GUAN'S NYONYA SUPPERCLUB

After months of wanting to attend one of Guan's amazing supperclubs, I finally made it (!)

It wasn't too long ago since my last trip back home to Malaysia in February, but I will always have a certain craving for good comforting Malaysian cuisine, and this was the perfect way to satisfy it.  

Nyonya cuisine is a blend of Chinese and Malays cooking styles that originate from Peranakans or Baba and Nyonya, typically found in Penang (my hometown!), the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, Melaka and Singapore.

The first of our starters was a fragrant and crispy dish of lemongrass and belacan wings. I do love belacan, which is a dried shrimp paste traditionally used in Malaysian cooking - it makes stuff like sambal taste so much better, but probably best utilized in a kitchen with good ventilation...

But I digress. This belacan chicken was definitely finger-licking good and a strong start to the feast that lay ahead.

Next up was one of my favourite dishes from home, made with a twist. A vibrant and refreshing Malaysian Nyonya-style salad, Guan used pineapple, watermelon and samphire which was a unique but delicious combination. Plenty of aromatic herbs and a nice level of acidity and sweetness - can I 'tapao' two portions of this home with me please...?

This was followed by fried 'assam' (tamarind) prawns - plump juicy prawns coated in a sticky sweet and sour sauce. I usually have them cooked with the shells, but this tasted just as good, and also less fidgety (!)
And don't forget to suck on the head, that's where all the flavour is... mmm...

Having finished our first round of starters, a large bowl of rice was passed round the table as we heaped them on to our plates in preparation for the mains. First up was a hearty portion of 'Daging Pongteh', which was beef flank braised in fermented soy bean paste. The meat was so tender and the stew was really flavourful that I scooped generous spoonfuls of it onto my rice. This dish is typically cooked with pork or chicken, but either way a comforting and mouth-watering dish.

The goose-fat roasted cauliflower with sambal belacan was another firm favourite around the table. I do love cauliflower and this was cooked through really well, and I particularly liked the sambal belacan which was sweeter than usual but went well with the dish, and everything else on my plate. Sambal just goes well with everything...

Next were two fish dishes, one of them the skate and pineapple curry which had really soft and silky skate meat, and the other a surprise off-menu dish - I was clearly too distracted by the food to remember the species of fish, but it was good (!)

My belly was also quite stuffed by this point - crazy, I know.

There was obviously still room for dessert.

Guan chose to steer away from typical Nyonya desserts which are usually quite heavy - a good idea after all the starters and mains...

 The first was a frozen coconut parfait, topped with a sweet caramelised banana with a sprinkle of crunchy nestum crumble - and yes, it tasted as good as it looked.

Another surprise dish of the evening were these sweet horlicks and gula melaka choux puffs - Guan really does know how to spoil us!

And just before we all rolled ourselves out of his flat to head home, we nibbled on some freshly baked mini pandan madeleines - so moreish that I also smuggled some leftovers home to take home with me...

 Overall it was a great evening filled with an amazing array of dishes that was a nice taste of home. It's no wonder that his supperclubs book out so quickly! There is a minimum donation of £35 (a bargain), with 10 spaces per session, and you can check the latest availability via this link - or just subscribe to his newsletter on the website.

I would definitely book myself in again.

The Cheekster, signing out x

URBAN WOOT FOUR FRIDAYS

Finally a supper night that's being hosted in my area! - it would have been wrong not to go...

The Four Fridays supper night started on Friday 13th September, which was a collaboration with Jesse Dunford Wood and Parlour. Each supper night was based on a different theme - 'Lucky For Some', 'Humour', 'Pot Luck', and 'Four Friday's Finale'!

The concept involved sharing two courses of sharing plates with your fellow diners - sharing great food with great company with a touch of Urban Woot crafted entertainment during the evening.

I have passed by Urban Woot numerous times over the past year and a half, yet have never stepped foot inside...
Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by Urban Woot navigator Majella - we'd recently became acquainted on Twitter, and it was good to finally meet in person. 

 

 

The interior was really colourful and quirky, but I especially LOVED the table arrangements. I always feel that scattered rose petals have a nicer and softer touch as opposed to flower arrangements which can sometimes be quite obstructive.  
Unless of course you're sitting opposite someone you detest, in which case it might work in your favour...

Nevertheless, I digress...

Knowing how much I LOVE food (eating and taking photos!), lovely Majella brought me round to the kitchen prep area to have a little sneak peek, where Jesse and JP were hard at work. 
I've eaten at Parlour a couple of times before, so I had no doubt that the food was going to be good - apparently Jesse refers to me as the 'Twitter Girl' or 'Miss Cheekster' :p

 

| Freshly Baked Soda Bread with Whipped Butter |

 

| Ravioli of Raw Vegetables, Goat's Cheese & Golden Raisins |

 

| Cold Roast Beef with Grilled Broccoli |



| Chestnut Hummus with Rosemary Pitta Bread |



We then went to seat ourselves down - we picked the table with the sofa at the end because it looked the comfiest, and the light from the lamp would also help with the photos in the dimly-lit room...
Whilst waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive, we got ourselves some drink tokens and raffle tickets for the lucky draw!





Not long after, other guests came over to join our table, and we became acquainted with the lovely Shirley and Sherry.

Now on to the food...

| Egg Drop Soup |

Majella gave us a demonstration on how we should eat this. Each of us were provided with a bread stick which we used to stir the egg yolk with the mushroom consomme, which we were then instructed to down it like a shot. 
I don't really eat raw egg yolks, but the heat from the mushroom consomme and the stirring helped to cook it a little. A different variation to the Chinese version of Egg Drop Soup - a tasty mouthful of egg-y goodness.

 

| 'Late Summer Celebration' Salad with Tomato Dressing |

I've had this dish before at Parlour, which I loved - pleasing to the eye, and a good mix of greens with light dressing.
I will eat anything with pretty flowers. Unless it's poisonous...like the...Rhododendron. Because then I would die. 



| Pork & Peanut Rolls with Basil & Tiny Mint |

 This had a bit of an Asian feel to it, kind of like Vietnamese rolls, probably because of the skin.



| 'Back Door' Smoked Salmon |
 


| Chicken Liver Pate with Yesterday's Bread |

Some of us originally thought it was pate served on a slice of toast, before realizing that it was a whole chunk of pate - it was huge. Our half of the table managed to eat up quite a bit, whilst the other portion at the other end was hardly touched. Not that many pate enthusiasts I suppose!



There was still quite a lot of food left at the end of our first course, but I managed to control myself to save some space for the second course - DESSERT!

Whilst our stomachs were resting in between courses, the quiz commenced - the questions based on great last performances, films and stars. General knowledge quizzes are clearly not my forte, so I just left it to my fellow group mates to lead us through. 

When it was finally time for the second course, a long sheet of aluminium foil was rolled across the length of our tables. 
And then it began. THAT BENNY HILL song...

JP and the rest of the Urban Woot gang started scattering, or should I say, artistically placing, individual elements of the dessert on top of the foil.  
Each time when we thought that it was over, MORE dessert was brought out. We eyed other people at the other tables already greedily attacking their food, but we remained patient and controlled until the very end - well, almost.



The end result was this...



The desserts included

| Blackberry & Apple Cheesecake |
| Toasted Marshmallow Wagon Wheels |
| Orange & Polenta Cake with Lingonberry Cream |
| White Chocolate Mousses with Peanuts & Caramel |
| 'Lil Meringues with added Sprinkles | 
| Double Battenburg Cake |
| Salted Caramel Chocolate Rolos |

As well as lots more that were off-menu!

A huge sharing platter of sugar madness. It reminded us of the time we went to Bar Chocolat and experienced the food prepared by the experimental group Blanch & Shock.
Eating food off tables must be the 'IN' thing these days...not that I'm complaining.
My favourite was definitely the popping candy! And not forgetting the BeeGees honey, which is also currently on the menu at Parlour.
 If you ever stop by Parlour, I would highly recommend the cheesecake...



 At the end of the meal, entertainment was provided by Harriet Starling, with her pop and folk songs.
And not long after that, it was time for the raffle draw, where Jesse made it back just in time to select the lucky winners.



Other guests were starting to leave, but we stayed on long enough to find out that we had (unexpectedly) won the first prize...(?!) - a private super session workshop with the sweet Majella, for myself and 7 friends. 
My lucky bunny streak never fails to work its magic at unexpected times.
Syncing schedules isn't going to be easy though!

Overall, it was an enjoyable and fun night - great vibes, food and company. 

Already excited and looking forward to the next #FourFridays event.

The Cheekster, signing out x

BDK ANDALUSIAN TAPAS NIGHT

So here I am again, third time in a row with the Back Door Kitchen gang!
This time the theme veered away from their usual Italian roots, heading towards Southern Spain where Rob was inspired by their gastronomic delights during his travels there.

 

Chef Rob gave us a little background introduction to tapas, which originally comes from Sevilla. I'm sure all of us would have eaten tapas at some point in our life (I for one love the concept and never fail to indulge every so often), so here's just some bite-sized information as a refresher.

The word tapa means 'cover', originally used to refer to small plates used to cover food on bars to prevent flies from getting into them. In some places in Andalusia, you may even be given a free tapa with your drink.
The idea is that the tapa, and drink 'open up' the appetite, and having something to eat with each drink also helps to slow the effects of the alcohol.

Now on to the food...

THEME: ANDALUSIAN TAPAS NIGHT

Copa de tinto de Verano
- Special Andalusian summer wine served with some Andalusian breadsticks - 

A refreshing drink made with ice, red wine and soda/sparkling water - not to be confused with sangria, which is made with more fruit and heavier wine.

 

COURSE ONE
 Chocos
- Juicy squid strips marinated in Basil olive oil, cooked in squid ink and served on a bed of marinated red peppers -

 My Spanish has pretty much deteriorated over the months, but doing some background research, I think chocos refers to cuttlefish, similar to squid but with a flatter, thicker body.
Not that the different species matter much to me, because I love them both - eating them, that is. The marinate was really fragrant with a slight hint of spiciness from the peppers. Definitely one of my favourite dishes of the evening.



COURSE TWO
Almejas al Jerez
- Giant clams gently cooked in garlic, olive oil and dry sherry wine -

A more piquante variation to the Almejas salteadas (clams in white wine sauce). It had a nice sweetness to it, and were possibly the largest clams that I have eaten so far!



COURSE THREE
Merluza Adobada
- Hake parcels marinated in wine vinegar, laurel and Oregano, deep-fried with the traditional Andalusian flour used for frying fish -

Merluza is Spanish for hake, which is a popular fish in Spain - a light flaky texture with aromatic flavours and a slight bitterness from the herbs.
Fried fish is one of the gastronomic specialities in Andalusia - the fresh fish is coated in a thin layer of flour which forms a crust to avoid it from getting greasy, yet allowing heat to penetrate, which brings out the exact flavours of the dish.





COURSE FOUR
Atun de Los Dos Mundos
- Char-grilled tuna marinated in garlic, EVO oil, soy sauce, topped with sesame seeds laid on a bed of roasted aubergine caramelised in honey and miso -

Another one of my favourite fish selections, with its dense textured flesh - the 'meat lover's' fish, which resembles the texture of steak with no fishy taste. I did like the soy sauce/miso marinade with sesame seeds which gave it a bit of an Asian twist.



COURSE FIVE
Espinacas con Garbanzos
- A traditional spinach and chickpea salad sauteed in garlic and chilli pepper, topped with chorizo cooked in red wine and Cabrales blue cheese -

A hearty and smoky dish with a slight spicy kick from the chilli peppers and chorizo. I'm not usually a fan of blue cheese on it's own, but it's creamy piquant flavour worked amazingly well with the dish, and definitely had me craving for more.
Probably something that I would attempt to make at home, and introduce it to guests by the Spanish name, Espinacas con Garbanzos, just because it sounds much sexier than the English translation of spinach and chickpeas...




 
COURSE SIX
Judias con Jamon
- Artichoke hearts cooked in wine, parsley and garlic sauce sauteed with meaty parcels of Jamon Iberico -

If I'm not mistaken, green beans are usually used in this dish, but nonetheless I do love artichoke. The more tender, younger and smaller artichokes are often used in Spanish cuisine, cooked in a variety of ways.
This was cooked to perfection - nice and tender with a delicious burst of flavours. 



COURSE SEVEN
Montadito de Jamon y Huevos de Cordoniz
- Mini sandwich filled with Jamon Iberico de Bellota, quail egg and a sprinkle of sweet paprika -

A simple and tasty dish, and I especially liked the sweet strips of caramelised onions.



COURSE EIGHT
Pato Caramelisado
- Duck breast cooked in a reduction of Pedro Ximenez wine. Served with Patatas a la Ponte -

Duck, exactly what I've been waiting for all night -  succulent pieces of duck cooked medium rare with a juicy layer of fat. The potatoes were also very tasty.

 



COURSE NINE
Postre Secreto
- the Secret Dessert -

Keeping to their usual tradition of only revealing the dessert on the evening itself...we watched in anticipation as Chef Rob worked his magic in the kitchen.
It was Polea pudding - a sweet dessert made with flour, honey, milk, cinnamon sticks and lemon peel. A luscious creamy, custard texture, which we scooped up generously with the bread (usually served with fried bread croutons).



Andalusian food is all about simple pleasures, which was exactly what this evening was all about. Enjoying good food with good company in unpretentious settings.

A big thank you to Rob and Fabio once again for hosting another great evening - looking forward to the next supperclub!

Click the following links for previous BDK supperclub posts x

Backdoor Salon
BDK Sardinian Night

The Cheekster, signing out x