French dining with The Expat Group & Wine Talk

The Expat Group, together with Wine Talk, hosted a French dining experience at Le Cordon Bleu in Bandar Sunway on 25^th October 2013. 

Guests indulged into a delightful selection of French cuisine carefully prepared by Le Cordon Bleu’s top chefs and culinary team. Le Cordon Bleu is globally recognized for offering the most intensive and comprehensive training in classic French culinary techniques and Pattiserie. The famed culinary organization is now on Malaysian shores and has begun to apply the Blue Ribbon’s distinctive teaching methodology since 2012, where students gain culinary skills through demonstration classes and hands-on learning.

The Expat Group’s guests that included both locals and expatriates were welcomed by French canapés and white wine. Tables were beautifully prepared for guests and created an exciting anticipation for what awaited their taste buds and palate. 

The Expat Group CEO Andy Davison and TEG Digital General Manager Nick Davison

   

Wine Talk Malaysia, online wine delivery service, provided the superb French wines for the night. 

    

Wine Talk Malaysia General Manager/ Sommelier David Stephan gave a quick talk about the French wines: Arthur Metz Pinot Gris (Alsace, France), Gerard Bertrand ‘Art De Vivre’ Viognier (Languedoc, France), and Chateau Siffle-Merle, Blaye (Coates de Bordeaux).

   

Le Cordon Bleu’s chefs, Franck Bruwier, Thierry Lerallu and David Morris, personally welcomed the guests to the French dining experience.   

The French dining started with this appetizer:

Hot Foie Gras Quenelle

White Mushroom and Asparagus Fricasse

Duck Consomme Solferino

Wine: Arthur Metz Pinot Gris   

Main course:

Braised Beed Cheeks in Cabernet

Fava Beans Toast

Glazed Carrots and Daikon

Wine: Chateau Siffle-Merle, Blaye  

Dessert:

Plated Strawberry Vacherin

Petits Fours     

For inquiries on French culinary arts programmes, call:
Sunway Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts
No. 5 Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway,
46150, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel. No. +603 5632 1188
Email: malaysia@cordonbleu.edu  


To be part of The Expat Group’s monthly dining experience, visit:
www.expatgomalaysia.com
www.theexpatcard.com
 
For wine requirements and sommelier advice, call:
Wine Talk Malaysia 1300 88 9788

www.winetalk.com.my

info@winetalk.com.my  

Absolute Thai - Great Thai cuisine

My son and I would sometimes go with my husband to The Curve and go walking around the entire afternoon until evening. As usual, my son would be looking for a toy to buy which would take hours of walking for me while I push him on his stroller.

Dinner is either buying from restaurants outside The Curve and when I have cravings for something inside this mall, my husband would take us to eat dinner there. One time, I wanted to have some Thai food and he brought us to Absolute Thai at Ikano Power Centre (IPC). 

Friends might find it surprising to see me eating spicy food but there was something about Thai tom yum that really got me hooked. I ordered tom yum soup with prawns and my dessert, mango with sticky rice! Must always have this dessert at Thai restaurants! I'm not really the type who likes to order so many varieties so these are enough for me. For my son, we ordered Japanese bean curd and minced chicken soup. No worries, his soup was not spicy at all, we double confirmed.  

My Thai tom yum soup...hot and spicy but delicious for me...

Absolute Thai tom yum soup with prawns

My mango with sticky rice (or what's left of it when I remembered to take photo)...   

Absolute Thai mango with sticky rice

My hubby ordered some noodle and fried chicken... 

It's great that their 'placemat' is the menu itself so you can quickly see and choose from their menu. Don't you just hate it when you have to ask and wait for the menu before you can start choosing what to eat?

Absolute Thai - The Thai Tribune - FRONT page menu

Absolute Thai restaurant has an outdoor area where people can smoke but it's also a nice location to have a view of The Curve. At night, the air is breezy and cool, of course, you wouldn't want to be outside when it's raining but it's quite nice on a normal evening.

Absolute Thai outdoor dining area with a view of The Curve

I had a delicious dinner at Absolute Thai and I will surely come back for my tom yum here!      

     

Love cigar and whiskey? You gotta visit Whisky Tango Foxtrot!

My work-related adventures have brought me to one of the coolest places in Kuala Lumpur. Located at Jalan Kasah Damansara Heights, Whisky Tango Foxtrot is definitely a must-visit for those who enjoy cigars and/or whiskey. 

Upon entering the venue, you will be welcomed by a huge humidor showcasing a big collection of cigars and accessories. It is the biggest collection showcase in Asia, I was told. I've never seen a cigar collection in my life and I find this amazing. Honestly, I only see people smoking cigars in movies, those typical high-profile men who enjoy the most luxurious lifestyle. I am inclined to believe that only people who have reached a certain level of success or wealth can truly appreciate cigars. But as I've learned, there are a lot of people who enjoy having cigars once in a while, not just the extremely wealthy. I guess it's a similar general perception as with wines. People tend to think that wines are also for the rich. 

There are shelves and shelves of cigars. Some are sold in box sets but there are also individual ones. There are also very nice sets that are great gifts.

Cigar collection at Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Cigar collection at Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Highlighted in display were Macanudo cigars. 

I didn't know cigars are also aged. This set is aged for 8 years...

You'll also find great accessories for cigar lovers such as lighters, cigar scissors, cutters, cigar cases and more.

Cigar accessories

Lovely lighters...

High-quality cutters and scissors...

They also have an online store where you can easily purchase your favorite cigars.

The humidor/ entrance has this poster to welcome guests. I did a bit of research and as I found out, 'Keep Calm and Carry On' was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939, a few months before the beginning of the Second World War. It aimed to raise the morale of the British public in the event of wartime disaster. You'll actually see a lot of different phrases or statements using this concept around, whether in mall boutiques, mugs, tumblers, shirts and other things. In fact, this is almost everywhere nowadays. But there's a much more meaningful origin to this quote.  

After the humidor, you will reach the cozy, private lounge. It is adorned with black-and-white  posters, black leather chairs and dim lighting. The atmosphere is very masculine and  exclusive. Definitely a great place to hangout, enjoy cigars and whiskey while having serious or not-so-serious discussions. I can imagine my husband having whiskey here with his friends. 

On one side of the lounge, a wall of private humidors are lined up for members who want to store their cigar collections. For a certain fee, a member will enjoy a private humidor with his/her initials, 10% discount on all purchases and other exclusive privileges. 

At one end is the bar where you can enjoy your favorite whiskey, wines and some cocktails. I'm not a whiskey drinker but since they also serve my cocktails then it's great for me...

There are also 2 private rooms for guests or members who would prefer to have a more private area. 

I have great respect for places that pay good attention in making their washroom better than just its function. And I'd say WTF (that's Whisky Tango Foxtrot, no pun intended) impressed me. I've never seen any bar or restaurant using a great product such as Aesop Aromatique for a hand wash. (Well, the ex-skincare brand manager in me can't help but notice...)

And aside from that, there is also a set of Ralph Lauren perfumes for guests to use. How impressive.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot is definitely THE place for cigar and whiskey aficionados. The service is damn good, the cigar showcase is the biggest in the country (and in Asia), and the ambience is something you won't get anywhere else. It's great for anyone who wants to enjoy and have a good time while having some puffs and drinks. Though I'm not a cigar or whiskey fan, I agree that this is a great place to hangout or spend an evening with friends. 

WTF is located at 2nd floor, 128B Jalan Kasah, Damansara Heights, KL, Malaysia. 

Visit www.whiskytangofoxtrot.my or call +60320112056 for more information.

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant

While working for a previous company, my office was located next to Mid Valley Megamall but I only ate at Brotzeit just once with a colleague. The food was great but it wasn't a regular option for me and friends to go to for lunch. Aside from the price concern of most employees for daily meal spending, I guess Western food is not really a top choice for a lot of locals. I, on the other hand, am a fan of good Western food.

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, Mid Valley Megamall

Last weekend, the early celebration of my sister-in-law's birthday brought me back to Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant. I never noticed their entire menu before. There's an appetizing selection of different dishes and pastas. Most of all, they had cocktails and a decent wine selection. 

On the first page of their menu, there's a brief introduction about Brotzeit. I find this good and interesting. I'm not sure if there are other people like me who'd really read it but it's great to see that they put some effort to explain what 'Brotzeit' means and what do they promise their customers. 

Brotzeit also had a selection of red, white and sparkling wines, available in glass serving or by the bottle. But that day, I was thirsty for something else...

I'm sure, by the look of Brotzeit's bar, that they have what I'm looking for...

The bar inside Brotzeit

My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and husband opted for Paulaner bier, of course...

But my mouth was watering for my usual classic frozen margarita. They didn't have the frozen type that I like (awww) so I settled for their classic crushed ice margarita...

Anyway, I still had a margarita and that made my night.

Margarita at Brotzeit

We had this big pork platter for dinner. Mix of pork knuckle, pork sausages, pork belly, roasted pork and meat loaf.

Here's another view. Notice the cute brand flag on top of the bone? 

The side dishes...

My dinner plate, pretending not to each so much but I actually had a few more helpings after this. Good bye to my diet plan for that day...

Lunch or dinner with my husband around won't be complete without him ordering an extra something for me. This macaroni and cheese was damn good, quite addicting, in fact. 

Good dinner, good margarita at a cozy spot inside Brotzeit was a great ender for that week. This restaurant is worth going back to, and also a nice place to hang around with friends. Cheers!

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant in Mid Valley is located at the Ground Floor, along the same row of Maybank, Chili's and Delicious. 

Check out their Facebook page for more info and updates

https://www.facebook.com/brotzeit1516