In pic: Dawson Tham (proprietor of De cafe & Resthouse), Tan Shi Peang (nutritionist and founder of One Platform Resource), Louisa Loh (chef of the event, an artist of Numerology and Mandala Art), Neo Chow Cheng (wife of Tan Vooi Yam, proprietor of 1200 °C) and Tung Siew Hoe (owner of Centainnel Agriculture based in Siputeh, Ipoh)
By SeeFoon Chan-Koppen and Gisele Soo
Pictures by Gisele Soo
There is a general belief out there that healthy food doesn’t taste good. De Cafe & Rest House Dawson Tham, Numerology and Mandala Art artist Louisa Loh and nutritionist Tan Shi Peang who founded One Platform Resource in 2019, is out to shatter this belief in a one-of-a-kind event titled ‘Healthy Food Do Taste Good’ which was attended by people from all walks of life. Present were the sponsors Langit, Centainnel Agriculture and Twelve Hundred C (1200°C).
“The talk was aimed at promoting healthy eating and lifestyle, supporting local products and proving that healthy eating can taste good as well,” said nutritionist Tan.
We were all given an appetite-stimulating Greeny Green Juice which was blended with four types of greens: bitter gourd, ambra (also known as ambarella), cucumber and mint leaves. There was no added sugar and was most refreshing.
Guests were served a full 4-course meal at the two-hour event. We began with Bruschetta (pronounced as Bru-Sketta) an Italian appetizer or snack that is served before a meal. Usually served on a toasted slice of white bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, Louisa who curated the menu and actually prepared it with the help of Dawson’s kitchen staff, was persuaded by our Ipoh Food Diva, SeeFoon to use sourdough, who avers that it is “more digestible than standard white flour and less likely to cause food intolerance”. (SeeFoon’s whole discourse on sourdough in the previous writeup on Yin’s Sourdough Pizza can be read here.) Bruschetta in its original form of bread drizzled with olive oil has now evolved into a wondrous number of variations with toppings ranging from mushrooms to salami to cheese and in this particular case, grilled tomato and Thai Basil.
Next on the menu was the Rainbow Wrap which was filled with shredded purple cabbage, black fungus, bean sprouts, carrot, lettuce and prawns wrapped with Vietnamese rice paper. It came with two different sauces: the first one consisted of peanuts blended with chilli, Bunga Kantan and lemon while the second one was with yogurt, mint and dried grape.
The third dish was their Local Delight made of Langit’s organic white rice (beras Adan), black rice (beras Keladi) and red rice (beras Sia) with a piece of chicken thigh accompanied with two types of sauce: pumpkin and thai basil sauce. The pumpkin sauce was rich with no sugar added, allowing the natural sweetness of the pumpkin enhanced with white onions, to lend its flavour to the chicken while the Thai basil sauce with chilli and Langit’s black pepper endowed it with a mild fiery tang.
Interested readers may scan Langit’s promo QR code which is valid until July 31, and key in YUMMY to get RM6 off for any orders.
In addition, the food was served on crockery sponsored by Twelve Hundred C. whose proprietor Tan Vooi Yam and wife, Neo Chow Cheng believe that beautiful crockery enhances the taste of food.
All the vegetables came from Centennial Agriculture which are raised bio-dynamically (coming soon an interview with Tung Siew Hoe, owner and passionate Engineer turned organic farmer) who also gave a talk to the group on his farm.
“Louisa came up with the menu and I advised on the types of ingredients that fit the five-Rainbow concept, which is to serve and eat food with 5 colours of the rainbow.” Tan Shi Peang explained in her talk on nutrition.
Asked what drives her passion to go healthy, she described that it is not merely to improve her appearance and health (the average weight loss of her clients is approximately eight kilograms in two years) but it also boosts her confidence. She further highlighted that what keeps her going is the health improvement of her clients and she hopes to raise awareness on the significance of a healthy balanced diet.
There are plans to add the dishes onto De Cafe’s weekend special menu, though nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Let’s all be patient and in the meantime, check out Ipoh Food Diva to know more about De Cafe & Rest House.
A small display of all the sponsors’ products was set up in the lane out of De Cafe where attendees could purchase the products used during the demonstration and lunch.
De cafe & Rest House is located at 35, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, 30000 Ipoh. One may contact them at 05-2461010.
Go healthy everyone! Another event of a similar vein have been planned as follow:
Healthy Meal Cooking Class 1.0
It’s a bliss to have someone prepare your meals. It’s also a bliss to be able to cook for someone you care about. Learning to cook a meal that’s delicious, yet with balanced nutrition will be a memorable experience.
- Rainbow Wrap
- Local Delight
Date: August 2, 2020 (Sunday)
Time: 10am to 1pm
Location: One Platform Resources, Ipoh
Fee: RM180 per pax (limited to 5 pax)
Instructor: Louisa Loh
Nutritionist: Shi Peang
