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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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Botanical, where you won’t miss a meat! Posted: 02 Sep 2012 05:59 PM PDT Sit inside and it feels like you are in a cosy French bistro. – Picture by Choo Choy May KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — It's got to be love. In the more than two months since Botanical opened at Bangsar Village II, I have eaten there more than a dozen times. And enjoyed every single meat-free meal. Yes, Botanical is a vegetarian restaurant. I know, it's the dreaded "v" word, but you will hardly notice it as the restaurant has a full-on menu of purpose-made vegetarian dishes. These are well thought-through flavourful dishes, not just the average fare minus the meat. My best friend has been a vegetarian — well, okay, more a pescatarian — for 15 years now and apart from the odd Chinese and Indian vegetarian restaurant (mostly greasy and/or mushy!), Santha makes do whenever she eats out with me and asks the waiter/waitress if they can just omit the meat from whatever dish she chooses. The entrance of the restaurant features a Vespa... a touch of European whimsy. – Picture by Choo Choy May But now... now we can celebrate because everything from the starters to the most delightful desserts are — to borrow a quote from another friend — "ons like a box of crayons" or, in normal peoplespeak, great! The restaurant — which was the former T Forty Two — is like two restaurants in one; sitting outside feels like you are in a lush greenhouse and though there is not a blade of grass in sight, the umbrellas and garden furniture speak of the "outdoors" while the inside of Botanical is like a French restaurant with its dark walls, mirrors and intimate lighting. The emphasis here is on fresh and flavourful food as can be tasted in dishes like the Botanical House Salad (a lovely mix of greens, Edamame pods, seaweed, shallots and glass noodles tossed with a sesame soy dressing... even the most rabid meat eater will love this), Portobello Mushroom Ragout (sauteed Portobello mushrooms sitting on a bed of creamy polenta and topped with a poached egg and shaved Parmagiano Reggiano... comfort food at its best) and Nasi Campur (brown rice, egg, eggplant sambal, ladies fingers, tempeh, tofu, emping and paku manis... so glorious you won't notice there is no meat). Portobello Mushroom Ragout... every mouthful speaks of comfort (left). Polenta fries make for a delightful munchie (right). – Pictures by CK Lim With Botanical, owner Benjamin Yong — as always — is just a little ahead of the curve. The man and creative visionary behind the BIG group of restaurants — which includes Ben's, Plan B, Ben's General Food Store and Ben's Independent Grocer, just to name a few — obviously thinks it is about time vegetarians and those of us who want to eat healthier deserve more than just an apology of a vegetarian section in a menu. The culinary cognoscenti will notice quite a few items on the menu which are inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based chef and restaurant owner who also writes a food column in The Guardian. While he himself is not a vegetarian, Ottolenghi is known for his wonderful take on vegetarian food with recipes strong on flavours and fresh combinations. At Botanical, the obvious nods to Ottolenghi are the Chickpeas, Tomato & Bread Soup (let the bread soak up some of the liquid and you will get this thick rib-sticking soup reminiscent of a Tuscan ribbolata), Sweet Potato Cakes (soft, with a light crust... the yoghurt cucumber gives it a fresh lift), Portobello Mushroom Ragout and Very Full Tart (which features assorted roasted vegetables, Ricotta and Feta). Burnt Butter Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Salad... a must-try (left). Eggplant Dengaku... full-on flavours and contrasting textures (right). – Pictures by CK Lim With organic restaurants already popping up all over the city, Botanical has set the bar higher with its bold and innovate menu that will appeal to both vegetarians and flexitarians (that is what we, who are not averse to meat but prefer healthy food, like to call ourselves) alike. I love that the Asian dishes feature brown rice and the fact that mushrooms are done in many different ways here (Burnt Butter Wild Mushrooms & Goat Cheese Salad), Mushroom Carbonara (this one comes complete with a raw egg... like a real Carbonara should), Portobello Mushroom With Brown Rice, Portobello Mushroom Burger and so on. Raw Chocolate Cake... tastes like a decadent Christmas pudding. – Picture by CK Lim Yes, there are soups, salads, starters, pasta, pies, sandwiches and a pretty extensive Asian selection which features Malay, Korean and Japanese dishes. My favourite is the Eggplant Dengaku which features eggplant grilled with a miso paste served with brown rice, the Botanical house salad and a lovely mushroom broth. I am not the only fan of this particular dish. A friend, whose discerning palate makes her one of the best food writers I know, often craves the Eggplant Dengaku and has been known to drive all the way to Bangsar just to eat it! And then, there are the desserts: Early Grey Poached Pear (subtle and elegant), Strawberry Fruit Soup (it is what its name suggests, with an added surprise of pink peppercorn ice-cream and toasted butter cake croutons!), the Raw Chocolate Cake (with its dried fruits and nuts that reminds me of a Christmas pudding), Grilled Spiced Pineapple with Mascarpone (which is a melange of flavours with the thyme-infused honey, and black pepper) and finally, the most decadent of all, the Banana Split with chocolate, raspberry and roasted banana ice-cream, chocolate dipped bananas and biscuit stick. The service at Botanical is also another draw; the wait staff are warm and attentive. I was once there with a raucous group who wanted to take pictures of every dish and our waiter was totally unfazed. He helped to arrange the food on the already-overcrowded table and made sure everybody had everything they needed. Perfect. Lately, I have taken to observing my fellow diners and am happy to note a younger crowd seems to have grown to appreciate Botanical's offerings. Learning that vegetarian food does not have to be bland or artificial (no fake meats here!) may just set them on the path to a healthier way of eating. And that's the thing about love, isn't it? It's kind of infectious. The outside of Botanical feels like a greenhouse or garden. – Picture by Choo Choy May

How to cook with wine Posted: 02 Sep 2012 05:17 PM PDT NEW YORK, Sept 3 — By now, most home cooks are familiar with the cardinal rule echoed by chefs and cookery books everywhere: never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. But sometimes, there's more to it than just adding a splash of wine from any open bottle, depending on cooking times, preparation methods and the recipe itself. For instance, adding a splash of vino to pick up the caramelised bits of seared beef leftover in the pan is one thing.  Emptying the contents of an entire bottle of wine for a slow-braised stew is quite another. To help home cooks uncork the appropriate bottle for the right dish, Relaxnews provides a primer on how to cook with wine. Different dishes require different types of wine. For coq au vin, for instance, try Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti, but avoid heavily oaked reds like Cabernet. — Picture courtesy of ©Joe Gough/shutterstock.com Types of wines If a recipe calls for a dry white wine, choose wines with less than 4g/litre of residual sugar. A dry wine is more acidic than sweet. For example, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Sancerre and dry German Rieslings are good bets. For recipes that call for fruity white wines, consider picking up a Gewurztraminer or Viognier. Light-bodied red wine: Beaujolais, Valpolicella, inexpensive Pinot Noir, Chianti Full-bodied red wine: Cabernets, Merlots, Zinfandels, Brunellos, Burgundy wines Sweet fortified wines like port, sherry, Madeira and Marsala lend depth, nuttiness and richness to dishes. Type of application Red meat, red meat dishes, red sauces: Use a young, full-bodied red wine like Rioja/tempranillo or Beaujolais nouveau Soup, or beef stock: Earthy, full-bodied red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Brunello, Merlot, or Zinfandel Fish, shellfish, seafood, poultry, pork or veal dishes: Use a dry white wine like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly-Fuissé, Rhone Valley or dry fortified wine like vermouth White cream sauces: Use a dry white wine like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly-Fuissé, Rhone Valley or dry fortified wine like vermouth Seafood soups like bouillabaisse: Crisp, dry white wine like Muscadet, Sancerre, Chablis Consommé, poultry, vegetable soups: Dry, fortified wine like sherry. — AFP-Relaxnews

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