The C. Club

With its sparkling chandeliers and glittering gold sequin throw pillows it is no surprise that The C. Club is a fine dining extension of the luxurious jewellery and lifestyle store, The Carat Club. This upscale outlet offers Western dishes that are more suited to the Asian palate (just in the sense that the creamy sauces are a little lighter). Indulge in foie gras, oysters, and more of life’s guilty pleasures as you enjoy a slow lingering meal from starters to dessert...

To me this place seems to be the perfect venue for a ladies lunch...glittery...sparkly...and all things nice! Start off with one of these...

Fois gras encased in a seared scallops set atop pickled pumpkin and finished off with onion relish...the mixture of textures and flavours will have your palate asking for more!

Next enjoy a seafood bisque...the broth has a deep richness in flavour...and the tender juicy scallop and prawn as well as the deep fried crisp soft shell crab add to the overall taste.

After that delightful soup indulge in a simple salad. Instead of the usual grilled chicken here they do it with slipper lobster...the soft juicy meat is sublime and I'm wondering if I can ever go back to the usual caesar salad again!
To top it all off enjoy a rich and creamy tiramisu! This is the life of ladies who lunch...wouldn't mind having a few afternoons like this!

The C. Club
6th Floor Pavilion KL

Cake au Thon (Tuna Cake)

Say what?!?! Yes...your eyes aren’t deceiving you...tuna cake...this is a regular in French kitchens and yet I had heard of its existence just a few weeks ago. It wasn’t part of my mom’s daily repertoire as we were growing up…and well honestly my mom didn’t cook French food very often…aside from boeuf bourguignon (burgundy beef), coq au vin (chicken in wine stew), and hachis parmentier (sort of Sheppard’s pie)…we were more likely to see chicken curry and dhal or simple western dishes such as spaghetti bolognaise on the table. I guess for one thing my mom was cooking dishes that my dad would enjoy and identify with…and she was making dishes that were fast and easy as being a mother of two doesn’t always allow the time to prepare gourmet meals.

So just recently my mom got hold of a recipe for cake au thon…tuna cake…and so she decided to make it…she loved it so much that gave me the recipe…and at first the name just didn’t sit right with me…tuna cake…sure there aren’t any sweet ingredients…so it’s not that kind of a cake…but still…just the words tuna and cake together seemed strange…but at my mom’s insistence about how good it is I decided to bake it…and you know what? This is really really good! It’s tasty…and filling…you can have a few slices with a salad and you’re set to go. Sometimes you just have to try things…at least once to know if it’s something you’d like.

Tuna Cake

You can choose to change up the filling for this. My mom likes to use pine nuts and green olives. Next time I make this I'm thinking about adding in sundried tomatoes as well. It's so simple to make and it makes a great meal.

3 eggs
100ml milk
80ml olive oil
100g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Handful of chopped basil
Handful of sliced black olives
1/2 handful of capers
1 1/2 cans of tuna, drained (I use 1 can of chilli tuna and half a can of tuna in water)
1 handful grated gruyere cheese (I didn't have gruyere and used emmenthal)

Preheat oven to 200C. Mix the eggs, milk, oil, flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the basil, olives, capers, and tuna. Pour into a loaf pan and sprinkle on top with the cheese. Bake 40-45 mins.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

It was my mom's birthday last weekend and I decided to bake her a batch of these sweet and tart delights. I found the recipe online and while they were good...in the future I will choose to go with a cream cheese frosting rather than the sugar icing...it was too sweet and I'm not fond of super sweet desserts.

These were also a treat since fresh raspberries pretty much cost an arm and a leg here...so it would not be in my usual baking repertoire but wonderful for special occasions...I suppose you could also do without the fresh raspberry as decor...I added in lemon peels which I cut into heart shapes and candied just to make them even more perfect for mom.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
12 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 175°C. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour.

Drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. Spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. Cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack. Meanwhile, whisk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl. Spoon half of icing over 6 cupcakes. Whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. Spoon over remaining cupcakes. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries.

Kreative Blogger Award

I got my first blogger award!! Thanks to the lovely Anita at Leave Room for Dessert for nominating me. Her blog is one of the ones I tend to check every few days as she has wonderful recipes on there!

The Kreativ Blogger award comes with some rules:
1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

So onto the seven things you may (or may not) find interesting about me:

1. I'm not a vegetarian but I often cook vegetarian meals throughout the week...possibly to balance out my burger obsession on weekends!

2. I always say I'm not a dessert person and yet lately I've really gotten into baking and now I bring baked goods to all sorts of outings and occasions.

3. I am obsessed with learning all about foods and their nutritional makeup...and I get super excited when I read little facts such as this is good for you because...or to ward off this illness eat this...it's strange but I love learning all these facts!

4. My dream kitchen includes a pantry that will be kept at a certain temperature all throughout the year so that my ingredients stay fresh for longer, a wine fridge/cellar, a little vegetable/herb garden, and a plethora of gadgets that will allow me to whip up all kinds of fancy meals for dinner parties.

5. I spend most of my freetime reading food blogs, watching the Asian Food Channel, checking out recipes, or reading books written by chefs, food critics, or food writers.

6. When not doing anything food related I enjoy reading sappy chicklit, watching comedy and suspense series(such as How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, My Name is Earl, CSI, Bones, 24), traveling, and hanging out with friends.

7. I'm not a major party animal so I generally don't go clubbing but I do love meeting friends for drinks at a pub/lounge every so often...but for me the perfect gathering involves food...be it at a restaurant or at someones home.

And the 7 Kreativ Bloggers I am nominating for this lovely award, for their very enjoyable blogs(these were difficult to narrow down and in no particular order):

1. Sophia from Burp and Slurp
2. Dharm from Dad ~ Baker & Chef
3. Boo_licious from Masak - Masak
4. Emily from Curly Top
5. Rebecca from The Nomad Gourmand
6. FBB from Fat Boy Bakes
7. Meena from A Whiff of Lemongrass

And a big thanks to everyone who spends the time reading and commenting on my blog. I really do enjoy hearing from you all and receiving such lovely support.

Nilam's Green Pasta

Yesterday I was at the grocery store trying to figure out what I wanted to make for dinner...I had nothing set in mind and I was walking around aimlessly for a while when I remembered a pasta that my good friend Nilam had mentioned she had made earlier in the week...it was a simple olio with garlic, spinach, and avocado.

I knew I wanted something with those flavours and so decided to make a pasta dish inspired by what she had created. This is what I came up with...a spinach walnut pesto with avocado on green tea pasta...a very green and healthy pasta and I named it Nilam's Green Pasta for two reasons...the first because she is the most environmentally friendly person I know...she recycles, composts, brings her own canvas bag when she goes shopping, and is now thinking of becoming a vegetarian...when I think of going green I immediately think of her...and she has taught me a lot about changing small daily habits to make a difference...the second reason this pasta fits her so well is the fact that she loves to eat healthy food and is particularly fond of spinach...she calls herself the spinach girl...so this concoction was perfect for her!

Nilam's Green Pasta

Spinach Walnut Pesto:
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 cloves roasted garlic
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until it is has a smooth creamy consistency.

1 avocado cubed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Green tea pasta
1 tsp salt

Toss the avocado cubes with the lemon juice to keep it from oxidising and turning brown. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta as per package instructions. Once the pasta is done toss it with the spinach walnut pesto and top with the avocado cubes. Enjoy!

This was very tasty the only mistake I made was to overcook the pasta slightly and so it was a bit starchy and clumpy...but the flavours worked very well together! I brought this pasta over to Nilam's place last night and we had a lovely dinner! Oh and the photo does not do it justice...sometimes a dish can taste great but is just not photogenic at all!

Frontera

My dear readers...I have big news...really big news...and if you've been following my blog for a while you'll know about my one weakness...yes...burgers! Fat juicy patties of meaty goodness sandwiched between toasted buns with a variety of condiments and toppings...how could anyone resist?

But I'm getting off topic here...where was I? Oh yes...the big news...when I first moved back to Malaysia I had set out on a quest to find the best burger...much like the burger episode of How I Met Your Mother (if any of you are fans out there)...I too needed to find the burger that was like Christmas in my mouth, meat Christmas...the burger that would lead me to never brush my teeth again unless it was with a toothbrush made from that burger...burger after burger I just couldn't find anything that even came close to that of Silky's (my neighborhood pub in Pittsburgh). Then I found Fogal and I truly believed my search was over...Fogal's patty was fresh and juicy with chopped onions and peppers mixed in with the meat...I didn't think any other place in KL (and I had been to my fair share of supposed 'best burger' joints) could ever do better than Fogal. And so I was at peace...my search complete and my tummy satisfied with the knowledge that anytime a burger craving were to overtake my mind I could just take a trip to Fogal and a crisis would be averted.

This was until a few weeks ago when I was sitting down with a few friends and one happened to mention that there's a guy claiming that his restaurant has the best burger. And I thought to myself...hah! as if...I've already found the best burger and nothing can top it! But curiosity got the best of me and I looked up the website for the new restaurant and there staring me in the face was a picture of a beautiful burger topped with chilli con carne (another one of my guilty pleasures)...and I felt that burger itch...the twitch in my tummy that said that it would not be happy with anything else I put in my mouth that day....I had to have that burger! Just had to!

So that evening I called up Carol my one friend who I knew would be up for a last minute totally unplanned dinner outing...and we drove out to Frontera to try this so called best burger...the owner Larry is an American from Texas...this was promising indeed...if anyone understood burgers it had to be him!

The burger came out...I took one bite...and right there and then I felt guilty...I've been so faithful to Fogal for so long and I didn't think anything could get better...but in that first bite I knew it...this chilli cheeseburger topped it...this burger is the best burger I've had in Malaysia.

It is a thick juicy burger patty topped with melted cheddar, spicy savoury chilli con carne, onion slices, and finished off with a thin spread of mustard on the top bun. Now this…this is a burger! Each bite is filled with pure meat on meat action plus a pleasing tongue tingling spiciness and the raw onion gives it a nice sweet crunch to balance it off.

What makes this burger sky rocket to the top of my burger list is the chilli con carne. This isn’t always done right and I’ve found that many places in KL tend to make it more like spaghetti bolognaise sauce…sweetish with beans and sometimes if they remember to get it right there’ll be a slight hint of heat. Here it is done right…rich, meaty, packed with flavour and with the right amount of spiciness that gets you just as you swallow.

Ohh I'm getting goosebumps just writing about it! I think I'm going to have to make another trip there soon...my tummy is rumbling and only that burger can satisfy it!

Here are some other treats you can enjoy there as well...oh and don't forget to have a margarita! Totally yummilicious!

Super fiery hot wings...they burn in the good way and are truly finger licking good!

Tex Mex Burrito is chock full of spiced ground beef and topped with a creamy cheese sauce...mmm...the refried beans were a disappointment though as they're a bit watery and tasteless.

Indulge in a super creamy and tart key lime pie the perfect end to a delicious meal!

Frontera Bar and Grill
No. 19-8-2 Block L, Palm Square, Jaya One
No. 72A Jalan Universiti, 46200 PJ
Tel: 03.7958 8515

Solar Eclipse

My bestfriend Jan who currently lives in China has been extremely excited about the solar eclipse that is meant to be happening today at 9:36am...visible in China and India. This eclipse will last as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some places in the South Pacific. That will make it the longest solar eclipse of the 21st Century.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. It so happens that today the Earth is close to its farthest point from the sun. A small sun means the Moon can cover it longer and coincidentally the Moon will be near its closest point to Earth. So a large Moon covers the sun longer, lengthening the duration of the eclipse.

I'm sure Jan will be enjoying this eclipse and I decided to look up an eclipse cocktail which she might be able to enjoy later on tonight when chatting with her friends about how cool it was!

Eclipse Cocktail

Grenadine
1 oz Gin
2 oz Sloe Gin
½ tsp Lemon Juice

Put enough grenadine into a cocktail glass to cover a ripe olive. Mix the remaining ingredients with ice and strain them onto the grenadine so that they do not mix.

Have you experienced a solar eclipse before?

Dubrovnik

It’s been 1 year since Dubrovnik, a quaint little Croatian restaurant, opened their doors here at Solaris and I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of their Croatian month celebration. I spent an afternoon there enjoying a cooking demonstration by their head chef and owner Zoran Djumic...along with some food tasting and a sampling of strong grappa coffee!

Croatian food is influenced by many other European countries...a bit of Italy...the Mediterranean...and more...the flavours are mild and fresh but very cheese rich as well...I wonder how the Croatian women stay so slim!

Chef Zoran places an emphasis on healthy food using organic vegetables and fresh seafood. In his cooking there is a lot of attention paid to detail and preparation. He chose to show us how to cook two authentic dishes...the Riba Grah (pan fried catch of the day) as well as the Istrian Canneloni. Here are his recipes to try out at home:

Riba Grah

200gms Barramundi Fillet
2 tablespoons ground Sesame
3 sprigs Spring Onion
3 Red Chillies deseeded
1 cup Fish Stock
1 tablespoon chopped Parsley
100gms Butter Beans
Salt and Pepper to taste

Coat the fish with sesame and then pan fry for 2mins on both sides. Finish off in the oven for 5mins. Quick fry spring onions in hot oil and add the chillies. Sautee briefly. Cook the butter beans in the fish styock, drain and add the beans to the spring onion and chilli. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the fish on top of the beans and enjoy!

I enjoyed the light flavours of this dish and the butter beans were wonderful! So creamy and buttery with a nice fish stock flavour...slurrrp!

Istrian Canneloni

20 Crepes
500gms Cottage Cheese
150gms Ham
200gms Mushrooms
200gms Bread Crumbs
500gms Fresh Tomatoes
5eggs Beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut the ham into small cubes. Sieve fresh cottage cheese through a strainer. Fry the ham in light oil, add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Once cooked through mix these ingredients with the cottage cheese and fill the crepes with this mixture and roll. dip the crepes in the egg mixture and then coat with bread crumbs and fry till golden. Oh so cheesey and gooey and yummy! Crepes with a cheesy filling can never fail!

Harry Potter Treat : Butterbeer

The latest Harry Potter movie 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' releases today! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get tickets for opening night as I was caught up with work and realised too late so I have tickets for Sunday night instead. I'm super excited!

Since I'm an avid fan I figured I would try out a recipe that is Harry Potterish! In the book the one thing that always intrigued me was the butterbeer...it is described as being warm and soothing on a cold day with that bubbleish tickle. Sounds like a warm soda with a butterish richness.

So with no idea on where to begin I searched on google and found this recipe.

Butterbeer

1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
½ cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
½ tablespoon butter
Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated. Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit. Serve and enjoy a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!

I haven't had a chance to make it yet as I don't have butterscotch syrup at home...but I'll try it out over the weekend. Just wanted to share it with anyone out there who is as big of a potterhead as me!

Now let me ask you...do you have a movie/book obsession?

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Since I've been on a bit of a smoothie craze my kitchen has been perpetually stocked with bananas...I didn't realise how quickly bananas can ripen though...I bought a whole bunch on Sunday and by Thursday two of them had sort of liquefied...they had burst their seams and spewed a liquid on my kitchen counter and to be honest I was a little grossed out by it! I was upset as there were still five bananas left and I didn't want to waste them...then I noticed that three of them were still intact and weren't leaking anything...they were just a bit soft...so I put those in the fridge to preserve them till Saturday and then I figured I could bake my first banana bread...but since I didn't have a loaf pan I decided to go with muffins instead...and blueberries just seemed to be the match that made sense.

Despite being hesitant to use the ugly brown soft bananas(especially after the liquid incident)...I figured I would just give it a go since every banana bread recipe calls for overripe bananas because they get a nice sweetness as they ripen...and I'm thrilled that I did! These smelled so good when they were in the oven and once they were out I could barely wait for them to cool before I greedily chomped into one...it was very moist and the blueberries gave it the extra juicy burst of flavour and swirl of color. I will be making these again very soon...next time maybe with walnuts...or wholemeal flour!

Blueberry Banana Muffins

1 Cup granulated sugar

8 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Eggs

3 Ripe bananas

1 Tbs milk

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp vanilla

1 Cup frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 160C. Butter your muffin pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Toss the frozen blueberries into the flour mixture just to coat. Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about 40mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cool completely and then enjoy!