Venezuelan Gastronomic Festival at Serena Brasserie, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

InterContinental Kuala Lumpur welcomes Chef Tamara Rodríguez, the ambassador of authentic Venezuelan cuisine and a well-known TV celebrity chef at the week-long Venezuelan Gastronomic Festival 2017, which runs from 23 October till 29 October 2017 at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur. The food festival is organised in conjunction with the 12th Venezuelan Week in Malaysia celebration, hosted by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (not to be confused with Bolivia which is an entirely different country) in Malaysia.

Chef Tamara’s signature Venezuelan dishes, with recipes reflecting a legacy of the South American cuisine that has been handed down by generations, are set to offer diners a glimpse into the country’s traditional cuisine. Her dishes feature an amalgamation of Spanish, Portuguese, French and Caribbean tastes flavoured with an authentic blend of Venezuelan cocoa and spices.

Combining 20 years of journalism and her passion for cooking, celebrity chef Tamara Rodriguez is a firm believer in general education and has committed herself to lecturing on gastronomy at local universities in Venezuela while actively reaching out to encourage the public to participate in the use of cocoa in cooking.

Tamara’s roots in local culinary cooking remains deeply entrenched as many of her recipes reflect a legacy of Venezuelan cuisine that has been handed down by her forefathers. Delicious platters with an amalgamation of Spanish, Portuguese, French and Caribbean tastes flavoured with an authentic blend Venezuelan cocoa and spices are Tamara signature in her dishes. Chef Tamara had also produced a programme entitled ‘Flavours of Paria’ through a miniseries on television to spread her appreciation for local food with the use of cocoa.

The Venezuelan Food Festival is available exclusively in Serena Brasserie, where 10 Venezuelan signature dishes will be available for diners – from arepa, the all-time favourite appetiser to asado negro, an authentic cultural food and sweet dessert torta de chocolate y cafe picante. This special promotion runs from 23 October till 28 October 2017, with the buffet dinner priced at RM 158 nett per person, while the buffet brunch on 29 October is priced at RM150 nett per person.

*Citibank and CIMB Bank credit card holders enjoy a 20% discount

Some shooters made with Diplomatico rum as the base to start off the evening’s festivities!

Mr. Clive Murray, General Manager of Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur, H.E Manuel Guzman, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Malaysia, and Chef Tamara Rodriguez (Left to Right)

After the speeches and officiating ceremony, we proceeded to the buffet line to try out Chef Tamara’s Venezuelan dishes as well as the other offerings.

(Click to open a larger version of the photo.)

Apart from the Venezuelan dishes, there are also the usual buffet dinner offerings at Serena Brasserie such as fresh seafood like oysters, Moreton Bay bugs, mussels, prawns, crabs, as well as sushi/ sashimi, the noodle station, grill station, and much more!

The salad bar

Toss your own Caesar salad

Delightful little canapes

The grill station where the chef will grill your selected meats

I always love a good cheese board!

For a sweet ending to the buffet, there are a whole range of sweets including Kapiti ice cream from New Zealand!

Us with Chef Tamara Rodríguez

Thanks for having us!

Serena Brasserie is located at:

Ground Floor, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur,

165 Jalan Ampang,

50450 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

To make reservations, call +603 2782 6000 / +603 2782 6228 or email foodandbeverage@intercontinental-kl.com.my

For more information, head over to http://kualalumpur.intercontinental.com/packages/venezuelan-gastronomic-festival-2017/

New Japanese Head Chef Nao Takeshita at Zipangu, Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur’s New Japanese Head Chef Nao Takeshita at Zipangu

Zipangu at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur welcomes Chef Nao Takeshita as its new Japanese head chef, taking over the helm of one of the most established Japanese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur from October 2017. Chef Takeshita comes from Yokohama City in Japan, and graduated from the Hiraoka Cooking and Confectionery College in Fukuoka, Japan, accumulating a wealth of experience in Japanese culinary in a career spanning 21 years.

Prior to taking on this new role, Chef Takeshita was the Assistant Chief Chef at the Japanese restaurant Nadaman in Hotel New Otani, Tokyo, Japan. As head chef of Zipangu, his responsibilities include managing the food preparation process, and putting together a varied menu of authentic and creative dishes which infuses a range of fresh and top quality ingredients.

Chef Takeshita will be introducing a new range of his signature creations at Zipangu for lunch and dinner. Some of the Chef’s Signature specialties consist of appetisers such as Shrimp Bisque Sauce Salad and his selection of assorted sashimi. The main dishes are made up of Grilled Mackerel with White Miso Sauce, Mixed Clam and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice and more.

Mixed Clam and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice ~ 貝とキノコの炊き込みご飯

Grilled Mackerel with White Miso Sauce ~ 鯖の白味噌煮

Shrimp Bisque Sauce Salad ~ 海老のビスクソースサラダ

Chef Takeshita’s Signature Assorted Sashimi ~ お造り盛合わせ

To make a reservation or for further information on the chef’s specials at Zipangu, call 03-2074 3900, email restaurantreservations.slkl@shangri-la.com or visit http://www.shangri-la-specials.com

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Gin Inspired at The Smoke House, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Autograph Collection with Mixologist, Joel St John from The Gainsborough Bath Spa, UK

The Smoke House at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Autograph Collection has a special gin cocktail promotion featuring the creations of mixologist Joel St John from The Gainsborough Bath Spa in the United Kingdom. The Smoke House houses a lounge and bar, a private dining room with a chef on call, a pool table, TV room, a cigar room, bespoke tailor and Truefitt & Hill. 

Joel ‘JJ’ St. John was born and raised on the outskirts of London, and began his career at the early age of 15, as a glass collector across city nightclubs. As a teenager he dreamed of being behind the bar, patiently waiting to come-of-age and start his journey as an expert mixologist. Earning his stripes throughout London’s top hotels, Joel fondly remembers his after-hours visits to The Savoy’s American Bar, where he discovered the famous White Lady, which remains his favourite gin cocktail to this day. Fuelled by his passion for service and love of gin, he made the move to Bath and joined YTL’s flagship UK property, The Gainsborough Bath Spa, where he helped launch their acclaimed bar. While Joel spends most of his evenings creating bespoke gin cocktails in the heart of Bath, he is now proud to bring a taste of the UK to the Majestic Kuala Lumpar. While in Malaysia, Joel hopes to realise his ambition of visiting the Malacca Straits, the region which inspired his favourite gin, Tanqueray Malacca.

This special gin cocktails promo runs till the end of November 2017.

The Smoke House is a gentlemen’s lounge with plush sofas in a warm and cosy setting

There’s a private dining room that can host small and private affairs

The TV room downstairs screens classic movies

There’s a selection of cigars which you can purchase to enjoy along with your drinks

Joel ‘JJ’ St. John preparing some of his cocktails for us to try

Here are some of the cocktails we tried: 

Tanqueray No. Ten

Distilled: London

Garnish: Grapefruit

Flavour: Citrus

Sipsmith VJOP

Distilled: London

Garnish: Lemon Peel and Juniper

Flavour: Juniper

Martin Miller’s

Distilled: London

Garnish: Cucumber and Lemon Peel

Flavour: Citrus

The Botanist

Distilled: Scotland

Garnish: Apple and Mint

Flavour: Citrus, Floral

Sipsmith London Dry

Distilled: London

Garnish: Orange

Flavour: Citrus

Opihr

Distilled: England

Garnish: Strawberry, black pepper, perfumed with lemon

Flavour: Spice

Sipsmith Sloe

Distilled: London

Garnish: Blueberry, Raspberry and Blackberry

Flavour: Citrus

Chase Seville Orange

Distilled: England

Garnish: Orange and Lemon

Flavour: Citrus

All the cocktails above are priced at RM40.00 (inclusive of 6% GST)

He also guided Mikasa through making her own cocktail which he named the “Mikasa”

Kindly note that The Mikasa is not on the menu 

DJ Nikki was also enjoying the cocktails

And the comfy sofas

More info at http://www.majestickl.com/

Published by Tim Chew

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