Posted on November 10, 2010, Wednesday
KUCHING:
Borneo Convention Centre Kuching’s (BCCK) dining outlet, The Raintree
Restaurant is having its ‘All in Bamboo’ promotion beginning tomorrow
until this November 27.
CREATIVE
PROCESS: Virginia says the culinary team has experimented quite a bit
to ‘fine-tune’ the flavours and textures of the menu for the ‘All In
Bamboo’ promotion.
Sharing her views on the promotion, the
restaurant’s chef de cuisine Virginia Kedit relates that the ‘pansoh’
(traditional cooking method using bamboo) has been the main inspiration
for many of the traditional dishes to be featured in the special menu.
Being
an Iban descendant herself, Virginia has made it clear that it is not a
matter of reinventing the ‘pansoh’; instead, she plans to bring these
‘bamboo cuisine’ dishes to a new height. The following outlines her take
on the ‘pansoh revolution’.
How do you define ‘bamboo cuisine’?
How do you define ‘bamboo cuisine’?
Bamboo
cuisine is about incorporating flavours into local ingredients and
cooking them in bamboo, with a mixture of aromatic spices and various
preparation methods, to give them a new identity and platform to be
appreciated. The sweetness derived from cooking in the bamboo also helps
in giving the dishes that ‘je ne sais quoi’ (I’m not sure what it is).
What are you introducing in the ‘All In Bamboo’ promotion?
We
are introducing local lobster, Norwegian cod fish, organic free-range
spring chicken and palm hearts cooked with different aromatic spices,
which results in distinctive flavours for each dish. Apart from these
ingredients, we are also offering a variety of textures – firmness in
the lobster, delicate Norwegian cod fish and that ‘bite’ in the organic
free-range spring chicken. To complement that Sarawakian
experience, all our main dishes are served with a side of steamed wild
rice and an order of stir-fried ‘midin’ (local spring ferns).
What was the creative process like for you and your team?
We
experimented quite a bit to ‘fine-tune’ the flavours and textures. We
also experimented on cooking in pots as opposed to cooking in the
bamboo. As you would have probably guessed, all items cooked in bamboo
won the taste test.
The main dishes were created first, and the
braised free-range ‘Spring Chicken Coconut in Bamboo’, was the surprise
‘lemak’ (savoury) dish, which made it onto the menu. Initially, we were
going towards a clean, clear-cut profile until we experimented with
coconut milk. After sampling a mouthful, we knew then and there that
this dish deserved to be on the menu.
What is your personal favourite from the “‘All In Bamboo’ promotion, and why? I
am an all-rounder when it comes to meat, but for this promotion,
‘hands-down’ it is the ‘Cod Fish Cooked with Basil Fish Stock in
Bamboo’. This affinity was because I had envisioned the ingredients,
method of preparation and the taste that was to be for this dish prior
to experimenting. Then, after the first run, the end product was close
to 90 per cent perfection. That immediately fuelled the entire creative
process in designing the menu for the promotion.
For desserts, I
always look forward to the tapioca pudding scented with ‘pandan’
(screwpine leaves) flavour. I do enjoy the other two desserts – Avocado
Crème Brulée with Vanilla and Rich Chocolate Truffle with Cocoa Glazing –
but, I just cannot get enough of the pudding.
What would you like diners to The Raintree Restaurant to take away with them with regards to your creations?
I
would like our diners to take away that sense of adventure when they
dine with us. I want for them to know that, at The Raintree Restaurant,
they should feel uninhibited to try not just the usual grilled, but also
the promotion items. And being adventurous ourselves, our diners can be
rest assured of quality food and more amazing creations to follow suit.
Available
for lunch and dinner, the ‘All In Bamboo’ promotion will be specially
accompanied by live music available on Friday and Saturday nights
throughout its promotional period. The Raintree Restaurant opens daily
from 8am to 10pm. For enquiries and reservations, call 082-392988, or
log on to www.bcck.com.my.
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