An Evening With Chef Emmanuel Stroobant & U.S Potatoes

 Let's just all admit it : we have a die-hard love for potatoes! As Malaysians, there seems to be a potato dish at any meal in any household on any given day! Think about it, we have hash browns in the morning during breakfast, some mashed potatoes during lunch with some fried chicken, a bag of potato crisps as snacks, chunks of potatoes in our curry dinner, and maybe some french fries for supper/yimcha sessions/beer time.

That's pretty much why it is so darn important to have quality potatoes when having them! So, the next time you're at the supermarket, pick up some USA Potatoes. Potatoes USA is the marketing organization for the 2,500 commercial potato growers operating in the United States.  They promote five main good quality potato products: fresh table-stock potatoes, fresh chipping potatoes, seed potatoes, frozen potato products and dehydrated potato products.

As proof that the humble potato can also be a star ingredient in a world-class restaurant or even in your own home, is Chef Emmanuel Stroobant!

Born in Belgium, he took a chance in 1997 and decided to make Kuala Lumpur his first stop and after a few years of grueling hard work, he was awarded the "1999 Best Expatriate Chef' by World Asia Media.It will be in that same year, Chef Emmanuel and his wife Edina move to Singapore to open their first restaurant that will become a Michelin star restaurant and the only Singapore member of the world renown Relais & Chateaux- a prestigious association of the world's finest hotels and restaurants.

Here in Shangrila Resort, Kota Kinabalu, he showcased his culinary skill, wit, humor and love for food. Demonstrating in detail how he would use USA potatoes as the main ingredient for 4 dishes.
Let's get to it!

US Potato Wedges with Ikura

Eggs Benedict with Hashbrown

Us Potato with Caviar

US Russet Potato Salad with Squid

Stunning in execution, presentation and taste! Loved how Chef Stroobant was able to explain and describe each dish he made with such enthusiasm and passion! I was definitely a believer now that something as simple as a US Potato can really bring a dish to another level and boy, am i ready to impress my friends and family during the next dinner hosted in my home!

It's pretty sad to know that potatoes have had such a bad rep in recent years as a food item to avoid while on a diet or on a journey to healthier eating habits. Consultant Dietitian and founder/owner of Indra Balaratnam Nutrition, gave a insightful talk on all the nutritional benefits of US Potatoes!

Did you know that potatoes are a rich source of iron and vitamin C? They give just as much energy as a banana too! It's a pretty eye-opening talk that Indra gave us, totally debunked so many myths that surrounded the potato.

Thank you to the good people of USA Potatoes! It was an enjoyable and educational night on a misunderstood vegetable. I can't wait to experiment with new recipes with my bag of USA Potatoes!

U.S. Fries Fiesta Debuts In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The Potatoes USA has kicked off its U.S. Fries Fiesta campaign in Kota Kinabalu from 15 June to 15 July 2019.

According to Potatoes USA’s country rep, Eddie Saw, “We are bringing the U.S. Fries Fiesta for the first time to Kota Kinabalu this year as there are many creative and fantastic chefs there that have managed to combine the quality imported products like U.S. fries together with the wide range of local ingredients from Sabah to produce exciting dishes for the locals and tourists. 

Dreamtel Hotel's Paratha Wrap with Lattice fries

“A promotion such as this will help to bring out another side to the culinary range that Kota Kinabalu has to offer.  We’d like to highlight to the growing pool of food enthusiasts in East and West Malaysia, especially lovers of fries, that there are great food & beverage outlets that they should try,” said Eddie.   

i-Degree Restaurant's Lattice Cut with Tomato Salsa Canape

Altogether, 9 outlets in Kota Kinabalu are participating in the U.S Fries Fiesta campaign, all serving up unique and tantalizing dishes using U.S. fries varieties.

U.S. Fries Fiesta participating outlets in Kota Kinabalu

Outlet names	Names of US Fries Dishes
I Degree Restaurant & Cafe	U.S. Lattice Cut with Tomato Salsa Canape U.S. Lattice Cut with Creamy Ham and Cheese Canape
The Chub’s Grill	Chub’s Chicken & Waffles with U.S. Straight Cut Fries Chub’s Loaded U.S. Tater Tots
Zinox Bar & Grill	U.S. Potato Bomb U.S. Potato Bone Marrow
The Next Block Restaurant	U.S. Skin-On Waffles Fries with Caramelized Onions & Cheese Mushroom Ragu U.S. Skin-On Waffles Fries Trio Burger Sliders
Hyatt Regency Kinabalu	U.S. Lattice Cut with Smoked Beef and Salted Egg Sauce Curry U.S. Skin-On Flat Chips with Bambangan Dip
High Street Cafe	Baked Cheese Meatballs with U.S. Sidewinder Fries U.S. Crinkle Cut with Bolognese
Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu	Dreamtel Beef Burger Chili Con Carne Gravy with U.S. Sidewinder Fries Dreamtel Paratha Wrap with U.S. Lattice Cut
ZING Restaurant & Bar	Sausage Lollipop with U.S. Potato U.S. Skin-On Flat Chips Munchies
Lucy’s Kitchen	U.S. Skin-On Flat Chips Nachos Beef Taco with U.S. Curly Fries

Arguably an unprecedented campaign dedicated to fries, the campaign is two-pronged in objectives. First, it’s to stimulate excitement amongst the trade to be as creative as they can with creating various culinary presentations with U.S. fries, exciting their customers, especially frozen potato lovers.

High Street Cafe's BakedCheese Meatballs with Sidewinder Fries

The public, in turn who visit and dine at these participating restaurants have a unique opportunity to relish different U.S. fries served with a scrumptious repertoire of dishes. 

Hyatt Regency's Curry US Skin-on Flat Chips with Bambangan Dip

Malaysians love their fries and know how to appreciate good fries.  Malaysia is one of the 6th largest export markets for U.S. frozen potatoes in Asia.  “The U.S. Fries Fiesta will showcase various exciting dishes made with U.S. fries.  One of the highlights of this Fiesta is that it provides an opportunity for the public to acquaint themselves to the different U.S. fry varieties.  Many of these outlets are offering new cuts of U.S. fries for the first time.

Zing's Sausage Lollipops with US Potatoes

“We want to create the ultimate gastronomic satisfaction for Malaysian consumers and provide them the opportunity to savour the “best fries served with tasty dishes” via the U.S. Fries Fiesta in Kota Kinabalu,” said Eddie.

There will also be a Facebook contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an Ipad at the end of contest.  All they need to do is to order one US Fries Fiesta dish from one of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA

Lucy Kitchen's Beef Tacos with Curly Fries

Potatoes are not just good to eat, but good for health. It is a perfect food for all ages and cultures, a weaning food for babies, a great accompaniment and ingredient in all types of cuisine be it baked, roasted, braised, pan fried or mashed.

The Chub's Chicken & Waffles with Straight Cut Fries

With just 110 calories, one medium skin-on potato provides 45% of your daily value of vitamin C and more potassium than a banana. It provides fiber and other vitamins and minerals. Potatoes have absolutely no fat and are sodium-free, gluten-free and cholesterol-free. Potatoes have 60 phytochemicals with antioxidant properties which helps protect cells from free radical damage and prevents cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers.

Zinox's US Potato Bombs

Be prepared to enjoy U.S fries and burgers like never before!

For even more pictures of the new potato creations, check them all out on my Instagram.

 For more information on the U.S. Fries Fiesta, please call Kent Low or Eddie Saw at (03) 8070-7216.

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and Good Times with Friends at Morganfields, Imago Mall

I know sometimes it's really frustrating to find a place big enough to cater your big group of friends and family for a special occasion! And you gotta worry about whether the food and drinks are delicious enough to satisfy everyone! 

Worry no more, my lovely Sabahans! 

Here is some new and good western food in Kota Kinabalu. 

I checked out Morganfields in Imago Mall just a few days ago and these are what i recommend! 

Only for the month of May, Morganfields in Imago Mall will be rolling out this limited edition Kaamatan platter that consists of all the local favorites! Try out the Hinava, grilled fish, Tuhau, Bambangan, BBQ pork, fragrant rice, potato chips, and assorted chilli lime sauce! This is a great option if you don't want to go through the traffic jam and push through hundreds of sweaty bodies in KDCA bazaar just to enjoy these local delicacies. 

The star of Morganfields share platter has got to be the Rib Sampler (RM229.90). This tray is huge! My party of 5 pax had a hard time finishing this! So be sure to share! 

Let me tell you what is in it :-

3 slabs of spare ribs 

Corn on a cob 

Farmer's Bratwurst footlong

Spicy Devil Sausage

Herby Hog Sausage

Crunchy french fries

Garden Salad

Cornbread 

Also, you have 5 choices of flavors for the Spare Ribs:

Garlicky BBQ

Hickory BBQ

Smoked Peppercorn

Asian Charred

Rib Rub

Personally, I loved the Asian Rub and Garlicky BBQ! 

Top picks from the Morganfields Ala Carte menu! 

Clock wise from the top

• Mussels Kilpatrick (RM24.90) is 6 imported green mussels topped with smoky bacon bits and cherry tomatoes.
• Roasted Pork Belly (RM22.90) is a premium slab of pork belly rubbed with assorted spices and roasted to bloody perfection!Crunchy skin on top, juicy meat at the bottom. 
• Seafood Chowder (RM16.90) is super creamy, and has assorted seafood, corn kernels, seaweed and crunchy croutons! 
• Smokin' Duck Salad (RM32.90) has Century Egg in it! So weird but so delicious! Love the creativity! 
• Bacon Wrapped Meatballs (RM17.90) are little flavor bombs! Pop one of these in your mouth and enjoy the crunchy smoky bacon and the yummy meatball! 

Initially, i thought this was going to be too sweet for my liking but it turned out really light and so enjoyable! My favorite of all the Southern Fruit Teas(RM16.90) by Morganfields in Imago Mall is the Rasberry one. Chilled tea is infused with the fragrance and sweetness of chopped fruits and served topped with a scoop of natural fruit sorbet! Very light, not too sweet but so so fragrant! 

They have 6 flavor altogether :

• Raspberry
• Kalamansi
• Mango
• Lychee
• Passionfruit
• Green Apple 

Something fizzy and zesty to refresh you instantly without the help of alcohol is the Virgin Apple Mojito (RM16.90)! Fresh green apples, limes chunks, mint leaves in lemon lime soda. This gave me sweeet relief in the unbelievable heat of Kota Kinabalu. 

This mocktail had a very beachy feel to it. Waikiki (Rm14.90) is a concoction of passionfruit syrup, pineapple chunks, milk and pineapple juice. Sip on this while you reminiscence on your last beachside holiday.  

For more pictures and details, kindly check out my Facebook Photo Album : 

https://tinyurl.com/y3yflpqe

Here is the location of Morganfields, Imago Mall 

https://goo.gl/maps/Dut4esbvM5sdf7hq6

Contact them to make your reservations or for enquiries,

+60 88 274 281