Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Asean Plus Culinary Festival at La Piazza

Bringan empty stomach and get ready to take notes, because Thailand’s Tom Yam Kung,the Philippines’ Tagalog steak, Japanese’s Takoyaki and sushi, Indonesian’s KerakTelor and Sate Ponorogo are among the delicious menus available at the ASEANPlus Culinary Festival at La Piazza shopping mall in Kelapa Gading, NorthJakarta.

The event not only features various foods from ASEAN countries, but also otherdelicacies from the bloc’s dialogue partners such as Japan, Pakistan and theEuropean Union.

Visitors can also meet a number of local and foreign chefs showcasing theirskills and sharing their knowledge to spice up the event.

“We love to attend culinary events because we like eating and cooking. We justtried takoyaki and the Philippine’s cake,” Noviana, a resident of Duren Sawitin East Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

She eagerly strolled from one booth to another, trying various foods and winesand collecting brochures about cooking utensils while her mom quietly satlistening to a cooking demonstration by two Cambodian chefs in themulti-purpose hall.

The two chefs, Sopheak Pov and Kompheak Seng from Topaz Malis restaurant inPhnom Penh, flew from Cambodia to cook three original dishes — beef sour soupwith thnoung leaves, phrohok ktis chicken and amok fish.

The three-day event, which runs until Sunday, is held in conjunction withIndonesia serving as ASEAN chair this year. The Foreign Affairs Ministryappointed the Indonesian Chef Association (ICA) to conduct the event.

Live cooking demonstrations attracted the most people on Saturday. Chef YongkiGunawan generously shared his tips in making soft and juicy beef satays whilecracking jokes with the audience.

Previously at noon, celebrity chef Ragil Wibowo cooked giant bakpao (steamedchinese cakes with fillings) for visitors in the outdoor venue as a part ofMakan Besar (eating big portions), a culinary program on Trans 7 televisionchannel. Dozens of visitors swarmed for his chocolate, meat and chicken bakpaoright after he finished steaming them.

The culinary outdoor area, which has tropical nuance, is decorated withJavanese wooden gazebos, bamboo, batik and haystacks. There are 34 boothsfeaturing various delicacies. Some booths have ready-to-eat dishes, whileothers, such as the Penang restaurant, perform live cooking shows.

Many visitors lined up dutifully to buy German curly cakes at the EuropeanUnion stall. Yohan, a resident of Kelapa Gading, said that the sweet cake wasnice, but that the original he ate in Germany was better.

“Somehow, I felt a slightly different taste. Maybe there are some certaindifferent ingredients,” he said.

If you come to the venue in the blistering heat of the afternoon, therecommended beverage is Thai tea from Suan Thai, a Bangkok restaurant that isopen daily in Cideng, Central Jakarta. The sweet and fresh taste of thebeverage, which has similar color to carrot juice, will quench your thirst.

No comments:

Post a Comment