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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Singapore businessman takes over St. John Hotel in London

Posted: 07 Jan 2013 06:26 PM PST

Singapore businessman takes over St. John Hotel in London

LONDON, Jan 8 — News that a Singaporean hotelier has taken over popular London chef Fergus Henderson's latest venture, the St. John Hotel, has become the talk of the town in the British food world.

"King of offal" Fergus Henderson. — AFP pic

Henderson, known as the "king of offal" for pioneering the nose-to-tail concept of dining in London, opened the St. John Hotel in Leicester Square in April 2011 after the project suffered a series of setbacks that put the hotel in the red by millions of pounds, reports the London Evening Standard.

The 15-room hotel is now under the ownership of Singaporean hotelier Loh Lik Peng. And while the restaurant's head chef Tom Harris will remain at the helm, Caterer and Hotelkeeper report that Henderson will no longer be involved in the hotel he founded, stripping the establishment of much of its star power and spurring at least one Twitterer to tweet, "Travesty".

The restaurant earned its first Michelin star a year after opening and offers whole, roasted suckling pig and roast chicken dinners.

The change at the helm is getting added attention with word that a roster of celebrity investors such as visual artists Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Peter Doig, gallery owner Sadie Coles, American painter Elizabeth Peyton and writer Guy Kennaway may be set to lose their investments.

Other St. John outposts include locations near Smithfield Market, Spitalfields Market and a standalone bakery on Druid Street. — AFP/Relaxnews

A very Baba new year

Posted: 07 Jan 2013 03:58 PM PST

Mee siam (left); fried chicken with kunyit and sambal fish (right). – Pictures by CK Lim

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Joy to the world! The Mayan-prophesied apocalypse didn't take place, thank heavens, and it's a brand new year. This is always a reason to celebrate, and my friends and I have an annual New Year's Day brunch tradition. After all, what's better than good food and great company to welcome another 365 happy days?

Finding a suitable place for our first meal of 2013 was proving to be quite a challenge though. After all the fancy and rich food over the year-end holidays, we craved something simple yet satisfying. No more foie gras or truffles, please.

Nyonya laksa.

A Baba brunch in Bangsar

So it came as a pleasant surprise when our ringleader suggested an old standby — Baba Low's 486 Bangsar. Yes, it is located in the trendy and affluent neighbourhood of Bangsar but this homey kedai makan eschews the fashionable for honest fare that would bring a (possibly toothless) smile to any Ah Pek's face.

Tucked away along the narrow Lorong Kurau (this old residential area is known for its eccentric "fishy" street names such as Bilis, Tenggiri and Sepat), Baba Low's may not really stand out with its concrete floor and worn wooden tables but that's part of its old-time charm.

My partner-in-crime and I arrive early. Famished, we gleefully order from the menu scrawled in chalk on a blackboard that looks like it was borrowed from Malacca High, my alma mater. It has the same, not-quite-fully-dusted appearance. (The blackboard, not my school.)

My theory might not be entirely off the mark as Baba Low's serves authentic Malaccan Peranakan dishes (which I find to be less spicy and rich than what usually passes off as Peranakan cuisine in Klang Valley). Being one-eighth Peranakan and 100 per cent Malaccan, this means I'm delighted by the open packet of mee siam; a tangy toss of vermicelli, fishcake slices, half hard-boiled egg, fried shallots, julienned omelette and cucumber, served with a dollop of spicy sambal.

This is the perfect breakfast or at least a perfect prelude to the rest of brunch as we intend to eat well and make merry today. My partner loves the sambal fried fish and fried chicken with kunyit (turmeric), surprisingly light and not greasy.

Traditional kopi and eggs (left); pai tee (right).

Pai Tee of Five

Soon the rest of our little band arrives and they are hungry too. Imagine a starving and raucous version of the '90s TV series Party of Five (five siblings plus a couple of hang-on boyfriends/girlfriends) and you'd have an idea of how we more or less took over the entire place with our mirth and chatter.

While waiting for more food, one of our feline-friendly friends is much taken with one of the neighbourhood kittens. She asks her partner if she could take it home. "No!" he thunders in mock objection, and we all laugh at the sad face she makes.

Steamed okra with sambal.

She is soon placated by the dishes that come to the table: pai tee — "top hats" brimming with shredded turnip, crunchy cucumber, omelette threads, fried shallots; a plate of steamed okra simply adorned with a drizzle of sambal; and even half a dozen of addictive honey mustard chicken wings for finger-licking snacking.

The pièce de résistance has to be Baba Low's trademark Nyonya laksa — noodles the way you like it (I prefer a mee/meehoon mix) covered with a light soup that's more broth than curry. The usual suspects are here — you can't go wrong with ingredients such as more julienned cucumber (its refreshing bite is a trait of Peranakan cuisine), prawns, hard-boiled egg, tau pok (beancurd skin) and fresh cockles.

Every mouthful contains a little bit of Malacca and memories for me. A must have.

A toast to toast (and half-boiled eggs)

The proprietor Victor Low, a 36-year-old former bank executive and fellow Malaccan boy, walks over to our table, bemused by our merriment and gluttony. He asks if we are sure we had enough and whether we would like some half-boiled kampung eggs? Our reply: No, and definitely yes!

After all, what's brunch without plenty of eggs, especially free-range ones? Their almost-orange yolks swirl in a sea of pristine white, waiting for a splash of soy sauce and a generous hit of pepper. Dunk in toasted roti for a taste of the kopitiam breakfasts of yore.

Of course, just before we hit the road and discover what 2013 has to offer us, we can't resist ordering a bowl or two of cendol. Its magnificent shaved ice sculpture is liberally soaked with coconut milk and gula Melaka for a sweet ending (or a sweet beginning, as it were).

How to enjoy half-boiled eggs, kopitiam-style.

After moving to KL many a year ago, I haven't often had the chance to sample my state's fare. The food at Baba Low's reminds me of family and of my school friends. Here in fast-paced KL, everyone is out to try out the best and the newest dish or restaurant, which may not always deliver or satisfy.

Worse, sometimes they disappoint terribly. We have learned to be very wary and weary of the chase for the newest and the first. So it's nice to have a little part of my hometown transferred here.

This feels like home not because of the food and atmosphere alone, but also thanks to the new family we have managed to make for ourselves. What a blessed way to begin a brand new year!

Baba Low's 486 Bangsar
1, Lorong Kurau, Off Jalan Maa'rof, 59100, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2284 8486 / 012-324 7200
Open daily 7:00am - 7:00pm

Cendol (left); a neighbourhood kitten (right).

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Isnin, 7 Januari 2013