Malaysia Day 3

Today was the day of the trip I was most excited about, as we had been scheduled for a cooking class at the famous Rebung Restaurant.
For those who don’t know, Rebung is the brainchild of Chef Ismail Ahmad, one of Malaysia’s most iconic celebrity chefs. Regarded as Malaysia’s Food Ambassador, Chef Ismail has appeared on many television shows in Malaysia and Singapore, and is often invited overseas to prepare and promote traditional Malay food. Chef Ismail co-owns the restaurant with Dr Sheik Muszaphar, Malaysia’s first astronaut.
Rebung was shortlisted in the Best Malay Restaurant category of the Time Out KL Food Awards in both 2010 and 2011. These awards are a good indicator of how good the food is as the public votes for them.
We were greeted by Chef Florence (one of the numerous chefs at Rebung) on arrival, and sat down at our reserved table. Patrons to Rebung are greeted by a buffet of gorgeous looking Malaysian food, and the aromas of the numerous dishes soon had us all salivating.
Unfortunately there was a mix up in arranging the cooking class, as the restaurant had not been informed. However, we did manage to sample the vast array of food on offer, and I even got a crack at making some deep-fried banana fritters!
My only complaint with Rebung was the lack of warning labels on some of the dishes as they were too hot for me to handle! One of my colleagues also mistakenly added desert to his sambal dish, but he still ended up finishing it and getting seconds!
Just as we were finishing up our gastronomic feast, Chef Ismail walked in and was immediately enveloped by a crowd of supporters and well-wishers.
He had just returned from Hadj, and had spent 6 months abroad.
He is incredibly charismatic; his charm and good humour a great way to finish off our meal.
Although we didn’t get a chance to do any cooking classes, we were offered the chance to sit in on a food carving demonstration.
The chef was instructing a group of students on watermelon carving, and although he claimed he was doing a rough example, I was amazed at his skill and technical ability. Like a surgeon performing a life saving operation, he created a flower out of the melon’s flesh using precise incisions.
Towards the end of the demo I was given a chance to try it myself. Needless to say it isn’t as easy as it looks!
After that we went back to the hotel, and were given a chance to explore the massive mall.
I had dinner at the hotel, and room service was actually delicious! After the many Malaysian dishes we had thus far, I was craving some Western food, so I ordered a club sandwich and settled down to a quiet night in front of the T.V (with my newly purchased and undoubtedly pirated D.V.D’s).