I can’t believe that I just had the best crab porridge, pork free bakuteh and ma lai kou in my life over ONE single dinner occasion. And that magical place that makes this happen is Makan Kitchen @ Double Tree by Hilton KL.
Chef Amy Beh, one of Malaysia’s most famous self-taught celebrity chef is joining forces with Double Tree by Hilton KL’s executive chef Eric Siew to showcase 5 special Malaysian dishes, in conjunction with Double Tree by Hilton KL’s 5th anniversary celebration. The “Fabulous Five” nightly dinner promotion is available from August 1 to October 31, at RM 125 nett per person. Of course, apart from the fabulous five dishes, one gets to savour unlimited spread of 80 over dishes. Machine Kitchen is one of our favorite place to go doe buffet dinner, take a look at their usual spread here.
We were thrilled to finally see chef Amy Beh in person, after reading her columns in The Star and browsing through one of her many cookbooks over the years. She is extremely friendly and down to earth in sharing some of her cooking tips and recipes to us.
It is interesting to see how Chef Amy Beh’s home cooked method combines together with Eric Siew’s innovative spin. I have to say that they have created this sparks that work really, really well. The crab porridge was our #1 favourite dish. One large sized mud crab is used per serving and the congee is served piping hot in a clay pot. The congee was smooth and mushy – exactly the kind of congee texture I like. The crabs were very fresh and the flesh tender and delicious. Every spoonful is bursting with flavours – sweet, briny and slightly spicy from this special condiments served on top.
The Nyonya Curry Fish Head was equally impressive. The gravy was enriched with the tantalising aromas of different herbs and spices that will certainly rev up your appetite. Red snapper is used instead of the usual garoupa as small sized fish heads yield a more tender flesh. It’s true as I really enjoyed having the soft and succulent flesh.
I can never look at Curry Kapitan Chicken the same way again, after I have tried Chef Amy Beh and Eric Siew’s version. The gravy was actually quite “refreshing” as lemongrass, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves were used as part of the extensive ingredients list. It was so good that I had more rice than usual quota.
Lamb Kut Teh? Yes, you heard it right, it’s a lamb version of bakuteh. It was mind-blowing! The lamb pieces were so tender that it does not require much chewing before it glides down my throat. Chef Eric said that they used the best part of the lamb’s ribs in creating this dish. There were no hints of gamy-ness, only amazing herbal aromas.
Our sweet ending came in the form of these little “Ma Lai Koe” steamed sponge cake. Now I know all the la lai joe in dim sum restaurants are CRAP. Double Tree’s version uses premium gula melak (palm sugar) used which is sourced from this particular kuih vendor. And that, really makes a lot of differences.
Feel free to order round two of the fabulous five dishes if you feel like it. Else, help yourself with the 80 variesties of food at the buffet spread. My favourite is the Indian section.
How could we missed out these famous five incredible durian dishes, available only during the weekend high tea in Makan Kitchen. The “Lagi Shiok” with five-bulbous durian weekend high tea spread is available at RM 91 per person from August 1 till October 31 on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday.
We have crispy durian fritters, kek lapis durian. durian cheese apam, ayam durian skewer and the must have nasi goreng durian. These are on top of the unlimited high-tea spread of over 60 regular dishes.
The nasi goreng durian was so good! It wasn’t weird at all, as the whole combination actually tasted better when we stirred in the drain puree. It was also slightly spicy, making this an uniquely Malaysian dish.
Same goes to the ayam durian skewer. The durian taste was mild, as it was being incorporated into the batter. Best eaten together with the nasi goreng durian.
If you dine for dinner at Makan Kitchen, you stand a chance to win a 3D/2N satycation for two to Australia by just telling what a celebration dinner means to you. Most creative entry with the use of “Makan”, “Kitchen”, “Dinner”, “Happy” and “Celebration” shall win.
Guests dining for weekend hi-teas stand a chance to win a 3D/2N satycation for two to Thailand by submitting a video with their most incredible durian eating expression to Facebook.com/doubletreekl. Guests with birthdays falling on September 16 and August 31 eat for free too! The five durian tea snacks come complimentary to every group dining of five during weekend hi-teas.
For dining reservations, please call (03) 21727272 or visit makan-kitchen.com
