Of recent we were invited by Miraku Japanese Restaurant in Penang’s G-Hotel to gather a small group of bloggers to share the opportunity to preview their new dishes and promotions, and bridge them to the mass of Japanese food lovers out there. To begin with the series of planned event is their March & April Hotate (Scallop) & Chuhai (Japanese Cocktail) promotions. The promotions begin from the 1st of March and ends on the 30th of April 2011.

There are 10 items to choose from their Hotate promotion menu that ranges from the naturally sweet Nama Hotate sashimi to the savoury Hotate Ramen.

If you are planning for a full night of Hotate craze, you could  start the meal with the Nama Hotate Sashimi (6pcs) RM19.90 that had a light natural sweetness and smooth tender flesh.

Then we had the Hotate Sushi (Nigiri Sushi) (3pcs) RM14.00. The texture of the scallops were similarly soft and tender like the sahsimi scallops and the hand pressed rice rolls were not too sour nor too compact.  With a small drop of shoyu and a touch of wasabi, it brought out the sweet taste of the scallop further.

After the raw hotate, we had the Hotate Chuka Chinmi RM8.00. They are actually the membranes on the side of the adductor muscle trimmed and tossed with sesame seeds, chili, vinegar and seasoned to taste. It had a crunchy texture and an appetising taste that helps to get the palate moving and duets quite well with certain beer sand sake.

Then we tried the Hotate Kakiage RM28.00. Mixed vegetables, onion, capsicum and scallops batter coated and deep fried till golden brown. It had a crisp surface with moist and juicy fillings that are appealing people who love fried foods.

Another deep fried item on the promotion menu was the Hotate Korroke (2pcs) RM18.00. The croquettes are different from the normal potato base, they were made from diary custard packed with corn kernels and scallop breaded and deep fried until achieving a golden crust and yet maintaining a rich creamy centre.

Continuing after the deep friend version, we had the Hotate Kushi Yaki (2 sticks with 6pcs scallop) RM11.50. Pieces of whole scallop grilled and glazed with their home made sauce of soyu, sugar & leek. It is said that the end product is very similar in taste as the ones found in Japan, authentic and exquisite.

Then there was the Hotate Kara Yaki RM19.90. Big size Scallops with roe pan grilled in butter, Mirin, sake, shoyu and seasoned with pepper. The scallops had a firm and tender texture with a buttery and savoury taste.

After the grilled, we had the Sanshoku Hotate Mayo ( a set of 3 colours with individual flavour) RM30.00, Green was Wasabi, Yellow was Mayo and Red was the  Mentaiko (明太子) is the marinated fish roe of Pollock. Each individual flavours would have a different appeal to different taste preference. Some liked the spicy Wasabi or horseradish taste, some enjoyed the rich mellow taste of the mayo and for me it was the rich and salty Mentaiko that hit the note.

Another creamy dish that was on the menu was the Hotate Gratin RM23.00. It had 5 lovely charred scallops on a bed of sweet and creamy gratin made of custard, cheese, mayonnaise and macaroni, then finish with a slight torch of the surface.

Last but not least, a hot bowl of Hotate Ramen RM25.00. The soup base had predominant flavour of Miso and Wakame or seaweed. The savoury and creamy tasting soup had in it a mount of Ramen noodles, Ginkensai or Pak Choy, Moyasi or bean-sprouts, corn kernels and most importantly the whole scallops with roes intact.

After finishing the last item on the “Hotate Promotion” menu, we went on to have some cocktails drinks. The drinks were also part of their March & April promos, “Chūhai Promotion” @ RM28.00 per tokkuri. Chūhai is a cocktail mixture of Shōchū (Japanese Liquor) with carbonated drinks & citrus drinks, the possible concoctions may include lime, grapefruit, apple, orange, pineapple, grape, kiwi, ume (plum), yuzu, lychee, and peach. In short, Chūhai is a Japanese Alcoholic Cocktail that can either be served hot or cold and any with any flavours according to the drinkers’ preference.

Miraku in its Chūhai promotion is providing a 150ml tokkuri (house pouring) of either Mugi (Wheat Shōchū) with 23% alcohol or Imo (Potato Shōchū) with 25% alcohol with a variety of choices mixers:

• A can soft drink of either tonic, soda, Sprite, Cola or Oolong,
• 300ml of choice of juice of either lime, Orange or Mango Juice.

The most desirable cocktail by the ladies that particular night was the Mugi (Wheat Shōchū) with Sprite and Lime Juice cocktail. It was well blend, with little bit sweetness, tang, mellow alcoholic taste and fizzy after taste.

The following is the Potato Shōchū or Imo with Sprite/Tonic, Lime and Plum. It had an alcoholic taste with a bit of salty sourish taste, and it was the second most liked concoction of the night.

This is Imo with just Oolong tea. It is for the more matured drinkers who like their cocktail strong.

Our chef of the day was Nakagawa-san, a shy chap at start but looks can be deceiving. If I am not wrong, he is still single and available for now!

Business Hour :

Daily Lunch 12:00pm to 2:30pm

Daily Dinner 6:00pm to 10:30pm

Reservation:

Tel No. : 604-229 8702

Fax No. : 604-229 8560

Email Add : fm@miraku-restaurant.com

Links to the other attendees of the preview:

• Food Promotions
• It’s Delicious
• Valyn Lim

View Gourmet Garden Food Trial in a larger map

Popularity: 7% [?]

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There is another German Bistro in Straits Quay that goes by the name of BERLIN’S BIER HOUZ(BBH). This is their second outlet in the whole of Malaysia as I was told. Their first flagship outlet was established in May 2010 in Ipoh’s infamous Green Town area. Berlin’s concept is to provide proper sit in dining for German and European food at an affordable price with an extensive range of beers to compliment their available dishes. We were told that they currently have about 43 types or brands of beer that are available by the bottle and or by the tap. The price of the beers are slightly cheaper compared to price offered by some of the F&B outlets that are also housed in Straits Quay. Another plus point for having a few drinks at Berlin’s is the night view of the Gurney Drive cove and that of the container yard on the opposite site of the island.

As it is mentioned, BBH serves dishes that have origins from Germany and Europe. The food list is not very extensive but at least it can provide some variety of choices with quite a budget price tag. The food list starts with light bites or snack that goes quite well with the many types of beer that they have to offer, then there are the mains that comes in to fill the hunger and it ends with desserts.

First up we had the “German Sausage Platter” that is priced at RM25.80.  The platter comes with a mixture 3 different sausage (if not mistaken Emmentaler Cheese, Garlic & Black-pepper). This platter could suffice the urge for gourmet sausages at a budget price with an average or acceptable taste profile. But texture wise, I prefer firmer sausages with more crunch or crisp skin. Thus, it would be better if the sausage were not sliced open before serving to keep the crisp feeling when we slice into it, and also to maintain the juices are intact.

Next was their version of “German Pork Knuckle” that is prices at RM25 for a half portion and RM43 for a full portion(whole). The price was very tempting although we already had a light dinner before we went to BBH. For RM25, the portion of the knuckle was quite luscious. The crackling was very crisp with every bite, but the meat was slightly dehydrated and over firmed. With the knuckle we found the simplicity of taste, just the flavours of pork and some savouriness.

Then we had their “Pork Burger with Cheese” that is stated RM16.80 per order. The patty is made with full 100% minced pork pan-grilled until well done, then slab on a bed of juicy sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce and sandwiched between 2 halves of a toasted fluffy bun. The patty was flavourful and moist and goes quite well with a pint of cold beer. The only down side of the burger was that it was a bit sloppy.

Overall experience:

BERLIN’S BIER HOUZ

3E-G-3B Straits Quay Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang Tanjung Tokong 10470 Pulau Pinang.

Popularity: 22% [?]

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After loosing touch with Chee Meng Wantan Mee, we have finally got them back on our radar. They are now back in their old spot at “Tai Wah Cafe” on Agryll Road. After moving out of Thong Seng late last year, they went for a self proclaim holiday until the 7th day of the Chinese Lunar calender. Business is as usual and will be closed on every Tuesdays.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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On the second(2nd) day of this Chinese Lunar New Year my sister decided to have “Poon Choi” (盆菜) from Dragon-i for dinner to celebrate the beginning of Spring or lì chūn (立春)。The Dragon-i’s ‘Prosperity Abalone Treasure Pot’ set is priced at RM 388 and RM338 for CIMB Bank customers, and boast to have 16ingredients with an approximate weight of 8.5 pounds or 3.85kg. The ingredients listed in the broacher are Australian premium abalone (10head), Australian sea cucumber, Japanese dried scallop, Japanese dried oyster, premium mushrooms, Pantai Remis fresh sea prawn, fish maw, roast chicken, roast pork belly, Golden Money Bag, yam, black moss, Chinese Cabbage, Tianjin Cabbage, deep-friend bean curd skin and radish.  But bear in mind that they are allowed to substitute or change the ingredients as stated in their marketing literature.

As there were an over whelming demand for treasure pot set, they ran out of pots thus we had to bring our own Japanese claypot which was significantly bigger. For take-away, the stock was packed separately and all the ingredients placed in individual sections and layers.

Once we got back home after driving through the jammed Jalan Batu Ferringghi, we added the stock and reheated the treasure pot. But half way through reheating, a very light burnt smell was coming from the pot. The cabbage leaves that were place at the bottom started to burn from the heat because the leaves have more fibres and less moisture compared to radish and burns easily. Therefore, extra care should be taken when reheating it at home.

The following photos show the layers of ingredients that came in the treasure pot. If I am not mistaken, those stated in their brochures were all present except for the fish maw (花胶筒) and black moss (发菜). Presentation wise it looked like any soupy claypot dish and its taste did not excite our palates nor leave a very lasting impression. The mushrooms and roast pork belly were a size overly big, the sea cucumber had a fishy taste and the abalones were bland, and all ingredients tasted with same flavor, but the soup stock was averagely light and sweet.

Back in 2008 before the market went bonkers with Poon Choi promotions and packages, we had begun researching for the origins and recipes that we could easily adopt or adapt for local ingredients and taste preference. We started with  a recipe that had Hakka influence that required every ingredient that goes in to the pot to be individually prepared and cooked so as  to present layers of flavours and texture when you start consuming the Poon Choi. The preparing process includes a few cooking method, such as steamed, deep fried, pan grilled, poached, braised an so on.

Each layer has their unique flavours. As you eat through the layers and go down to the bottom, you will find layers of pork skin, bean curd skin and radish used to layer the bottom to minimize burning and most importantly to soak up the flavours that have trickled down.

Then in 2010, my in-laws did another version of poon choi that require less tedious work for their Chinese New Year reunion dinner. It had radish, bean curd skin, stewed chicken (feet), roast duck, salted fried prawns, stewed mushrooms, vegetables and canned abalone. It also delivered layers of flavours and texture minus some hard work.

Which version above could really draw your appetite?

Popularity: 14% [?]

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It is a month full of celebrations! After Chinese New Year, it is time again to spend attention to your love ones. “Love ones” doesn’t just have to be your girlfriend or wife, it includes people that you love and care about like best friends, work buddies, etc… Here are the promotions for Valentines from Golden Sands Resort and Hard rock Hotel.

GOLDEN SANDS RESORT
Batu Feringghi Beach
11100 Penang
Malaysia
Phone: 604-886 1911

HARD ROCK HOTEL PENANG
Batu Ferringhi Beach
11100 Penang
Malaysia
Tel:  +60 4 8811711
Fax: +60 4 8812155

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Most local Japanese food patron would have one or many encounters with sake (酒) or to be more precise Nihonshu (日本酒)  in their course of dining out in their favourite Japanese restaurant, but not many would have been introduced to masu sake(枡酒).

Masu is a square wooden box that was originally used to measure rice in Japan during the feudal period. One masu was supposedly enough rice to feed a person for one day. Today the masu is largely used for drinking sake with standard size of one gō or approximately 180ml. The masu is a symbol or celebration of life, love, friendship and happiness and are commonly used for New Year celebrations, weddings and company gatherings. The box is hand crafted in Japan from hinoki (桧) wood (lemon-scented, light pinkish-brown, with a rich, straight grain, and is highly rot-resistant) using traditional method without any use of nails or glue, it is all about old world carpentry skills and good wood. It will impart a delicate hint of lemony, woody and sweetness to your sake and smoothers the body of the sake that you are having regardless of brand or type. Thus, the masu box is never to be wash using soapy water or anything that will distort the unique flavours of the wood. It is usually washed by using hot water.

To further enhance the experience, salt can be placed on the rim edge of the box before drinking from it. It adds a dash of savouriness to the sake.

We had our first masu sake experience at Miraku Japanese Restaurant sometime late last year, and the latest encounter was during this January. Miraku is having a promotion from January to February (2011) to promote the traditional art of masu sake drinking with each serving charge at RM28 per full masu box.

Miraku Japanese Restaurant

Address: 1st Floor G Hotel, 168A Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang
Tel No. : 604-229 8702
Fax No. : 604-229 8560
Email Add : fm@miraku-restaurant.com

Popularity: 4% [?]

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