Clarity

Clarity

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Daily: Anchor Food Professionals Pastry & Culinary Challenge 2018

Being a pastry enthusiast myself, I absolutely love croissants and all types of danish pastries. In fact, I've tried many times to bake the pastries myself, but let me tell you, it really isn't easy to attain the right texture and flavour. 

I was ecstatic when I was invited to the Anchor Food Professionals Pastry & Culinary Challenge 2018, where I had a chance to witness amazing chefs cooking up a storm!


There was a 4 day competition held from 13th March to 16th March with three categories; Pastry, Cakes and Culinary. 

For the Pastry category, the contestants were required to create croissants and danish, while for the Cakes category, they were required to create two cakes based on the Mango & Strawberry theme. For the Culinary category, the theme was Land & Sea of Malaysia, whereby contestants have to incorporate Modern French cuisine to prepare a 3 course meal. According to Linda Tan, Anchor Food Professionals Director that these competitions are vital to allow sharing of expertise and to nurture young talents in the industry.

My favourite was the day where they had the Pastry category competition and precisely the chef had to come up with two wonderful creations, as listed below:

Croissant - A plain croissant without any filling, to be judged based on layering, texture, fragrant and taste of the end product.

Types of Danish - Using a single dough or variety of dough for all the danishes.

A total of 5 hours were provided for the chefs to come up with creations, which will impress the judges using Anchor products, such as Anchor Cream Cheese, Anchor Butter Sheet, Anchor Butter, Anchor UHT Milk, Anchor Whipping Cream, Anchor Extra Yield Cream Cheese. 


The winner of this challenge was Chef Tan Chee Kit, from Penang who wow-ed the judges with his wonderful pastries!


Chef Tan has been baking for the past 17 years and is very experienced in making pastries. He enjoys baking croissants and experimenting with different types of pastries too. He emphasizes the importance of texture and layers in a good croissant. Good job, Chef Tan!




The winning creations!


Have a look at all those yummy pastries :) Well done!

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Food: Asian Delights @ Laksaamana, Damansara Uptown

I frequent the busy township of Damansara Uptown quite often, in search for good food. Recently, I came across a newly-opened shop, which offers Asian delights in a cosy environment. Tuck into a hearty bowl of noodles @Laksamaana, located just opposite Starling Mall.




They have an 'open bar' concept, where you can see the Chef preparing your meal before your eyes.
It's pretty much similar to a gab and go concept for those who just wish to grab a quick meal too.




Curry Laksa (RM 9.90)

This heavenly bowl of creamy rich curry is a must try here at Laksaamana. Served with chicken, fishcake, beancurd (tofu pok) and hard boiled eggs, this bowl of laksa will definitely satisfy your cravings for some comfort food.



Asam Laksa (RM 8.90)

I absolutely enjoy the flavourful, spicy and sour broth of this bowl of asam laksa. There were lots of fish slices inside and definitely worth a try.



Royal Seafood Noodles (RM 15.90)

For the generous amount of seafood such as prawns, clams and mussels, this bowl of noodles is really value for money. The broth is different from the curry laksa, this one is more fragrant and less creamy compared to the curry.



Nasi Ayam Goreng Berempah (RM 9.90)

Absolutely love the well-marinated crispy chicken!


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GOOD NEWS!

They will be having a grand opening of this outlet @ Damansara Uptown on 21st March 2018 (Wednesday) at 5 PM. RSVP for the event through Alex (012-3530386) or Steve (018-4003566)

Address: Laksaamana @ 83, Jalan 21/37, Damansara Utama 

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Beauty: Find out My Miracle, Life Saving Serum & Moisturiser!

Hydration is a vital and important step in my normal skincare routine. After cleansing, I never forget to hydrate and moisturise before I leave house or apply my makeup. Recently, I've noticed that since returning from my diving trip, I have a couple of dry spots over my cheeks area. This could probably be due to the exposure to saltwater, which literally sucked up the moisture on my skin :(

At the right time, I've got a chance to participate in a social experiment video shoot, where I was provided with an unknown brand of serum and moisturiser, which I had to use daily for about 2 weeks. Initially, I was quite skeptical as I have tried many moisturisers previously, but to no avail. Perhaps I have sensitive skin and nothing really works for me.

However, after trying out both the serum and moisturiser which was given to me, I noticed that there were less dry patches around my face and my skin was improving with a brighter complexion. My skin was supple and it was easier to apply makeup with an even skin tone. 

I was curious and excited to find out what brand of moisturising products it was, which worked like magic on my skin! 

Find out from the video below:




When I found out, I was really amazed! I am a loyal user of Neutrogena products, and recently they've introduced two easy steps which is essential to moisturise, repair and keep your skin properly hydrated. I have included these two must-have items from Hydro Boost range, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Capsule in Serum & Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel in my normal skincare regime. Both the products act to boost skin moisture levels up to 137%* and using them together really made a difference in hydrating my skin, keeping it plumped and moisturized all day. My current skincare routine is to apply both the products onto my cleansed skin in the morning and there’s no need to worry about dry skin at all, while I work in an air-conditioned environment, or out in the city.

* based on the level of hydrating ingredients, as compared to the use of Neutrogena® Hydro Boost™ Water Gel alone.



Neutrogena Hydro Boost Capsule In Serum 30 ml (RM 75.90)
First step is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Capsule in Serum. I find that the serum is very effective, it's not sticky at all and it blends well when I apply it on my face and neck area. When you pump it out, you'll find that its slightly bubbly or foamy, that's just the antioxidant capsules, with its active ingredients working its miracle on the skin.


The serum instantly quenches and replenishes the moisture while repairing the skin, to prevent from reoccurring dryness. It rebuilds the skin barrier to lock in the moisture and protects the skin as well.



Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel 50g (RM 63.70)
The next step is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. This moisturiser helps your skin to achieve 5 dimensions of the ideal healthy skin; hydrated, luminous, bouncy, firm and smooth. With the in-built Moisture Sensor Complex, there is science behind this product. It contains Hyaluronic Acid which boosts hydration for smooth supple skin all day and Antioxidant Olive Extract which repair the skin's barrier. 


The gel has a very light texture with a nice, refreshing fragrance to it. This provides you 48 hours of hydration**, so I find that I don't even need to reapply my moisturiser mid-day.


** 48 hours clinical study by Hilltop Research, 2014

Replenish – Moisture Sensor Complex replenishes skin hydration after sensing a dry cellular structure that has been broken down by external aggressors.

Repair – Moisture Sensor Complex then repairs these dry cellular structures, helping dull and damaged skin become more radiant and toned.



Neutrogena products always have a premium feel to it and these two new products did not fall short as well. Everything from the packaging, to the effectiveness of the products was way beyond my expectation. In terms of pricing, I find that it is affordable for such a high quality product which works miracles on my skin.



Neutrogena Hydro Boost Capsule in Serum, together with the new-look Hydro Boost skincare range, is available at all leading pharmacies nationwide from now onwards.

Click on this link  https://goo.gl/Hfjm7F to shop and enjoy a discount when you purchase Neutrogena Hydro Boost Capsule in Serum from Watsons online store until 25th of March! Don’t miss them out!

For more information, follow Neutrogena Malaysia on