Midsummer Nights Feast 2011 – Master Chef of 5 Elements – Master Chef Jason Koppinger CEC, CCE (United States)

Meet the dashing Chef Jason Koppinger from US!

A man who absolutely adores Asian food & is head- over- heels crazy about chillies!

I had the honour of initiating him to our chilli pan mee last week & he sampled both Kin Kin & Super Kitchen for lunch on the very same day. He had a blast loading his bowl with Kin Kin’s legendary dry chilli & didn’t break a sweat chowing down the whole bowl!
While he loved Kin Kin for the heat; like me he much preferred Super Kitchen’s version.
Both of us agreed that though Super Kitchen’ chilli doesn’t pack that much of a heat, it was a much better bowl of pan mee overall, in terms of the flavours from each of its’ component (the minced meat, the soup, the sauce ) & the noodles’ texture was just beautifully chewy with a bit of bite. It’s cheaper too, at RM4.80 versus Kin Kin’s RM5.80 per bowl.

On another occasion, he & his wife Laura sampled char kuey teow, laksa, curry chee cheong fun, oh chien (fried oysters), claypot pork rice, roast belly & char siew, ice kacang, sugar cane drink & lean chee kang (a sweet chinese dessert) and he pronounced his favourite hawker fare to be our wok-fire, charred flavoured char kuey teow! That man has got great taste!

Hence keeping in theme to his passionate choices of fiery cuisine, Chef Jason’s menu for Midsummer Nights Feast 2011 is the “FIRE” menu. Each dish in his FIRE menu features a different type of chilli & it’s going to be fascinating to see how he explores each chilli’s flavours & incorporate it into his dishes.

Element: Fire

Celebration of Culinary Passion.

Master Chef Jason Koppinger CEC, CCE (United States)
Certified Executive Chef
Autodome Chain of Restaurants, Malaysia

A Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and Certified Culinary Educator (CCE), Master Chef Jason Koppinger has proven his creative skills and expertise in all aspects of the culinary arts and food & beverage service in the international hospitality industry. His acclaimed Wine Dinner Series of 7-course fine dining paired with various winemakers were featured in Food Networks Food Finds and Iron Chef America shows, leading to affiliated programs as a celebrity chef hosting local television shows in the United States.

His culinary passion has taken him from being a lecturer at the University College on Culinary Arts to acclaimed dining destinations in worldclass resorts at Cayman Islands and Hawaii to Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago to the Royal Carribean Cruises.

Among other accolades include Chef of the Year at the Grand Cayman in Cayman Islands; Gold Medal Award Winner of Culinary Competitions in Puerto Rico; and the youngest Executive Chef in the Royal Carribean fleet from the Carribean to North & South America, Mexico, Alaska and Europe.

Now for the first time in Malaysia, Chef Koppinger will create a special menu of “new world cuisines” as a personal expression of his culinary passion across cultures, exclusively at Starhill Gallery, Midsummer Nights Feast.

“I never forget to attribute much of my culinary skills to spending so much time with my grandmother, mother and aunts in the kitchen. Cooking was always the center of every family gathering … not with just small pots and pans but … cauldrons and huge vessels that could feed 40 – 50 people at a time!”

“In professional cooking … I believe that every one in the team should have an understanding what we are setting out to achieve. The Chef‟s vision and what he expects his diners to have, taste and experience must be communicated to everyone from the stewards to the Chef de cuisine.”

“Last but not least, fresh ingredients will yield a fantastic result.”

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FIRE MENU

Amuse Bouche

Lobster “arancini”, furikake, habanero tomato relish

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Duo of

Oolong Smoked Duck “Taco”avocado uni crema, melon jalapeño salsita
&
Chevre & caramelized onion stuffed pequillo pepper, salsa verde, micro cilantro

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Togarashi brûlée of diver scallop “carpaccio”, aji amarillo pepper ponzu, crisp edamame, ginger caviar, watermelon radish

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Wasabi crusted halibut, fingerling potato, pearl onion, asparagus, cherry tomato, szechuan shitake “tea”, pepper drizzle

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Intermezzo – jalapeño watermelon granite’

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Peppercorn dusted loin of lamb, cranberry – “fried orzo” roasted peaches, thyme pepperonata jus, pepper gelle‘

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Ancho chile chocolate timbale, passion fruit cream, maple drizzle, smoked berry sea salt

I can’t wait to taste his menu! Even his dessert is intriguing – ancho chile (yes, it is a type of chilli!) with creamy DARK chocolate, coupled with a bit of tang from the passionfruit & then a savoury saltiness from the smoked salt. Don’t tell me you’re not drooling already!

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For further enquiries and reservations, please call +603-2782 3855.

In summary, here are the dates for each of the Chef’s dinner:

1 July Chef Jason Koppinger (‘FIRE‘ MENU HERE )

2 July Chef Wai (‘SPACE‘ MENU HERE )

3 July 5 Elements Brunch from 11.30am to 3pm

4 & 5 July Chef Moshik Roth

6 & 7 July Chef Benoit Vidal (7th Jul – FULLY BOOKED) (‘EARTH‘ MENU HERE )

8 July 5 Elements Gala Dinner (CORPORATE NIGHT – non bookable)

1-7 July Chef Manabu Special ala carte menu-Gonbei San (‘AIR‘ MENU HERE )
(** this is the AIR Menu & it’s available all 7 days)

For an idea on Midsummer Nights Feast 2010, check out my experiences below:

Starhill Gallery presents Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 (2 July – 9 July 2010):	Link Here
Starhill Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 – Shook!, Jakes’, Jogoya, Gonbei, Village Bar, Pak Loh Chiu Chow & Luk Yu Tea House – Special Menus:	Link Here
“Best of Shook!” menu – commemorating the launch of Starhill Gallery Midsummer Nights Feast 2010:	Link Here
Midsummer Nights Feast @ Starhill Gallery 2010 – Celebrity Chef Stephen Mercer showcasing modern Australian cuisine:	Link Here