Tonight, from Kuala Lumpur, I'm raising my glass to one heck of a memorable year.
There have been highs, and extreme lows, bucket loads of tears, jaw-dropping sunsets and plenty of beauty.
Loads of delicious things have been set in front of me. Photos have filled the memory of my computer and pretty epic tales including silly exchanges with chefs have flowed out onto the Internet.
Here we are at the end and at the beginning. Like a hop, skip and quick restart.
But before we do so, there are certain dishes out there which I feel strongly compelled to commit to memory - here are my favourite eats of the year.
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Slow Braised Short Rib
from
For drink chasers whose bank accounts are more of less replenishing, there's a gleaming gem in the Gotham building that has just opened up to stupendous response. For realms of gustatory pleasures that extend beyond the regular truffle fries, look to Atlas Bar.
The Slow Braised Short Rib has been the hallmark success of Chef Daniele's prowess since day one. Just watch as your knife slips thru that cut, like a warm blade through butter. To compliment that, the carrot puree is spiced with ginger, cardamon and a myriad of other middle eastern spices, almost similar to Gajar Halwa. Delicious and the combination will have you guessing till the last bite.
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Croissant with Prawn Head Butter and Scrambled Eggs
from
Bistro November (closed)
Most devastating news this year has got to be the closure of 13 Duxton followed by the short-lived produce driven, progressive dining establishment Bistro November headed by Chef John-Paul Fiechtner.
This mind blowing affair of Croissant with prawn head butter and scrambled eggs is probably the only thing capable of dragging me out of bed after a night out of town. Dusted with meanders of burnt cocoa powder for that slight astringency amidst the lashings of lavishness. The toasted croissant will aid and abet your hangover cure procedures in extraordinary ways.
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Funnel Cake
from
The joint for kids that are too cool for school.
Come weekends, Crackerjack does a roaring breakfast trade that panders to the alcoholics. Shush now. If you want to keep things PG, the guys so some pretty bonafide coffee work that will have you raring to go, but I would definitely do a 180 degree slant to the spirited rendition.
To pair with you Tommy's margarita, get the Funnel Cake. A webbed sponge yielding the maximum amount of golden crispy edges, is drenched in salted caramel syrup and graced with a generous quenelle of amaretto infused cream for that superlative hangover basher. Oh, and those shards of candied bacon? Be still my heart.
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Crispy Pig's Head
from
My carnivorous thirsts have propelled me to hunt down a few establishments around town that know their way around satisfying those hankerings. And Dehesa on North Canal Road is one of them - the only reason why I would entrust them with my birthday meal and boy was it a hole in one.
Chef Jean-Philippe's Crispy Pig's Head is a stunning dish. Nose-to-tail dining comes to life here and with this, he challenge the social stigma that offals are a poor man's food. It's not. The change of economy in the 80s just meant that these off-cuts fell out of fashion and people were more willing to spend their bottom dollar on luxurious cuts. Despite the trend making a comeback, that and our fervent love for the local dish kway chap, it hard to see this style of rustic cooking being bested around here. One can only try so hard. I am a huge fan of the sexy flavours and textures combined under one convenient culinary roof - braised till agonisingly tender, the off-cut sings a harmonious tune with chorizo, capers and lashings of soft yolk. You can barely sit through the entire introduction before repeated spoonfuls make a beeline for your mouth.
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Iberian Presa Charcoal Fried
from
If you think Spanish food is all about 'em seafood. You're deeply mistaken.
At La Ventana, Chef Roberto Terradillo's wizardry extends to the land varietal. The Iberian Presa Charcoal Fried, served with carrot puree and toasted coffee is as much an art piece on the plate as it is as it dissolves with ease on the tongue.
The Iberian pig, the product of reckless liberation in meadows at its final stages of breeding; feeds off grass and aromatic herbs such as thyme and rosemary resulting in a truly unique flavour. Here it is coated in a squid ink crust alongside a buttery mound of unbelievably sweet carrot puree, grounded by a shower of toasted coffee powder. The juxtaposition of bitterness against the sweet carrots and intensely unctuous meat so deliberately wilful it left me blushing.
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Kumamoto Wagyu A4
from
You'd think going out for a little 'fusion' meal with city skyline views would be a little cliche, and its true where many other joints hugging the bay are concerned - good, but dire tourist traps that are over priced and over-boiled. Me@OUE is not one of them, the initial stride into restaurant territory feeding the illusion of wealth. If your wallet allows, go forth and get acquainted with the superior produce at the restaurant.
One highlight of the meal being Kumamoto Wagyu A4 which isn't much of an off-script move but results in a chimera of narratives, which in actual fact happened in cosmic silence, implementing only audible sighs at the table, as the two of us polished off the charcoal grilled striploin sitting cosily in pumpkin puree. That's a romantic tale I would avouch for again later.
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Steamed Venus Clams
from
At Morsels, there is an absence of parroting of modish ingredients. No kale, no kombu, nothing burnt nor aerated. Anticipation runs high as the soulful concept of Chef Petrina's obsessive cooking falls into place. It's not what we normally coin as fusion food, instead she delves a lot deeper into origins, breaking down cultural culinary boundaries to produce the most addictive liaisons between her own Asian heritage and full on 'wild-child' antics of a global restaurateur mindset.
You must try the Steamed Venus Clams here. Delicate clams in a pool of pickled wake and homemade kimchi laced fig (or mo fa ko) broth. The utterance of the last ingredient resonating deeply with me seeing that I used to nibble at the blue tub of preserved fruits like a ravenous mouse when I was younger in a bid to soothe the ailments of childhood asthma. Needless to say, this "Classic" favourite was a dream, the rich saltiness of the broth mingling beautifully with the seafood. Toss me the bread basket and I'll deal with my infatuation in a passive manner.
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Poached Rice with Estuary Grouper
from
Summer Pavilion
Not usually one to take to broths, the fact that this dish made it to the top of my food listings this year goes to prove the outstanding accolades of the 1-Michelin starred Summer Pavilion in Ritz Carlton.
The combination of poached grains with rice puffs providing a textbook of textures that when smothered salted vegetable and fish broth resembles your bowl of fish porridge, except nudged up the 'atas' scale and presenting some really fancy footwork.
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The Pelican Burger
from
The Pelican
One of the best burgers I've had this year belongs to The Pelican located on the convivial One Fullerton stretch - chopped steak patty, smoked ketchup and bacon - a devilicious combination that warranted those silent moments of utter reverence.
The right balance of sweetness and smokiness from the sauce meets salty bacon strips and patty, seasoned with so much finesse that it does a curtsy in your mouth. The buns, should not be dismissed as calefare, providing just enough resistance to the juiced up amalgamation - I especially adore the addition of seeds and toasted rim which contributed to the textbook of textures in this epic package.
If you think The Pelican is only known for their seafood... think twice.
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Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek
from
A wild proclamation (after tediously scrolling through my 2017 feed) revealed a dish that had gone off my radar but upon first glance brought back vivid memories.
The Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek remains one of the best dishes I've eaten to rate - only a spoon is required to ingest all this decadence, suggesting the magnitude of the protein's tenderness.
I rarely make any promises but I guarantee you'll be begging to have another serving after this phenomenal experience of buttery parsnip puree, robust port reduction and unctuous tender beef cheek.
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Unagi Benedict
from
There are a thousand and one variations on the classic Eggs Benedict, and as much I confess to being a nazi (most probably a condition derived from being fazed by exaggeratedly bastardised versions that are both messy in appearance and jarring on the palate); Xiao Ya Tou's new Unagi Benedict radiates with a warm glow. It could be the yuzukoshu hollandaise at work, but NO. The star of the dish being the attack on the flank - prawn and potato kewpie mayo salad with tobiko on crispy potato croquettes. Needless to say, the combination of mushroom duxelle, fresh fried mantou, poached egg and unagi was exceptional.
This one is worth wriggling out of your PJs early for.
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Seasonal Green Pea 'Piselli' soup
from
Call me crazy but I'm willing to swap my tajima wagyu steak lunch for this bowl of Seasonal Green Pea 'Piselli' Soup with Stracciatella and Trout Roe anytime.
Just make sure not to cause unnecessary ripples on the surface as you'll want to have that juxtaposition of that slight savoury cheese against the spring vegetal vibes of green pea.
Not sharing this for sure.
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And there you have it. My top 12 favourite dishes (on local shores) of the year 2017. This year has treated my belly well, let's cheers to another new year of debauchery. May 2018 bring you more deliciousness!
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