Even before I received the invitation, I was quite well aware of the reputation garnered by Le Cordon Bleu. For those not in the know, it’s possibly the most prestigious culinary academy in the world, based in France.
It also has many campuses all around the world. One of these is partnered with and located in Sunway University. No surprise, then, that there are many Malaysian chefs out there who started off here.
Le Cordon Bleu is 130 years’ old
As it happens, this year is Cordon Bleu’s 130th anniversary. It also marks the 13th year since Cordon Bleu launched its Malaysian chapter. So it’s no surprise that the academy and its alumni and going all out in celebrating this milestone.
Ten Hands
The celebratory event, which I was invited to attend on 8 May, was part of the “Ten Hands” collaboration. This event is named after the fact that five chefs (with two hands each) from the alumni would be serving guests with their best dishes.
This time around, the event would be hosted in Red Red Botak Head Restaurant in KL’s Gardens Mall. It is quite the venue, with the restaurant tucked away inside the mall’s BookXcess outlet.
Arriving at the event
After braving the typical evening Klang Valley jam, I arrived at the restaurant in one piece at 7 pm. Chef Liang, the restaurant’s founder and Cordon Bleu graduate, was at the door. His jovial attitude ensured a warm welcome for all guests.
It seemed that anyone who knew anything about food was here. Journalists, influencers, chefs and critics were among the guests invited to this event. People were expecting a good time, and a good time was indeed to be had.
The hors d’oeuvres
The first dish to arrive at my table was Chef Liang’s fishy appetiser. It was a piece of wild Ikan Kurau (threadfin fish) caught fresh by local fishermen. Surrounding the fish was a chai boey reduction, with shoyu garlic puffed grains floating in it.
I found the fish to be quite subtle in terms of flavour. It felt delicate to the tongue, with its mild and sweet flavour. This was in contrast to the sourish chai boey. The puffed grains were quite addictive to munch on, though, giving the dish the crunch it needed.
The appetiser
For the second course, I was served the Chicken Kuzi with Netted Bread. What’s netted bread? Well, just translate the words into Bahasa Melayu. Quite the neat marketing trick, isn’t it? Maybe everything sounds fancier in a Western language (or sillier).
Either way, this dish was prepared by Chef Arief, Chef Liang’s business partner and a fellow Cordon Bleu alumnus. Chicken kuzi is a Kelantan dish and it had the state’s signature mild and sweet flavours. Afterwards, I couldn’t resist sweeping up the gravy with the roti jala.
The palate cleanser
For the palate cleanser, we were gifted a little treat made by Chef Janice Siew, founder of PJ’s Petiteserie Desserts. The Mango Passion Fruit Vacherine with Coconut Sable was a gorgeous little thing. I almost felt bad about the need to taste it.
The vacherine is essentially a mini ice-cream cake made with passion fruit plucked from Chef Janice’s family home in Kuala Pilah. Harumanis mangoes, on the other hand, were used to make the compote. It was a tangy, refreshing treat that sent good shivers down my spine.
The main course
As for the main course, I was served a Barbecued Beef Striploin, prepared by Chef Amelia Ng. Chef Amelia is the founder of Cleaver Shed, located in TTDI. As she’s someone who owns a steakhouse, I could only anticipate how good her dish would be.
Chewy, juicy, meaty, tender. Hard to say what made that piece of striploin extra good, but I know for sure I took my time savouring every moment of it. The pomegranate jus it was doused with certainly helped, giving it a distinct fruity taste.
The dessert
For the dessert, I enjoyed Chef Ann Lee’s Ipoh White Coffee Tart. Chef Ann, an Ipoh native, actually came down to KL just for this special occasion. She is the founder of Etre Patisserie, which has a newer branch in KL as well as in Ipoh.
If you like the scent and taste of Ipoh white coffee, the tart would have sat well with you. The most visually pleasing aspect of the tart was the line of coffee chantilly inside the tart. Apparently, Chef Ann took inspiration from Ipoh’s famous limestone hills for this.
Worth my time?
Overall, I enjoyed tasting the food served by Le Cordon Bleu’s talented alumni. Malaysians are already great chefs by nature, so it’s nice to see an even more refined generation of chefs ready to cook up a storm.
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