Friday, June 29, 2012

Smitten By Ideas : 9 Shocking Facts About The Food Industry in America

" Modern farming techniques have changed the way America produces food. The U.S. grows more corn than any other country on the planet. These modern farming techniques, combined with massive government subsidies, have turned corn into an incredibly productive — and incredibly cheap — crop. 90 million acres of corn are farmed every year in the U.S., and 1% of that is sweet corn, the type people actually eat. So, what is the corn being produced and used for? To worsen the American diet and enlarge waistlines? 

The other 99% of corn being produced is used to feed livestock, or processed into common ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, a low-cost sweetener. This has resulted in bad food becoming cheaper, while healthy food is getting more expensive. The price of soda, chips, and other snacks has gone down over the past 30 years, while the price of fruits and vegetables has gone up. The source of corns influence in our diets comes from the $500 billion Farm Bill, which Congress passes every few years. This legislation greatly influences what goes into our grocery stores, onto our plates and into our bodies."

Let's just hope that Palm Oil doesn't share the same fate. 


Monday, June 25, 2012

The Lord's Cafe @ Cameron Highlands

The Lord's Cafe (previously known as T-Cafe) has been baking superb scones at the first floor of Main Road, Tanah Rata since 2003. The pastries and desserts have long been the cornerstone of the menu. 
While the rest of the city swelters, 
We are blessed with cooling breeze. 
Strawberry Fruity Scone (RM2.80) -  Scones are an essential part of a traditional afternoon tea. The Lord's scone was light, fluffy and well risen. 
Chicken Pie Home Speciality (RM4.30) - Golden crusted pie filled with chicken, carrots and peas. 
The welcoming pie tasted even better with a few dabs of ketchup.
Cameron Valley Strawberry Tea and Boh's Camomile Tea (RM2.90 each) - We wonder why evening tea seems to taste better at Cameron highlands.

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Monday, June 18, 2012

Breakfast at The Dining Room @ YTL Cameron Highlands Resort

When we found ourselves with surplus of strawberries and tea leaves, we know exactly what we will be eating the next morning at YTL's Cameron Highlands Resort. The cascade breakfast service offers tea, coffee and juices, followed by a bakery basket, fresh fruits, yogurt, cereal and hot English breakfast. (RM70++ per person).
The large picture windows provided natural daylight for a bright and breezy ambiance
We were quite certain that the kitchen was working with better raw products that are procured from Cameron Highland itself. 
Muffins and Sultana Danish snuggled up in a bakery basket.
Free range eggs poached, served on macaire style potato croquets with wild mushrooms and hollandaise sauce.
Two eggs any style served with beef bacon, breakfast sausage, sauteed mushrooms, stewed tomato, fried farmhouse bread and golden hash brown.
We are fans of good breakfast, especially one that comes with fresh fruits. =)

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Smitten By Ideas : Creative Photobook

Here is another great post from The Daily Buzz, to help inspire your next Photobook project.

Idea # 1 Personalized Alphabet Photobook

Idea # 2: A Day In Life Photobook

Idea # 3: How are you feeling today? Photobook

Idea # 4: Interactive Photobook

Idea # 5: Ring Binder Photobook

Idea # 6: Instagram Photobook

Idea # 7: One Frame A Day Photobook

Idea # 8: A Week In Life Photobook

Idea # 9: Cook Book Photobook


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Kirishima @ Dua Residency (Dua Annexe), Kuala Lumpur

There are two ways to stand out in the increasingly crowded Japanese game: authentic flavors or value for money proposition. Kirishima is one of the few Japanese restaurants that offers both. The food here are not priced prohibitively and the ingredients are always fresh.
Nestled snugly among the apartments of Dua Residency, the eatery comes with well trained waitresses, minimalist decor and Japanese zen type vibe that sets it apart from your local sushi joint. 
We started off with boiled spinach, dressed with sesame seed and light soy sauce. 
It was followed by lotus root, carrot and Chinese mushroom
Chawanmushi (RM8) - This may be an old fashioned dish but the silky soft steamed egg never fails to win our hearts over and over again.
Kani Salad (RM32) - A piled of mixed salad topped with crab meat flakes, tomatoes and shrimp roe with wafu dressing. 
Shiro Maguro (RM38) and Salmon Oyaki Mori (RM42) - The restaurant receives new shipment of fish every Tuesday and Friday. Hence, it is wise to come during those days to enjoy immaculately fresh sashimi.
Foie Grass BBQ (RM38) - It is not very often that we will find Foie Gras on the skewered menu. When we saw it, we were tempted to try. The pronounced earthiness and creamy texture was enough to guarantee a standing place next to the Chef's grill. 
Soft Shell Crab Roll (RM18) - The hunky roll was held together with rice paper, filled with generous amount of avocado and soft shell crab.  
Grilled Minced Chicken (RM9) - In effort to showcase the minced chicken's brilliant pairing potential, the Chef hosted a raw egg yolk next to it.
Wagyu Seiro Mushi a.k.a Steamed Wagyu Beef (RM38) - The wooden square steamer, which was placed on top of a boiling pot of water, was filled with thinly sliced wagyu beef and cabbages. The dish was unpretentious, with tender beef slices that exploded into buttery flavor.
Garlic Fried Rice (RM12) -  A garlic laced fried rice served in a hot stone bowl. The result was an epic dish with Japanese flavors running headlong into Korean cooking techniques. 

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Smitten Dishes:
Wagyu Seiro Mushi 
Garlic Fried Rice
Salmon Oyaki Mori

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Onsemiro Fine Dining Korean Restaurant @ Intermark Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Intermark presents "Onsemiro" (located on the 2nd floor), a new Korean restaurant that celebrates authentic Korean food along with wooden decor that will fool you into thinking that you have actually traveled a thousand miles to Korea. 
At the table, you will be greeted by a seductive mix of Banchan
Lightly parboiled spinach dressed with sesame oil,  red pepper and light soy sauce

Cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil.
Charcoals from Korea
LA Galbi 200g (RM70) - These sweet, tender marinated beef slices flourished well with some lettuces and spicy dipping sauce. For more kick, add a glove of garlic onto your green wrap. 
Raw egg for the Yukhoe Bibimbap
Yukhoe Bibimbap (RM45) - Yukhoe Bibimbap which literally means "raw mixed rice", was served with shredded raw beef, topped with a variety of seasoned vegetables and gochujang (chili pepper paste). 
Unlike the jasmine rice we usually have, Korean rice has a chewier texture and a shinier look.
Golbaengi Muchim (RM45) - Spicy freshwater snails and thin noodles are an enduring Korean duo. Here, there were treated right with gochujang sauce and accented by some sliced cucumber and sesame oil.  
Gwang Yang Bulgogi 120g (RM50) - The succulent sirloin beef was extremely lean and was grilled to perfection using the aromatic Korean charcoal. 
Kimchi Jjigae - Served in a superheated stoned pot, a bowl of rice is mixed into it, bringing down the tartness of the kimchi as it cooks along with some sardines, tofu, cabbages and spring onions. 
More Banchan to provide some relief from the richness of the food
Yeolmu kimchi seasoned with chili peppers and salt. 
Crunchy kimchi cabbage
The frozen persimmon was amazingly delicious with texture that resembled a sorbet.

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Smitten Dishes: 
Kimchi Jjigae
L.A.Galbi
Frozen persimmon

Credit Card Promotion valid until 31 Dec 2012:
15% off CIMB World Mastercard, Visa Infinite, Visa Signature
10% off Platinum, Gold and Classic