INSIGHT CRIZ

Since its inception in 2008, H-Artistry set out with one clear goal – to deliver an unmatched, premium super-club experience through the Global Art of Mixing platform, which promises a phenomenal mix of sights, tastes and sounds at each H-Artistry party. This year, H-Artistry returns with a never-before-seen set up with the party starting as soon as revelers step into the enclave. The first of two H-Artistry events planned for 2013 will be taking over the Penang Island this 25 May 2013 at the newly refurbished SPICE (Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Centre) formerly known as PISA (Penang International Sports Arena).

This year’s no-frills super-club experience will be bolstered by the staple Hennessy Mixing Bars, which will serve the four trailblazers of all H-Artistry events – the signature Hennessy V.S.O.P long drinks: Hennessy Apple, Hennessy Berry, Hennessy Ginger and Hennessy Soda.

The H-Artistry stage will see a line-up of exciting local, regional and international acts, which will treat Penang revelers to a stellar mix of music styles and genres all through the night. The opening act would be administered by one of Kuala Lumpur’s most promising indie/electronic acts – Alex Asquared (one part of Deer Society), while 3 other mains acts would be by Australian DJ, DJ Andy Murphy, who is no stranger to stages of international dance music festivals, Singapore’s DJ Nicole Chen, one of the most prominent DJ personalities in Singapore, known for her energetic and electrifying up-tempo electro-house/dirty-dutch sets and Hong Kong’s 24HERBS (???), a six piece collective of dynamic and progressive individuals, who make up one of the edgiest and most energetic hip hop groups of recent times in Chinese entertainment.

With all the effort put in to make H-Artistry a spectacular show, responsible partying is one clear message that is communicated at every H-Artistry party. Naturally, it would be a waste to forget an amazing H-Artistry experience. To avoid that, H-Artistry ensures partygoers have access to all that is necessary to maintain a great party, with safety and wellbeing as utmost priority. Responsible drinking at the event is also encouraged through several measures. A coupon system comes into play to limit the redemption of Hennessy V.S.O.P long drinks at the Hennessy Mixing Bars come midnight, while complimentary mineral water bottles are also given out throughout the night at every H-Artistry event. All these initiatives, among others, will be continued and further improved at both H-Artistry parties planned for 2013.

Access to H-Artistry is BY INVITES ONLY. Party goers will be able to obtain passes from the H-Artistry Ambassadors stationed at selected entertainment outlets by participating in the ongoing Hennessy V.S.O.P bottle promotions. Every bottle of Hennessy V.S.O.P purchased will come with two (2) invites to H-Artistry, while a purchase of two (2) bottles will come with five (5) tickets. So be sure to check out the full scheduling details on how to obtain the invites as well as updates on the upcoming H-Artistry event by visiting www.h-artistry.com.my.

Participating Outlets:
Cuvee @ Precinct 10 – Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.
Nueve @ Precinct 10 – Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.
Soho @ Precinct 10 – Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.
M2 @ Penang Times Square – B2, Entertainment City, Penang.
SOJU ROOM @ Penang Times Square – B2, Entertainment City, Penang.
ROOM @ Autocity – JuruAutocity, Jalan Perusahaan, Highway Auto-city, Perai, Penang.

On 30 April 2013, Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O Hotel), Penang, has once again successfully launched the Bordeaux Rendez-vous 2013 at its Macalister Ballroom, Level 5, Victory Annexe. The RM250++ wine reception cum buffet dinner had master class wine makers from 26 labels flying all the way to Penang from respective regions in France, all together mingling with local wine lovers and media. Guests were welcomed with tidbits, cocktail and Italian Conti Neri-Prosecco Sparkling Wine.

The Conti Neri-Prosecco is a sparkling white wine from north-eastern Italy, specifically the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine regions. It is also the informal name for the grape variety used to make these wines, which is known officially as Glera. The light golden yellow sparkling wine was ideal for the occasion as it was light, clean with a lower alcohol content compared to the more expensive champagne.

There were free flows of wines available for testing and ordering at the event from 26 world class labels. Here are some of them.

You can view the price of each label here to purchase them from E&O Hotel or The Wine Shop. The prices shown here were SOLELY for the buyers on the night. Actual consumer price list would be attached here later.

In comparison to the many types of wines available on the market, the Brodeaux wine collections were for sure much more superior than most of the wines found outside France. From the 26 labels available, we started off with a few recommendations from the winemaker from Château Lagrange, Mr. Matthieu Bordes, as well as from the more seasoned wine lovers. Of course, the first bottle would be Château Lagrange-St Julien (2003-RM470/bottle) from is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. This dark ruby colored wine was slightly oaky plus acidic with an interesting evolution towards humus, blackcurrant fruit and vanilla. It was rather smooth and fruity to my liking. This wine went well with the roasted duck dish I had from the buffet line.

The next wine was the Château Corbin-St Emilion (2003-RM290/bottle). This soft but medium bodied wine had an earthly and spiced up flavors with hints of black cherry, plum and vanilla. Compared to the Château Lagrange, it was rather coarse to my liking. Coincidentally, I was having some cheesy pesto pasta with some smoked chicken ham at that time and they sure blend in quite nicely. I guessed cheesy stuff would be great with Château Corbin.

The Château Lascombes-Margaux (2001-RM590/bottle) had most of us head over heels over it. This dark ruby colored wine was rich, ripe and opulent. While oaky with a slight hint of licorice, this full bodied wine had a high concentration of ripe fruit taste such as blueberries, black cherries, vanilla with a slight bitter espresso aftertaste. To me, it was even better than the Château Lagrange with more subtle features. To bring out the complexity, you could pair it with a nice filet mignon or rib-eye or even some nice chocolate brownies and chocolate lava cakes.

Of course, we would like to try out the most expensive wine (RM1010/bottle) of them all. However, we only managed to get the second best from the Château Léoville Poyferré-St Julien (2001-RM530/bottle) collections. With an earthy, black and red fruit nose, almost similar to gamey raw cow, the wine had hints of greenish flavors with a strong tobacco bitter aftertaste. With a price range almost similar to the Château Lascombes, I would personally prefer the fullness of the Château Lascombes flavors. This wine would be quite ideal for more exotic meat such as venison.

We also tried out the Château Carbonnieux (Red)-Pessac-Léognan (2003). This medium bodied wine was tart black cherries, spices and tobacco smoky in the finish. Somehow, I felt that it needed more age for better consumption. With the somewhat young tannins with a more distinctive fruity finish, it would go well with roasted meat and fish.

We also tried out the Château Haut Bailly-Pessac-Léognan (2003-RM530/bottle) from the same appellation. Compared to the earlier wine from the same area, this earthly wine had a more herbal note and suitable to my liking. The flavors from the ripeness of the berries would be more balance through age. This wine would be suitable to pair with more robust dishes such as roasted meat, especially beef.

Lastly, we tried out the Château Beychevelle-St Julien (2003-RM800/bottle). This earthy medium bodied wine had aromas of dark berries, cassis, spices and tobacco nose. Personally, I found that it was a bit too tannic with dryness to my liking. Somehow, it lacked a bit of depth. However, it might be quite ideal to go with powerful red meat such as lamb and more.

To get into the excitement of wine and dining, we had the challenging experiences of finding which food suited the wine better. There was a wide spread of dishes served at the buffet line ranging from bread, soup, cheese, appetizers, salads, main dishes of beef, lamb, poultry, seafood and desserts to set us on our discovery quests. Let me share the pictorial menus as below:

Attended Bloggers:

The Eastin Hotel Penang again has carried out its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by sharing its successes with the community, especially those underprivileged Indian children during the month leading to Deepavali. About 23 orphanage children from the Ramakrishna Ashrama (Orphanage), Penang, were treated with a sumptuous semi buffet dinner at the Swez Brasserie last night. Eastin Hotel Penang General Manager, Ms Mary Ann Harris presented some goody bags to each of the visiting children of the orphanage. There was also a birthday cake for one of the children who coincidentally celebrating his birthday that night. The Ramakrishna Ashrama (Orphanage), Penang is a charitable Organization founded in 1938 under the inspiration and guidance of His Holiness Swami Bhaswarananda Maharaj. The Ashrama runs an Orphanage, catering to those needy children, both boys and girls between the age of 6 and 20 years old, would be educate spiritually and educationally to be the pillar of the future nation. It’s great to have Eastin Hotel Penang making the coming Deepavali a memorable event in the lives of those orphanage children.

Since it was a semi buffet night (Monday – Thursday, 6.30pm – 10.00pm, RM48++/pax), there were two options for the main course. One of the dishes was Chicken Chop, whereas the other was a Vegetarian Spaghetti.

The Chicken Chop portion was huge. It came with batter fried chicken drumsticks with BBQ sauce, served with some greens and fries.

The Vegetarian Spaghetti on the other hand was real tasty with the right amount of vegetables and herbs. I love the al dente of those evenly sauced spaghettis.

Amongst other dishes available were Kids’ Corner, salads, appetizers, soups, cheese and lots of delicious local and international desserts.

Eastin Hotel, Penang is located just next to Queensbay Mall. If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’ clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the third floor and you would see the Grand Ballroom where the charity event would be held.

Name: EASTIN HOTEL PENANG
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 6.30pm-10.00pm (Semi-Buffet, Mon- Thurs)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is showcasing the best of Norway at the Norway and Norwegian Consumer Goods Exhibition held at the Gurney Plaza, Penang, from 1-4 November 2012. On top of displays of superb photographs on Norway, there would also be some product introductions and/or testing by 4 major brands out of more than 60 Norwegian investors in Malaysia, namely Tine Norway, Trapia Sdn Bhd, Jordan and Jotun which would showcase their range of products from Norway or from Norwegian expertise. This exhibition was officially launched by our Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng on 1 November 2012 evening, together with the newly appointed Ambassador of Norway to Malaysia, H.E. Han Ola Urstad, in the presence of many dignitaries, invitees, bloggers and media personnel.

One of the exhibitors was Tine Norway (pronounce as tee-neh), an exporter that has been distributing the famed bestselling brand of cheeses, Jarlsberg®, all over the world especially in USA, Europe and Australia. We got to try out some of the cheeses last night such as the Jarlsberg® Original Wheel (a medium fat semi-firm ripened cheese), the Jarlsberg® Lite Loaf (40% less fat than the original Jarlsberg) and Norway’s national cheese – the Gudbrandsdalen (a brown fudge like cheese with a distinct sweet taste of caramel, accidentally discovered by boiling whey, goat’s milk, cow’s milk and cream for hours).

What impressed all of us what the taste of the Gudbrandsdalen, which would also come in other branding such as Ski Queen®, Ekte Geitost and Messmör. It has a smooth “peanut butter” sort of texture, slightly creamy but sour from the usage of goat’s milk with a “nutty sweet” caramel after taste. Wow! It would amazingly palatable for my slice of bread for breakfast.

We were also shown how to slice the Gudbrandsdalen with another Norwegian creation – the ostehøvel (cheese slicer). The peeler type of special gadget was used to crate thin slices of cheese for topping bread, crisp bread and waffles. It was very innovative and practical indeed.

Another of the exhibitors was Trapia Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., a Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia based company specialized in eco-friendly fish farming operations, located in the pristine rainforest-fed freshwater of Lake Temenggor, Perak, Malaysia’s second largest lake. Trapia produces a unique strain of GenoMar Supreme Tilapia species from egg-to-plate, using a state-of-the art aquaculture technology, to produce a safe, sustainable, high quality and healthy product that exceeds global aquaculture standards. Some of their products included Frozen Skinless Tilapia Fillet, Frozen Tilapia Loin and Frozen Tilapia with Skin.

A Tilapia dish food demonstration was showcased by Chef Samuel Cheong, an experienced chef with years of overseas exposures, from Abby Road Bistro Restaurant, within the Sunway township of Seberang Jaya, Penang. He came out with a canapé dish with stir fry spinach and mushrooms at the base, topped with a salt and herb infused pan-fried tilapia fillet and garnished with a spicy tomato tapenade quenelle plus a small leave of parsley. It was a good combination. Though the surface of the pan-fried fish was a bit dry due to a long standing time after cooking, the fillet from the special breed of tilapia was surprisingly tasty. There were no muddy and strong fishy taste as you would get from our local black or red tilapia species. The fillet was thick and juicy as you would get from a sea bass.

I’m sure most of us are aware of the presence of the Jordan oral hygiene range of products. They were also one of the exhibitors and also one of the world’s leading companies in preventive oral care, producing quality toothbrushes, dental floss and dental sticks. Just pop in the booth and have a view on their user-friendly designs for several oral hygiene problems. There would surely be a catchy design to impress just any age group. You can also get free tips and advice on oral hygiene on Jordan Asia Pacific’s FaceBook page. Feel free to drop by and like their FB page and you might walk away with one free toothbrush, while stocks last.

Jotun, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paints, coating and powder coatings, would also be there to provide you with advices on getting a new coat of paints for your house. The company was the first to produce the Multicolor Tinting System, giving you the freedom to choose more than 10,000 color creations of almost any hue at your fingertips and dispense the chosen paint color in less than three minutes. Jotun’s Majestic Ecohealth range of interior premium paints that is free from toxic chemicals, the New Strax Easy Clean, the New Woodshield, a wood stain and varnish with the widest range of tintable colours in the market, and the New Jotashield with AntiFade Colours are among the paints that will be on display at the exhibition.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy also held a symbolic handover of sponsored goodies and monetary assistance of RM4,000 to the representatives of the Children’s Protection Society of Penang.

The launch ended with some light refreshments, supplied by Penang’s own quality certified Bamboo Catering (M) Sdn. Bhd.

If you are at Gurney Plaza between 1 and 4 November 2012, do pop in Norway and Norwegian Consumer Goods Exhibition. It’s just before to Manilla Place and Dragon-i, towards the end at the new wing, leading to Jalan Kelawei exit. There would be some food samplings.

The Penang Chefs Association held their 25th Silver Jubilee Anniversary Dinner 2012 at the Bayview Grand Ballroom, Bayview Beach Resort, Batu Ferringhi, Penang, on 25 October 2012 last night. The event was attended by Guest of Honor, YB Dato Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Tourism Malaysia, Mr. Rick Stephen CMC, Continental Director of World Association of Chefs Society, Chef Chern Chee Hong, President of Chefs Association of Malaysia, Ms. MaryAnn Harris, Malaysia Association of Hotels Penang Chapter Chairman & General Manager of Eastin Hotel Penang, Chef Peter Chan, Chairman of Penang Chefs Association & Organizing Chairman of the 25th Silver Jubilee Dinner 2012, Masterchef Rossham Bin Haji Rusli, Deputy President of WACS C.A.J. & Head Chef (Malaysia Cuisine) of Berjaya University College of Hospitality, dignitaries, colleges, medias and guests.

Some of the programs for the night included recognition for long service awards, members & members’ children academic achievement award, members’ welfare fund presentation, last year’s dinner organizing chairman, Chef Lim Soon Leong, Most Promising Young Chef of the Year 2012 Award (Chef Khor Ying Jia) and Most Outstanding Chef of the Year 2012 Award (Chef Eric Cheam Kah Boon).

There was also a performance group rendering old hits such as “Diamonds are A Girl’s Best Friend”, “Gangnam Style” and more.

It was so sporting to see some of the college students, chefs especially Chef Peter Chan, PCA Chairman and Chef Tan Kwee Lian, Pastry Chef of G Hotel letting their hair down to join in this catchy dance music.

Here’s one of the performances by the girls. They were good~

Of course, the sit down 8 course dinner included a wide range of meat, vegetables and seafood. Two of the sponsored dishes had the latest Pacific West products – Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Authentic Tom Yum Sauce for baked fish fillet.

Let the photos below speak more than words. The dishes consisted of:

The dinner ended with 3 lucky winners walking off with free stays at a few selected hotels.

Thanks to the Organizing Committee and kitchen staff of Bayview Beach Resort, led by Chef Mok for making this event so memorable.