Stories and food
This month, premier food insider guide Flavours is chockful of canny cooking ideas, hand-picked must-eats, and behind-the-scenes peek at what notable chefs are up to.
HONG Kong chef Vicky Lau is a storyteller, but not the usual kind: Playing with both flavours and words, her dishes become edible tales, each carrying meaning and significance. An example of this marriage between story and food is An Ode To Tomatoes, a dish of hers inspired by a Pablo Neruda poem.
Her work in the culinary field bagged her a Michelin star for her restaurant, the Tate Dining Room & Bar, and just recently, she was named Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015 by the same panel of 300 experts who determine Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Next week, Lau will be headed to Singapore for the awards ceremony.
Lau’s tale makes an enchanting cover story for this month’s issue of Flavours, Malaysia’s premiere food and lifestyle magazine. Find out how a chance sabbatical led the former graphic designer to pursue a professional culinary diploma. Lau also shares her inspiration and two
Lau’s passion: stunning recipes that home cooks can replicate in their kitchen.
In the F&B business, many customer-related tales of joy and horror are shared freely among those in the industry. But what happens in the restaurants or hotels need not stay there ... Flavours tapped a few professionals to reveal some of their juiciest stories about eyebrow-raising diners and strange requests. The compilation of little snippets is bound to draw everything from polite tee-hee giggles to deep belly guffaws.
Meet Mario Gamba, chef and owner of one Michelin-starred restaurant Acquarello in Munich. A translator in his previous life, he replaced his pen with a pan and went on a culinary adventure that included a stint with widely acclaimed French chef Alain Chapel.
One for injecting modern techniques into traditional dishes, Gamba combines the old with a curiosity to try new and exciting things. Flavours documents Gamba’s journey and provides readers with a sampling of his kitchen prowess.
Culinary educator and chef Darren Teoh is a man who knows what he wants. At his newly minted restaurant Dewakan at KDU University College in Glenmarie, Selangor, his obsession with finding the very best Malaysian produce is deliciously evident in the dishes he creates.
Teoh graciously gave the magazine’s team a sneak peak into what Dewakan has to offer. Be amazed as local ingredients are transformed into sublime culinary creations. (At the time of writing, Dewakan is open for lunch only.)
If you are wondering where to grab that next bite, give these picks a try. This month’s Eating Out column cuts to the chase when it comes to Northern Indian cuisine at Delhi Royale, porcine delights at The Pork Place, and Korean BBQ at Palsaik. Finally, if you and your not-slim wallet are in the mood for a meal quite a few notches up, the DC Restaurant’s contemporary fare offers much gastronomic delight.
The curly kale has taken the world by storm. But behind its newfound “celebrity status” is a nutrient-rich vegetable that packs a healthy punch. As kale has become a regular fixture on local supermarket shelves, Flavours takes a good look at its culinary possibilities. Macrobiotic chef June Ka Lim, celebrity chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab (aka Chef Zam), and Prime Steak Restaurant’s sous chef Faizal Zainal Abidin inject their personal styles into kale-centric dishes. Zack
Flavours is available at all good newsagents and bookstores nationwide. To subscribe, call 1-300-887 827 or e-mail customerservice@thestar.com.my. The magazine is published by Star Publications (M) Bhd.