Being a health food junkie known for fastidiousness and a hard-to-please demeanor when it comes to food criticism, it usually would take a lot for me to approve or recommend food marketed as ‘healthy’.

As long as it is not made with my bare hands or by the hands of a fellow fit food/health food enthusiast, I tend to raise an eyebrow when labels on pre-packaged foods and menus proclaim themselves to be ‘healthy’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘fat-free’, ‘low calorie’ and other drivel.

My initial skeptical face. Looking forward to unveil KLGCC’s new Healthy Menu regardless!

But when Malaysia’s premiere golf and country club invited me for a food tasting and review session of the newly-launched healthy menu of their Golfer’s Terrace, something tells me that this has gotta be the real deal. 

Arriving at the entrance.

Bestowed with prestigious awards over the years, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) is an exquisite clubhouse nestled on Bukit Kiara hilltop with a golf course to die for and exclusive VIP lifestyle facilities for its members.

Just a little background info (and to blow their trumpet a little!), here are some of their notable honours they’ve been recognized for:

• 2014 Best Golf Course in Malaysia by US Golf Digest
• Best Golf Experience in Malaysia by Expatriate Lifestyle
• Best Clubhouse in Asia Pacific and #1 Gold Course in Malaysia Asian Golf Monthly Awards 2013 and 2012
• The BrandLaureate Awards 2012-2013 Best Brand in Sport-Golf Course.
• Golf Course of the Year by Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards Regional Series 2011-2013

Pulling up into the driveway of KLGCC.

Today’s fashion get-up. Jessicat wears:

Lace button-down blouse in white by H&M / Skater skirt in blue by Topshop /

Tessuto Vitello Daino tote bag by Prada /Jeffrey Campbell inspired boots by Forever 21

Accessories by DIVA.

More often than not, meals at golf clubs and terraces usually comprise selections of club sandwiches, sinful finger food (read chicken drummets, sausages, potato chips, nuggets) and all the other typical snacks that would appease an average golfer’s palate.

However, the exclusive Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC)’s culinary team took a step ahead of its competition to create an additional menu armed with one objective in mind, that is to take our tastebuds around the globe… but with a healthy twist! 

The new menu features a variety of entrees, salads, desserts and more.

Prepared and cooked with the freshest of ingredients by in-house culinary team, this menu is the brainchild of Executive Chef Arnold Kwok, who ingeniously crafted it with good health in mind.

Take a look at some of the masterpieces we were served with that evening. 

From long business lunches to express lunches on-the-go, patrons can savour the light Chicken Romaine Salad from the Western palate to Thailand’s famous and exotic, Green Curry Chicken.

I had the pleasure of indulging in the latter – which you will see in a bit!

Other around-the-world choices are Salmon with Warm Tomato relish, Steamed Sea Bass with baby Bok Choy and Slow Cooked Beef Brisket.

As all healthy main meals would not seem quite complete without an equally healthy drink, diners can opt between 4 of their healthy fruit & vegetable smoothies.

Check out the refreshing (and rather unique, I might add!) blend of smoothies and juices that will tantalize any health junkie.

Clearly I chugged it all down with glee!

To introduce this menu to the public, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club hosted a group of media, lifestyle bloggers and health food enthusiasts to savour and review the new line-up.

Can anyone say, first dibs on all the food? 

I  too, had the good fortune of receiving an invitation to tonight’s dining.

Thanks, KLGCC!

 Executive Chef Arnold Kwok welcoming us and introducing his healthy menu.

With society becoming more health conscious, we also want to serve healthy meals of a good variety that will appeal to all age groups.

We want to encourage patrons to make healthier choices when it comes to food

– Arnold Kwok

In this menu, a variety of healthier alternatives are used to substitute regular ingredients.

For instance, coconut oil replaces the usual cooking oil (high  in cholesterol and saturated fats by the way!), coconut flour replaces white flour and strictly no preservatives or processed food are used.

Instead, Chef Kwok uses ingredients such as  lean chicken, sea salt, unsalted butter and Omega 3 eggs, to name a few.

Fairly convincing, right?
Let’s enter the dining area of the KLGCC’s Golf Terrace now. 

A sneak peak of the interior.

 Tables were reserved for us that evening.

Let’s begin with the first meal of the day!

 What’s the first thing you do when you wake up fresh in the morning? A big, hearty breakfast is what gets me fueled up for the day.

No breakfast, and all you’ll get is a grumpy Jessicat with depleted energy levels throughout the day. Approach with caution. 

For sufficient calories to begin your day, KLGCC’s breakfast is available from 7.30-10.30am. Golfers, start your tee off with these! 😉

Tuna Guacamole Salad

Calorie Counter: 661 Calories

Departing from the standard fare of the usual garden salad or caesar salad,

this meal certainly stands out.

The Tuna Guacamole Salad consists of tuna chunks, guacamole, Omega-3 eggs, tomato, black olives, onion and seasonal salad, topped with creamy pine nut dressing.

The tuna chunks are mashed with guacamole and wrapped up with seaweed lining – just like how sushi rolls would look like! 

This well-seasoned and colourful dish was sprinkled with balsamic vinegar while the slight hint of spiciness from the black pepper in the creamy pine nut dressing is sure to perk you up!

 Moving on…

If salad isn’t up your alley, why don’t you take a look at this oven-baked dish and pastry combination instead? 

Chicken Broccoli Frittata
Calorie Counter: 411 Calories

Care to have a bite?

The frittata really got my nod of approval. 

Bursting with flavours from its fresh vegetable ingredients like broccoli, capsicums, eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions, as well as Omega-3 eggs and herbs, this well-balanced dish had just the perfect light, fluffiness from the baked eggs.

This contrasts well with that crunch you would least expect from the veggies.

Accompanying the frittata, the side dishes of soft and moist zucchini bread and banana nut muffin made this meal a really wholesome and filling one!

Almond Zucchini Bread  & Banana Nut Muffin
Calorie Counter: 109 Calories  & 155 Calories respectively

Baked with almond flour, the Almond Zucchini Bread felt like a perfect breakfast bread in comparison to other breads and pastries laden with butter, bleached white flour and whatnot.

Good to bite into an infused bread which isn’t overly moist and mushy – such is the case for most banana breads, I must point out.

Similarly, the Banana Nut Muffin is baked with coconut flour and no refined sugar. Thus, it did not contain that cloyingly sweet taste like regular muffins (which is kinda the reason I never fancy muffins). 

Loved that hint of banana and mild nut taste in these fluffy and well-risen muffins.

Vegetarians would be delighted to know that the three dishes above – the frittata, bread and muffin – are suitable for them too!

Now that breakfast is over, what would be your healthy accompaniment? I’d usually whirl up a breakfast shake or smoothie.

KLGCC’s  healthy blended juices available are the:

(L-R) Citrus Kiwi, Tumeric Veggie Blend, Mango Berries & Apple Spinach

I’ve always been a fruit smoothie drinker instead of a fruit juice drinker as the former retains the fruits’ pulp and fibre instead of only allowing the consumption of water and fructose (fruit) sugar. Yup, I prefer my drink 100% pure, with every nutrient intact.

Only then the true benefits of the fruit are maximized!

Let’s put them to test!

Citrus Kiwi

The is a zesty, tangy one with natural mild sweetness. Yum!

Tumeric Veggie Blend

 Definitely an acquired taste. This contains tumeric root, carrots, romaine lettuce, cucumber and lemon. Pretty odd concoction but magically works!

Mango Berries

This combo was a tad too sour for me but if you’re a massive berry fan then this would be your cup of tea.

Apple Spinach

Considering the fact that I drink my smoothies with spinach almost every morning, this one was a familiar taste for me.

All in all, I would go for another shot of Apple Spinach and the Citrus Kiwi.

Now… moving on to the mains!

Salmon with Warm Tomato Relish

Calorie Counter: 275 Calories

The buttery pan-seared Norwegian salmon rests atop a sea of interesting Mediterranean styled gravy and bites, namely tomato, black olives, onions, vinegar, capers and basil.

I’m a strong believer of that crispy golden crust with a pinkish surprise centre for every salmon dish I cut open.

And guess what? This one by KLGCC nailed it right down the middle.

With its tasty, soft tender flakes bursting into a symphony of flavours onto my tastebuds, each bite can only attest to its freshness and divine perfection.

 Jessicat loves her fish. Always my first choice in any menu!

Moving onto something from the exotic east…Well actually, not so exotic for us Malaysians, as Thailand practically is our next-door brethren towards the north.

But for my expat or non-local readers, this one’s an exotic gem from the land of smiles.

 Thai Green Curry Chicken

Calorie Counter: 562 Calories

This was mild and led to a rare occasion where my tastebuds and stomach were both nodding in agreement to finally accommodate my love for spicy food. Yay for me! 

Should opt out of eating rice or on a low-carb diet, select from the 3 tasty alternatives above.

Cauliflower Rice, Mashed Sweet Potato and Brown Rice.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t eat regular rice at all. Not for health purposes – but I just absolutely do not fancy it.

So you bet I loved these 3 alternatives! I often make the first two at home as well.

Moving on to a dish meat-lovin’ fanatics would kill for! 

Seared Beef Strip Loin
Calorie Counter: 488 Calories

This well-done beef steak comes served with steamed vegetables and sits atop a bed of mashed sweet potato.  

Yes, the sides are nothing of those nasty deep fried potato chips/wedges/fries and typical ketchup aka pub food (Some might call it comfort food but all I see is junk) 🙁

The mushrooms were large and juicy too!

I always prefer my steaks medium well, but to each their own. You can always tell the waiter how cooked/uncooked you want it to be.

This dish is very fragrant as I could smell it the moment it arrived my table. The Chimichurri sauce was a refreshing note to the otherwise heavy flavour of this delicious, grilled Australian Grain-fed slab of meat.

Alright… now that the mains are over and done with, still have space for dessert?

You’d better. 😛 😛

Here’s a mixture of seasonal fruits, sweet potato pie, warm mixed berries and coconut ice cream to induce the first drops of salivation. Heehee.

I was served a mini platter of all the desserts available. 

Take your pick!

Warm Mixed Berries served with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

This dessert was a sautee  of a variety of berries like strawberries, raspberries and more, with honey and mint.

For the berry sauce, maple syrup and honey are used in replacement of sugar.

The coconut ice cream that came in accompaniment was unlike any other! 

It was smooth with an apparent hints of true coconut taste, yet light and mild – sorbet style! Made with pure coconut milk, this complemented the sourness and sharp taste of the berries so well. 

When served together, the pair was a match made in heaven.

Sweet Potato Pie with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

The sweet potato pie had a firm yet soft-to-the-bite crust and made without wheat flour.

It wasn’t the crumbly kind which annoyingly disintegrates with a mere prod of a fork.

The filling was smooth and an excellent combination of almond milk, spices and whipped coconut cream. 

Bravo to KLGCC’s culinary team and masterminds, Executive Arnold Kwok and his sous chef.

Bear in mind that all dishes in KLGCC’s new healthy menu are cooked without processed foods/ingredients.

So if you’re thinking of indulging in some mouth-watering. exquisite food while watching your waistline, you can finally do so!

 I would fully recommend this for any weight-watchers, fitness freaks, fellow health-junkies or any discerning health food enthusiast to relish. Who says healthy food are bland, boring and aesthetically displeasing? Not in a million years.

Being a self-taught clean eating & Paleo chef-at-home myself, I can totally vouch for that.

Always remember, healthy eating is NOT  a fad diet. It’s an active choice, a kind of lifestyle which you choose (or choose not!) to lead.

You are what you eat! It definitely shows.

 So what’s my final verdict on the menu, you ask?

Tried, tested and approved with my seal of healthiness.

GIVE ME MORE OF THAT!  

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For more information on Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, get in touch with them!

Log on to their official website at: www.klgcc.com

Call them at this contact number: +603-2093 1111 ext. 3622/3619

Drop by their clubhouse at: 10 Jalan 1/70D Off Jalan Bukit Kiara, 6000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia