Just last week, I got to attend the TOKL Food Awards Ceremony 2010, held at the new MAPKL in Solaris Dutamas:
(... hosted by the gorgeous Joanne de Rozario and Will Quah)
I had never attended an awards ceremony before, AND it was all about food/ restaurants in KL, so I was really looking forward to it....
(Thank you so much, Nazeen and everyone at TOKL for inviting me - So happy!)
:)
The arty area was bustling with the famous and the important, mostly dressed to the nines in sharp suits and sexy cocktail dresses (which kinda made me feel so underdressed since I came straight from office. *lol*).
There was also a lot of bubbly, which of course can never be a bad thing in my books:
(Never tried this brand before, Lombard Brut, but YUM, will definitely look out for it in future - love that it has just the right balance of bubbles without being too sweet or too dry)
ANYWAY, :) here's the full list of the nominees and winners:
- Best Chinese | Chynna (Hilton KL)
[other nominees: A Little Dim Sum Place, Celestial Court (Sheraton Imperial KL), Li Yen (Ritz-Carlton KL) and Zuan Yuan (One World Hotel)]
- Best Continental | La Bodega
Specially Commended | El Cerdo
[other nominees: The Apartment, Bijou, Cafe Cafe, Hakka Republic, and twentyone kitchen+bar]
- Best Healthy Eating/Vegetarian | Marmalade
[other nominees: Annalakshimi, Country Farm Organics, FitFor2 and The Yogitree]
- Best Indian | Bombay Palace
[other nominees: Kanna Curry House, Saravana Bhavan, Spice of India and Sri Nirwana Maju]
- Best Italian | Prego (The Westin KL)
[other nominees: Bar Italia, La Risata, Nerofico, Sassarosso, Tatto and Villa Danieli (Sheraton Imperial KL)]
- Best Japanese | Fukuharu (Terrace @ Hock Choon)
[other nominees: Gonbei, Hajime, Kampachi and Rakuzen]
- Best Malay | Bijan
Specially Commended | Enak, Starhill Gallery
[other nominees: D'Cengkih, Makan Kitchen (Doubletree by Hilton), and Restauran Rebung Chef Ismail]
- Best Middle Eastern | Al Amar
Specially Commended | Tarbush
[other nominees: Al-Andalus, Al-Rawsha, and Hadramawt]
- Best Seafood | High Tide
[other nominees: Bangsar Seafood Garden Restaurant, Fisherman's Cove, Restaurant Fatty Crab, and Restaurant Green View]
- Best Steak House | Prime (Le Meridien KL)
Specially Commended | Qba, The Westin KL
[other nominees: Angus Steakhouse, DISH, Meatworks, and Tony Roma's]
- Best Thai/Indochinese | Tamarind Springs
[other nominees: Basil Leaf, Kinnaree Thai Restaurant, MyThai, Rama V and Sao Nam]
- Best Mamak/Hawker | Nasi Kandar Pelita
[other nominees: Hutong Lot 10, Murni's, Suzy's Corner and Yut Kee]
- Best Pub Grub | Jarrod & Rawlins
Specially Commended | Sid's Pub
[other nominees: Finnegan's, George & The Dragon, and The Green Man]
- Best Fine Dining | Lafite (Shangri-la)
[other nominees: Frangipani, High Tide, Sage (The Garden Hotel & Residence) and Senses (Hilton KL)]
- Best New Restaurant | The Pressroom
[other nominees: Albion KL, Giovino, High Tide, Il Lido, and Mandrin Grill (Mandarin Oriental KL)]
- Best Independent Restaurant | Albion KL
Specially Commended | Rama V, Jalan U-Thant
[other nominees: A Little Dim Sum Place, Al-Amar, and Cafe Cafe]
- Best Restaurateur | Edward Hyde (Gastrodome - La Bodega, the Pressroom, Espressamente Illy)
Specially Commended | Benj Conway of the Nero Group (Nerovivo, Neroteca, Nerofico, High Tide)
[other nominees: Werner Kuhn (El Cerdo, El Cerdito, Werner's), Rudy Stecca (Ciao, Ciccio, Cipolla) and Benjamin Yong (The Delicious Group)]
- Outstanding Chef of the Year | Chef David King (Prego, The Westin KL)
[other nominees: Chef Nathalie Arbefeuille (Nathalie's Gourmet Studio), Chef Pierre Chahda (Al-Amar), Chef Cedric Darthial (Mandarin Grill), Chef Michael Elfwing (Senses Hilton KL), and Chef Evert Onderbeke (High Tide)]
I can't say that I agree with all the final nominees/ winners... but well, the public has chosen... and I guess as they say: One man's meat is another man's poison.
(There were one or two which inspired a raised eyebrow and general "WTH???" feeling.... but any case, it was so much fun sitting there and cheering for my favourite places/ people, whether or not they actually won....)
(I have been really lazy and just copy and pasted this whole list from alilfatmonkey. Do check out what he thinks of the event: Click here)
... OR you could just go out to the nearest reputable news stand and grab the December edition of TOKL, which will have all the results and more. :)
HUGS,
J
TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal
Posts
Erm, can't agree with Pelita. Sorry, just not as impressive as many others in Penang.
ReplyDeletedecember issue seems to be late! it wasn't available yesterday evening at klcc's newsstands yet. strange, since time out kl is usually always very early :D
ReplyDeleteI like the Lomabard Brut too. But they changed the champagne after a few rounds. The second one wasn't so nice. :(
ReplyDeleteLOL! I never follow TOKL
ReplyDeleteto J2Kfm:
ReplyDeleteHopefully one day they will be able to extend the awards beyond PJ/ KL... It would be interesting to see who will win! :)
to Sean:
Hmmmm. Or maybe it's sold out?? :)
to Bangsar Babe:
Really?? I think I must have been a bit drunk because I didn't notice the difference after the 3rd glass.
LOL.
(1st glass: Mmm. delish bouquet of flavours, 2nd glass: Yum. Love that its not too sweet. 3rd glass: Wheeeeee. BUBBLES!)
to thule aka leo:
Why not lah? You don't have to agree with everything but it's a pretty good guide to what is available...
Hehehe, can so imagine the WTH expression in some of the results :p
ReplyDeleteWell, as long as you had fun, that's the important part!
wud love to have met you! :D
ReplyDeleteto jason:
ReplyDeleteHaha.. That's true. :) Definitely had a really fun time.
(And luckily it was dark in the hall when they presented the awards so they cannot see my facial expression if I didnt agree. lol)
to August Diners:
Oh no. Well, if I knew you were there too, then it would have been nice to meet.
Well, anytime if you want to meet up for makan or something oso can lah. We don't have to wait for another event like this, right? :)
I enjoyed attending the function and my first such function. And not forgetting the nice Gentleman Jack.
ReplyDeleteto hApPy HaPpY:
ReplyDeleteHaha.. "Jack" is such a nice and friendly person, isn't he? :)