmeat)... with eggs and XO sauce added in, I had no complaints whatsoever with this! However, at this point, we were full till almost button-popping point and as delicious as the fried rice was, there was no way we could finish the generous portion. So I had the left-over doggy-packed for LL and it served as a mean supper for him. It was so mean that he has been asking for this fried rice ever since!

Dessert was Sea Coconut with Chinese Herbs and a platter of Quilin Jelly (tortoise-shell jelly)...



As you can see, the pieces of jelly were creatively arranged to resemble a tortoise - cute! Both these are good for "cooling down" your system, especially if you have eaten rich "heaty" food!

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab does serve some authentic HK-styled dishes and if you want to try some "typhoon shelter" specialities, this is one place in KL which offers them. Their chefs are trained by their HK Chief Chef who's from the original "boat people" there - so that speaks a lot about authenticity.

They are located at:

26 & 26-1 Jalan 30/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6205-2280
Open Monday-Sunday:
11.30am - 3.00pm
6.00pm - 11.30pm

Visit their Facebook page for their location map and more info on their menu.

*Many thanks to Soo Ting for inviting me :-))