qe2 – TheJessicat

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Up close and personal with Emma Hewitt and Sean Tyas @ QEII By the Sea, Penang island!

September 22, 2013 by thejessicat

Good morning, dear readers!

I have no idea how I managed to wake up relatively early this morning after last night’s wicked party!

Emma Hewitt / Jessicat / Sean Tyas

More about the party later, as I will also be including a video of the night into my coverage too, on top of the blog post write-up. For now, let’s talk about the interview I had with them, shall we?

Sep 21, 2013 | Off to attend the rave & interview Emma Hewitt! Catch her LIVE in QEII Penang tonight. Party on, trancefamily! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Last night, I had the chance to sit down with Emma Hewitt and Sean Tyas for an interview just before the party began. They were very friendly, down-to-earth, and such nice people to talk to and to actually have a conversation with!

You ready? I am. Let’s start with Emma Hewitt.

Managed a quick chat with her. Loved her very sweet demeanour and aura of gracefulness.

25 year old Australian songbird, born Emma Louise Hewitt, is currently residing in Los Angeles, USA. She is a singer-songwriter, and started her foray into music as the lead singer of her own (now no longer active) rock band ‘Missing Hours’. Now popularly known as the princess of trance she is now a full-time trance vocalist and has collaborated with EDM giants to produce chart-topping billboard staples, from the likes of Marcus Schossow, Armin Van Buuren, Dash Berlin and Cosmic Gate just to name a few.

She was bubbly, had a good sense of humour and was very amicable throughout our interview.

Below is the ten-question interview piece I had with Emma. Enjoy!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]1. Welcome to our island, Penang. It’s a pleasure to have you here. How is your trip so far?[/highlight]

Hi! How are you going? Last night was amazing in KL, it was fantastic! The crowd was just really, really great. There was a lot of energy in the room. A lot of people in there were a great fun crowd, really lovely and friendly people. And tonight, in Penang, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Penang! I think tonight is going to be a really fun party.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]2. Being your first time here, how do you personally find Penang?[/highlight]

I’ve heard you guys in Penang have the best food and can party really hard! So now, I’ve seen the food, and it was some of the most fantastic food I’ve ever tasted… and now I have to see the party crowd. So excited!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]3. I’m sure everybody is excited to see you too! You’re a very talented songwriter and a singer. How do you usually get inspiration for your music? Any specific procedures in your songwriting?[/highlight]

I’m always inspired by life itself. If there was something that happened to me in the past, or to my friends and family, I write about it. To me, writing songs, it has to be personal and something that I’m really feeling at the time. So usually my song writing draws from my own experience.
My brother, who is a guitarist, and I used to write songs together in a rock band using the guitar; we play and write, and see what works acoustically. And now with dance music, we write the same way.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]4. A rock band! That’s a really cool start. So, have you fully transitioned from rock to trance now?[/highlight]

Yeah I did! And to be honest, my songs are still kind of the same but they just have trance beats instead of rock. We write them in the same way, they’re all very personal songs. But to me, trance music has allowed me to write in a much more emotional and personal way. I think people are more open to hearing something personal in trance music.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]5. You’ve collaborated with huge names like Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery and Armin Van Buuren. Who are you looking forward to collaborate with next?[/highlight]

I’ve got a few collaborations in the pipeline, but they’re not set in stone yet so I can’t talk about them until they’re definitely happening. But there are about four or five that I’m really excited about! Most of them are trance but some of them are pushing towards a slightly different style. I wanna do some darker kind of vocals and go back to the rock roots with those stuff, and also poppy kind of vocals and deep choruses. So I’m looking forward to work with those DJs on those new styles as well as the trance ones.

Editor’s note: Mid-way through the interview, I noticed her looking at my left collarbone. She then told me she loved my tattoo and asked me what it is. I mentioned that it was a quote by Shakespeare and read it out to her (I know you guys are waiting for my blog post on this collarbone tattoo, sorry for the delay! Will blog about that soon!) She then said it was a really beautiful quote and how she loved tattoos, which led me to my next question…

[highlight style=”yellow” ]6. How about you, Emma? Do you have any tattoos yourself? How many?[/highlight]

Oh I have a few too! She then revealed a half-sleeve on her left inner forearm, and also pointed out to her right hip and some on her foot. Once you start, you can’t stop!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]7. I totally agree. Tattoos always carry a significant meaning, and so do songs, in fact! Which of your tracks meant the most to you? [/highlight]

All my songs carry memories and meaning to me, I don’t have a specific favourite but I would say that the Chris Lake track was very special to me, because it was the first. And also ‘Waiting’ with Dash Berlin, because that exposed me to a lot of people and opened the doors for me in this genre of music, which I’m really grateful for.

Editor’s note: This Chris Lake track she was referring to is the 2009 release by Chris Lake featuring Emma Hewitt – Carry Me Away. Do take a listen! It is a lovely one.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]8. Yeah, ‘Waiting’ is one of my personal favourites too. That, if I remember, won Best Euro Track at the Electronic Dance Music Awards in 2010 too, how did you feel about that?[/highlight]

Yes, yes it did! That was really nice! It was really cool that it was recognized and how people took notice of that song. Really an honour.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]9. Out of all the trance anthems of all time, what is your favourite trance track of the year?[/highlight]

Hmmm… I’m not too sure if it was released this year, because I’ve lost track of time as I have been travelling so much… but I would say, Concrete Angel was a really great track and one of the best songs. Really, really huge for quite some time!
Editor’s note: Gareth Emery – Concrete Angel was released in 2012 under his record label Garuda.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]10. What is the craziest thing or the most memorable thing a fan has done for you?[/highlight]

*giggles* There’s been some crazy ones, and there are some lovely ones as well. I’ve received beautiful gifts that they’ve made. There was a man who is getting my face tattooed on his leg and is in the process of doing it at the moment. I was flattered but kind of worried how my face would look as a tattoo; I hope it wouldn’t look too scary! I felt bad for him, and was like, “Oh no, don’t do that!” *laughs*
Another fan recently got my signature tattooed on his back and sent us a picture. It was amazing, such a heart-warming experience. I actually teared up when I saw the picture.

Before we concluded the interview, I managed to ask Emma to record a personal message to all her Penang trance fans.

Hope you enjoyed the interview and getting to know Emma a little bit better.

Moving on…

Sean Tyas is a 34 year old American-born DJ and EDM producer (particularly trance) who is currently residing in Switzerland. He is well known for is internet radio show, Tytanium Sessions and regularly receives airtime on Armin Van Buuren’s ‘A State of Trance’ , Tiesto’s ‘Club Life’ and Above and Beyond’s ‘Trance Around the World’.

He was very jovial, laid back, extremely cheerful and approachable. So let’s hear what he has to say, shall we?

‘

Below is a quick 5 minute interview I managed to do with him. Enjoy!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]1. Welcome to our lovely island, Penang. Is this your first time travelling with Emma Hewitt?[/highlight]

This is my first time in Penang, but not my first time time in Malaysia, though. I’ve been here three times! I’ve done a few shows and performed with Emma before but yes, this is the first time we’re doing a two-gig performance tour like this. I hope you guys will enjoy it.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]2. What would you say; best describes your personal style, in terms of music?[/highlight]

I play usually very high energy trance and usually that comes with a high tempo also. But I’ve been interested in other styles, like drum and bass. I try to integrate the harder sounds of drum and bass into trance music lately.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]3. I’m a huge fan of D&B music too. Any personal favorites or must-listens that you’d like to recommend from your own discography?[/highlight]

From my own stuff, most requested tune that people seem to really enjoy is my remix of Paul Webster featuring Angelic Amanda called ‘Time’. Other than that, as far as reworks go, I’ve done this rework of a track by Breaking Benjamin & Carl B called ‘Diary of Jane’, and that definitely seems to be a crowd favorite.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]4.I’ve heard the Breaking Benjamin rework! Loved it. Will we be expecting to listen to it from you tonight, then?[/highlight]

It depends! All those are fast tunes like 138-140 bpm. Tonight I’m gonna try to keep it melodic, keep it relatively easier pace just to make sure everybody can really dance tonight *chuckles* 140 is really fast, you know!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]5. But that would be the main drive of the track! We Malaysians really know how to party hard![/highlight]

Yeah, that’s right. You can’t really have a low energy tune at 140 bpm. So, yeah okay that’s great then! We’ll see how it goes tonight! If it’s hard enough, I’ll play it!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]6. The pressure is on! What would you be expecting from your fans from Malaysia, in terms of crowd response?[/highlight]

For Malaysians, it’s always very enthusiastic fans who know the tracks. So they would usually sing along and dance, with a very high level of energy and enthusiasm. Really cool!

Before we ended the interview, I also managed to ask him to record a message to his Penang trance fans out there. Just for you!

And that’s a wrap!

It was an honour to speak to you both and personally ask you those questions exclusively! Hope to see you live in concert again some time soon.

So there you have it. Up close and personal with Emma Hewitt and Sean Tyas. Special thanks to event organizers SOHO Group, KC and Friends as well as Titanium Event Management for tonight’s special arrangement.

In the meantime, dearest readers and trance fans, stay tuned to the full blog post coverage + video on the gig!

The Sunday Times XXX: Sights, sounds, adventures & eats! My week in a flash ♥

July 7, 2013 by thejessicat

This week marks my first week as a 24 year old! Boy, oh boy, do I feel old.

Exactly a decade ago, to sum it up, I was an acne-ridden, hip-hop lovin' streetkid, a high school nerd and an angsty teenager still trying to find herself.

Not that I'm any much closer to finding myself just yet anyway. *shrugs* The journey of self-discovery, to me, is always a perpetual one.

Guess I'll never ever discover who I really am yet. Well that keeps things interesting, doesn't it?

The month of July will be a month full of birthday celebrations for me.

Full blog post on my birthday celebrations will be up at the end of this month!

Oh and, to publicly answer the one question I've been getting over and over again this year –

Why are you not throwing a big birthday party like all your previous years, Jess?

I have my personal reasons for this. I guess I can only reveal the answer two years later – no, I'm not joking. It's a legit reason. So far, only a small circle of family and close friends know why, and I plan to keep it that way.

Ianya akan disimpan sebagai rahsia buat masa ini!

Posted my last video as a 23 year old, just before I turned 24:

Jun 30, 2013 | Goodbye dear 23 year old girl! Looking forward to a brand new year for me! 😀 by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Anyway, let's get on with the weekly wrap-up, shall we?

I went hiking up my usual BJ Hill @ Bukit Jambul

Next stop – Penang Hill!

Couldn't resist taking this photo of buddyAdrian and a dog in the woods.

He's such a dog whisperer – I don't even! Dogs are really a man's best friend.

Being back in Penang drove me to Milkshake Factory @ Gurney Plaza again.

No thanks to bestieVince as I was trying to resist it! *dagger stares* I gave in, eventually.

Mungkin ko nih nak berat badanku bertambah? Entahlah.

Okay, fine. You know I love it, don't you? Thanks for the awesome milkshake xo

Back in KL, I was booked for a food review session at The Steakhouse KL @ Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Jul 2, 2013 | At The Steakhouse KL about to taste their amazing dinner menu. Can't wait to share the best of what they have! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Thank you, Mr. Werner Kuhn and team for having me at your luxurious restaurant tonight.

Full blog feature up next!

Silly convex mirror times with the buddies Photobomb level: honking car LOLOL

We had a small cosy dinner gathering at In-House @ Publika

More of what happened and a short feature in another post!

Okay time for some kittyphotos of the week. Mew!

Plotting his diabolical plan to take over the world.

"I hate mommy's cuddles."

"On second thought, maybe it's not that bad after all."

"But what did I do wrong this time, mommy? I swear it wasn't me!"

"I haz no legs. I'm just a black furry blob with a tail."

Okay that's all for now LOL.

Mid-week, I checked out Tony Roma's Steakhouse Restaurant to taste their "Tony's World Famous Ribs."

Combo of their Bountiful Beef Ribs and Grilled Salmon with a serving of fresh vegetables.

Rating: ★★★★★

The taste of rich beef complemented with Tony Roma's own original barbeque sauce did the trick.

The meat was just right too. It was tender and fell off the bone with the merest, gentle slice of my knife.

I would say I prefer these ribs to the ones served at TGI Friday's. Then again, it is a close fight though.

The salmon was nothing short of perfection too.

With a hint of dill and lemon enhanced by the open fire grill, this one's a winner.

Their only fallback is probably the house bread that came as a starter.

It tasted fine, but the texture was slightly on the chewy side.

On Saturday my fave partycrew and I were on our way to somewhere… secret.

Yup, it's the annual Carlsberg's 'Where's the Party?'

The location isn't so secret anymore by now; it was held in MAEPS @ Serdang.

Full blog feature up soon. A very honest account. Wait for it.

We had our own little afterparty/late dinner at The Castle Restaurant, KL

Rating: ★★★☆☆

It served a standard fare of Middle Eastern food; though I must recommend the Spicy Shish Tawook and the Lamb Mandy. The latter was served with long-grain kabssa rice. Shisha there was fine with an equally good variety of flavours.

The Chicken Kebab though, left a little to be desired. It was too bland and the texture was somehow a little soluble and for some reason, disintergrated too quickly. It was oddly, really wet with hardly any meat that I could chew on. The service was a little slow, but the waiters were amazingly friendly.

After a late night, I don't know how I managed to drag myself out of bed the next morning

for my session with the Bosu. It was akin to dragging a full-grown water buffalo out of a mudhole.

Thursday night's TRX + back and bicep day was fine. Until the next morning, that is.

Good lord. I could hardly raise my arm to switch on the lights in the bathroom as I woke up.

Chilling with my favorite barbell after an intense leg day workout.

And of course, the usual eats. My post workout-meals:

Wheat bran, cornflakes and blueberries in milk!

Chicken breast slices, carrots, spinach,

aubergine and onions stir-fried with olive oil and chia seeds.

Snacking on a fruit platter of oranges, green apples, red grapes and organic pumpkin kernels.

Eggs – in three different variants.

Which do you prefer? Hardboiled, scrambled or as a omelette?

Clean eating is the way to go! Have you had your greens today?

Before I knew it, Sunday came knocking on my door!

Pardon me, as I groove to some 70's disco music.

I know, how very unbecoming. But sometimes, the weekend does this to me.

Jul 7, 2013 | Nothing like a #weekend fix of #70s #music. Anyone remembers KC and the Sunshine Band? That's the way, baby 😉 by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Parked myself at Milk and Butter @ Bangsar and hung out with my boy Chivas before the girls arrived.

When they did, we all had an amazing afternoon over equally amazing food

Can't wait to review this restaurant – blog feature up soon!

Sunday evenings were spent in the sun curling up with my favorite book by the poolside.

You can see how worn out the novel looks already! Sorry for the candid shot, I wasn't ready for the photo.

At night, was Bob and Gouya's pool party!

It was fun skewering the kebabs, chicken thighs, onions, tomatoes, capsicums and more.

Helped the boys out in preparing their Middle Eastern food and firing the grill!

I had a great weekend but I was a tad upset about not being able to watch Tydi back in Penang tonight.

He's performing as we speak! Right now, at QEII On the Sea, Church Street Pier, Penang in celebration with the Georgetown World Heritage Site Celebration.

What's the significance of the day, you ask?

Tomorrow marks the 5th anniversary of Georgetown being enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Penang, my love, you truly deserve it.

Tomorrow will also be a Public Holiday in Penang too. Enjoy your day off, fellow Penangites!

What a fantastic start of a new week no? By sleeping in and spending an extra day of leisure.

Remind me why I moved away to the city, Kuala Lumpur, again? Hahaha.

Much love,

Jessicat

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Sunday Times is a weekly series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to briefly highlight my recommendations for to-go and to-eat places!

Some photos were posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & my LIVE Blog.

Do follow to get instant updates and pretty photos of the sights & sounds all around me!

A dining experience at CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine, QEII Penang

April 27, 2013 by thejessicat

Whenever it comes to recommendations, I often get asked by my dearest readers, friends and family the golden question of them all –

“Jess, what’s the best place to have a fancy, classy dinner ah?”

To be honest, the list I can come up with, would be an endless one. (Malaysia is awesome like that!)

But if you narrow it down to Asian cuisines in Penang, only ONE will always remain on the top of my list.

It’s none other than CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine

Without even taking into consideration the top-notch selection of food this restaurant has to offer, the location is in itself, an amazing feature of CHIN’S dining experience.

Why? Take a look for yourself.

The entire restaurant is located right above the sea!

Wouldn’t you just love to pamper yourself or your loved ones with a seafront dining?

I know I would

So where is this impressive-looking restaurant situated exactly, you ask?

Just next door to QE II – 360 Waterfront Venue, Penang.

Locals would’ve heard of QEII Penang, but if it doesn’t ring a bell, they are both located in Weld Quay.

CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine is nestled deep inside Penang’s popular seafront tavern.

Before I begin, let me share a little bit of trivia to those who thirst for its background story.

CHIN’S first opened in London back in 1987 by a Malaysian entrepreneur, Mr. Dave Chin. This classy Asian eatery took England’s Food & Beverage scene by storm, winning two highly coveted and prestigious awards – ‘Best Restaurant of The Year’ by What’s On in London Magazine and ‘The Best Chinese Restaurant in UK’ by Stores Magazine, USA.

On this blazing trail of collective accolades, CHIN’S Restaurant was recognized as “Best of the Best” by Good life Magazine, UK.

More than two decades later, the year 2010 marks the arrival of CHIN’S to

our lovely Pearl of the Orient – Penang, Malaysia.

Aren’t we lucky?

Upon setting foot into CHIN’S, the first thing that greets its patrons is a large and rather unique, psychedelic framed modern art mounted onto the indigo wall. This is something you don’t see very often – especially in Chinese restaurants!

Then again, CHIN’S never fails to surprise, does it?

Themodern art depicting artistric portraiture of iconic figures placed behind traditional Chinese furniture

of solid wood and gold trimmings make a delightful and cosy patio for guests to sit before or after meals

How many of these legends can you recognize?

Call me unworldly but I only recognize seven! What about you?

Walking past the patio, I entered the main dining venue of CHIN’S.

I was taken aback at how elaborately stunning the interior was! It was not only extremely classy, but it came with a modern twist as well. Apart from being well-lit with chandeliers, various forms of contemporary art hung from the walls and ceilings.

This restaurant’s is almost always fully-booked – no surprise here!

(Make sure you place your reservations to avoid being disappointed!)

I fancied the long sofa right smack in the middle of the dining area!

It was very comfortable, came with giant cushions and boasted black velvet textile-motifs on its upholstery.

Thanks to CHIN’S, I was fortunate enough to be reserved a table directly adjacent to the sea and night sky, despite it being in full capacity. They seem to know my fondness towards picturesque views while dining.

Even the spotlights were specially adjusted for me (to take nice photos)! How thoughtful.

I was fascinated with the plate in front of me. They gave me a Che Guevara plate tonight.

If you didn’t know, the latter was a popular Marxist revolutionary icon.

I began to realize that every table had intricate settings – which included a hand-painted ceramic plate each too.

Paying attention to the fine artwork by hand-painted artisans, I could decipher that each artwork had an emotion within and a story to tell. Below is a compilation of some of my favorites!

Geez! I cannot believe how much I am gushing over crockery.

But really, have you ever seen something quite like these in an Asian restaurant? No? Precisely.

Decor and interior aside, I know you are dying to know how good the food at CHIN’S are.

They knew I didn’t exactly fancy anything too sweet and especially nothing too spicy, so they hand-picked a menu that would suit my taste best.

I am usually not a picky eater, but who doesn’t like having their preferences catered to?

A sneak peak at some of my favorites from the ten-course menu we are about to see!

They made me feel so welcome with their simple, thoughtful gestures and friendly demanour, and I could see how every customer in the restaurant was attentively paid attention to.

This makes CHIN’S stand out even more, with their impeccable customer service.

ON TO THE FOOD!

Fairy Blossom tea (comes with free refills!)

This delightful herbal tea was served piping hot, was smoky and had a light floral aftertaste to it.

You gotta admit – it looks pretty too! This is a perfect alternative to some of the more commercial types of teabags/teapots/tea leaves that we see in repetition everywhere.

Four Seasons Appetizer

This platter was served with four mini dishes.

From L-R: Gele Mountain Chicken, Citrus Winter Melon, Prawn on Toast and Spinach with Pinenut & Mustard.

Gele Mountain Chicken

This came in chicken chunks with peanuts.

The chicken was tender, flavourful and presented in an (edible) miniature crispy basket.

Citrus Winter Melon

As I wasn’t a fan of winter melons, I was rather hesistant. But to my surprise, I loved it

The winter melon came in tiny cubes and each mouthful was burst of citrus wonder.

This dish is served cold and it tastes just like sweet tangerines!

Prawn on Toast

This crispy toasted pastry is laden with sesame seeds and shredded prawn meat.

It is also a tad spicy from the prawn paste and XO Sauce. I loved its smoked, burnt after-taste!

Spinach with Pinenut & Mustard.

I liked how the spinach leaves were presented so adorably.

It was neatly stacked up in a tiny pile with the pinenuts!

This dish was slightly sourish and spicy to open one’s appetite for the next meal; serving the purpose of an appetizer altogether.

Garlic Cucumber

Sure, go ahead. Judge. This dish doesn’t look appetizing at all, does it? My thoughts exactly.

But the moment I took a bite of one of the Japanese cucumber slices, I was so wrong. It was very crunchy and that slight tinge of spiciness married with the aroma of the garlic gave it the extra kick I didn’t expect!

What it lacked in the aesthetically pleasing department, it surely made up with its power-packed flavour!

Golden Needle Mushroom

This was one of my strong favorites. Deep-fried to crispy goodness, these little ones were irresistable to ever stop digging in for more. I liked how it was tassled with thinly sliced onions and spring onions too.

Comfort food, I must say The kind that you wish would come was bottomless (much like Nachos!) with your beer.

I was also treated to one my favourite types of wine, the white wine. Sauvignon Blanc, to be exact.

It came just in time when I was in the middle of enjoying the meals.

This is the Whitehaven Marlborough – imported from New Zealand

Althought great as an aperitif, wine, to me, is always perfect pair with exquisite line-ups of food

Szechuan Flame Codfish Soup

This dish made a grand entrance towards my table.

THIS. BOWL. IS. ON. FIRE!! It was was accompanied with flaming charcoals encircling the bowl.

The soup was hot and had a spicy as well as a slight sourish tang to it. Inside, lay tiny bits of winter melon, chilli slices, pickled chilli and of course, codfish fillets.

I liked how this instantaneously warms up my tummy and cleared my nasals with its hearty, warm piquancy.

The next thing that was brought out by the waiter was not food,

but a trapezoid saucer containing warm water to wash our hands with.

In motion!

Gotta make sure my hands are clean for the next dish, as it required direct contact with my fingers.

The waiter placed four small saucers of what looked to me like

condiments and add-ons for a much bigger main dish coming my way.

I was right! The waiter brought a whole duck leg (which I could smell its aroma from afar!)

and a steaming basket of thin Chinese pancakes

Aromatic Crispy Duck

One look at the entire set-up made me wonder how I was supposed to eat it.

Of course, if you were in the comfort of your own home with no one watching, you would just grab the entire duck leg by the bone and chew off the meat ala Bam Bam from The Flintstones, yes?

But CHIN’S thought two steps ahead for its customers.

The waiter was back and began shredding the entire duck leg in full frontal view!

A LIVE demonstration of duck shredding!

Seeing as it was my first time eating one of their signature dish, Mr. Sam Chin, owner of CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine, took over and personally showed me how to eat and appreciate this dish properly.

Of course, there is no right and wrong, but I would rather learn a thing or two from this restauranteur, especially the most ideal way of eating this!

He showed and guided me a step-by-step method on which order of ingredients to place first.

Thanks, Sam!

Now, I am going to impart this knowledge to you, so you will look like a pro and eat like a pro even when you dine at CHIN’S for the first time! Shhh… surprise them and don’t say you learnt it from me!

1. Take the crepe skin from the steaming basket and place it on your plate

2. Spread it with a genourous amount of duck sauce.

3. Stack a few cucumber slices neatly in the middle of the crepe skin

4. Place a few strands of spring onion slices next to it.

5. Add a few chopped green chillies (I skipped this step because I really cannot handle my chillies well!)

6. Pick up the shredded duck and place them on top of everything. Put as much as your heart’s content!

Ta-daaa! You’re done. And there you have it…

The finished, opened product (unwrapped)

The right way is to roll/fold the light thin crepe/tortilla-like skin wrap around the ingredients and eat it together

The taste was mind-blowing! The flavour of the crisp, yet tender shredded duck slices was bold and the accompaniment of the duck sauce, cucumber and spring onion complemented this dish so well.

Okay, enough seriousness for a second.

Here’s Sam and I smiling for the camera!

Red Lantern Chinese Cabbage

Just like the Garlic Cucumber, this was also a very simple looking dish that exceeded my expectations.

These slices of cabbage were cooked until soft, warm and had this unique twang of sweet and spicyness, as this dish was cooked with chilies and whole garlic cloves. This is arguably one of my favorite dishes here!

Sam placing the next dish on my table

I have always been of the opinion that great leaders should always lead by example and get on par with their ground staff. Despite being the owner and bigboss of CHIN’s, I’ve noticed how Sam always plays an equal part in the running and the operational day-to-day ongoings in the restaurant!

He even personally serves food occasionally and spends time engaging in conversations with the guests.

That’s not something you see a boss do everyday, right?

Thanks for the wonderful and warm hospitality, Sam!

Double Flavored Freshwater Fish

There’s an obvious reason why this dish was given its name.

It comes in two very contrasting parts of flavour and garnishing. Take a closer look at the picture below:

Left : Hot & Spicy side | Right : Pickled and Garlic side

TRIVIAThis recipe originated from the Hunan province!

This dish was comes in the variant of a very popular freshwater fish, the Patin Fish or also known as the Iridescent Shark Catfish.

Despite having two very opposing tastes, both flavours jive together very well with my palate. The juicy fish broth taste was distinct in both sides of the fish, and this dish is usually best eaten along with steamed rice.

The two flavours were very strong contenders in being my favorite, but if I had to choose between them, I liked the left one best!

Beef Tenderloin in Mustard and Garlic

I’ve always had an eye for aesthetics so I’ve gotta say, this one takes the cake for the most beautiful food presentation, hands down!

This medium well chunky beef cubes were mighty succulent, bursting with flavour and tender-soft, unlike plenty of beef I’ve eaten elsewhere where you’d bothersomely chew and chew to no end but just refuses to disintegrate. -___-“

If you’re wondering what that long line of orange-coloured bits are, it doesn’t only serve as decor but it doubles as a garlip dip!

Just take a chunk of beef and dip in the line of fried garlic before putting it

into your mouth for that extra crunch and flavour!

Sesame Black Bean with Crispy Pudding

We have finally come to the desserts. Sweet tooths, rejoice!

I would say that this savory dessert is most apt for those who dislike anythin too sweet. The pudding, although deep fried, was not oily but crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; flowing with custard the moment you sink your teeth into it. Very carefully made, CHIN’S!

The sesame black bean ice-cream is also self-made by them, mind you. It had a vanilla base but a recognizable sesame after-taste.

Maltose Toffee Apple Banana Fruits

As if one dessert wasn’t already enough, CHIN’S pampered me with one more epic, gravity-defying dessert!

This dessert had to be eaten with extra care, for each fruit is coated with extremely hot toffee at boiling point. You would be writing a deathwish if you put one directly into your mouth immediately after this dish arrives!

Which, is why CHIN’S practices caution and had a waitress conduct the very interesting cool-down method for me.

Another LIVE demonstration right before my eyes

She was carefully picking up each toffee fruit and dipping in ice water

for a few seconds before putting it back onto my plate

This dessert is leaning towards the sweeter side but hey, after the scrumptious feast, I could go for something sweet to wrap up my evening.

Once you get past the hard, crunchy toffee bite, your tastebuds are treated to a warm, fruity taste of apple or banana (depending which one you ate!) An excellent alternative to how you would usually eat fruits!

BuddyMinny and I chilling by the patio

That being said, dinner was officially over and done with.

I was won over entirely and did not find a single flaw in their marvellous cuisine. Such high-quality, premium selection of authentic Chinese dishes deserves to be savoured by all!

After a more-than-satisfiying dinner, I had to get up and take a stroll around the restaurant.

Knowing me, I couldn’t resist taking pictures!

The bar area

Behind the bar area

The whole dining area was proudly lined with display cabinets of all their accolades and awards

I also sneaked upstairs during my brief exploration. Teehee.

The verdict? I was charmed. It was jaw-droppingly lavish and extensive!

I can totally see myself throwing a big birthday celebration here. Or an engagement party.

Or a wedding banquet dinner. Or even a Hen’s Night/Bachelorette party.

Hmmm.. did I just give you a good idea?

As you can probably tell by this lengthy blog post and comprehensive review,

I had a marvellous experience at CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine.

It certainly lived up to its name.

The restaurant was captivating as it was traditionally Chinese in its fare of authentic SzeChuan, Hunan, Mongolian and Northern Beijing cuisines but it is certainly not your typical Asian restaurant, as it is splashed with aspects of modernism with several, varied influences from around the world!

For such brilliant decadence and sophisticated dining experience complemented with first-class service, supreme hospitality and immaculately classy ambience, CHIN’S Stylish Chinese Cuisine is no doubt, a class above the rest.

Trust me on this, I only recommend the best. *winks*

If you want some Chinese Cuisine in the heart of KL, check out Reminisce Cafe in Mid Valley Megamall right here!

—————

For more information or to place your reservations:

Contact number: +604-261 2611 (Opening hours 6.30PM – 11PM daily)

Address: Tanjung City Marina, Church St. Pier, 8A, Pengkalan Weld, Georgetown, Penang.

If you get lost, here are the GPS coordinates: N05°24’56.7″ E100°20’36.7″

OR you can log on to SOHO Group Penang‘s official website or look them up on their Facebook page

The Sunday Times XXI: Sights, sounds, adventures & eats! My week in a flash ♥

February 10, 2013 by thejessicat

I swear I don't remember the last time I stayed in Penang for so long!

Usually, I'll only be down for the weekend or so, but this time round was a record of two weeks straight.

I miss mom & dad, as well as my folks in Ipoh and of course, my dearest Penang buddies!

Here are some of the things that made my week superb.

My favorite Iced Dark Chocolate drink from TheObroma Chocolate Lounge @ The Curve

Stole a picture of babyChivas catnapping on the TV

Gymtime was merciless, as always. Today, it was lower body & core workout day!

Checking into Dome Cafe for dinner!

Dinner was healthy and filling, as always. My favourite Eggs Benedict and a cuppa Chamomile tea

He had the Gourmet Chicken and Mushroom Pie with a serving of sauteed vegetables

Oh goodness me, look at the thick creamy hot soup underneath that golden puff pastry!

It was so hearty and fulfilling! Definitely highly recommended

Headed on a roadtrip back to Penang! The North-South Highway was crystal clear

Random selfshot moments

Caught sight of a sporty white Lotus Evora cruising beside me on the highway.

So lovin' its dangerous curves!

Had a food review scheduled at Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine on the night I arrived

BuddyMinny was there with me

Check out the framed modern art portraiture of the iconic figures behind us!

I was reserved a table facing the sea and night sky

Look at how impressive those hand-painted ceramic plates are!

Here are some of my top few favourite dishes from the ten-course dinner

*Full blog post featuring Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine coming soon!

DnM conversations and catching up with buddyMinny over shishatimes at Venum Shisha!

The next afternoon's training was an uphill task and all about the lifting the weights!

And then it's partying on a Thursday night at Soho Gastro Pub at Precinct 10 with my Penangmates

Here are some more party pictures!

The music was thumping, bottles were poppin' and the party went hard on

electronic dance music all through the night

Afterparty : Supper at the ever-popular Restoran Yunus Khan,

fondly known as 'Jiao Sai' to the Penangites

You wanna know why? The term 'Jiao Sai' ('Bird poo' in the Hokkien dialect) was coined when the first branch of Restoran Yunus Khan was easily recognized for the mass amount of bird poo splattered along the road it was located.

Okay, trivia over. Time for the next day!