The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Top chefs say Latin America will reach food’s zenith

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:41:01 GMT

MEXICO CITY, May 25 — The world's top chefs say it's only a matter of time before Latin America, home to Brazil's black bean stew “feijoada,” Peru's refreshing raw fish “ceviche” and Mexico's street tacos, cooks its way into gastronomy's elite. Spanish pastry king Jordi Roca and Danish chef Rene Redzepi, who runs the kitchen of Copenhagen's ...

Celebrating all things beef

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:19:27 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 ― If a restaurant has been around for 10 years, it must be doing something right. Yes, Gyuniku has been in Desa Sri Hartamas for that long, and recently an offshoot called Gyuniku Signature opened in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. A chatty waiter informed me that it has been opened for 10 months. It’s mostly about beef here (gyuniku ...

Italy’s chefs roast junior minister who snubbed national cuisine

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:08:56 GMT

ROME, May 25 — Top Italian chefs are clamouring for the resignation of a junior minister who dismissed the country’s cuisine as a poor copy of trendy French cooking, poking a sore spot in a long-held kitchen rivalry between the two nations. “I have a negative judgment of the skill of Italian chefs,” Italian Culture Undersecretary Ilaria Borletti ...

EU slips up with olive oil ban, reverses course

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:25:53 GMT

BRUSSELS, May 24 — The European Commission has torn up new rules on how restaurants should serve olive oil less than a week after unveiling them, following widespread ridicule and accusations of unwanted interference. Last week, the Commission said restaurants would be banned from serving oil to diners in refillable glass jugs or dipping bowls ...

Favourite comfort food? Chicken rice

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:08:30 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 ― Whether it’s fried chicken with rice, steamed chicken with rice or roasted chicken with rice, they’re still called the same thing ― chicken rice. I daresay this is one dish everyone is familiar with, right from its fragrant rice, eye-catching arrangement of chicken meat, the thin slices of cool cucumber, the accompanying ...

Micro-breweries give cheer to British beer drinkers

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:19:14 GMT

BRENTWOOD, May 24 — Britain’s love affair with quirkily-named real ales and their demand for locally produced goods has led to a growing trend in micro-breweries that cater to the more discerning palate. More than 1,000 brewers now operate across the country compared to just over 800 in late 2011, some working out of little more than a large ...

Glass of bubbly? Or two?

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:14:53 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — The Brut Reserve was fresh and elegant, and so easy to drink. I had to stop my glass from being refilled at the start of the Nicolas Feuillatte champagne afternoon at Svago in KLCC recently. After all, there were four other champagnes to sip and enjoy; the Brut Rose, Cuvee Vintage 2001 & 2004 and the outstanding Diva of ...

France leads international wine competition

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:35:55 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — France has emerged the early leader at a major wine awards competition, winning the most regional trophies, followed by Italy and Australia. Preliminary results were released yesterday for the 10th annual Decanter World Wine Awards, an international competition in which 219 international experts and oenophiles sipped and spat ...

Bradley Cooper to get cooking lessons from Gordon Ramsay

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:55:50 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has been enlisted to give actor Bradley Cooper a crash course in cooking and make sure he looks the part of a convincing chef in his upcoming movie. Cooper (right), set to star in a film as a drug addict who aspires to open a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, will be coached by the notoriously ...

One chef, one ingredient: Paul Pairet on eggs

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:41:24 GMT

PARIS, May 20 — If you are what you eat, then it could be said that chefs are what they cook. In an exclusive series from Relaxnews, some of the top chefs from around the world share their favourite food ingredient to prepare and eat, every week. Whether it be lemons, apricots, or sea urchin, the answers are as varied as the chefs ...

Lunch-hour dance parties gaining worldwide popularity

Mon, 20 May 2013 03:48:35 GMT

STOCKHOLM, May 20 — The concept of lunch-hour dance parties is taking hold around the world, with office workers breaking free from the chains that bind them to their desks for sweaty, 60-minute dance-offs in the middle of the day. The idea behind Lunch Beat is simple: for one hour, 9 to 5ers can blow off steam, get some exercise and take in ...

Domino’s Pizza Brazil creates DVD movies that smell like pizza

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:39:33 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 19 — Pizza restaurant chains are turning up the heat when it comes to innovative marketing campaigns, with the latest pitch out of Domino’s selling DVD discs that emerge out of the player smelling like pizza. In a marketing strategy meant to reinforce the lazy Friday night ritual of an at-home movie night and take-out pizza, ...

At-home chefs open up their kitchens to tourists

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:50:22 GMT

TEL AVIV, May 19 — A service that pairs tourists looking for authentic dining experience with hosts who love to throw dinner parties and show off their cuisine is gaining buzz as the AirBnB of the food and travel world. Launched out of Tel Aviv, hosts who sign up at EatWith open up their kitchens and dining rooms to tourists looking to connect ...

EU finds time to tell restaurants how to serve olive oil

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:20:26 GMT

BRUSSELS, May 19 — Critics ridiculed European Union bureaucrats yesterday for taking time off fighting the euro zone’s debt crisis to impose strict new rules on how restaurants serve olive oil. From January 1, 2014, eateries will be banned from serving oil to diners in small glass jugs or dipping bowls, and forced instead to use pre-sealed, ...

Flavourful delights at Italian bistro

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:21:48 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — There’s nothing like a good risotto or pasta that tells you the Italian bistro you have just been to is worth going again. We liked the Prawn and Scallop Risotto at Uno! in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur and the fact the Pasta Verde was al dente scored with us. The plump grains of arborio rice were cooked just right. The ...

Green tea panna cotta: Where East meets West

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:19:37 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — This definitely has to be one of my favourite desserts. Panna Cotta, a popular Italian dessert with an Asian twist — green tea! In its simplest form, panna cotta is made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar before mixing them with some gelatin and allowing it to cool until set. From this basic recipe, numerous ...

Little chefs meet big chef

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:30:56 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — They learnt to make butter and pasta, clarify a consommé, shape semolina dumplings, and ice a strawberry mille-feuille. All 17 of them. The children — little chefs — were bewitched by the kitchen magic of Big Chef Rudolf Kunkel. They were cooking a special lunch for their mums on Mother’s Day at Lafite at the Shangri-Lumpur ...

Steamed dumpling restaurant in Taipei named best in Asia

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:43:28 GMT

TAIPEI, May 16 — A restaurant chain in Taipei best known for its masterfully executed, soup-filled dumplings has been named the best restaurant in Asia. Influential food blog The Daily Meal has released its picks for the 101 Best Restaurants in Asia putting Din Tai Fung at the top of their list, a restaurant chain that has become widely ...

UN, Slow Food agree to boost local recipes

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:26:36 GMT

ROME, May 16 — The UN food agency and the gastronomic and ecological movement Slow Food signed an agreement yesterday for joint work on promoting small farmers and local recipes around the world that they hope will put Africa on the gourmet map. “I call it the gastronomy of liberation,” said Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Italy-based movement, ...

Ready for some Eurasian specialties?

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:04:56 GMT

GEORGE TOWN, May 14 — Despite the fact that Eurasians have been in Penang since the late 1700s when Europeans who came to trade married locals and settled down, very little of the cuisine can actually be found commercially here. Like Nyonya cuisine, Serani — from the Malay word nasranis (Christians) — cooking has evolved over time to become a ...

Eating at Subway nearly as calorific as McDonald’s, says study

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:30:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 13 — Think Subway is the lesser of fast food evils? Think again. A new US study has found that teens consumed nearly as many calories at the sandwich shop chain as they did when they ate at McDonald’s. It’s a finding that may take the steam out of Subway’s marketing pitch as the healthier, fresher alternative to fast food ...

One chef, one ingredient: the morel by Nicolas Beaumann

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:41:48 GMT

PARIS, May 12 — If you are what you eat, then it could be said that chefs are what they cook. In an exclusive series from Relaxnews, some of the top chefs from around the world share their favourite food ingredient to prepare and eat, every week. Whether it be lemons, apricots, or sea urchin, the answers are as varied as the chefs themselves. ...

Make your own chicken chop

Sun, 12 May 2013 01:42:10 GMT

MAY 12 — When I think about chicken chop, memories of eating out at the hawker store with my parents when I was much younger living in Kuching come flooding back. It was like a little treat for me when I was rewarded with this simple, savoury dish... ahhh, the simple things in life that kept the little girl in me happy. This particular chicken ...

Brazil hopes US approval will boost cachaca sales

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:20:32 GMT

SAO PAULO , April 12 — Cachaca, a national treasure in Brazil and the world’s fourth most-produced distilled spirit, is little known abroad, except as an ingredient in popular cocktails like caipirinhas. But that could soon change now that the United States recognizes the sugar cane liquor as a distinctive Brazilian product, a move that has ...

Bon Appetito at icook Italian Gastronomia

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:05:37 GMT

PETALING JAYA, May 11 — We had fresh squid ink tagliatelle drenched in a tomato seafood sauce. Eat it quickly, said my friend Ivy, before it goes cold and clumps together. She didn’t have to encourage us because the pasta with squid, mussels and prawns in a thick tomato sauce spiced with a little chilli and fragrant with herbs was gone in ...

Sea cucumbers, abalone off the menu in China frugality drive

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:14:03 GMT

BEIJING, May 9 — President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on Chinese government extravagance has emptied top-end restaurants and dented the sale of expensive food and drink, putting downward pressure on the world’s second-largest economy. High-end caterers in Beijing and other big cities have borne the brunt of Xi’s austerity drive, which he launched in ...

Cannes Film Festival: Star spotting over dinner

Thu, 09 May 2013 03:41:31 GMT

PARIS, May 9 — When the international movie industry converges on the Croisette again this spring from May 15-26, Cannes’s gourmet restaurants will be bending over backwards to cater to the celebrities’ every whim. Here’s where you stand the best chance of rubbing shoulders with stars of the silver screen, at the finest eateries. La Palme ...

The best chefs in the US: ‘It’s a tie!’

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:47:40 GMT

NEW YORK, May 7 — At an event known as the Oscars of the US food world, the culinary equivalent of the Best Actor award featured a rare tie result, with Momofuku chef David Chang and Blackbird chef Paul Kahan sharing the title this year. As the words “It’s a tie!” flashed across the big screen in New York’s Lincoln Center, a murmur of surprise ...

Best restaurant in the US: Blue Hill in New York City

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:20:02 GMT

NEW YORK, May 7 — Chef Dan Barber’s New York City dining destination Blue Hill has been inducted into an exclusive club of restaurants deemed to be the best in the US at an event known as the Oscars of the American food scene. On Monday night, Barber took home the gastronomic equivalent of the Best Picture award at the James Beard Foundation ...

Chef dubbed ‘Jamie Oliver of Peru’ to open first London restaurant

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:39:52 GMT

LONDON, May 7 — Celebrity chef Gaston Acurio - who receives a hero’s welcome in his native Peru and is credited with inspiring a food revolution in his country - has announced plans to open his first London outpost later this year. Described by some as the Jamie Oliver of Peru for his ubiquitous media presence, savvy and for a passionate crusade ...

So, where is your coffee from?

Tue, 07 May 2013 01:00:01 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — “Brazil is one of the oldest coffee-producing countries but we could barely get a decent cup of coffee anywhere in São Paulo,” coffee-drinker-turned-barista Joey Mah confided in me. This is indeed a strange proclamation given that Brazil accounts for about a third of all coffee produced in the world. This makes the South ...

One chef, one ingredient: the mint, basil, coriander mix by Gilles Choukroun

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:55:48 GMT

PARIS, May 6 — If you are what you eat, then it could be said that chefs are what they cook. In an exclusive series from Relaxnews, some of the top chefs from around the world share their favourite food ingredient to prepare and eat, every week. Whether it be lemons, apricots, or sea urchin, the answers are as varied as the chefs themselves. This ...

The art of tea cuisine

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:58:06 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Once they had mastered the art of tea, the owners of Purple Cane Tea worked on creating a tea cuisine. It would be healthy, with less salt, sugar and oil, and engage the subliminal flavours and aromas of tea. That was 16 years ago. Purple Cane Tea Restaurant started at the KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur ...

More good reasons to eat a Mediterranean diet

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:15:20 GMT

FLORIDA, May 3 — Eating a Mediterranean diet can reduce “bad” cholesterol and improve health, even if you don't lose weight on the diet, a small new study finds. The study included 19 men, aged 24 to 62, with metabolic syndrome, meaning that they had three or more risk factors for heart disease and stroke, such as large waist size, high blood ...

How to make silky chawanmushi

Fri, 03 May 2013 02:41:21 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — I adore eggs so much that I can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper… you name it! Whether on its own or with a host of other ingredients, eggs are an absolute delight. Apart from just tasting good, eggs are also packed with nutrients, which is the main reason why this oval-shaped goodness is recommended for ...

Erawan celebrates Songkran

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:52:49 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The Songkran Festival is when Thai chef Korn Yodsuk of Erawan draws upon his impressive culinary repertoire to amaze his guests, mostly loyal diners at his restaurant, and friends. This year Songkran was also for celebrating Erawan’s moving up to the No 2 spot in Malaysia’s Top 5 Restaurants in the Miele Guide 2012. Last ...

Presidential wine goes under hammer in France

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:12:59 GMT

PARIS, May 2 — Wines from the French presidential cellar will be auctioned off in Paris next month with 1,200 bottles on offer, auctioneers Drouot said yesterday. The estimated value of the various wines up for auction ranges from a modest €15 to €2,200 (RM60 to RM8,824) for a Petrus 1990, Drouot said in a statement. The Elysee Palace’s cellar is ...

Spanish eatery hopes world best restaurant award boosts tourism

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:32:00 GMT

MADRID, May 1 — An avant-garde restaurant run by three brothers in north-east Spain hopes that being crowned the world’s best restaurant will boost food tourism in recession-bound Spain. El Celler de Can Roca in Girona scooped the prestigious prize from Britain’s Restaurant magazine on Monday, making Spain’s coastal region north of Barcelona the ...

World Chefs: Cardiologist writes cookbook for wheat-free eating

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:05:49 GMT

NEW YORK, April 30 — Dr William Davis, the American cardiologist who trumpeted the health benefits of a wheat-free diet in his 2011 best-selling book “Wheat Belly,” has taken his approach a step further with a cookbook. In the “Wheat Belly Cookbook” Davis explains the thinking behind his wheat-free eating plan, adds updates on research and ...

Hold the frogs: recreating French cuisine in Chicago

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:47:46 GMT

CHICAGO, April 30 — The foodies gathered behind a velvet rope at this Chicago bistro may have been francophiles, but the servers still had trouble tempting them into eating frog’s legs and snails. Chef Keisuke Matsushima of Nice—the star of the gastronomical event—was undaunted by the American palate. Those were canapes, after all, and the diners ...

What it takes to be a chef at Buckingham Palace

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:24:39 GMT

LONDON, April 30 — If you’re an experienced chef who has worked in five-star establishments, aren’t daunted by having to prepare luncheons for some of the most powerful heads of state in the world, or thousands of canapés for parties of 800, Buckingham Palace wants you. The Royal Family has posted a job vacancy for a sous chef, a salaried position ...

Mary Mary, how does your garden grow?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:22:34 GMT

GEORGE TOWN, April 29 — Straits Quay in Tanjung Tokong’s Seri Tanjung Pinang has undergone a few changes over the past two years since it opened for business, and sadly, some of its original tenants no longer exist. One such was the Hong Kong-style roast meat outlet The Cheeky Duck Restaurant. However, I was delighted to find that the large ...

Nigeria’s elite make country toast of champagne sellers

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:04:54 GMT

LAGOS, April 29 — The party was just getting started at a plush club in this teeming Nigerian city, hip-hop blaring, the bar bathed in blue light—and champagne bottles on ice already adorning tables. “Too much oil money,” said a 40-year-old man at Rhapsody’s in the high-end Victoria Island district of Lagos, when asked about Nigerian spending on ...

Chef’s auction sets dinner tab at RM111,370

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:00:59 GMT

NEW YORK, April 28 — An Asian gourmet dished out US$36,750 (RM111,370) at a New York auction to have dinner for four with famed chef Ferran Adria. The dizzy tab contributed to a US$913,605 sale at Sotheby’s that was based on the revolutionary Catalan cook’s stellar wine collection, which he sold along with kitchen gear, two years after shuttering ...

Curry leaves: The secret to good butter prawns

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:10:55 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — Butter prawns has got to be one of Malaysia’s finest gastronomic contributions. The presence of Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking methods and ingredients is very symbolic of the various cultures here. A common item on the menu of most Chinese seafood restaurants, butter prawns is one of those dishes that has a huge fan ...

Who will take home the title of world’s best restaurant?

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:20:37 GMT

LONDON, April 27 — The foodie elite will be tuned into London Monday night, when the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards are announced, an event that makes overnight celebrities of chefs and fills up reservation books months in advance. Voted on by more than 900 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs across 26 geographical regions around the world, ...

Thai street food… now serving in 1 Utama

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:01:31 GMT

PETALING JAYA, April 27 — Just the Thai laksa alone with the fish curry was worth my making another trip to Old Siam in 1 Utama last week. I was joined by two friends who happened to be walking past and were drawn to this charming Thai kopitiam offering Thai street food. Soft, thin noodles with Thai basil, crispy salted fish, salted vegetables, ...

Famed chef offers up wine to finance next big project

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:30:31 GMT

NEW YORK, April 26 — Food-lovers who miss dining at the tables of Ferran Adria's elBulli restaurant can get another taste today - of his wine, at least, as the famed Catalan chef auctions his celebrated collection. The sale, at upscale Sotheby's auction house in New York, will benefit Adria's foundation, where, two years after the legendary ...

Instant noodle sales top 100 billion units a year

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:57:46 GMT

TOKYO, April 26 — Global sales of instant noodles have topped 100 billion units annually, an industry group said today - more than one monthly serving of the portable meal for every person on the planet. Five decades after the easy-to-cook food's launch, sales climbed again last year with China, Indonesia and Japan rounding out the world's ...

Where to find the best baguette in Paris

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:52:02 GMT

PARIS, April 26 — If you’re headed to Paris this year, take note of one particular bakery which took home the award yesterday for making the best baguette in the city. Visitors to the City of Light may want to add a stop Ridha Khadher’s artisan bakery Paradis du Gourmand in the 14th arrondissement to their itinerary, after the baker’s baguette - ...