The Gala Launch of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2010 (MIGF) was held in the Grand Ballroom, Pyramid One of the Sunway Convention Centre recently. It was a privilege to participate in this gourmet celebration, which is now running for the 10th year!

MIGF is back again!

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Tags: AsiaReach Events, Classic Cuisine, Creative Dishes, Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit, Fine Dining Restaurants, Food Drinks, Gourmet Celebration, Grand Ballroom, Grand Millennium, Heavenly Oasis, Holiday Inn Glenmarie, Holiday Inn Glenmarie Kuala Lumpur, International Gourmet, Japanese Cuisine, Kamaruddin, Magical Chefs, Malaysia International, Malaysia International Gourmet Festival, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Master Chefs, Migf, Pots And Pans, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Convention Centre, Tamarind Springs, Vip Guests, What2seeonline.Com, Yang Bahagia Dato' Steve Day

Wine for Asia (WFA) and the Singapore Tourism Board recently invited many guests to attend their Wine For Asia 2010 Roadshow Presentation Tasting Event. I was down in Kuala Lumpur during the weekend to attend this roadshow, which was held at Vintry, Jaya 33.

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Tags: 29th October, Asian Region, Asia’s Grand Bordeaux Trio Seminar, Bordeaux Wine, Chateau De Seguin, Chateau de Seguin Grand Vin De Bordeaux, Gala Dinner, Gerald Lum, Grand Vin De Bordeaux, Heart Of The City, Malaysia International, Malcolm Tham, Marina Bay, Opening Speech, Saint Clair, Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Seminar Package, Singapore Tourism Board, Thomas Ling, Vin Bordeaux, Vin De Bordeaux, Vintry Jaya 33, Wfa, White Wine, Wine Buff, Wine Event, Wine For Asia, Wine Wine

Dining with a twist would be more appropriate! Imagine holding a piping hot bowl of Hokkien Mee with your bare hands, while eating the steaming hot noodles! It is indeed an interesting experience, all taking place with the bustling traffic of the busy intersection of Jalan Air Itam and Jalan Kampung Melayu just mere steps away!

Air Itam’s famous Hokkien Mee

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Tags: Air Itam, Basic Ingredients, Business Hour, Charcoal, Charcoal Fire, Chili Paste, Flavorful Soup, Hand Towel, Hawker, Hawker Stall, Heat Proof, Hokkien, Hokkien Mee, Hot Chili, Hot Pot, Hot Soup, Kampung, Lean Meat, Mee, Neoh, Noodles, Penang, Penang Food, Penang Hawker Food, Piping, Shallots, Thirty Years

*This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 15th September 2010.

I recently discovered the tempting taste of spices at Passions of Kerala. There are currently two outlets in Penang – one in Gelugor, and the other in New World Park.

The menu in the New World Park outlet consists of banana leaf rice served with an assortment of vegetable dishes as well as other popular curries and fried chicken, squid and fish.

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Tags: Assortments, Badam Milk, Banana Leaf, Banana Leaf Rice, Bitter Gourd, Cardamom, Chilies, Coconut Milk, Crab Masala, Curries, Curry Leaves, Gelugor, Georgetown Penang, Grated Coconut, Jalan Burma, Kerala Cuisine, Lassi, Milk Payasam, Mustard Seeds, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New World Park, Papadums, Passions, Passions of Kerala, Rm5, Rm6, Tasty Bite, Tempting Taste, Tomato Rice, Vegetable Dishes, White Rice

*This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 16th October 2010.

The Villa Maria wine dinner held in Penang bought many food connoisseurs together for a night of fine indulgence. This event was held in the trendy Cassis Restaurant, the fine dining restaurant outlet in the bustling Pulau Tikus area.

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Tags: Aromatic Wine, Black Pepper, Cassis Restaurant, Dark Fruits, Dinner Extravaganza, Duck Breast, Fine Dining Restaurant, Food Connoisseurs, Full Bodied Wine, Gewurztraminer, Ginger Spice, Hawkes Bay, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Private Bin, Pulau Tikus, Red Plum, Reserve Chardonnay, Soft Tannins, Spicy Aromas, Truffle Cream, Villa Maria, William Chong, Wine Dinner, Wine Tasting Event

*This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 20th September 2010.

Wedding dinner held in hotels has seen a huge increase in popularity over recent years. Many venues are having fabulous packages done up by professional wedding planners and banquet team for the wedding dinner reception. Most of the packages displays many specialties catering to the various ethnic groups with everything tailored to each respective needs.

I got the pleasure of being invited to the wedding banquet food tasting session held in Parkroyal Hotel, Penang. The ambiance was simply stunning; the romantic setting of flowers and soft dim lights coupled with tables decorated with tablecloths, exquisite center piece and gold chair covers. Besides that, the floral arrangements and the bouquets of flowers was a sight to behold.

Fried Tiger Prawns served in a delightful basket!

There are several Chinese wedding banquet packages offered by Parkroyal Hotel to suit your needs – the Double Happiness, Dragon Phoenix and Golden Emperor, priced from RM788++ onwards per table, for a minimum booking of 20 tables up to a maximum of 38 tables. The wedding couple can select their favorite dishes from the wedding dinner package.

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Tags: 20th September, Aromatic, Banquet Packages, Chee Seng, Chinese Chef, Chinese Wedding, Course Dinner, Dim Lights, Dinner Reception, Double Happiness, Flavors, Minimum Booking, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Package Menu, Parkroyal Hotel Penang, Parkroyal Penang, Parkroyal Wedding, Penang Wedding, Professional Wedding, Traditional Chinese Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Banquet, Wedding Celebration, Wedding Couple, Wedding Dinner Package, Wedding Foods, Wedding Package, Wedding Planners

A trip to Down Under Australia in the multicultural city of Perth!

I was awed by the beautiful city of Perth with some of its awesome tourist attractions. The Swan Bell Tower is Perth’s dynamic landmark, with a height of 82.5 metres and an outdoor observation deck.

This attraction is located on Riverside Drive, overlooking the picturesque Swan River. This icon of Perth with a stunning view of the river and the city is a popular destination for holding functions.

Swan Bell Tower

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Tags: 44 King Street, Apricot Cashew Nut Tart, Asian Cuisines, Cafes And Restaurants, Cappucinno, Central Area Transport Service (CATS), Central Business District, Charming Ambiance, Charming Ambience, City Of Perth, Dandaragan Olive Oil, Didgeridoo, Down Under, Earl Grey Tea, European Style Restaurant, Fashion Label, Fruit Bread, Hay Street Mall, His Majesty’s Theatre Perth, Hot Beverages, Hummer Limo, King Street Tasting Plate, London Court, Multicultural City, Mushroom With Beetroot, Olive Bread, Olive Oil Australia, Outdoor Observation Deck, Peaceful River, Perth Town Hall, Riverside Drive, Saint Georges Terrace, Signboard, Sourdough Bread, Swan Bell Tower, Swan River

*This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 9th October 2010.

A trip to Perth will never be quite complete without a visit to the legendary Italian restaurant located in a quiet neighborhood of South Perth  in Western Australia. The locals are very proud to recommend Ciao Italia, a quaint little place which serves up typical and authentic home style Italian cuisine!

This restaurant owned by an Italian started off as a takeaway diner, however its popularity grew over the years and it slowly expanded from five to fifteen tables, all holed within the small shop!

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Tags: Chewy, Chopped Onions, Chopped Tomatoes, Ciao Italia, Cith of Perth, Cozze, Cozze Pescatora, Crusty Bread, Home Style, Inten, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurant, Little Caesars, Mill Point Road, Mussels, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Orderly Manner, Perth Australia, Piece Of Bread, Quiet Neighborhood, Smoked Salmon Pizza, South Perth, Spaghetti Marinara, Takeaway, Thick Piece, Tiny Table, Tomato Gravy, Western Australia, Wood Fire

The Spaniards started it, the Aussies are enjoying it and so did myself. It was a day full of fun and food in my Perth holiday. After half a day of shopping in Fremantle, I met a few of my relatives and headed down to Chocolateria San Churro on Freo’s cafe strip.

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Tags: Black Chocolate, Chocolate Dipping Sauce, Chocolate Drink, Chocolate Pieces, Chocolate Strawberry, Chocolate Tapas Platter, Chocolateria, Chocolateria San Churro, Churro, Churros, Couverture Black White Chocolate, Couverture Chocolate, First Bite, Fondue for Two, Fremantle Perth, Freo, Glass Panel, Half A Day, Hot Chocolate, Hot Oil, Perth, S Cafe, Spanish Chocolate, Spanish Sweets, Spanish Version, Strawberry Bowl, Sweet Chocolate, Sweeten thy Soul, Western Australia, White Chocolate, White Hot Chocolate