The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Kampung food rules at this Ramadan buffet Posted: 24 Jul 2013 07:07 PM PDT I was at the Makanan Kampung corner of the Ramadan buffet at the Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, and I wanted to try as much of the food here as possible. I hit upon the Masak Lemak Rebung and loved it. The hot and tart curry was delicious with the crunchy slices of bamboo shoot in it. I couldn't resist the Masak Lemak Nenas Ikan Masin which was hot and sour, with sweetness from pineapple and a salty lift from the fried salted fish in it. I also liked the pumpkin with sayur manis in yet another lemak curry sauce. The food was surprisingly light in spite of all this "lemak" style of cooking. I found out later from chef de partie Hamdan Harun and Irizun Ahmad that they had been careful with the use of coconut milk in the various dishes, and had also been light-handed with oil, salt and sugar. The hotel probably has the cheapest hotel Ramadan buffet in Kuala Lumpur, priced at just RM55 nett for adults, and RM38 nett for children from age six to 12. It has the scenic setting of stalls lined up around the pool on the third floor of the hotel, and a large, colourfully decorated function room opens out to this. The roast lamb was placed next to the biryani rice to complement it. If we had given up queuing, we could have had the next best thing – biryani with lamb kurma, chicken tandoori and cabbage, Indian style. We did have some beef and chicken satay which was accompanied by an appetizing sauce that more chilli in it, with some roasted peanuts rather than the usual sweet, sweet sauce loaded with peanuts and sugar. I made a beeline for the Pembuka Selera stall where I helped myself to some acar buah, kerabu daging, kerabu sotong and Thai papaya salad or somtam. Hot and sour food helps to balance the richness of the curry dishes, as do the fresh ulam eaten with the various sambal, and tempoyak, which is my favourite. After passing by the man frying murtabak a few times, I just had to have a taste. I was glad I did. It was a light, thin murtabak filled with minced chicken and fried with egg, and it was delicious. There are 120 dishes on this buffet, and it's impossible to eat every one of them. For us there was no more room for Sup Daging Berempah, Bubur Lambuk (a light porridge with chicken and spices), Nasi Kandar, Ayam Panggang, Ayam Masak Merah, Daging Masak Kicap dan Lada, Ayam Percik, Mee Siam, Tomyam Noodles, among many other dishes. But there's something for everyone, including children, who would have been happy with the macaroni cheese, spaghetti and mushroom soup, as well as five flavours of ice-cream, jellies and puddings. Vistana Hotel is located at 9 Jalan Lumut, off Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-4042 8000. – July 25, 2013. |
| Starbucks enters the Greek yoghurt trend with Dannon Posted: 24 Jul 2013 04:51 PM PDT After its foray into fresh pressed juices, energy drinks and handcrafted sodas, coffee giant Starbucks has now set its sights on one of the fastest-growing food segments among US households: Greek yogurt. In partnership with yogurt maker Dannon (the US subsidiary of Danone in Paris), Starbucks is developing ready-to-eat parfait Greek yogurt products that will line store shelves next spring under the Evolution Fresh brand. The same products will also be sold in grocery stores the following year in 2015. An international expansion will launch in target markets during a second phase. The partnership is a strategic one that touches on the soaring popularity of Greek yogurt within North American households, a relatively recent dairy discovery that has built a major fan base among consumers for its unctuous, rich taste. Greek yogurt is made by straining the whey, a method that produces a thicker, creamier consistency. According to trade publication Packaged Facts, Greek yogurt can be credited single-handedly for the boom in yogurt consumption in the US last year, where sales rose nearly 7 percent from 2011 to US$7.3 billion (RM21.9 billion). "Greek yogurt surged from being just a sliver of the yogurt market in 2007 to becoming the most important trend in the industry, albeit at the expense of non-Greek yogurt dollar and unit sales," says the report. For its part, Dannon is eyeing the US market for growth. While yogurt consumption in North America has experienced what Packaged Facts describes as a "sea change" due to the arrival of the Greek yogurt segment, there's still relatively low penetration in the US, presenting yogurt makers with ample potential for growth. Similarly, as a regular morning pitstop for many consumers on their way to work, adding Greek yogurt to their shelves bolsters Starbucks' hold in the breakfast, health and wellness segment. The collaboration with Starbucks is the latest strategy out of Dannon to edge out rival brand Chobani. Last year, Dannon opened what it markets as a gourmet yogurt bar called The Yogurt Culture Company in New York, where customers can build their own parfaits, smoothies and juices. Chobani likewise opened Chobani SoHo in New York, which it bills as a Mediterranean yogurt bar. – AFP/Relaxnews, July 25, 2013. |
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