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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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Starbucks to open first store in India next month Posted: 28 Sep 2012 10:11 PM PDT Customers wait in line to place their orders at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet in Mumbai on July 18, 2012. — AFP/Relaxnews MUMBAI, Sept 29 — Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee chain, said yesterday it will open its first outlet in India next month as it seeks to tap the beverage's growing popularity in a country famed for its love of tea. Seattle-based Starbucks, which has eyed the Indian market for years, has chosen to launch operations in financial and entertainment hub Mumbai. "The store will open October-end," Starbucks' Asia-Pacific and China president John Culver said in a statement, without disclosing a specific date. The firm is entering India in a joint venture with the nation's beverage-to-steel Tata conglomerate, making an initial US$78 million (RM24 million) investment. India is primarily a tea-drinking nation, but in recent years lifestyle changes and rising incomes have spawned a booming market for cafes. Still, India's annual per capita coffee consumption is just 82 grams — far below that of 6.79 kilograms in Germany and 5.87 kg in Brazil, according to data from the International Coffee Organisation. Starbucks said the espresso coffee served in India will be sourced and roasted locally from Tata Coffee, one of the largest coffee plantation firms in the world. "This is an important part of delivering a locally relevant experience to our customers," Culver said. Baked goods will be tailored to suit local tastes while lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks will also be on the menu, the statement said. The Tata-Starbucks venture's chief executive will be Avani Saglani Davda, who has held other senior posts with the Tata group. Appetite for coffee is growing as the nations sees an explosion of trendy Western-style cafes catering to an increasing number of young professionals. The new outlet will appear in south Mumbai's Horniman Circle — a park-like commercial area near banks, residential neighborhoods and luxury hotels. The US giant will be competing against Indian-owned Cafe Coffee Day, which dominates the market, and foreign chains such as Britain's Costa Coffee and US rivals Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf that are well established in big Indian cities. — AFP/Relaxnews

Steamboat at Chef Choi: Haute stuff Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:53 PM PDT Spanish milk-fed lamb... a quick swirl in the soup and it's done. KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Each of the dinners we have had at Chef Choi has been a surprise and the latest one earlier this month was no different. We had been invited to a steamboat dinner but of course, this was no ordinary steamboat dinner. This was a luxe version of the humble favourite or as one of my dining companions quipped, "This is no steamboat... it's a steam yacht!" The evening kicked off with some chicken liver pate and crackers which chef/owner Chan Thye Seng will soon feature on the regular menu. We were fortunate to get a preview of this smooth, creamy pate which had hints of spices — coriander and cumin — that evening.  Steamed Hokkaido scallop on the shell... super delicious. Then we went on to sushi, an unlikely menu item in a Chinese restaurant... but then again, this restaurant turns out fabulous Thai, Spanish and English dishes — not forgetting the pate earlier — regularly. Chef Chan is planning to set up a sushi counter in Chef Choi soon and if what we had that evening was anything to go by, this is going to be a fabulous addition to the local dining scene. We began with sushi made with Kinki fish, a small red Japanese fish that's defined by its sweetness and smooth texture. This rockfish is not easily found in Kuala Lumpur so don't give this a miss when the sushi counter opens at Chef Choi. Next up was Hokkaido scallops. We had this in a sushi as well as steamed whole in its shell.  Both were incredibly good.  The latter with a classic spring onion sauced was flavourful. The scallop is soft and soft with a little bite that gives into the lovely translucent centre.  The Matsuzaka beef... it was like velvet in the mouth. The fringe or muscle of the scallop was then lightly fried to give us springy, delightful bites. Cold smoked salmon from Scotland got the sushi treatment too, and its smokiness lingered in the mouth. Then came the main course. Nothing but the best ingredients for this luxurious version: the Matsuzaka beef grade 5, Iberico pork, Spanish milk-fed lamb, fresh crabs, sea garoupa, crystal prawns, deepfried beancurd skin, prawn balls, fish balls, fish noodles and  fine Hong Kong wantan noodles. We savoured the different meats, slice by slice, swirling them quickly in the soup with our chopsticks. We wanted it just right, with the heat of the soup merely touching it, not overcooking anything. The Spanish milk-fed lamb wowed with its super tender, juicy and naturally sweet meat. Some of it went back to the kitchen for quick sautéing and this intensified its flavour. Matsuzaka beef, its creaminess enhanced by its level of marbling, was velvet in the mouth after a light cooking in the superior stock bubbling in the steamboat. The Iberico pork was smooth and flavourful too done the same way.  The luxurious ingredients for our steamboat dinner. In the meantime, we couldn't get enough of the crispy deepfried beancurd skin. As quickly as they appeared, a dozen hands reached out and they quickly disappeared. Dipped into the stock, it tasted even better. They were so addictive. I liked the prawn balls which were made in-house. You could get the taste and flavour of fresh prawns with every bite. Then the crabs, prawns and the lovely sliced sea garoupa went into the soup, each delivering its own intrinsic sweetness, to the already flavourful stock. And it was time to savour the soup. While it had a certain subtleness before, now there were layers of flavours from the various ingredients that had cooked in it. The vegetables went in next, but not before we had ladled the soup over fine, springy Hong Kong wantan noodles and the bouncy fish noodles. I enjoyed these immensely. Kinki fish sushi... a rare treat in Kuala Lumpur. As a special request, we ended our meal with something that is no longer on Chef Choi's large menu — Loh Mai Kai or glutinous rice with chicken. Instead of the dark brown and oily version you find at most other restaurants, the one here is white with a whole salted egg yolk, minced meat and dried scallop. The whole thing is wrapped in a lotus leaf and is absolutely delightful. The steamboat needs to be ordered in advance, together with whatever ingredients you fancy. And if you ask nicely, they might do the Loh Mai Kai for you too. Chef Choi is located at 159 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2163 5866, website www.chefchoi.com.

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