EASTIN HOTEL,
The Lounge,
Section 16,
Phileo Damansara,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03-7665 1111 ext. 172
Business hours: 10am to 1am, daily.
MALAYSIANS love their teatime and what better way to enjoy the moment than with sweet pastries.
At Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya, pastry chef Loh Cheong Long has introduced a pastry line-up for teatime.
Loh professed his love for sweet pastries and admitted that just like most Malaysians, he too, has a sweet tooth.
He had the drive to explore, experiment and innovate new creations for three decades, all due to his passion for dessert.
Loh displaying his creations.
“I have been a pastry chef for 29 years and my speciality is making various types of cheesecakes.
“I can’t resist sweet delights and this has motivated me to remain a pastry chef,” he said.
Loh shared his latest pastry innovations with a group of media representatives at The Lounge, recently.
It was a hot afternoon and the sun was scorching outside.
However, the hospitable Loh made us feel relaxed and we were soon eager to get a taste of his culinary skills.
He took his guests on a short yet sweet pastry tasting session and our first bite into his delectable dessert was the Blueberry Cheesecake.
The cake was dressed with a thin layer glaze, with some chocolate garnishing on top.
It was firm in texture yet it melted in the mouth.
The cake was not too heavily loaded with blueberries, which allowed the cheese to stand out.
Loh’s cheesecake was a clear testimony to his 30 years of pastry making.
A line-up of mouthwatering tartlets.
The teatime continued with six other pastries. These were the chef’s newest inventions.
Guests’ eyes lit up when a rectangular black shiny marble slab with six types of pastries were served.
The pastries consisted of different varieties, shapes, sizes and colours.
Instead of counting the calories, I told myself to indulge in the pastries and enjoy the moment.
Loh organised his pastries for us to taste by sweetness, from the least sweet to the sweetest.
The Crunchy Sweet Apple Lasagna was the first, we sampled.
The filling was made of diced green apples mixed with cinnamon.
The apple filling was sandwiched in between two light handmade crackers, and finished off with cream cheese on top.
It was not too sweet for my tastebuds and I would not have refused another serving, if offered.
The second was a slice of Raspberry Pave Pistachio.
This cake did not look as good as it actually tasted.
The green pistachio cake was topped with a heavy coat of red raspberry sauce.
I was hesitant to even try it at first, as it lacked the visual appeal factor. But, when I took a bite, it left a memorable taste.
The cake comes with a nice raspberry fragrance and this can only be experienced after tasting it.
Next was the Walnut Mocca Truffle Lollipop.
Yogurt Berries Mousse Cake.
It came in the shape of a lollipop. However, inside it had layers of chocolate, walnut and praline with truffle.
Loh said this particular dessert may not appeal to many, but I enjoyed discovering the layers of different fillings.
This was followed by the Caramel Chocolate Pear Mousse served in a shot glass.
The bottom layer was the caramel cream, topped with chocolate mousse.
The mousse was mixed with diced pears. A thin layer of sesame coated in caramelised sugar on the rim of the glass, as garnishing, accentuated its appeal.
Guests were next served the Strawberry Macaroon. I do not fancy macaroons as the combination of egg white and sugar does not appeal to me.
But, Loh had put some thought into his macaroons, and added more texture and flavour to the macaroon’s filling.
There was even a thinly-sliced piece of strawberry sandwiched in between the pink macaroons.
Chocolate Praline Dacquoise Feullatine Cake and Strawberry Macaroon.
Lastly, we tasted the Chocolate Praline Dacquoise Feullatine Cake. There were many layers of chocolate and the guests loved it.
Loh said Malaysians were not fond of experimenting when it comes to food.
However, this does not discourage chefs like him from presenting new desserts on the menu.
He also takes the time to educate some of his guests.
Loh said the best way to enjoy sweet desserts is with black coffee.
“If you want to continue enjoying more desserts, do drink black coffee and the bitterness will neutralise the sweet aftertaste in your mouth.
“This will enable you to savour more sweet delights,” he said.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
