A dinner invite to Foodventuras, for the launch of the pork menu at Mediteca.
These sort of invitations may mean nothing much to established, famous food bloggers but for a teeny weeny food blogger like myself, I am truly honoured!
I must say, it was a rather big effort going downtown at 7 pm on a working week. The traffic within the KLCC area was horrendous. I really wonder sometimes, is it worth living in such gorgeous looking condos with great view of skyscrapers and lightings, when going out and coming back home takes so much effort, trouble and time.*shakes head*
After getting stuck for nearly an hour in the KL city centre, I finally arrived... at the building behind Fraser place. Thank God. If there was none, I would have to queue another 1 hour just to make a U-turn into the road leading to Fraser place.
Being a 'sua gu' (mountain cow, literal translation in Hokkien), which means green bean/newbie/freshie/katak bawah tempurung, I didn't know what to expect when I arrived at the restaurant. I was ranked the lowest in the list of foodiebloggers, but that didn't matter to me. I was excited to find out what will we be served for this 'launch menu'.
The first view was the cold cut of cured meat and cheese station. The chef, suited in white, was dripping in sweat trying to slice the meat as quickly as possible, explaining the different types of parma, jamon, and cheese to the long queue of guests lining up to have a taste of them. The jamon was likely the most expensive item at the station which explains why guests still waited for the chef to slice and place the jamon though their plates were already full.
It would help if the meat served had some tags/ labels to explain to guests what they were and where they originated from, because in the end, the dining experience also comes with learning how the taste and looks of the food differ in different regions.
The meat reminded me of my pleasant trip to the meat market in Florence and Barcelona. The spicy salami was awesome, but the first in place was definitely the jamon. Bloody, smokey, salty and went well with the wine. Among all the condiments, the caramelized onions were the BEST. Hence, it ran out real quick and no more replacements were seen at the station.
Although this was my first time ever attending such an event so the rights for me to compare is zilch, but the vibes I get after being here for a good 15 minutes was that the crowd seemed lost, and disengaged, not what I would expect of from a foodie menu launch. The various finger food came in tiny bowls, or spoonfuls, served sporadically, almost felt like there was no story behind the entire launch.
The upside of it was that the finger food served was good. I really enjoyed the sliced sausages, full of porky punch and flavour. Though again, the waiting period of the sporadic serving really did bring down the foodie mood. I overheard some patrons complaining too, that food was unevenly served, some got more, some got less, not enough plates and culteries etc.
I guess the crowd was too big to accommodate the way of serving they intended as after a while, it seemed like the hungry patrons were ever ready to pound upon each fresh servings the waiters brought from the kitchen. That included me as well.
I saw some eating the bacon wrapped chicken and wanted to try that too, and when the waitress finally brought a fresh batch, she stopped me from taking it because that batch was meant only for patrons eating on the 1st floor. Well, a big "UMMM....." came out of my mouth. Fine then. I finally got hold of it after another good 10 15 minutes wait.
Again, the dish was good of course. It never goes wrong when you cook a dish wrapped with bacon. This went well with the pint of Asahi.
Second serving of this was needed, since I didn't have enough spoonfuls of the rest. This round, two types of cheese were added to the display. Since there was a crowd again, I didn't get much chance to find out what and where the cheese was from. One was hard, salty, I'm guessing aged cheddar. The other was soft, pungent yeasty, smell like bleu. Both yums!
I would have missed an opportunity of trying this if I was not conveniently standing next to it by the bar. The chef passed by, and suddenly decided to use the gigantic blade/knife to scrap some cheese for us sitting nearby. Again, sporadic serving, not sure why or what purpose. Could not hear him properly, but its not parmigiano-reggiano, maybe grano padano. Anyway, I'm glad I got a chance to try it, this block of goodie milky cheese probably cost thousands.
The second "UMMMM..." came when I had to cough out an extra RM10, because the price of the Asahi on menu placed in front of me, was an incorrect price, and the explanation by the bartender was that, the correct menu was at the other far corner of the bar. It was not about the price, but the whole customer satisfaction aspect just went downhill.
No offense, the food served in general was really good, and of quality too, but the planning and arrangements on the other hand, "UMMM....".
I am in no position to comment much on since cost is always a factor in such events, but I would say if the target crowd intended was over a hundred, perhaps buffet/builk servings and a complimentary drink per person may be a better option if manpower is a constraint. After all, a foodie party in my perspective should be fun, educational, happy, and also gives opportunities to make new friends and when we leave, it is with a full and filling experience. Frankly, I don't think I achieved those points I expected to before I came here.
Perhaps after this post, I may not get any more invites for dinner parties but I have to write what I truly felt from my dining experience.
A girlfriend asked me would I come back to this place for a meal?
If a big group was involved.....maybe. Food is good, no doubt.
UMMMM..........
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