FRAT MUSTARDGrowing Malaysia’s Food & Beverage Industry

708.26.10 Berbuka Puasa at Paya Serai, Hilton PJ

Frat Mustard to Restaurants  

Social media showed its ugly side this week when Brad Lau a.k.a. ladyironchef was accused of being a freeloader (among other nasty comments). Click here to read where the mess started. I don’t know Brad (in fact, I’ve only heard of ladyironchef twice and assumed it was a lady behind the blog) but while some people I know were busy tweeting, retweeting, judging, accusing, commenting, slandering… I was on MSN with a close food blogger friend and we were both quite upset with the type of negativity that built up so quickly after only reading one article from one source. Social media (especially food bloggers, from my observation) were so quick to turn on one of their own.

Fortunately, there were a few well respected individuals in the social media scene who called for calm and not to judge Brad so quickly. I think that was mighty mature of them. Very frankly, I felt nothing for Brad, the restaurant or the PR agency involved… after all, I have no dealings with any of these parties. That said, what made me sad was to witness social media destroying its own credibility in a viral fashion… so quick to tear down one of our own and without any hard evidence. You see, I am constantly faced with an uphill task of having to convince restaurants and trade partners that social media is a relevant tool for them… and this incident just made my job a wee-bit harder.

… but hey… it is the month of Ramadhan. A month of humility, apologies and forgiveness. If reading this has made you feel bad, I think you would feel a lot better after you write an apology to Brad just like HungryEpicurean has done here. We all make mistakes but owning up takes courage… I have respect for those who have owned up. KY wrote a brilliant post summing up this incident here.

OoOooOoOo serious serious stuff on Frat Mustard’s blog, “oh so uncomfortable”, “won’t he change the tone of the post”… eerrr where was I again? Owning up, apologies… ahhh yes, I have an apology to make… Sorry Elaine and Shiuan (the MARCOM ladies at Hilton PJ), I ate up all the food at Paya Serai!

Every year, Paya Serai does a massive Buka Puasa spread which brings in a ridiculous crowd (some days as many as 700 diners). They have so many bookings that they have to extend their dining space almost into the lobby. Last week, Elaine had invited Tham Jiak, jasonmumbles, Memoirs of a Chocoholic and I to join in the festivities and sample their Citarasa Kampung buffet. Simply amazing. This wasn’t a case of what they had… but rather what didn’t they have… which was none, I mean they had everything… GAHH!! Double negatives are confusing. I quote from the media release/kit…

“Serving an extravagant spread of over 100 local as well as international delights, the extensive buffet contains a large variety of choices and because it is changed every day, you will always have something new to try!”
End quote.

Bigger slice please…

Grilled beef… oh so tender… oooh so juicy… perfectly timed

… the kind that you don’t flex

… boiiinnnggg!

My heart skips a beat…

Citarasa Kampung theme

A popular station among guests… the durian one is awesome

Local desserts

Ice kacang station

Local fruits fighting for attention

Chefs busy preparing for the swarm

More peanuts please!

Ekor assam pedas… friend on the plate… enemy on the throne

Squid rings… another familiar heart stopper… yumm yummm

Chicken satay served with thick peanut sauce

So if you thinking of treating yourself to a good Ramadhan buffet… don’t waste any more energy thinking (save that for the eating). The Ramadhan buffet will be available until 9th September, 7pm to 10:30pm daily. The buffet is priced at RM109++ per adult and RM69++ for children. For more information visit ZestPJ.com .

Please note that advanced booking is essential. For reservations call 03-7955 9122.

Paya Serai
Hilton Petaling Jaya
No 2 Jalan Barat, 46200 Petaling Jaya

Thanks Hilton PJ and foodies for a lovely evening… I hope to see you all real soon! Selamat Berbuka Puasa!

408.18.10 Time Out KL Food Awards

Frat Mustard to Features, Restaurants — Tags: ,  

Last year was the inaugural Time out KL Food Awards. Although I voted, I felt there were flaws with how votes were collected. One of the major issues I had with it was that you HAD to vote for every category of food before you could submit your votes. This means if you know nothing about Chinese food, you still had to vote for something… randomly! As all categories were displayed from a dropdown list, if you didn’t know anything about Chinese food, you’d most likely select the first option displayed for that category. This is not representative of the voting intentions as one may only be familiar with 3 categories of food but kinda forced to vote for everything. There were other issues… but I won’t bring them up.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not tearing down the Time Out KL Food Awards. In fact, I support the idea… and I also commend the team… simply because they have improved (if they didn’t improve, I would not support the awards). They have taken feedback from last year and improved the voting system. This shows progress… and progress is good. It isn’t perfect yet… but I reckon if the team at Time Out continue to take the feedback positively, the system, procedures and processes will eventually mature (over the years) and this annual food awards will be something Time Out KL can be proud of. Above all… I like it because they have given power to the people and not just judged it themselves.

Anyhooo… go check it out, nominate and vote! If you think something can be improved… give constructive feedback. I have already submitted my feedback this time round.

Thanks Mongoose for introducing the Time Out KL Food Awards 2010 and answering our questions and thanks Il Lido for being such wonderful hosts. I totally dig the rooftop bar at Il Lido. It was really a fun night catching up with the rest of the foodies.

Related blog post on Time Out KL Food Awards 2009 written by Queen Boo… click here.

208.10.10 California Pizza Kitchen, KLCC

Frat Mustard to Restaurants  

Last month, Aly had invited me to be her date on a food review at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), KLCC. I agreed because Aly + Fat Boy Bakes + Frat Mustard = C2H5OH … or something like that (not so good with my Chemistry). One thing is for certain though; the sum is greater than the parts… and this time the head of this triumvirate, Fat Boy Bakes was not around… so our drinking was kept to minimal… during dinner. Just as well too…

You see, we were joined by the heads of Golden Pillars (S) Pte Ltd that owns California Pizza Kitchen in Malaysia. Shentley Tan (Director of Operations) and Amy Quek (Corporate Communications Manager) were among the team who flew in to host us foodies. Can you imagine? They came all the way just to introduce the latest items on their menu… and best of all they were such lovely people. Aly and I were really honoured that they made the time. I have attended too many badly managed media functions where the restaurateurs dump the press kits and leave us with the incapable hands of an inexperienced employee. The other foodies who attended that evening were Jason Mumbles, wordspics, Gary Lim and perutbesi.

Anyway, I had accepted this invitation with no expectations of the place… not because it has a bad rep but because I didn’t know anything about CPK. Even upon arriving, I scratched my head as I glanced through the menu and saw everything from Pizza to Tortilla to Thai Crunch Salad on the menu. Midway through the meal I think I got them figured out. Here is my interpretation… CPK isn’t trying to represent food from California. They are in the business of serving familiar, easy to eat; evergreen favourites using fresh and high quality produce… even if it means flying it in. They maintain the quality of food and service by following the franchise guidelines to a tee. They monitor everything very closely from Singapore and cut no corners (… as you can see, they sent their heads to host dinner in Malaysia). I am sure that all the success they have had at KLCC has come with a lot of hard work.

First up was the Moroccan Chicken Salad. It really has everything in it… roasted butternut squash, dates, fresh avocado, toasted almonds, fresh beets, chopped egg, carrots, dried cranberries and red bell peppers. Tossed with Honey-Dijon vinaigrette. Great flavour and great textures. Fantastic opening dish.

“Cholula?”
Me: “Ohhh… yes please!”
In my head music played… “Her name was Lula… she was a showgirl… ” –music stops abruptly-

*sigh* I thought I was going to meet some spicy Mexican-Brazilian chick. Oh well.

Next was the Sonora Egg Rolls. Grilled lime chicken, roasted corn & black bean salsa, Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, fire-roasted mild chillies, green onions and cilantro, hand-wrapped in a crispy wonton roll. Served with tomatillo salsa and ranchito sauce. These disappeared from the serving plates very quickly.

… and just before we could wipe the smile and egg rolls off our faces, the Pesto Cream Penne was presented. Basil pine nut pesto cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Our hosts reminded us to take it easy because the superstars were about to be brought out.

… and then there was PIZZA!

Chilli flakes, Cholula, Pesto Chicken and me. Grilled chicken breast marinated in a basil pesto sauce with mild onions, Mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto sauce and toasted pine nuts. Topped with fresh basil.

Very unlike me to have a cocktail but I was in the mood to try something different. I asked our hosts to recommend a drink… and this is what I got… a Strawberry Lava Colada (if I remember correctly). Very manly yah? This drink went very well with Cholula.

As much as it may sound like I am lying… this is called the Cheeseburger Pizza. I kid you not… it tastes just like a Big Mac. The hosts themselves agree. Definitely recommend adding these large slices of fresh avocado for only RM6.00 .

The Meat Cravers! My favourite of the evening. A combination of sweet Italian sausage, Pepperoni, turkey bacon, spicy salami, julienne salami, Mozzarella cheese and CPK tomato sauce. Only RM38.00 for this chunky fella.

For all those individuals trying to cut back on red meat and carbs… the Ginger Salmon is worth a try at CPK. Pan-sauteed Norwegian Atlantic salmon topped with chopped fresh cilantro, green onions and a sweet ginger sauce. Served with wok-stirred mixed vegetables.

As much as Aly and I wanted to stay, we had to leave soon after the Ginger Salmon was served. Quite a shame as the CPK people were lovely hosts and the food was great. Unfortunately, we both had already committed to another function at Daikanyama along Changkat Bukit Bintang. Note at the start of my blog post I mentioned “so our drinking was kept to minimal… during dinner” … that is factually true because it was at Daikanyama that I got completely wasted.

Thank you so much CPK for having us. Thanks Kelly Thean from Integrated Public Relations (iPR) for coordinating everything and for the invitation. Hope to see you all soon… and hope CPK considers signing up with theQguides.com .

Oh oh oh… before I end the post. Some facts I need to highlight:
1. CPK has a delivery service. Call 1300-886-886

2. CPK is running a Buka Puasa Promotion.
Set Menu for 2 persons @ RM45++ includes choice of 1 half size salad & 1 pizza/pasta
Set Menu for 4 persons @ RM85++ includes choice of 1 full size salad & 2 pizzas/pastas
Set Menu for 6 persons @ RM120++ includes choice of 1 full size salad & 3 pizzas/pastas

California Pizza Kitchen
Suria KLCC
Lot no. 140 Level 1
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Tel: 03-2382 0512

508.06.10 Monte’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, BSC

Frat Mustard to Restaurants — Tags: , ,  

Let me start by saying I had a good time at Monte’s… a damn good time. Rarely do we get a chance to review an outlet on a Saturday night because normally restaurants save those days for their paying clients. Food reviewers normally get a weekday… and you know how it is on a weekday… you try to wrap up work as fast as possible and make some dramatic shit up like you are rushing to look after your second cousin’s neighbour’s barber’s brother’s triplets or something (because the bosses won’t spare you if they knew you were wining and dining) and if you are LUCKY enough to drive through traffic like a bat out of hell (I say lucky because you are more likely to be crawling in a jam, like the worst jam you’ve seen in months)… you text your friends and check their ETA and feel all guilty when you know everyone has already arrived and they are waiting for you. Yes, we’ve been there before haven’t we… but not this time… this time it was Saturday and that alone was a very good start to the evening.

Tiger beer… the way to Aly’s heart

Any review with Fat Boy Bakes and Aly is always fun and memorable but that Saturday was special because thamjiak had just returned from a three month stint in the Philippines… so it was a mini “Welcome Home”. We were also joined by the owner of Monte’s Susan Lee, Dinesh from Bandaraya Development Berhad (BRDB) and his date Sureena. Susan, our generous host… pulled all the stops and gave us a dinner that was sinfully abundant.

All aboard?! Next stop… Chowtut Ville

Garlic bread. Something so simple yet so delicious. This was probably one of the better garlic breads that I have had. The bread was toasted but remained fluffy and light and the balance of garlic and butter was just right… and when I say just right I mean it was soaking with butter and garlic… OM NOM NOM NOM…

Juicy scallop. It was indeed very juicy and was pan seared just right.

Escargot! Served with heavenly creamy garlic sauce. I couldn’t resist and loaded up my already super silky-garlic bread with the creamy garlic sauce. I know this behaviour is common in Chinese restaurants that serve crabs and fried mantou and is probably uncouth in Western restaurants but I really couldn’t help myself. The sauce was just too good to waste.

Oxtail soup. Very rich in flavour and the generous chunk of tail was very tender. Chunk?! Is that even right to say chunk of tail?

Carrot-pumpkin soup. A common soup in restaurants. You get exactly what you ordered… a smooth blend of carrot and pumpkin served warm. As hard as I tried I couldn’t really taste the carrots… which was fine by me as I prefer pumpkins over carrots. While that may sound like a comparison between two clans of GROs at karaoke joints… all I can say is don’t read too much into it. Having said that, I still think the Sharks were cooler than the Jets though…

Chef’s dream salad. The fresh and firm prawns were coupled with eggplant and dressed with basil-olive oil pesto dressing. I’m not a huge olive oil fan so this dish was probably just “okay” for me.

Prawn and fish combo. I didn’t get a chance to dig into this because I was busy taking my dose of Vitamin C at that point in time. The kind that requires a lighter and an ash tray. By the time I finished, the prawns were gone but Susan did order another batch cooked differently.

Mushroom chicken. This dish is apparently very popular among regular customers. After having a bite I can totally understand why… the roasted chicken was tender and completely covered with a creamy sauce and lots of mushrooms. A decent serve of meat with a flavour very easy to like, going for only RM18… a sure winner.

8 hour lamb. Such a descriptive name for the dish… if I tried to describe the preparation any further, I’d insult the name. The outcome was fantastic… tender lamb that went very well with the mash potatoes. If I had more garlic bread with me, I would have used it to soak up all the gravy.

Spaghetti marinara. Another common dish served in restaurants. It was not flawed in any way and it didn’t excel either. It was predictable… no that’s not the word… it was familiar in a good way. Dishes like these take away some ambiguous-stressful moments when you are dealing with life and a box of chocolates.

Ribeye steak. Monte’s keeps the steak simple… and it was well done… no not the meat, the dish. The doneness of the meat on the inside was medium. Well done Monte’s.

Pan-seared cod. The flavour and texture of the fish was great but would have been inadequate to fill me up had I had it on its own. I almost never order fish in restaurants as it never fills me up. Good for weight watchers I guess.

Grilled prawns. Al Pacino goes… “Hoo-ah!” I had 2 prawns because I missed the prawns the first time round. Huge prawns grilled well enough to have that smoky flavour yet maintaining the juiciness of the prawn. Hoo-ah!

Apple pie. Familiar comfort food.

Carrot cake.

Hershey’s chocolate cake. Apparently one of the most sellable desserts. I only had a little bit as I was bursting out of my pants.

I just realised I don’t have a picture of the bread and butter pudding. I think I was too busy eating it. We all agreed that it tasted much better than it looked. I would recommend this over all the other desserts. Here’s a link to FBB’s photo.

Green tea latte. I heard some time back that Starbucks serves this too. I am quite a traditionalist when it comes to my lattes so I’ve never bothered trying… so this was definitely a first for me. It was good… just not good enough to wean me off my regular latte :)

*burp*

I had a great time at Monte’s. I’d sum it up by saying the price is very fair for the portions served, the dishes are all quite familiar (comfort food)… but most importantly they do it well. Monte’s nails all the basics. I think many restaurants try to impress by running before they can walk and end up screwing up the basics like garlic bread.

Thanks Dinesh for inviting us and thanks Susan for a wonderful meal. Hope to see everyone soon!

Monte’s Restaurant & Wine Bar
Bangsar Shopping Centre
F112, 1st Floor, West Wing
Phone: 03-2094 1112

407.28.10 Losing the elements as we progress

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Since the start of time, philosophers across different cultures have identified the basic elements of the world that allow us to exist. A quick check with the all knowing Google and Wikipedia confirms that across the Babylonian, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan cultures, common elements were identified. They are water and earth. Many had sky, wind or space also as an element but not all. Fire is also a common element identified. The Chinese had wood and metal as elements which the rest did not… I am sure deeper investigation in other cultures will detect more fascinating patterns and similarities (which my slipshod online research did not pick up on).

The sad point to note is that the basic elements, water and earth are no longer free. Clean river water is still accessible in some areas… but for how long? The basic elements of living have been taken away from us and commercialised! The worst part is we did this to ourselves and allowed it to happen.

In this post, I intend to focus on water. I know nothing about earth and land but I know I drink lots of water daily… which makes me a bit of an expert I reckon (like the rest of the world). My issue is that I dislike being coerced to buy still or sparkling water that costs more than a Ramly Burger Daging Double Special. MmmmMmm… Double Special! Anyway, back to the point… I feel it is perfectly fine for restaurants to sell premium bottled water but they should always allow access to tap water. Not only is it cheaper for the consumer, it is also better for the environment (read more about the advantages of tap water here).

Image from Upper Green Side

Personally, I don’t mind paying a little for a glass of tap water. I accept the justification that glasses need to be washed and the fact that restaurants need to pay for tapped water. Having said that, the most I would feel comfortable paying for a glass of tap water is RM0.50. Personally, anything more than that is being unreasonable. Based on the current rates displayed on Syabas (Selangor, Malaysia), commercial entities pay a maximum of RM2.28 per 35m³ of water. That is a wholeeeeeelottttttofwaterrrrr when you think about it in drinking glasses.

Water tariff from Syabas on 28th July 2010

I fully appreciate that restaurants are trying to make better margins by selling bottled water but coercing should never be the way. Charge a little… sure… don’t coerce. Water is a basic element and it should be easily accessible! My mood for dining is completely ruined every time I encounter this situation… I get frustrated and feel disgusted… so instead of paying a ridiculous premium on the bottled water, I choose alcohol instead… which gets me high and happy and then I forget about the issue for the moment. *epiphany happening* Heeeeyyy… maybe that’s why I am always drunk… everyone’s charging for bottled water.

So come on folks, if you feel strongly about the matter don’t take it lying down. I take it lying down because I’m too drunk to take it standing up. Give feedback to your favourite restaurants. Tell them you want the option of being served tap water. We have to make a stand now otherwise in the near future this coercing will become the norm and it will be too difficult to reverse. We can’t lose this element… I mean seriously folks, how can we call it progress and development when we are losing all these basic elements that were once free to us?

Oooh yes… thanks babe_kl for inspiring this post… on our drive back to Kepong :)

407.13.10 Essence, All Day Dining at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

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Yes! This is going to be a Thai-related post!

Oh I hope she isn’t angry with me… such a lovely lady, it would be a shame to be in her bad books. Exactly a month ago (evening of the first World Cup match), I joined The Big Red Food Review team and dined at Essence, Sheraton Imperial. Our host was Cindy Yoong, Director of Marketing Communications. The Big Red Food Review led by deejay Aly were reviewing a Thai Food Promotion that ran for two weeks… and yes, the two weeks have now come and gone… and that is why I hope Cindy isn’t upset with me. I totally missed the boat! Sorry Cindy… please please please forgive me – much love xoxoxo!

Some photos are from the media kit. Spot my shots… white balance completely off #fail!

Amazing dessert spread

Almost everyone I know has fond memories of Thailand. Some are funny, some are romantic… but generally speaking, everyone leaves Thailand with a great story. I remember my first trip to Thailand. Three dudes with no plan, no agenda and clearly no clue hopped onto a bus that departed from Puduraya which headed north towards Hat Yai. The overnight sleeper on wheels arrived Hat Yai in the wee hours of the morning and as we rubbed our eyes and disembarked, the three of us realised that we were in trouble as all the maps we had printed (which was in Latin alphabet) were totally useless to us. The streets were all marked in Thai script which made it impossible to identify.

Fortunately, before we could even scratch our heads (to figure out the mess we were in), a greasy looking Thai fella approached us and spoke in broken Cantonese. That didn’t do me a lot of good because those who know me will know that my Cantonese is as good as my French but fortunately my travel mates could make sense of what he was trying to say. He guided us to a nearby dodgy hotel and began to interpret for us. At the reception desk he says to us…

“Lei oi woon lui mou?” – Translate: Do you want to change money?

Indeed we needed to change some money. We travelled all the way without a single Thai baht between the three of us. The three of us nodded excitedly. He proceeded to talk to the hotel staff and they all smiled. After a quick discussion, he handed us three room keys. We gestured “No” and explained that we wanted to share a single room. Everyone’s eyes almost popped out in disbelief and my greasy friend looked shocked. He lowered his head and did a little squint so as to figure us out and asked again…

“Lei oi woon lui mou?”

To which we nodded… again. Then he exclaimed in English and said…

“3 man – 1 room… how many gerrrr?”

It was then that my friend had figured out what was going on. The greasy fella’s broken Cantonese led us to think that he was asking us whether we wanted to change money when in fact what he meant to ask was…

“Lei oi wan looi mou?” – Translate: Do you want to look for girls?

Clearly the three of us must have looked like horny rabbits to them when they thought we wanted to start an orgy. The fact that we looked like Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel nodded eagerly didn’t help. Fortunately we managed to get out of this uncomfortable situation without further embarrassment. Greasy dude must have got a little cut for recommending the hotel… and soon disappeared.

Well Essence is far from greasy. It is anything but greasy… but it is a bit of an orgy… when it comes to food. It is chic and contemporary. Essence is Sheraton Imperial’s All Day Dining restaurant. Essence offers an a la carte menu and an impressive international buffet spread. What that means is you get your steak, sashimi, pasta and dim sum all in one place. Buffet breakfast is served from 6:30am to 10:30am, buffet lunch from noon to 2:30pm and buffet dinner from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. Okay enough regurgitating from the media release…

Our meal was prepared by Chef Charoensri Vatanayut and Chef Burin Pongchang who were flown in specially for this Thai Food Promotion. If a picture paints a thousand words then I guess you can piece together the amazing time we had at Essence… besides, I have run out of words!

Dilly setting the mood… ever so elegant…

As usual… can’t survive without my drinks

Aly showing JD how it is done! This Hot & Spicy drink was a blend of pineapple juice, coconut milk and blended chili padi

Poo Ja (deep-fried minced chicken with crab meat), Pla Sam Rod (deep-fried fillet of red snapper topped with sweet sour and hot sauce), Massaman Nua (beef in massaman curry sauce), Pad Pak Ruam Mitr (stir-fried mixed vegetables), Gai Pad Takrai (stir-fried chicken with lemon grass), Larb Gai (minced chicken salad with spicy herbs). My favourite dish was the beef curry. Hazim and I emptied the bowl.

Terry and Aly pause for a media moment. After that Terry resumed normal behaviour – harassing Evelyn, Cindy’s colleague

The Big Red Food Review Team… with a full stomach and ready for the first World Cup match

Dessert – Banana in syrup, Tub Tim Gnob and Pumpkin Custard

Much love goes out to Cindy and The Big Red Food Review Team. Look forward to seeing you all real soon.

If you want to read a more detailed review of the food, click here to read Aly’s review. More information about Essence is available here. You may also contact Essence at +603-2717 9900 to make reservations.

306.30.10 Open a bottle of wine with your shoe!

Frat Mustard to Knowledge — Tags: , , , ,  

I know all the sommeliers of the world will hate this video and I KNOW this is not encouraged because sediments will get stirred by shaking the bottle… but hell… in an emergency situation (like spending the night in a cottage miles away from home) I’d say this is pretty damn useful to know!

Sorry, I can’t cite the source of this video because someone sent the FLV file to me as an attachment. If anyone knows where it is from, please let me know.

406.24.10 The lack of local waiting staff

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I had a delightful tea conversation with Candy Moy from Asian Age Holdings this afternoon. I know the business name totally does not ring a bell but her boss owns The Huckleberry Cafe and Food Foundry. I can hear everyone going, “Ooooh that one!”…. yes, that one!  Over tea and a slice of their signature Mille Crepe, we discussed a problem that a lot of restaurants, pubs and cafes seem to be facing in Klang Valley – the lack of local waiting staff. My question to everyone reading this is whether you guys think the problem is cultural, wage related or enforcement related.

The good news is that some local gems can still be found. This is Shawn. He serves at Ultimo, Solaris Mont Kiara. He and his crew did an awesome job serving my friends and I during a recent food review.

Personally, I think it is least likely to be wage related. Our locals seem to be perfectly comfortable with smaller wage packets as long as the job isn’t challenging… the first thoughts in my head are the money collectors at toll booths and promoters handing out brochures. If you find that offensive, I do apologize… but I am just stating an honest fact. Those jobs are primarily filled by locals.

It could be enforcement related because the Malay Muslims make up the majority of the workforce and there have been a number of incidents whereby questionable raids were conducted and the whole ambiguous issue of whether Muslims can work in environments which require them to handle alcohol and serve alcohol caused for much unnecessary grief to waiting staff. I once knew a Malay bartender who left working in a hotel bar and switched to being the head waiter at a successful mamak restaurant because he was harassed by religious authorities.

Having said all that, I told Candy that I think that the problem is cultural. The example I highlighted was that of the teaching profession. Some years ago the Chinese dailies reported that some Chinese parents were scaring their children and telling them that if they don’t buck up with their studies they would end up being teachers. I feel that somewhere along our journey of attempting to being a developed nation, we have formed social stigmas around certain jobs (that it is beneath us) and have formed perceptions that certain jobs should be performed by a particular race. No doubt the other two points discussed have an impact but I believe this is the main reason why we have a shortage of local waiting staff in Klang Valley. Having said that, my third point is purely my own wild theory and I have nothing substantial to back me up. *you may stone me to death now*

Please do share your thoughts. I am sure there are reasons I have not considered and would like to bring them up with restaurant owners to solve their staffing problems.

Some supporting articles:

The Star – Malaysians shun work in restaurants

Malaysia Today – Malaysian waitress who served beer to model faces caning

1606.01.10 Food reviews and asking for another seat

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It is no secret that food bloggers get invited for many food reviews on a regular basis. Restaurateurs and PR agencies recognise food blogging as the “new media” and are quite happy to invite bloggers on a regular basis in return for some publicity. No issues there as long as everyone plays fair as it is a win-win situation.

My question today is… when is it okay for food bloggers to ask for another “seat” (as in an invitation for their partner, date or friend) and when is it inappropriate. I am bringing this up because I realise so far my judgement and opinion on this matter varies from case to case… which is not good because it means I am judging based on my own set of principles as opposed to a standard set of principles which is applicable across the board. Confused? Don’t worry… I will highlight with some examples soon.

My personal view is that it is okay to ask but it is not cool to coerce or blackmail… but hey, that’s just my opinion. I know many who will are firm believers that one should NEVER ask for another invitation (as it gives food blogging a bad name). Personally… I think these examples are okay…

“Hey Marketing Manager Hot Babe, is it okay if I bring my partner along?”

or

“Hey PR Agency Babe, is this an invitation for me alone or are we allowed to bring partners?”

To me, this is merely clarification, so it is fine. Having said that, the following is NOT cool…

“Can’t I bring someone along? Oooh please… oooooh pretty pretty please…” Followed with the Puss in Boots face.

or

“Oh, if I can’t bring my partner… then I can’t come because I have no transport.”

or

“My girlfriend won’t let me go anywhere without her. So if you want me there, she has to join me.”

I reckon, that pushes the comfort levels a little… and I think it is wrong. Of course I have heard of many more shameless tactics but to be fair to the food bloggers, I don’t think everyone is aware of their actions. They probably do it because it is in their nature to talk like that.

The lines are really thin and grey and I personally am not sure when it is okay… and when it is not. Maybe it isn’t even an issue of “right or wrong”… maybe there is no “right or wrong”… rather a softer issue of whether you “should do that” or “shouldn’t do that”. I honestly don’t know and would like to hear what you all have to say about it.

So where do you draw the line when asking for another “seat”?

505.25.10 Spice Garden Imperial, Vanity Mansion and Ultimo are now bookable on theQguides.com

Frat Mustard to News and updates  

I must admit that before I got into this line, I never imagined that our f&b industry (in Klang Valley) was so active. There is always something happening… food reviews, foodie gatherings, BBQs, MIGF, book launches, FBB parties, promotions, discounts, tastings, restaurant launches, restaurant relaunches, renovation parties… you name it… there is always something happening. The big problem is deciding which ones to attend and which ones to give a miss. I’ve attended multiple functions which I thought were important only to be let down… where there was zero networking opportunity and zero fun factor. So how do I pick ‘em? Truth is… I now rely on Lyrical Lemongrass, Fat Boy Bakes and Aly to decide. The fact that they are so accomplished (common fellaz… gimme some shoe-shining points here) and famous probably means they have made wise choices in life… so these days, if they go… I go. So far, this new decision making method has worked out brilliantly for me.

There is always something happening…

… and that goes with theQguides too. While I’ve been busy getting myself intoxicated, Lisa has been working hard getting new restaurants on board. I am happy to announce that Spice Garden Imperial (Jalan Bukit Bintang), Vanity Mansion (Jalan Kamunting – near Asian Heritage Row) and Ultimo (Solaris Mont Kiara) are now bookable on theQguides . Lisa is also finalising agreements with Ishin (Old Klang Road), Bijou (Mont Kiara Damai), Bianco (Damansara Perdana) and Fit For 2 (Bangsar Village II)… if all goes well, those will be bookable too! *big wet kiss* for Lisa. As you all know, theQguides is always looking to sign on more restaurants so do tell all your restaurateur friends about us.

Anyway, the following are some photos taken during The Big Red Food Review (hosted by Aly) at Spice Garden Imperial. We had a fantastic evening with delicious food, many memorable moments and not short of interesting stories to go along with our dining experience. If you want to know more about what happened you should speak to Aly and Fat Boy Bakes.

Poppadums went very well with the chutneys

Executive Chef Ramesh Kumar looking ready to tenderise me with this fists

This amazing platter really got our engines fired up – chicken, kebab, lamb, prawns and fish. This was accompanied with middle eastern salad, Masala Poppadum with Salsa and Naan

More heavy artillery which was worthy of clogging the arteries. My favourite was the Chicken Tikka Butter Masala… it was… PERFECT! Couple that with Mutton Roghan Josh and you have a glimpse of heaven

The Chef, The Celebrity and The Senior General Manager, Amarjit Chawla

Frat’s family photo

Easing into the sweets

Chef Ramesh and Amarjit honour us with this first time-custom made-Indian sweets in the shape of the Indian Flag

… a few seconds after this photo was taken, there was nothing left on the table

It was indeed a fabulous dinner. It totally exceeded my expectations. Thanks Aly for the invitation. The best part is… this evening I get to see Aly and Fat Boy Bakes again at Jaya One!

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