Review: Deepavali Delights at Makan Kitchen, Double Tree by Hilton

**Certified Halal by JAKIM**


It was a wet evening and we left early to avoid the infamous traffic jam in the city centre to head to The Intermark along Jalan Tun Razak. Was surprised there were just only 3 of us for the cooking demo cum Deepavali Delights review for some food bloggers held at Makan Kitchen at Double Tree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Apparently the rest can't make it for the preview. Kinda shy to have so many people fussing over us.

Deepavali Delights started on 1 Nov and will be on till 30 Nov in conjunction of Deepavali which falls on 13 Nov. For these 30 days, you'll get to savour more than 30 delicious Indian dishes prepared whole heartedly by Chef Prem Kumar, Indian Sous Chef and his team of chefs of Makan Kitchen.

So for this special occassion, stick to the live interactive Indian kitchen to a sumptuous spread ranging from Chicken Varuval, Butter Chicken, Mutton Saag, Tandoori Chicken, various naans and for the vegetarians just don't fret as there will be something suitable for you like Aloo Gobhi, Okra Masala, Spinach Kuttu and so forth. For those with sweet tooth, it will be a galore to sample on the elaborate Indian sweets and I was told there will be a live demonstration on how to make muruku!

We were delighted to have Chef Prem to hold a rather personal cooking lesson for us. He showed us how to make a Mutton Saag which is a North Indian style mutton with spinach. Gosh so easy actually when all these while I thought making Indian dishes would be rather elaborate. It was just to fry up the dry spices followed up by aromatics like onions, ginger, garlic before adding chopped spinach and pre-boiled mutton pieces to cook for another 10 minutes and tadaaaa can dish up already!

Chef Azri dropped by and he told us that we MUST try Chef Prem's Butter Chicken - the best he ever eaten, he claimed! So we can't wait.
Chef Prem proceded to showed us how to make the muruku dough and impart some secrets hehe on how to get crispy muruku. All of us get to try out on how to press the dough out. It's not easy as shown by the pro. The dough is not totally soft, hence it does need some strength to press the dough into spiraling circles.

BoiBoi had a go

Capt'n Hook's turn

After the demo, we were lead to a huge dining table and in no time the entire table is filled with mouth watering dishes. Started off with Tomato Rasam. My fave soup as it's spicy and tangy which according to my Indian ex-colleagues that it aids digestion.

We have Cheese Naan which is a flat bread stuffed with Cheddar cheese before baking in the tandoor oven. The naan went well with the tender and flavourful Tandoori Chicken.

The naan was great to mop up the rich spinach laden Mutton Saag too! Only mildly hot to my palate.

Chicken Varuval is basically a spicy chicken cooked with dry chilli. I have a totally different version of this and was given rave reviews. Check out the recipe if you wish to attempt the modern version of it.

Goshhhh Chef Azri was so right... the Butter Chicken is simply out of this world! The tender pieces of chicken melts in the mouth along with the creamy yoghurt tomato gravy. For buffet, I usually will sample a piece of everything but this was so good that I had 3 pieces :p

Fish Jalfrezi is a change for those who can't tolerate hot stuff, this is pretty mild slightly on the sweet and sour side.

Another favourite amongst us is Chicken Lollipop. The lollipops are made using chicken wing parts where the meat is gently scraped to the bottom leaving a bone sticking out. The meat is so well marinade that it was just good on its own. The slight tangy sauce with a hint of chilli is good with the lollipop too.

Next up we tried the South Indian Prawn Curry which is quite hearty as it uses tamarind juice to give the curry a little lift.

No Indian meal is complete without a briyani. So we have a Murgh Briyani. Loved how the aromatic Basmathi rice are cooked with each grain separated nicely. I did a count... at least 10 types of dry spices in this dish! Dig deeper into the rice for the chicken pieces.

Lastly, our must haves - the vegetable dishes, a lovely Okra Masala which is cooked with an onion masala followed by ever popular Aloo Gobhi of potato and cauliflower.

We were so stuffed but yet looked forward to the Indian sweets after hearing how Chef Prem made the kulfi. We tried both Mango and Vanilla Kulfi. These are not the smooth kinda as crushed nuts like almonds are added for the flavour and texture. When Chef Prem asked which one did we preferred and seems like everyone at the table voted for the mango version.

We also have Laddoo, Jelebee and Palgova which are not the sickly sweet version. Great that the sweetness level had toned down but not sure if the traditionalist would like it :p

Samantha who represented Sharifah Anisa to host us requested for Rasamalai which was served to the press the night before. It's my first time hearing and seeing this dessert. Chef Prem explained that malai means milk and the white ball in the bowl is made by simmering milk with lemon juice like making paneer. After straining, the solids are then freeze, grated and then make into balls before soaking in warm water. The white liquid in there is just milk cooked with blended sugar and cardamom. The balls are then soaked in this perfumed milk over night in the chiller before serving the next day. Sounded so laborious huh? After a bite, I totally understand why Samantha asked for it again. The texture of the ball is spongy, so unexpected and sooo nice. Went extremely well with the lightly cardamom scented milk.

Makan Kitchen is a halal certified 350-seat restaurant which offers 3 live interactive kitchen dishing out Indian, Iban, Malay, Kristang, Chinese and Nyonya favourites.

The buffet is priced at:
Lunch: RM62++ per adult / Dinner RM85++ per adult

Weekend High tea RM55+ per adult

On Deepavali day itself, the first 500 guests at the retaurant will receive the 10 Best Malaysian-Indian recipe book produced by Makan Kitchen! I'm so lucky to have one copy, will definitely share the recipes once I get started cooking them especially the muruku :p

Oh ya there will be a Deepavali Cooking Class on 3 November headed by Chef Prem.

The details:

Date: 3 Nov
Time: 12.30pm,

Price: RM65++ inclusive of high tea and a recipe book

The class is limited to minimum 5 persons and up to a maximum of 15 persons. Prior registration is required. So hurry and book a place if you wish to learn all these mouth watering dishes.

To reserve, call 03 2172 7272 or click here to book online.

We would like to thank Sharifah Anisa, Samantha, Amirool, Chef Prem and his kitchen team, Chef Azri, Nazly and staff at Makan Kitchen for hosting us to such a gastronomy fare.


Makan Kitchen
DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
The Intermark
182 Jalan Tun Razak,
Kuala Lumpur,
50400 Malaysia
Tel: +603 2172 7272


Note: Visit my Flickr album to view more photos from this experience

Review: Sunday Masquerades @ Shook!

Opportunity to spend Sunday at leisure while sipping champagne and feasting to a smorgasbord of gourmet offerings doesn't come often for us at least. Thanks to my friend, Kevin Eu, we were invited to Shook!'s latest offering of a champagne brunch that starts from noon to 5.00pm touting to be one of the longest brunch in Kuala Lumpur at least! This champagne brunch is not your ordinary brunch served with champagne cos be prepared to party with your masks on that is with the theme Sunday Masquerades.



As you walked into Shook! located at the Feast Village of Starhill, you'll be greeted by a bevy of beauties and handsome lads in Venetian costumes. Tables are decorated with ornate masks, "gems" in all shapes and glittery. The wait staffs and chefs are equally dressed up as well, some as court jesters, and one can't help but to feel nothing but festivities in the air. There's even a band to entertain diners and it doesn't stop just there.



For the younger ones, there's a clown occupying them with the art of balloon sculpting. A magician goes round playing tricks on your eyes and even shared how some of these tricks are done ;-) BoiBoi was totally enthralled! The atmosphere is totally carnival-like. So put on your masks and get on with the party!!!



Laurent Perrier Champagne is served free flow whilst teetotalers can opt for mocktails specially created for this brunch. The buffet brunch showcases offerings from the Japanese kitchen, Western grill, Italian kitchen and the Chinese kitchen that also dishes out Vietnamese and Thai dishes.





For starters, there is a seafood bar with towering prawns, fresh and baked oysters, smoked salmon and gravlax.





BoiBoi kept going to the antipasti section where a huge selection of cheeses, cold and cured meats, large variety of marinaded tomatoes, roasted vegetables and olives. Freshly baked breads of all shapes and sizes, crackers, fruits and nuts to go with them. We loved the novelty of having a cheese drum to toss our Caesar Salad in.











Over at the Japanese section, we satisfied our palate with sashimi, sushis, and some cold appetisers. At the Chinese side, we managed some cold jelly fish, dim sum, Thai fish cakes and there's even a pretty Thai lady dishing out my som tam upon order.















The day we went, it was Hari Raya Aidiladha, hence there's a small selection of must haves like lemang, ketupat, rendang, serunding, kuah kacang, masak lodeh and kuih-muih.



For mains, you'll get some grill actions and be prepared to juicy chicken, lamb or beef served with their appropriate sauces. There's even a whole lamb on a spit roaster! Apart from buffet, all the four kitchens are all fired up to cook up your choices of mains in the ala carte menu. You can find this menu on your table or as per listed on the blackboard at each kitchen. Ordering from a wait staff would be great here as they would know which table to bring your order to. As we went on the second Sunday, there were some minor glitches on the ordering which we feedback to Kevin and he acknowledged that as one of their main problem with the brunch staff who are not as knowledgeable as those in dinner service. He assured us that action will be taken on this and I do trust he will ;-)





A special mention to the excellent risotto that was done perfectly for Capt'n Hook's baked mussels.







We went easy with the food as the dessert counter is something ought not to be missed! BoiBoi has been eyeing on the gelati cart the moment we stepped in. The gelati are from Gelatomio and you can opt for hand scooped or like our BoiBoi, he preferred the pre-packed version.







There are lots of luxurious chocolate desserts, some laced with gold flakes, others like macarons and profiteroles turned into high tower of decadent delicacies. Pavlovas, pannacotta, fresh honeycombs, cheesecakes and handmade chocolates are available too to satiate everyone's sweet tooth.







There are also desserts made ala minute so just place your order at the counter. Remember to check the counters right at the entrance as there were just too much desserts to be offered inside lol.







This Masquerade Brunch is available every Sunday from noon to 5.00pm. The price per person is RM268++ for free flow of champagne or RM158++ for non-alcholic drinks and RM88++ for children above 6 years of age. I'm very surprised at the turn out as it was almost fully occupied so remember to call to make your reservation at +03 2782 3875.



Pssst... there are a whole lot more photos on my Flickr album.


Shook!
Feast Village, Starhill Gallery
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +03 2782 3875