Latest news with #Malaysian-Chinese
Tatler Asia
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
Wok Hei and Tatler Takeovers: July dining in Hong Kong
Hello, It's July, and things are heating up. We begin with a deep dive into wok hei , that elusive, searing kiss of the wok that defines Cantonese cooking at its best. We speak to three Hong Kong chefs who share how they're keeping the flames alive. Then, from July 10 to 13, the Tatler Best Takeover Series lands in Hong Kong with a line-up that's anything but ordinary. Johnson Wong of Gēn brings refined Malaysian-Chinese fare to Ming Pavilion; Uwe Opocensky hosts a sky-high six-hands with Jimmy Lim of Taichung's JL Studio and Singapore's Revolver at Petrus; and Brasserie Astoria, the Singapore outpost of Björn Frantzén's empire, revives the brasserie spirit at Lobster Bar and Grill. Meanwhile, Asia's top bars descend on the city. Jigger & Pony and Atlas from Singapore join forces with The Macallan House and Lobster Bar for two nights of world-class cocktails. It's four days, countless flavours, and a rare chance to see Asia's culinary stars shine side by side. See you there, Fontaine Cheng Regional Dining Editor, Tatler Asia
The Sun
09-06-2025
- The Sun
Three spots to visit for good food
FOR some foodies, good seafood is not just a dietary preference, it is a full-on lifestyle. Whether it is cracking open a juicy crab by the riverbanks of Seberang Perai, grazing through oysters and sashimi at a luxury KL buffet, or going hands-first into a saucy seafood mountain in Subang, Malaysia serves up more than enough to keep seafood lovers satisfied. theSun visited three restaurants that approach seafood in completely different ways, but all with one thing in common: freshness, flavour and the kind of satisfaction only the ocean can bring. Tambun Prawn Village Set against the backdrop of Sungai Jawi, Tambun Prawn Village is a long-standing favourite in the Bukit Tambun area of Seberang Perai, Penang. Built on stilts and overlooking the river, it serves rustic Malaysian-Chinese seafood in a relaxed, open-air setting. Despite its modest appearance, the restaurant is often packed, especially on weekends and has earned a loyal following over its 35-year history. We tried seven standout dishes that truly represented the best of what they offer. The Yam Ring featured a crisp taro basket filled with tofu balls glazed in sweet chilli sauce, a perfect balance of crunch and softness that set the tone for the meal. Next, the deep-fried squid arrived golden, crispy and tender inside, paired with a tangy chilli dip that added just enough heat. The sour and spicy crab was easily the crowd favourite. Coated in a thick, sambal-style sauce, the crab meat was sweet and firm, with the gravy delivering the perfect balance of heat, sourness and umami. It is messy, yes – but worth the effort, especially when you add on fried mantou buns to mop up the sauce. The baked tiger prawn with cheese leaned into decadence: prawns halved and blanketed in bubbling cheese, served on a bed of crispy vermicelli. The curry prawn with bread ring, a Penang-style classic, stole the show for its presentation alone, juicy prawns swimming in creamy, fragrant curry, encased in a hollowed-out round loaf of bread perfect for tearing and dipping. We also sampled the murex shell (siput duri), served chilled with a green chilli dip. It is a bit of a novelty dish, where you extract the chewy shellfish with a toothpick and enjoy it with a hit of sharp, citrusy sauce. To round things out, the sambal mixed beans offered a fiery, flavour-packed vegetable side dish that balanced the richness of the seafood mains. Prices for most dishes range between RM20 to RM80, with seafood priced by weight and clearly displayed. Service was friendly and efficient, and the riverside atmosphere added a charming, laid-back vibe. For seafood lovers who want classic, wok-fried flavours and truly fresh seafood, Tambun Prawn Village is worth the detour. Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur If variety is what you are after, the SeaSational Weekend Dinner Buffet at Roselle Coffee House is your ticket to indulgence. Held every Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays from 6pm to 10pm, this seafood-forward spread is hosted at Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur, a sleek luxury hotel just steps from the vicinity of KLCC. Priced at RM190 nett per adult and RM120 nett for senior citizens and children aged seven to 12, the buffet is worth it for the quality and quantity on offer. Upon entering, the first thing you see is the seafood on ice station, which feels like a curated ocean harvest. Plump lobsters, oysters, mussels, crab legs, scallops and tiger prawns are artfully arranged on crushed ice, replenished frequently to ensure freshness. Adjacent to this is the Japanese counter, where you can fill your plate with beautifully sliced salmon sashimi, tobiko gunkan and a colourful array of maki rolls. The freshness of the raw selections was top-notch, rivalling speciality sushi spots around the city. Among the rotating hot dishes, we enjoyed baked oysters with cheese, pan-seared scallops, salmon in citrus glaze and a flavourful seafood paella. There is also a noodle station and a cheese wheel pasta bar, where seafood pasta is tossed to order in a massive wheel of parmesan. One unique feature was the kombucha tap bar, offering three house-made brews: Strawberry Rose, Mandarin Yuzu and Peach Jasmine. These light, tart beverages were a refreshing change from sugary sodas or heavy drinks. Dessert was no afterthought either. Mini cheesecakes, mousse cups, tarts and local kuih were all presented with finesse. Even fruit lovers had plenty to choose from. The ambience on Level 8 is quietly elegant, with marble counters, plush seating and attentive staff that kept the experience running smoothly. For pescatarians looking to indulge in variety without sacrificing freshness, Roselle's buffet checks all the boxes: premium produce, stylish setting and great value for what you get. Mafioso Shellaut Over in Subang, Mafioso Shellaut brings a different kind of seafood experience: fun, affordable and gloriously messy. There are no plates or fancy cutlery here. Just a table covered in paper and a bucket of seafood, so you can dig right in. This is a place built for sharing. We went for the Shellaut Set (RM50), meant for two people and were served a colourful heap of crab, tiger prawns, squid, mussels, clams and broccoli, all drenched in their popular buttermilk sauce. The seafood was fresh, with springy prawns and tender squid, no overcooking in sight. The sauce was rich without being overwhelming, though spice lovers might want to try the lemak cili api or kam heong alternatives. Even if the set is supposedly meant for two, the portion fed four comfortably with rice on the side. Add-ons such as fried tiger prawns or siput sedut, let you build a feast to suit your table. The atmosphere is laid-back and loud in the best way. We saw at least two birthday celebrations while dining, complete with balloons, cake and singing. Staff were warm, fast-moving and happy to assist the customers when needed. It is not fancy, but that is the appeal. Mafioso Shellaut hits the sweet spot between price, portion and flavour. For diners who enjoy seafood without all the formalities, it is a casual crowd-pleaser that is easy on formalities but hits the spot with its flavours.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- The Sun
Hooking seafood
FOR some foodies, good seafood is not just a dietary preference, it is a full-on lifestyle. Whether it is cracking open a juicy crab by the riverbanks of Seberang Perai, grazing through oysters and sashimi at a luxury KL buffet, or going hands-first into a saucy seafood mountain in Subang, Malaysia serves up more than enough to keep seafood lovers satisfied. theSun visited three restaurants that approach seafood in completely different ways, but all with one thing in common: freshness, flavour and the kind of satisfaction only the ocean can bring. Tambun Prawn Village Set against the backdrop of Sungai Jawi, Tambun Prawn Village is a long-standing favourite in the Bukit Tambun area of Seberang Perai, Penang. Built on stilts and overlooking the river, it serves rustic Malaysian-Chinese seafood in a relaxed, open-air setting. Despite its modest appearance, the restaurant is often packed, especially on weekends and has earned a loyal following over its 35-year history. We tried seven standout dishes that truly represented the best of what they offer. The Yam Ring featured a crisp taro basket filled with tofu balls glazed in sweet chilli sauce, a perfect balance of crunch and softness that set the tone for the meal. Next, the deep-fried squid arrived golden, crispy and tender inside, paired with a tangy chilli dip that added just enough heat. The sour and spicy crab was easily the crowd favourite. Coated in a thick, sambal-style sauce, the crab meat was sweet and firm, with the gravy delivering the perfect balance of heat, sourness and umami. It is messy, yes – but worth the effort, especially when you add on fried mantou buns to mop up the sauce. The baked tiger prawn with cheese leaned into decadence: prawns halved and blanketed in bubbling cheese, served on a bed of crispy vermicelli. The curry prawn with bread ring, a Penang-style classic, stole the show for its presentation alone, juicy prawns swimming in creamy, fragrant curry, encased in a hollowed-out round loaf of bread perfect for tearing and dipping. We also sampled the murex shell (siput duri), served chilled with a green chilli dip. It is a bit of a novelty dish, where you extract the chewy shellfish with a toothpick and enjoy it with a hit of sharp, citrusy sauce. To round things out, the sambal mixed beans offered a fiery, flavour-packed vegetable side dish that balanced the richness of the seafood mains. Prices for most dishes range between RM20 to RM80, with seafood priced by weight and clearly displayed. Service was friendly and efficient, and the riverside atmosphere added a charming, laid-back vibe. For seafood lovers who want classic, wok-fried flavours and truly fresh seafood, Tambun Prawn Village is worth the detour. Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur If variety is what you are after, the SeaSational Weekend Dinner Buffet at Roselle Coffee House is your ticket to indulgence. Held every Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays from 6pm to 10pm, this seafood-forward spread is hosted at Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur, a sleek luxury hotel just steps from the vicinity of KLCC. Priced at RM190 nett per adult and RM120 nett for senior citizens and children aged seven to 12, the buffet is worth it for the quality and quantity on offer. Upon entering, the first thing you see is the seafood on ice station, which feels like a curated ocean harvest. Plump lobsters, oysters, mussels, crab legs, scallops and tiger prawns are artfully arranged on crushed ice, replenished frequently to ensure freshness. Adjacent to this is the Japanese counter, where you can fill your plate with beautifully sliced salmon sashimi, tobiko gunkan and a colourful array of maki rolls. The freshness of the raw selections was top-notch, rivalling speciality sushi spots around the city. Among the rotating hot dishes, we enjoyed baked oysters with cheese, pan-seared scallops, salmon in citrus glaze and a flavourful seafood paella. There is also a noodle station and a cheese wheel pasta bar, where seafood pasta is tossed to order in a massive wheel of parmesan. One unique feature was the kombucha tap bar, offering three house-made brews: Strawberry Rose, Mandarin Yuzu and Peach Jasmine. These light, tart beverages were a refreshing change from sugary sodas or heavy drinks. Dessert was no afterthought either. Mini cheesecakes, mousse cups, tarts and local kuih were all presented with finesse. Even fruit lovers had plenty to choose from. The ambience on Level 8 is quietly elegant, with marble counters, plush seating and attentive staff that kept the experience running smoothly. For pescatarians looking to indulge in variety without sacrificing freshness, Roselle's buffet checks all the boxes: premium produce, stylish setting and great value for what you get. Mafioso Shellaut Over in Subang, Mafioso Shellaut brings a different kind of seafood experience: fun, affordable and gloriously messy. There are no plates or fancy cutlery here. Just a table covered in paper and a bucket of seafood, so you can dig right in. This is a place built for sharing. We went for the Shellaut Set (RM50), meant for two people and were served a colourful heap of crab, tiger prawns, squid, mussels, clams and broccoli, all drenched in their popular buttermilk sauce. The seafood was fresh, with springy prawns and tender squid, no overcooking in sight. The sauce was rich without being overwhelming, though spice lovers might want to try the lemak cili api or kam heong alternatives. Even if the set is supposedly meant for two, the portion fed four comfortably with rice on the side. Add-ons such as fried tiger prawns or siput sedut, let you build a feast to suit your table. The atmosphere is laid-back and loud in the best way. We saw at least two birthday celebrations while dining, complete with balloons, cake and singing. Staff were warm, fast-moving and happy to assist the customers when needed. It is not fancy, but that is the appeal. Mafioso Shellaut hits the sweet spot between price, portion and flavour. For diners who enjoy seafood without all the formalities, it is a casual crowd-pleaser that is easy on formalities but hits the spot with its flavours.
New Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: A ledger for love and heartaches
THE trials and tribulations of a long-term relationship are explored in all its messy, complex, touching, and frustrating glory in 'Love Budget', a Malaysian-Chinese romance play from W Productions, based on a 2014 play, titled 'First Love: Love Budget'. Dickson Chai, the writer-director of the original show, returns to deliver what can be considered a spiritual sequel, injecting his story with a decade of experience and recent cultural phenomenons that brings his story closer to the 2020s zeitgeist. And he's not the only one. Penny Ng and Swei Ang reprise their role as the main couple, whose trouble over their seven-year relationship has led them to conduct budget meetings over their romance, quantifying dates, holidays abroad, and arguments into statistics and numbers. For a show that promised itself to be a discussion on the quantification of love, I was expecting cold, robotic dialogue from the couple that would maybe heat up as tensions started to ramp up throughout the show. So, I was pleasantly surprised when the arguments started almost immediately. Foot on pedal, they presented stats on who spent how long at the mamak, the rate of flowers sent over the past year, and who was photographed getting too chummy with their university friend. It was a perfect portrayal of a couple clearly fed-up with each other, willing to bicker over every little discourse. And, at least initially, it was fun and amusing. Ng and Swei Ang performed Chai's dialogue with impeccable delivery, through rapid fire back-and-forths that sometimes made the English subtitles struggle to keep up. Swei Ang, playing the boyfriend, was a kinetic, active ball-of-energy that seemed clearly fuelled by their intense arguments. And he is beautifully contrasted by Ng's girlfriend character, whose quiet zeal is expressed through her controlled and firm demeanour. The dialogue barely takes a breath, moving from one topic to the next as rapidly as it comes. Funny moments and anecdotes (how the couple still don't hug because of Covid) sometimes are immediately snuffed by more serious issues (why aren't they married despite being together for seven years). We're not just subjected to the thorns and thistles of their relationship though, as flashback sequences, highlighted by strikingly beautiful lighting changes, give us glimpses into the couple's honeymoon phase. These are, in the kindest words, diabetically sweet, but perhaps too much. The contrast between the grounded, authentic relationship we see in the present and the fairy-tale meet-cute of the past was a jarring disconnect. These scenes could have been from the perspective of the couple themselves, portraying their naive, romantic innocence, but it still never really felt as impactful as it might have liked. But these elements never detracted from the present story, which I felt was always strongly portrayed. As the couple's arguments devolved into something messier and disturbingly personal, laughter became a genuine discomfort. A memorable moment came, when possibly 50 minutes into the play, we finally learn of one of the character's name, as it's screamed out by the other character in a fit of anger, followed by deafening silence. That is one of the play's most defining features, its brilliant use of silence. When that constant fighting suddenly stops, when neither of them are able to say a thing, it never fails to feel as if someone had just sucked the air out of the room, and we're begging for the couple to breathe it back in. Each moment that spurs the silence feels longer and longer each time, dragging the audience deeper and deeper into the pit of these characters. In the final moments of the show I felt absolutely enraptured by them, having watched their struggles, dreams, and love tested and brought to its brink. In fact, I felt so caught up in the catharsis of the last 20 minutes of the play that it only took me until I went back home that I realised I didn't actually like the ending. It was far too clean and neat, a happy-ever-after that felt like it thematically clashed with the rest of the story. Paradoxically, I can't help but forgive it as it was able to make me ignore, or at least accept, the weaknesses of that ending. I had wanted these characters to do well, so much so that it seems I had thrown my objectivity out of the equation. This is once more a testament to Chai's authentically-written characters, portrayed brilliantly by Ng and Swei Ang, who gave so much character and depth in a performance that brought these troubled lovers to life. 'Love Budget' played at the DPAC Black Box Theatre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, from April 24 to 27.
Time Out
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Silver Waves by Boon
'Once you have the right ingredients, you know how to play.' That's what Chef Ho Chee Boon told us. He's not much for polite niceties – he's utterly unpretentious and a bit blunt. Using the wrong kind of mortar and pestle? He'll let you know. He was born in Malaysia, and while we won't make comparisons to a certain Malaysian-Chinese YouTuber, we understand if you might. It's what we expect from a master craftsman with 30+ years in the kitchen. Having opened Hakkasan, London's first Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, as well as operations on four continents (including Breeze at the Lebua State Tower here in town), he has played a major role in getting Chinese food the respect it deserves. While, to Western ears, 'going out for Chinese' once meant suburbanized flavour profiles, faux-Ming screens, and cloudy fishtanks, Chef Boon's outlets are mingling grounds for the smart set, with the cuisine to match, inspiring countless Chinese chefs outside the Sinosphere to step up their game. Now he's back in Bangkok to open Silver Waves at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside. Some of his projects are awfully glitzy – the Wikipedia page for Hakkasan has a photo of the Chainsmokers performing at their Vegas club location – but Silver Waves is thankfully more restrained. The sunset river views are glam enough, some of the best in the city, and the vermilion-toned dining room foregrounds the location. Tables are intimate, and private rooms are available too, including a massive 40-person round table complete with a karaoke stage – in case you want to see your sales manager slur his way through 'Proud Mary' at the company dinner. The best dishes are rooted deep in the Cantonese canon, but delivered with precision, creativity, and style. Mixed dim sum (B460) goes hard on the visual impact, with a rainbow colour palette in the steamer basket and bold flavours to match, and Iberico ham xiaolongbao (B320) is as awesome as it sounds. We also adored the tofu with wild pepper (B380), clearly inspired by the always-addictive mapo tofu, but with an earthy, pungent spice blast contrasting against the gooey soft tofu. Passionfruit cheesecake (B340) breathes new life into a modern Asian staple, balanced and playfully contained within a passionfruit shell. To pair, the after-dinner Chinese herbal drinks remind us of a motorbike ride through Yaowarat in the best way. The more luxurious mains, while impressive, are perhaps a bit too classic. The sauce on the tiger prawns (B680) is just a bit too similar to standard Thai-Chinese pat pong garee, and the black cod with shacha sauce (B1,680) didn't differentiate itself from the black cod that is the signature dish at a global Japanese high-end restaurant brand whose name rhymes with 'no, you.' Both of these dishes are unquestionably delicious, but they seem less like originals than competent cover songs. That quibble aside, with that right mix of photogenic setting and serious craft, don't be surprised if Silver Waves becomes the next jam-packed hotel dim sum spot. And don't be surprised if we steal your xiaolongbao while you're snapping selfies.
