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Salon Culinaire in Penang, Malaysia

 

By Rudy Muller

2^nd Penang Chefs Challenge 2006

 The Chefs Association of Malaysia, Penang Chapter, under the experienced leadership of Peter Chan Weng Seng PJM and his Organizing committee had again invited all the chefs from the region to team up and to battle on the stove for the best culinary team of 2006.

 13 team’s answered the call, they came from Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands, Port Dickson, Singapore and of course Penang. They met with a jury which came from Malaysia, China, India, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

 On 9 am,  July 7, 06 the 13 teams consisting out of one team leader, one pastry person and 2 chefs, got ready for the first round of cooking. They faced a whole table full of food item, ranging from local to imported vegetable, over fruits, oils and butter, flour , dairy products, soup and sauce mixes  and for every round 2 different types of seafood and/or meat.

They also received a secret item for every round, complimentary of Peter Chan; which they had to use in at least 2 courses, like Tonkat Ali (a local root know for is aphrodisiac potential, or poppy seed or Chinese five spice powder or even ANNATTO, which is a dry seed, native of Latin America and used as a flavor enhancer for the Philippine Adobo dishes.

 Within 60 minutes they had to come up with 4 appetizers, followed by 4 soups ten minutes later, then the main course for 4 and finally after 90 minutes the Dessert.

Every team did an outstanding job and it was very difficult for the jury to pick the best ones, we did have to go to the details.

 We were giving points for hygiene, working techniques and practicality, innovation and creativity and of course presentation and for the taste most points were given.

Everybody has given their best and we had some great meals, but it was a taunting task and after tasting the creation of 15 teams times 4 dishes; we were more them full.

 The scores were very close and 8 teams managed to get to the second round on the following day, where they again had to come up with new creations to dazzle the jury and spectators.

 Again some teams cooked extremely well, showed us a consistency and continuity from the previous day and their professionalism and team work shined trough.

There was a lot of pressure and some teams struggled, they prepared well for the first round, but once they made it into the second day , they were not prepared enough and on the end of the day the 4 very best teams went for the last day semi final.

 They were the Sheraton Imperial Hotel from Kuala Lumpur, the Royal Oars from Penang, The Fullerton Hotel from Singapore and the Genting Highland Resort from Pahang.

 On that last day, the 4 teams outdid themselves. The professionalism, the enthusiasm, and their creation were world class. They worked hard and we had great dishes, fantastic soups and dessert. After the first round the result were so close again that it was just by less then a point which divided the teams between first and second (highest and second highest score) and third and fourth place.

 So the Royal Oars had to compete against the Genting Highland Resort for the 3^rd place and Genting Highland came in with a better presentation and flavor profile by only a few point and secured place as first runner up, bronze medal and trophy, plus Ringgit 1000.-.

 All eyes were on the final battle between the team from the Fullerton Hotel , Singapore and the Sheraton imperial from KL. Booths team executed the mis en place and preparation very well and made full use of the secret ingredient which was Sambal Balachan. The Fullerton team used it together with bread crumb and created a coating on top of their Salmon Main course, baked the fish to perfection, soft with the crispy skin enhanced with the Sambal Flavor.

Booth teams again show cased their best skills and abilities and the grand prize went to the Fullerton Hotel, trophy, gold medal and Ringgit 3000.-.  Also the Sheraton which came in second got silver, trophy and Ringgit 2000.-

 Overall it was a show of international standard, executed well from the start to the finish. Complements to Peter and his team; which tirelessly promote the great food of Penang and our trade of chefs.

 All participants did a great job and deserve a special mention for their great job done.

We the Judges are looking forward for the next culinary event in Penang , Malaysia

 Rudy Muller