Saturday, February 07, 2015

REUNION FEASTS TO RELISH AT SI CHUAN DOU HUA

Chinese Chef Foong Koon Sang discerns himself from the rest of the festive flock with his Barbeque Lamb Yee Sang (RM98 nett ½ portion, RM148 full portion) this year. He said: “Preparation of this dish requires precision and accuracy, to ensure the meat remains tender and juicy. It has to be roasted under medium heat to maintain the meaty sweetness.” 

The mildly gamey slices added an assertive flavour dimension to the refreshing mixture of shredded fruits, vegetables and pickles. I’m ambivalent about the variant and reckon the resto's signature fruity version still trumps it all.
Next comes a smooth, almost silky broth with plump wolfberries (kei chi), enoki and luxe additions of spongy fa kau (fish maw), scallop and shark's fin. A tad sinful perhaps but the taste was redolent of that of the sea and its precious harvests.
We got real regal treatment with the serving of Egg White with Shrimps & Ebikko - a renown imperial dish that was once created to please the royal palate of an ancient Chinese empress dowager. The dulcet smooth, custard-soft satiny clumps whispered with such delicate fresh sweetness that we understood why this was such a favoured dish of the court.


A splendid offering of hearth and home is Village Chicken with Pacific Clams, Mushroom & Carrot. Gently perfumed with some appetising Chinese wine, the lean toothsome chook was a joy to savour. The musky clams and rustic mushroom added layers of texture and flavour that lifted the ensemble to heady heights.

 
You must pause and admire the nifty knife skills of the chef that were showcased in the Steamed Beancurd & Pumpkin platter. Adorned with a mound of diced chicken, gingko, seamoss, dried oyster, lotus seeds and sweet peas in the centre, the impossibly thin layers of white beancurd and golden pumpkin somehow reminded me of soft, fluttering butterflies on the tongue.

Since Si Chuan Dou Hua is a pork-free resto, the chef's ingenuity in serving Rice with Smoked Duck, Lotus Seeds & Black Mushroom deserves applause. The resultant taste closely resembled the real deal with crispy bits of salted fish giving the delicious grains its noticeably briny accent. We also love the subtly charred smokiness derived from the smoked duck slices.

Rectangular slices of White Nin Koh with Nestum Flakes wrapped up our CNY preview on an agreeably sweet note. The glutinous rice cake was a delight to sample and left us amply replete.


These festive specialities are culled from ten set menus available. Groups of four to 10 persons are accommodated with set menus priced from RM158 nett per person with a minimum of 2 persons to RM1288 nett per table of 10. A ‘Vegetarian Abundance’ set is also served at RM1188 nett for a table of 10.

From now to 17 February, two ‘Poon Choy’ set menus priced at RM398 nett for 2 to 5 persons and RM988 nett for 6 to 10 persons are tailored for family reunions. The potful of dried scallop, fish fillet, black mushroom, fish maw, roasted chicken, white radish, tiger prawn, yam, Chinese cabbage, dried oyster, roasted duck and bean curd sheet will be welcomed with much relish thanks to the ingredients' prosperous symbolisms and delicious promises.

PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03 2147 0088 for reservations

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