Tap-it-Out: Malaysia’s First Self-Tapping Beer Bar

Wish you could have the experience of tapping your own beer? Wished you could sample just a bit of a strange new beer you've never had before committing to a full glass of it? Now you can with the launch of Tap-it-Out.

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Nestled in Solaris month Kiara, this is the first self serving tap beer in Malaysia with 10 types of beer for under RM50 per litre.

The grand opening of Tap It Out was officiated by its founders Ethan Yoon, Ryan Foo and Joltan Ng, in attendance of their key business partner from Carlsberg Malaysia represented by Managing Director Lars Lehmann, Managing Director of Luen Heng F&B Sdn Bhd Datuk Kenneth Soh, and their shareholders. Image: Carlsberg

Opened in August this year and officially launched in November, Tap-it-Out is a business collaboration between 3 main partners with Carlsberg Malaysia and Luen Heng. Carlsberg Malaysia supplies of course Carlsberg, Asahi, Connor’s and Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc while Luen Heng is the official distributor of Lowenbrau, Erdinger, Hoegaarden, Stella Artois and Leffe.

So how does the self serving tap concept work?

1. Buy an ATM beer pass card (it works like a Touch N Go card BUT BEER). Minimum load is RM50.

2. Choose your poison from the multiple taps on the wall and place your card on the slot.

3. Tap your beer! Note, you can stop at anytime you want, which means you don't have to fill up your whole glass. There is a metered reading that tells you how much (in litres) has been tapped and the remaining value left available on the card.

Sounds like fun, eh? The prices and discount offers will be displayed either on the overhead telly or on the taps itself so you’d know the best buy for your buck. At the time of opening, prices per litre were as follows:

Carslberg - RM33.50
Connor's - RM39.00
Asahi - RM46.50
Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc - RM52.00
Hoegaarden - RM54.50
Lowenbrau - RM56.50
Stella Artois - RM56.50
Erdinger - RM58.00
Leffe - RM58.50

Worth to note that apart from the 10 beers on tap, there's a couple of beer pong tables inside and a selected offering of whiskies.

For a very limited time a free 10% additional credit will be given to all top up reloads. Tap-it-Out opens from 4pm-2am every day. For more information go visit their Fb page:
https://www.facebook.com/tapitoutmsia/

Don’t say I bojio!

- Jon

Tags: #tapitoutmsiagrandopening #ProbablytheBest

A Majestic Rat Packed Christmas

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is celebrating this upcoming festive season with a dedication to Hollywood’s most famous entertainers; Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford or collectively better known as the Rat Pack.

The Colonial Cafe's house band, The Solianos, will play tribute to the music of that era made famous by The Rat Pack alongside popular Christmas tunes.

Served as an accompaniment to the band is a separate Christmas eve 9-course dinner priced at RM280 per person or RM380 with wine pairing and a Christmas day 9-course dinner menu priced at RM220 or RM320 with wine pairing. Here is a small visual teaser of the menu’s offering.

Image: Majestic Hotel

If you’d like to check out the full menu, clink on this link to take your to Majestic Hotel's website.

But wait, there is more...

As the legend goes, Frank Sinatra was a long time fan of JD... which inspired the Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select. What makes this so special is that the whiskey is matured in "Sinatra Barrels" where the barrels are grooved to allow even more contact between the whiskey and wood and bottled at 45% ABV. I have not had an opportunity to sip this dram yet, but here is a bit of the background story behind it and the tasting profile on Master of Malt.

This is exclusively only available at the Majestic Hotel's Smoke House. I’d recommend that with some Cubans and the “Rat Pack Gentleman's” Afternoon Tea (canape-style bites, tea & coffee) at RM80 nett per person that's accompanied with a tankard of beer throughout December.

- Jon

Goa by Hubba

There are 22 major languages in India with over 700 different dialects. Fact. That is an astounding mind boggling number of variants for Indian cuisine and ways curries you may never try in your lifetime.

Goa is quite a popular touristic destination, that we we know. Air Asia flies there. It is supposed to be a hippy coastal city where grass there is popular, not necessarily greener, if you get what I mean (I only heard about it from friends who have been there!).

Well, a little part of Goa(n) cuisine is now featured by a watering hole that used to be known as Hubba Hubba. Now rebranded as Goa by Hubba, it's located on the ground floor of Ramada Suites KLCC. Don’t be confused by the hotel name. This is actually off Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Goa by Hubba now features a brand new food menu and cocktails inspired by Goa cuisine and flavours. The menu was created in collaboration with Le Cordon Bleu Celebrity chef Sapna Anand. Sapna, a native of Goa herself, brings to the table delectable dishes like the Fire Roasted Bone Marrow, Cochin Seafood Stew, Goan Beef Cutlets, Allepey Grilled Fish and more. Many of these dishes were also inspired by her mother's own recipes.

To complement the new menu, they have created new cocktails inspired by spices from Goa-style flavours of rasam, raita and lassi. Exotic kooky cocktail names like Kinky Kokum, Masala Mantra, Ass Whuppin Chai Masala got me tickled. FA really loved their gleaming copperware.

For the after office happy hour crowd that just needs a little something something to kill some time while waiting for the rush hour traffic to subside, there's still their beers on tap to accompany some of their Goan-inspired nibbles to keep your mouth busy.

Congratulations Michele Kwok and the Soul Society team on this new baby, and thanks for having us!

- Jon

#Becurious at H.O.M.E. by Martell

Martell recently invited us to explore our curious side through its #BeCurious event at its first Martell H.O.M.E. pop-up located at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club, beckoning us to explore the cognac with a different lens.

From the entrance to exit, the tent had plenty of curiosities to keep us.. well, curious.

The dark, laser-filled first room led us to Zelda (not her actual name), where our fortunes will be met from the magic sphere ball. Shaking the magic sphere ball will open a magic drawer for the cocktail ingredients in little straw pouch.

Entering another door led us to the cocktail lounge room with 5 Martell-based cocktails and the option of having the VSOP neat.

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Then it was time for some food. The Be Curious menu was designed by maestro Chef Nathalie of Nathalie Gourmet Studio. Naturally, the menu was conceptualised with the pairing of 4 Martell's signature drinks; The VSOP, Cordon Bleu, Cordon Bleu Extra and the XO.

At the end of the dinner, our rather enigmatic host, Martell brand ambassador Pierre Boyer invited  us for a cocktail mixing session. We were encouraged to mix our own cocktail under the careful guidance of the mixologists and the reward was a certification of curiosity by Martell signed by Pierre himself:

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Nov 8, 2017 at 7:41am PST

One can't keep FA away from the bar :/

With this as their first H.O.M.E. by Martell event in the country, Martell Malaysia hopes it will further encourage the appreciation and discovery of cognac through unexpected experiences and the spirit of curiosity.

Stay tuned and curious for more updates by following Martell Malaysia’s Facebook page or their H.O.M.E website here https://www.martell.com/en-my/be-curious

- Jon

21 Years On and Still Souled Out

It's a Black Light 21st Birthday Bash at SOSH! (image: souled out)

I remember a time when Souled Out used to be the few places on the fringes of PJ area for great food, drinks and lepaking with friends...having a difficult time making my mind up from their colourful, thick food menu that offered a wide mix of western cuisine and local-favourites, before finally settling down with my go-to fried beef noodles, sake san pizza or the sinful gosht palak... Then washing it down with their happy hour priced cold pints of beer and their infamous mojitos.

I can't believe it's been 21 years and they have since branched out from Sri Hartamas to five other locations at Ampang, Bangsar South, Kota Kinabalu and Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Oct 13, 2017 at 10:23pm PDT

To kick off their 21 years journey, SOULed OUT threw a big party and soon, they'll be rolling out a new menu and all-new outdoor kitchen in the months to come.

Happy Birthday again, Souled Out! You're finally old enough for a drink! :) A big congratulations to Michele Kwok, Freddy Choo and the entire service team.

Here are some pictures of the night:

Giant bowls of Glow G&Ts!

Awesome glow in the dark cupcakes!

Glow in the dark drummers! (image: souled out)

Glow in the dark dancers! (image: souled out)

Whisky Live Singapore 2017 - Bigger and Better.

I'm going to list down 3 top reasons why you and your family should drive to Singapore this school holiday weekend of 25th Nov 2016.

1. The missus will want to do Christmas Shopping
2. Universal Studios for the kids… and maybe you too!
3. Whisky Live Singapore 2017!!!!

If you don't already know, Whisky Live Singapore 2017 is South East Asia’s largest and premier whisk(e)y and spirits show. Now into its 8th installment this year, this year's exhibition boasts itself to be a bigger, better and more immersive and expansive experience than before.

I missed last year's but was there in 2015.

What’s new in 2017?
A new venue which is more accessible! This year, it will be held at the grounds of Theatreworks right smack in the heart of town.

Look forward to:
The event will, for the first time in South East Asia, unveil Nikka Coffey Gin, Nikka Coffey Vodka, an Old Pulteney 25-year-old and the 1983 vintage Old Pulteney!

Business as usual:
A cocktail and food trail will be dedicated for a celebration of cocktails and food to add to the festivity. Expect cocktail booths by spirit types – gin, tequila, rum and many more, and food by different cuisines.

This year will feature more than 50 brands and 150 expressions of whiskies and spirits.

Details: 
Date: 25th and 26th November 2017 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 1.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue: 7213 Mohamed Sultan Road Singapore 239007

Buy tickets:
Tickets are available for purchase via:
1. Peatix
2. Whisky Live 
3. Maison du Whisky at 80 Mohamed Sultan Rd., Singapore 239013

Last checked on its website, single day tickets are still available at SGD99 per day and going fast. VIP tickets is still available (as of 10th Nov 3pm). These were what whisky geeks were clammering to get their hands on; for the opportunity to taste some of the world’s rarest and private collection of whiskies in the private vault section.

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Last words:
Still not convinced to go? Simple math: RM300 for 150 expressions, you're looking at RM2 per dram per expression, what a steal!

Don’t say I #bojio!

For more:
http://www.whiskylive.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLiveSingapore/

A wine experience with Zenzero & the Gladiators from Antinori

Recently we had the privilege of an invite to Zenzero Restaurant & Wine Bar at St Mary’s Residence KL for a wine pairing dinner featuring Italian wines from Antinori Winery, hosted by Mr Guido Vannucchi from Antinori itself.

As with most wineries, Antinori is steeped in history, being in production for over 6 centuries and family ran for 26 generations. The winery sits in the Tuscany and the Umbria region of Italy, home of many great Italian wines.

Like gladiators of the past, 6 Antinori champions were presented to us for our palates' entertainment, accompanied by an exclusive Italian food pairing menu curated by Zenzero.

We started with a bubbly, the Antinori Montenisa Franciacorta Brut. Fruity and dry, it is said that it could rival a respectable bottle of champagne. Paired with a delightful assaggini of canapes, it sure whetted our appetite for more.

Next came Villa Antinori Bianco 2014 paired with an amuse bouche of cold angel hair pasta with smoked salmon and salmon roe which was a joy in every bite. Guido mentioned that this would be considered an entry-level wine. Fresh and crispy, it was super easy drinking. It's a bottle one could introduce to first-time wine drinkers. This is not one meant for keeping, but to be consumed young to retain its crispness.

Moving on to something heavier, we had the La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2014 with the Black Angus Carpaccio "Quattro Formaggi" which did not disappoint. The darker berries and some spiciness begs for food in your mouth. When paired with the paper thin slices of black angus carpaccio dressed in aged balsamic vinegar and 4 different cheeses comprising of Gorgonzola, Fontina, Grana Padano, and Goat cheeses, it was a sweet marriage.

The Il Bruciato 2014 vintage came next paired with Pearl Barley Risotto in drunken cheese and pine nuts. Now for those of us expecting ‘rice’, the barley in place of actual risotto was rather interesting as the barley was more chewy than your typical grain. The woody, fruity finish from the wine was light enough to match with this risotto.

The main course of Black Angus Tenderloin & Foie Gras was paired with Guado al Tasso 2012.  What makes this wine special is that the harvesting and selection of the grapes of the wine is exclusively done by hand, then after being aged in a year in French oak barrels, only the finest batches are chosen to be blended again for another 6 months in oak.

The legs on this went on forever and what caught me by surprise was the curry leaves scent I got on the nose. The dish itself was easily the highlight of the night as the steak was done well (never well done, please!)  and the foie gras perfectly creamy. Our group pretty much savoured this in silence, with an occasional ooh or aahs punctuating the air when a bite or sip was taken.

Lastly for dessert, a sweet wine, Vino Liquoroso Santa Cristina Donato degli Antinori, was paired with a Lemon and Thyme cake and Cannoli alla Siciliana, which was so cheerful it looked the sun had sneezed its rays on the plate, thanks to the melted candy (I think) garnish.

For someone who has a fondness for old world wines, these Italian wines was right up my alley. If we had to choose our winner tonight it had to be the complex and bold Guado al Tasso 2012. Of course, having it paired with what was our favourite dish of the night might have helped skewed my bias towards it.

Mr Guido shared with us his belief that wine is pleasure. Well, this session was definitely more than a pleasure. Thank you all for having us. Salute!

- Jon

The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition finally comes to Malaysia!

The title pretty much says it all. This may be new to us in Malaysia, but any bartender worth his salt know that this has been going on for nearly a decade all over the world and it is one heck of a big deal.

Avante, Bacardi 8 Old Fashioned, Haole and the Chai Sour.

The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition is a global competition which requires participating bartenders to not only create a Bacardi rum cocktail that has the potential of being a modern-day classic which would get listed in bars, but to also run their own promotional activities to market their drink to both consumers and bars.

The first stage begins locally in each participating country, where the national winner will then compete in the regional stage. The regional winner moves on to the global final to compete with the best on the planet - in 2018, that will be in Mexico City. This year, the winner was the animated Ran Van Ongevalle from Belgium, with his Clarita. You could check his performance out on Youtube to get a sense how next level this competition is.

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The boys at Bacardi, along with SEA Brand Ambassador, Richard Paiva, also took the opportunity to throw a little party, inviting media and the bartending community to check out shots and shots of the Bacardi 8 Anos, an 8 year old rum. We also were also treated with Bacardi cocktails by guest bartender Syafiq Rahim from 28 Hong Kong Street, Singapore at Jack Rose.

Syafiq messing around for the camera

Looking forward to see what our local boys can bring to the stage next year. Make us proud!

https://www.facebook.com/BacardiLegacySEA/
https://www.bacardilegacy.com

Launched in Malaysia: Phraya Rum - the "Premium Rum of Asia"

The Rum Bar Kuala Lumpur recently hosted the official launch of Phraya Rum into Malaysia. Yes, “Phraya” is the same name as the major river that flows through the Kingdom of Thailand. Phraya is also a titular meaning for 'high ranking' and thus the name for the product of this proud nation.

This rum is distilled, matured, blended and bottled in Thailand. It's matured in charred oak barrels between 7 and 12 years, hence they call themselves a “Deep Matured Gold Rum.” Its distinctive gold metallic filigree cuff wrapped around the bottle lends it a lux look, to capture the brand's claim of it being "Asia's premium rum".

Phraya plays up its Eastern heritage and philosophy in its marketing, governed by the four natural elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The Fire comes in the form of the charred oak barrels the rum is aged in. The Earth is responsible for the quality of the sugar cane, grown in Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom. The Air is the tropical climate of the region, and the aging warehouses are buildings set on stilts over cool lagoons to moderate the hot weather. The water is, well, water, naturally occurring near where Phraya is distilled.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Nov 2, 2017 at 6:33am PDT

Rum Bar KL's #Phraya Rum Cocktails at the official launch

The brand has in its merit won a Double Gold medal at the prestigious 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, earning 95 points and the description “ultimate recommendation.”

It's good story, and at the end of the day, it's also a pretty damn decent rum. At 40% ABV, it's got quite a nice mouthfeel, not overly sweet, and strongly reminds us of coconut candy. Mmmm..

Distributed by the folks at Single & Available and retailing for about RM238 a bottle, you'll also be able to find this in selected bars and F&B outlets like the Rum Bar, Jungle Bird, Mish Mash, Coley and Ekkamai.

- Jon

Eat Drink Play @ Tujo

Tujo’s Brasserie and Grill may just be one of the most well kept secret in the heart of KL for diners and drinkers. Seldom mentioned but highly praised by its regular patrons, this place shares the same DNA with its sister outlets, SOULed OUT, WIP and Hubba Hubba (and now the recently launched Goa by Hubba, we'll get to that in other post) of pairing a well thought-out menu with great service.

A post shared by Fireangel (@fireangel80) on Oct 1, 2017 at 1:02am PDT

They have just recently rebranded with a new tagline of Eat Drink Play and added some naughtiness into the BAR-sserie. Now when you venture inside you'll feel like you've entered into glasshouse surrounded by lush greeneries, right in the middle of the concrete jungle.

From the menu side of things, here are some highlights from their new food menu:

The Tomahawk, a 1.3kg Sanchoku Wagyu from Australia is now on the menu, along side the cheesy raclette and various grilled meats and seafood with an assortment of marinades.

There's the  lemon pepper halibut and black miso haddock plus a whole lot of other new stuff like the short rib nasi lemak, pastas, pizzas, salads, soups and other light bites.

On the liquid side of things, Tujo's introduced a  new range of cocktails. These 16 new cocktails feature local ingredients and are inspired by everyday Malaysian drinks with an alcoholic twist. There's the Hang Li Mau (a limau ais inspired rum concoction). The ABC (Alcoholic Batu Campur with tequila and Irish cream liqueur). There's also the Milotini (milo dinosaur) and Seniorita Mawar (Sirap bandung) among others.

But what got FA got all excited was this DIY Bloody Mary Bar. For RM60++ you get to make your own customised bloody mary (it's decently strong) with a mix of salts, garnishes and condiments for 2 hours. And you know what goes well with Bloody Marys? The fresh raw oysters from their new oyster bar!

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Yes, the Bloody Mary Bar was FA-approved.

Thanks for having us Tujo, we had a blast!

- Jon

The Brasserie @ St Regis hosts Chef Ryan Clift and Hennessy

We were fortunate enough to witness the brilliance of Chef Ryan Clift (of the famed Tippling Club) recently.

Chef Clift took over the St Regis' Brasserrie from the 26th to the 29th Oct for a 4 course lunch (RM338 or RM438 with Hennessy Cognac pairing), 6 course dinner (RM438 or RM538 with Hennessy Cognac pairing) and Sunday brunch (price starts at RM298 or RM468 with Hennessy Cognac).

We were invited to sample a 5-course permutation of the menu thanks to Hennessy Malaysia.

After an assortment of breads, the first course was a bowl of condensed tomyam mousse, served with a pair of char-grilled capsicums. Honestly, it's not a great looker but the capsicums tasted so damn good! This was paired with a refreshing Hennessy Highball (lime, lemon, passionfruit, syrup, soda and VSOP).

The smell of vinegar permeated the air from the Petuna ocean trout with beetroot, smoked ox tongue and horseradish cream. The brilliant red "coral" from the beetroot was quite a sight and the dish was a taste explosion of contrasting sweet and sour flavours. This was paired with easy-going and sweet The Radicle cocktail made with muddled raspberries, syrup, lemon a bit of absinthe and the VSOP Hennessy.

The Roasted Leek & Potato Consommé, with Parsley Root, Parsley Chlorophyll, and Wild Herbs was quite vegetal and looked too cute to be eaten, like it was a tiny little terrarium. It was surrounded by a creamy soup which was Clift's mother's recipe. A little taste of home and heartiness made wholly from white wine. The Wild Turbot followed after, with faux squid risotto, lobster and turnip on watercress emulsion. Having them all with the Hennessy XO was swell.

The A4 Toriyama wagyu (with horseradish burrata, Japanese fruit tomato and artichoke) was easily the highlight of the night. Served wrapped with wafer thin slices of home-cured wagyu beef, the umami-ness of the combination made my mouth water. Washed it all down with the XO, it was perfect.

We had a taste and even the scent of outer space as a bonus. We had some cool-looking condensed cheesecake pills (delicious), mandarin and Madras curry sorbet space rock, and the smell of space on that comic card. Clift said that he was given the permission by NASA to access to an astronaut's used space suit to figure out the scent - which he had emulated on this card. This prelude to dessert was truly out of this world.

The actual dessert was Texture of Coconut - which was a coconut dish presented in different textures, accompanied by the Coco Loco cocktail which was a twist of a Brandy Alexander with the addition of yuzu sake.

Much of what we’ve been fortunate to sample was nothing short creative. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity, Hennessy.

- Jon

Draught Anywhere with the New 325ml Carlsberg Smooth Draught

The first thing that will come to mind when you hear "Carlsberg Smooth Draught" is probably, "Oh, it’s Carlsberg Draught, like from a tap".

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Well, not quite, but you won't be too far off from the truth.

Carlsberg Malaysia introduced Carlsberg Smooth Draught last year with the intention of replicating the "smooth feel" of a draught beer in a can/bottle via a different brewing technique (and based on my personal observation, I think the slightly lesser ABV also contributes to the smoothness).

Carlsberg Malaysia’s Managing Director Lars Lehman wants you to enjoy (what is) Probably the Smoothest Beer In The World anytime, anywhere - be it in a plane, out in the desert or probably at the peak of a mountain.

Unveiling the smaller 325ml sized bottle was great excuse (hurrah!)  to throw a party earlier this month at the Eight Gourmets Gala (EGG), Pinnacle Sunway.

The introduction of the 325ml bottle completes the brew’s existing portfolios of the 580ml bottle, 320ml can and 500ml can, to make it even more accessible to outlets that prefer to offer the small-sized bottles in their outlets (like nieghbourhood bars, modern F&B outlets, golf clubs.... ).

In conjunction with this launch, if you purchase 1 bucket of Carlsberg Smooth Draught in 325ml bottles, you'll get a free retractable USB cable all October. In November, if you purchase 4 big bottles of 580ml or 2 buckets of Carlsberg Smooth Draught in 325ml pint bottles, you get a free multipurpose lighter.

In addition to that, golfers can get a sleeve of TaylorMade golf balls with the purchase of 2 buckets of Carlsberg Smooth Draught in 325ml pint bottles across all participating golf clubs.

For more - check out www.facebook.com/CarlsbergMY or www.probablythebest.com.my.

Meanwhile, I came across this funny little video by MGag about how times have changed, complete with a feature of Carlsberg Smooth Draught, of course.

Thanks for the fun party, Carlsberg. Until next time!

- Jon

#ProbablyTheBest
#DraughtAnywhere