Spanish Milk Fed Lamb at Chef Choi

Chef Choi may not offer glitzy decor or trendy music, but it has carved out an enviable niche with its ‘great flavours’ & staff who make everyone feel ‘remembered & special’. Unlike the competition hereabouts, there is plenty of elbow room in this cozy restaurant I have come to call, a second home. And you know, once Chef Choi hosts a party for us, the babble of chatter can be deafening.

So what brings us to the Chef’s table this time round you might ask..

Spring lamb is an Easter and a Passover dinner-table tradition. Yet this is also the trickiest time of the year to buy lamb, I am told, because supply is limited, and what is in stores will have been fed mainly grain, rather than grass, which makes for fattier meat. The Chef tells me that when he looks for the right Spanish milk fed lamb, he actually looks for a smaller leg, which means the lamb is younger. And definitely grass-fed, as these are generally less mature, and more tender.

Of course the tension is high, and we are all waiting in nervous anticipation, for the milk fed lamb to make an appearance, such as one would for a celebrity performer or an American Idol teen.. and just like waiting for a hot nubile performer, we cannot wait to sink our teeth, into it.

Wow.. this young lamb, so young it’s barely weened off the milk of its mother (hence the name “milk fed”) weighs, on average, 6 -7kgs only. The flesh is lean and pale pink, with a sweet mild flavor. Just picture a lamb that has been raised under prime summer conditions and imagine how it’s meat might melt in your mouth. Then you might just have been able to catch a glimpse of gastronomic heaven. Words cannot describe the succulence of this lamb. Fabulous.

homemade deep fried tortilla chips and fresh salsa

After these delicious, crunchy, “corny”, homemade tortilla chips we have a terrific pig stomach pepper soup to wash it down with. Some at the table said that the soup actually cut the grease and made way for the line up of dishes to come. I totally agree!

barbecue crystal prawns

Roasted Crispy Goose

When I asked, is this goose from Beijing, everybody chorused, No! It’s from Ipoh!

Wow, that’s my hometown so I am delighted to say that this goose tasted better than the ones I have tried, that come from Beijing. And rightly so, as those geese obviously arrive frozen from Beijing. Some hardly have a flavour left in their frozen meat, them poor things. The geese from Ipoh are the bee’s knees I tell you. Moist, succulent and sweet as hell (kinda like the women).

Fried rice with mini abalone

This style is what the Chinese call “mun-fun”. Rice that is soaked in a lovely thick stock that has all the flavours in it. Tasty like you would not believe. Even I, ate the rice. Well, some of it anyway.. could not resist!

BBQ Cuttlefish

crepe suzette – dessert of fire!

The Chef in action, flambe of our crepes done with great flair flare (forgive the pun)

crepe suzette with ice-cream and tons of alcohol in it.. lovely!

Chef Choi is one of our regular haunts for dinner and rightly so. The food here, the staff and the Chef himself, can do no wrong. If you are in KL and have not tried the food in this restaurant, you are missing out. Do yourselves a favour and eat here soon. You will not be disappointed;)

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