Preview Party of ?Daniel Boulud, One Night In Singapore? at NEO.

Weeks ago we received one of the mass invitations from AFC’s PR Company in Malaysia, we were lucky to be able to attend as we were heading down south for work and personal matters. If not, we might have to forgo the preview party for the AFC’s second self produced programme, ‘Daniel Boulud: One Night in Singapore’. The one hour programme or show will be premiering on Astro channel 703 on the 29th of September 2009 at 9:00pm.

The preview party was held at NEO in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. It is just beside the KFC building/HQ. NEO is a new setup and may need some time to get their things right.

Before the preview screening began, we were served with some refreshments, and then it was show time. We were given a briefing by the AFC’s co-founder and MD, Hian Goh, just before the screening began.

We were told that Daniel was a very nice, gracious, incredibly passionate and meticulous person. To me personally, it is these trades that differentiate chef from a cook. From the screening you could see how Daniel chooses the ingredients, experiment and creates dishes with them. From the one hour programme, you could also see how he manages the chefs he brought with him and directs the kitchen and service crew from Singapore’s famous The Fullerton boutique hotel to provide well choreographed experience for the senses.

If you are a avid follower of programmes broadcast by Asian Food Channel, Daniel Boulud would not be foreign to you. He has a TV series, ‘After Hours with Daniel’, which shows him visiting different restaurants and enjoying a meal with some friends and fellow chefs after service hours. Daniel Boulud is Chef-Owner of ten award-winning restaurants and the Feast & Fetes catering company. Originally from Lyon, France, he has made it big in New York, so much so that he is today considered of Americas leading culinary authorities. Other than United States, his brand name has also reached the shores of Canada and China.

After the screening which lasted for about 60 minutes, we had the opportunity to sample some of the ‘tapas’ that NEO has to offer. First out from their kitchen was a combination of ‘otoro’ and grilled Baby Romaine.

Then there was the dish with either steam or poach scallop with leak cream sauce and Grade 7 Wagyu Beef cheek with some sort of mushroom sauce.

Then for sweets, we were served with strawberries and (I guess) chocolate brownies.

Basically, much still could be done for the taste and flavour of what we had for that eventful evening. As for the ambiance, NEO was seen playing with the aqua theme.  From the main entrance to their dining area to their bar it was waterfalls and flowing pools. It would be a nice place to relax if you like the sound of cascading water.

We greatly appreciate AFC and Alice George Communication for bringing such events to Malaysia, and exploring the word of mouth effect that blogs have in this current technological age. I do hope that may be next time they would consider Penang for their next event.