New Year's Eve and a Brunch at Straits Club.

 

And so 2010 is coming to an end. We can now welcome a new decinium. On New Year's Eve we do our regular a la carte service but we also have some very festive specials.

 

In case, you can not make it to be here on this evening, but you're wondering where to have this New Years Brunch to start the new day, then this may well be the place to be. We're doing a brunch menu.....

 

Plenty to look forward for. For now, we'll wish everybody a very happy New Year!!

Something Exciting in Penang.

Our sister company, Straits Collection, in Penang is about to open a new project. In fact, the official opening will be tomorow. Called Studio at Straits, it's located on 86 Armenian Street, right in the middle of historical George Town.

 

You're invited.......

Back to Our Roots on the 28th December.

This Tuesday, 28 December, we're doing something special. 

When Straits Club just started there was no a la carte menu. What we did then was, what we called, sharing platter evenings, about twice a week. The kitchen would try different dishes every time and guests share the food coming from there. We soon found out that Straits Club is the ideal venue to get to know other people as the spaces inside the house are cosy and lend itself quite well for a good conversation with nice food and drinks.

And this coming Tuesday we're going to do the same. Provided the weather doesn't shows its rainy side, we'll set up a long table beside the swimming pool at Straits Club. This is for a maximum of 20 persons. A host will be looking after your needs during this dinner.

This is what you can expect to be on the menu....

We hope to be able to welcome you coming Tuesday....

Or otherwise......Christmas Celebration at Nam Restaurant.

or...are you going to be here?

For those who want to do a big Christmas celebration we also (beside our own festive evenings) recommend a Christmas dinner at our sister restaurant, Nam (at Bon Ton Resort). They'll do a 4 course dinner menu with a touch of tradition.

 

And for the little ones......  

Whoops......we did not mention that at Straits Club we can also cater for the kids. Please inquire while booking your table. And we should also say that our chef is very flexible, if there are any dietary needs, he will be more that willing to offer an alternative choice.

It is highly recommended to reserve your table if you wish to join.  They are very popular and on evenings like these and easily booked out. For reservation inquiries:

T: 04 4955 3643

E: info@bontonresort.com.my

More news will come soon about our New Years Eve celebrations....and.... a little surprise in between......

 

Christmas is Coming to Straits Club Restaurand and Bar.

 Are you going to enjoy a susnet like this, with a cocktail, 

glass of wine or other drink in the hand during Christmas?

Straits Club is gearing up towards the festive season. We've got our menu finalized for coming Christmas Eve and 1st Christmas Day dinner. Below what's to be expected...

The price is RM 120 per person, very friendly, indeed.. It is highly recommended that you reserve your table on any of the 2 evenings. We do only 20 to 25 persons per dinner seating, you're in a 90 year old 'house', after all.

T 04 9553937

E info@templetree.com.my

We hope to be able to welcome you. Otherwise we wish you a great festive season!

A New A la Carte Menu

....and there it is, our new menu. We're still open for lunch and dinner but now you can also have something to nibble with your drinks and we also added a kids menu.

The lunch, nibble and kids menu

The Dinner menu

Besides these menus we still have our black board with daily specials. It has almost been a complete menu overhaul but we had to maintain a few dishes that were simply to popular, notably the 'Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Tortellini' and our 'Spice Roasted Chicken'. 

We hope to welcome you soon!

Wine Dinner Today.

It's a bit on short notice but we're doing a wine dinner today. As always, it's priced RM 95 per person, for 3 courses including selected wines.

Here's the menu we're going to do...

Bookings are highly recommended:

T 04 9553937

E info@templetree.com.my

 Pressed Lamb Shank

We hope to welcome you.....



Some More Stories of Eurasian House.

We just came across some old pictures of the construction of Eurasian House. As mentioned in a previous post, this was the very first building to be erected on the the site, that is now Temple Tree.

 This is looking at the entrance of Straits Club

Just imagine seeing an old house somewhere in Penang and that you want to take it to Langkawi to enjoy the building in its former glory.

What to do, what to do?

This house was first carefully deconstructed and each piece of wood was marked. They also took a lot of pictures, which helped a lot with the reconstruction of the building in the correct way.

This is looking to the back of Eurasian House

And then, with the help of a local architect, a team of construction workers and its leader, a plumber and an electrician, they started with rebuilding the house, piece by piece. Eurasian House has been kept rustic which gives the building a lot of charm.

Not too long ago we're visited by the former owners of this house and after a fairly close inspection they mentioned that the house looked very much the same as before....in a way. We get many visitors who just come to have a look. And they don't take picture of the house only.....

 

.....but also the residents.

And Then There was a Sign board.

A new month has begun and since a few days we've got a nice sign board for Straits Club Restaurant and Bar (and also Temple Tree).

Straits Club Restaurant and Bar

You'll see the Straits Club signage when you come from Pantai Cenang, this is before you get to Bon Ton resort, which 200 meters further down the road.

Temple Tree

This, you'll see when you come from the airport.

Cars drive an average of 80 km/h on this stretch of the road, if you're one of them......slow down.....and if you got some spare time, feeling peckish or just want to have a sip of one of those nice cocktails or, say, Lee's coffee, drop by. You'll know where to find us now.....



Wine Dinner today.

Normally on Friday's but this time on Saturday.......

Wine Dinner

 This is what you can expect to be served today:

The price is RM 95 for 3 courses, including selected wines. For bookings:

T 04 9553937

E info@templetree.com.my

Braised Beef Brisket with Masalla Spices

See you this evening?

Seafood Special

Currently on our black board:

Seafood Special of Slipper Lobster, Prawns and Fish with Harissa and Sumac Dressing

And we serve this with what we call a 'Warm Tabouleh Rice Salad'. We use brown rice, plenty of herbs and roasted pine nuts. Very refreshing indeed.

You will still be able to try this tomorrow.....

What's happening.

We're so close with finalizing our new a la carte menu but not quite there yet to put it on in the restaurant. What we can tell about it, though, is that we'll have some exciting dishes for brunch, a big breakfast and lots of nibbles for at the pool or with your favourite drink at the bar. This besides a new menu for dinner. We'll maintain our black board with tasty new specials.

Coming Friday we're doing another wine dinner for the very friendly price of RM 95. The seats for an evening like this are limited and bookings are highly recommended. To reserve your table:

T 04 9553937

E info@templetree.com.my

Lamb Pie with Cumin and Thyme, a dish with did for last week's Wine Dinner

And then:

If you had a nice time with us and would like to share that, why don't leave a review in Tripadvisor

• Straits Club Restaurant

Last but not least..... Christmas and New Years Eve are on the horizon. Exciting plans are in the making but nothing can be shared with you here just yet....... Other than that you can expect good food, drinks and company. Watch this space for more details.

We'll keep you posted....



Not just a table of 10.

Recently we welcomed an extended family of 10 from Australia and we would like to share with you what we'll be able to do for groups like these...

Our front of house team took care of the setting and service. There are plenty of nice spots in and around Straits Club. At first, the plan was to put a long table along the swimming pool right beside the restaurant but Langkawi's rain clouds were in disagreement with that. So, plan B, a table in the bar area........

The setting

It would be fine to order from the a la carte menu but  our chef was more than happy to prepare a menu for just the table. And so, the kitchen team geared up to prepare this....

Setting done, food on the ready, wines chilled......we welcomed the guests in. The kitchen prepared the first course, wines were being poured and everybody was settling in nicely.

First course....

Prawn and Watermelon Salad

Simple and refreshing with plenty of Malaysian flavours. We served this with a Cabernet Sauvignon, which matched well with the delicate tastes of the salad.

It didn't take long for plates to be cleaned and cleared.

Main course....

Roasted Chicken with Sumac and Zaatar

A personal favourite of the chef, he likes the crispy skin, you see. The cous cous was packed with flavours from the middle east. This we served with a not too robust Cabernet Sauvignon. The consumption of this dish started out with a 'fork and knife etiquette' but ended with fingers being used to nibble all the tasty bits of the bones. 

A well deserved break for digestion follows before the kitchen sent out their desserts...

Pannacotta was, well, just that. It had nice subtle flavours of cinnamon with a hint of orange and nutmeg. It's the pineapple relish that gives the dish texture and cut the richness of it all with chilli for some, but not too much, heat.

And so the evening came to a close, at least for the kitchen team. The night was still a bit young for the guests as they did not leave until quite some time later...



If you fancy something simular for your group of family or friends, Straits Club Restaurant and Bar reccomends a booking of at least 24 hours in advance. T 04 9553937 E info@templetree.com.my

Scallops and Prawns - Take 3

That's right.

Let us clarify.

Our chef thought that this particular dish was going to be all right for the menu. But he was wrong. So here's the new version....

Seared Scallops and Prawns in Green Mango Broth, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, 

Wilted Rocket and Curry Leaves

The flavours are sweet, sour, nutty, a tiny bit of heat and it's entirely from South East Asia. You could toss it all together in one pot and call it 'curry' but by doing it as above we've kept the different flavours distinct yet coherent nonetheless.

This post has been published on the first evening this dish came on the specials board. We've sold 2 dishes (feedback has been good, chef is happy) and we do have 2 portions left. 

See you tomorrow evening then?

A Coffee at Straits Club Restaurant and Bar made by Lee.

Some may know, the time after a nice dinner, or when your day is about to start, or in the afternoon, when you're craving for a nice shot of espresso, a Latte, a Cappucino, Machiatto or the like. Look no further. On most days or evenings, except Sunday (his day off) we've got Lee behind the handles of coffee bliss.

So, we may wonder, what should be a good coffee then? Lee gave his thoughts which are summarized below:

...it has bitterness but is not burnt.
...it's smooth and does not drink like sand paper (If you ever came across a bad coffee, you'll know what       we mean)
...After drinking one, you want more.

And he will make a coffee for you with skill and a smile. How? We begin here.

Meet Lee...

Lee, always there for a good coffee and a nice chat

And so we'll start with grinding the coffee beans. Lee explains to use only the best beans you can afford to buy. Average beans means average coffee, simple as that.

The coffee beans has to be ground at the last minute

We should highlight that he is demonstrating the makings of a 'Latte', which is the most popular style of coffee served here. For this you start with one shot of espresso. Now, many of us may think that espresso is simply just that, a shot of fairly strong coffee. Wrong. A good espresso has, what Lee calls, foam on top. Like this.

A proper shot of espresso

The next step is the milk, foamed to a very smooth consistency. How? This, got explained as being a combination of fresh milk and skill. You'll have to use fresh milk, no manufactured full cream, low fat or any other in that category . Skill? Well, here he suddenly started to become very secretive, so, we assume it's quite an exact job that can only be done right after many times of trying and testing.

Foaming the milk

What's is left to do now is pouring the foamed milk into the espresso, kind of carefully, though, and you will be smiling, it's ready! Lee added that a good foam is light and smooth, but somehow dense enough so that a cube of sugar will remain floating on top of the surface for some time.

It should stay like this for at least 5 seconds

We say thank you very much to Lee for his explanations and his coffee. You only need to guess once who drunk this one in the pictures. 

That's right.....

Something to Nible

So, our blue print for the new a la carte dinner menu is almost finalized. Now we're going into the smaller bites of our food offerings. On the current menu we don't do any snacks of sorts but occasionally you'll find them on our black board.

Today we've got:

Crumbed Blue Swimmer Crab Cakes with Preserved Capsicum and Green Olive Relsih

RM 20 / 4 pcs

Blue swimmer crab......

.....are found in many places across the globe but also here in Langkawi. The cakes are kept quite simple, using crushed potatoes as a base, a couple of herbs for flavour and loaded full with the meat of the above shown creature. If you don't like crab this is not going to be your thing.

If you do love crab, though, you've got not much time left to try our crab cakes. Hurry! They won't last! 

The Story of JJ at Straits Club.

JJ:                   'Woof, woof'.
Service staff:   'JJ.....'
JJ:                   'Woof, woof.......woof'
Service staff:   'JJJ.......JJJJ  !!!'
JJ:                   'Woof, woof.......woof, woof'
Service staff:   (Takes a long and thin stick, walks briskly to JJ, and sais) 'SSHHHH!!!!'

*We should highlight here that we do not whack JJ, but he somehow understands that he has to quit barking, when shown the stick. This lasts only 10 minutes, though, and he'll start again.

Let us introduce JJ....

JJ, Straits Club pet resident

JJ has been brought in from Penang, where he was the resident pet of Straits Collection, our sister property there. He loves, admires and sometimes is in dire need, of attention. Most of the time a pat on the back is enough but a walk around Temple Tree will, for sure, make him happy. 

The staff at Straits Club take care of him very well and so does the people of Langkawi Lassie, who ensure he stays happy and healthy.

Temple Tree and Straits Club Restaurant & Bar were build in order to allow Langkawi Lassie to expand and continue doing their hard work of taking care of the pets and stray animals of Langkawi. Profits of Temple Tree and Straits Club will go to this charity.

For more details about Langkawi Lassie, check out:

 www.langkawilassie.org.my

We hope JJ will be with us for many years to come, but please......

it would be very welcome if he relaxes a bit more often....

Ice Cream Testing

So, after testing desserts we do have plenty of ice creams to serve. For the coming days (this is not going to last very long) we got this 'Ice Cream Tasting' as a special.

 The raspberry sorbet with chilli is something we've been serving from time to time, already. It is a common occurence that the guest whispers to his/her companion (while eating this sorbet) 'I can't taste the chilli, where is it? And then.....yes...sniffy nose and trouble speaking. To warn, the heat is in the tail of the taste and it lingers.

Lamb Canneloni.

This may well be a stayer on our progressing new menu.

Canneloni of Lamb with Ras-el-Hanout Spices, Baba Ganoush, Preserved Capsicum and Lemon

This dish has already a few thumbs up (including from the chef himself). Why? We hear you ask. Lamb and smokey eggplant do like each other very much but become a bit rich if eaten just so. We'll need to cut that down, lighten it up and balance the flavours.

And so we added pickled capsicum, a recipe of which will be posted soon. Add some rocket, lemon, salt and black pepper and you are indeed.....smiling.

There are 24 hours left on the clock before we move on to the next dish. 

Want to try?

We hope to see you soon.

Ongoing menu tests, our Wine Dinner and some useful info.

Testing, testing and testing....

It are good times for the kitchen. Testing means tasting, right? Below the specials we've on the black board.

And, also, Friday we are doing our Wine Dinner again. It is safe to say that bookings are highly recommended since that the start of this blog the seats has been sold out, each time.

T 04 9553937

E info@templetree.com.my

The useful info.....  Straits Club has actually no signage at the road side yet and may therefore, for some, not easy to find. We are located right beside Bon Ton Resort inside the house mentioned in the previous post. For those who wants to visit, enter through the Bon Ton entrance but turn left when you see the 'Temple Tree' signage. You will arrive at the porch of Straits Club.

We do also have our own access road, 200 meters before Bon Ton (coming from Pantai Cenang), which will take you straight to us.

.......right here

Hope to welcome you soon!

The Story About Eurasian House.

The house where Straits Club is located in is called 'Eurasian House'. It was the first building to be build at the site of Temple Tree. As with all other structures here, this one also got transported from another part of Malaysia and then it got reassembled at its current location.

The house at its old location in Penang

Its former location was 114 York Road on Penang island. Build in the 1920's by a Eurasian family, it was named 'Bahagia',one of its translations of this being 'happy'. Later on it was sold to a Malay family who lived in this house for a while. And then, a few years ago, Bon Ton purchased it from them and so now its our home, if you like.

Eurasian House, just after completion

This house has a number of spacious rooms and wide verandahs. On the high end of the walls are beautiful carvings that besides being nice looking also ensures air circulation throughout the house. That combined with high ceilings means that the internal spaces don't get to hot and especially when there is a bit of wind it will give it a breezy feel.

One of the verandahs, used as a dinning space

Eurasian House has a pool room with flat screen TV, a library, the reception for Temple Tree, a bar and a restaurant. At the back of the building are the old staff quarters which are converted into a housekeeping department and the restaurant kitchen.

TempleTree Reception

Straits Club Restaurant and Bar can cater up to 25 persons comfortably for a lunch or dinner. We've got tables set up at the verandah, bar area, inside most rooms and outside at  the poolside.

Straits Club Bar

You're welcome to experience our 'home' any of the 7 days a week from 10.30am to late, though the kitchen closes at 10.30pm.

See you then...

Scallops and Prawn - take 2

So, our first attempt of this dish was not bad, not bad at all. But.....not good enough. This time around we went for a slightly more traditional approach. At least, that was the idea.

Seared Scallops and Crusted Prawns, Green Pea and Sweet Corn Sauce with Basil, Warm Potato and Coconut Salad

Sweet corn, basil and scallops work together really well, thanks to the  sweetness of the sauce and the nuttiness of the  seared scallops and prawns. That is the traditional part.

But then, we added coconut to the potatoes and we finished the dish with a drizzle of chilli oil and shaved coconut. Chilli oil will give a little kick to the sweetness of the sauce. So far, the response has been quite good. 

Want to try? Be fast, tomorrow we'll be working on new dishes.We'll have to see if this dish makes it through....

Wine Dinner tomorow.

 Tomorow, as usual, we'll be doing a wine dinner menu for the very friendly price of RM 95 per person, inclusive of selected wines. We should mention that seats are limited, so, bookings are highly recommended.