The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Old favourites at a heritage hotel Posted: 01 Sep 2012 05:18 PM PDT  The orange and blue Yeng Keng Hotel at dusk... perfect time for a drink at the courtyard. One that stands out is the charming orange and blue Yeng Keng Hotel located near the Penang Road end of Chulia Street. Apparently named after the Mandarin word for "swiftlets" (yen zi) and "city" (keng), the impressive traditional round Chinese entrance leads to the front courtyard of an old Anglo-Indian family bungalow which was built in the mid-1800s. It was converted into a hotel at the beginning of the 1900s, but by the 1980s had deteriorated into a run-down hostel for backpackers.  Chicken pie... comfort in every spoonful. "It's perfect for those who want to soak in a bit of our heritage atmosphere," said Jackie Chung, manager of the hotel, "and a great base from which to explore George Town." However, if you're searching for good food, you don't even need to put one foot outside – their pork-free Café and Bar serves some quite authentic Hainanese food cooked by veteran Chef Tan Jee Yong. Chef Tan is in his 70s, surely making him one of the oldest and most experienced chefs still hard at work in Penang.  Veteran Chef Tan doing the honours with his Bomb Alaska. Another is Hainanese mushroom soup, a clear broth cooked with sliced mushrooms, tang hoon (glass noodles) and chicken innards, quite different from the Western version. Apart from typical rest house fare like chicken or lamb chops, there is also Macaroni Pie, a dish which combines both local and Western ingredients. Here, the pasta is pre-cooked then fried up with vegetables and chicken meat, set in a dish and baked with a meringue top. The chicken pie is another, basically a chicken, button mushroom and carrot stew baked with a puff pastry lid. Local dishes include Inchi Kabin, the strangely-named Nyonya dish of chicken pieces marinated with fragrant spices then deep-fried, crispy yet moist on the inside, and all-time favourite Fish Curry Assam Tumis. However, some items not on the menu are equally popular, including one of the most famous Hainanese dishes of all time. "Chef Tan's Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of our Chief Minister's favourite dishes," claims manager Jackie Chung. Served with a generous helping of Tan's special garlic and ginger chilli sauce, it has to be pre-ordered, like the meringue-topped Macaroni Pie.  Chef Tan's famous "choon piah" is a must-try. If it's a special occasion, they will be happy to dim the lights as it is brought out, after which it is doused with a spoonful of brandy and lit. It's a great way to celebrate a special occasion or even just the end of a good meal. Yeng Keng Cafe & Bar Business hours: 11.30am-10pm daily. |
| Craft beers enjoy boom despite Italy’s crisis Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT BORGOROSE, Sept 1 — With oyster, tobacco and watermelon flavoured brews, Italy's craft beers are flourishing despite a punishing recession that is putting thousands of other businesses out of work. From just seven craft breweries in 1996, there are now more than 445 challenging wine's traditional dominance and experts say there is scope for more growth in a country where tastes for beer are still being shaped. "Creativity and experimentation are the current characteristics of the world of craft beer in Italy," said Luciana Squadrilli from "Birra del Borgo" brewery in the tiny town of Borgorose some 100km from Rome. The brewery, which was a pioneer in the sector when it opened in 2005, produces around 30 different types of beer every year. It was set up by Leonardo di Vicenzo, a biologist who decided to turn his hobby into a business. "At the time we had a total production capacity of 500 litres per cycle of production. Now, we have 2,500-litres," said chief brewer Andrea Lecchini, also a biologist who holds a Master's in brewing.  Chief brewer from 'Birra del Borgo' brewery, Andrea Lecchini, poses on August 23, 2012, in the brewery in the tiny town of Borgorose, Italy. — AFP pic The brewery employs 15 people in everything from production to administration to bottling whose average age is around 30, which is very young for a company in Italy where the workforces tend to be older. A report by Assobirra, the association of Italian brewers, said 71 per cent of Italians drink beer and that it is quickly catching up with wine with 28.8 per cent saying it is their favourite drink compared to 37 per cent for wine. The authors of the report said beer "was the most democratic drink" as it could be drunk at all occasions and was cheaper. Craft beers have a higher price tag, however, with a 0.75-litre bottle of "Birra del Borgo" selling for around €10 (RM39). "Five or 10 years ago, we could only have dreamt that the future could look so rosy," said Brooks Carretta, a brewer at Eataly, a temple to Italian gastronomy that opened in Rome this year and includes a small craft brewery. A 0.5-litre bottle at Eataly can sell for as much as €25. "We produce around 1,000-litres per week and now we are going to bring out beers with watermelon and papaya flavours," said Carretta, a young Italian-American who is currently working on a beer with lemons from Amalfi. Craft beers currently make up around two percent of Italy's beer market but the share is growing in double-figures every year as the trend catches on. Carretta said he did not think there was any conflict with wine as the two drinks "are two separate worlds and their paths cross only rarely." "I like discovering the novelties, knowing that there are now major differences between the beers in Italy depending on where they come from." — AFP-Relaxnews |
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