Braised goose webs ain’t a mainstream
dish one finds in KL especially during Chinese New Year (CNY). So it was a
mind-blowing moment when I bit into the Braised 20 Head Green Lip Abalone with
Goose Web & Sea Cucumber and Superior Brown Sauce at Celestial Court.
Granted, goose web like duck’s tongue is
kinda bizarre to eat but heck, I’m Chinese so I consider them real delicacies.
Frankly, I was more smitten by the fall-of-the-bone tender goose web skin at
dinner compared to the abalone. The rich brown sauce was par excellence too.
The show-stealer was one of the many
dishes we sampled when Sheraton Imperial KL hosted us to a preview of their CNY
specialities. Earlier, we had a rousing start, creating much astir with Boston
Lobster Yu Sheng with Banana and Chinese Pear (RM250 half portion, RM500 for
full portion).
Executive Chinese Chef Vincent Loo and
Dim Sum Chef Ken Liew pulled out the stops, creating an array of festive dishes
including seven types of Yu Sheng. Quirky as it may seem, the addition of
banana works unexpectedly well with the colourful salad.
Seafood also dominated most of the
night’s menu but nobody minded. We lapped up every drop of the Thick Broth with
Baby Lobster Meat, Shredded Jade Abalone, Dried Scallop & Sea Cucumber
although I personally found it too salty for my liking. Apart from that minor
grouse, the strips of seafood in the soup were welcomed by all and sundry.
The Braised Superior Bird’s Nest Broth
with Assorted Seafood & Spinach fared better, colour and taste-wise. Having
bird’s nest in savoury soup was a novel albeit agreeable idea as the pricey
ingredient brought a touch of luxe to the meal.
Red-hot chilli heat singed our tongues
lightly as we delved into the plate of Sautéed Fresh Scallops and Sliced
Cuttlefish with Flower Fungus and Garden Greens in Spicy Beijing Sauce. A
rave-worthy dish with delightful textural contrasts and light but assertive
accents.
Similarly, the Dual Combination of Tiger
King Prawns: Deep-fried with Spicy Chilli Salt and Sautéed Sichuanese Style
left an indelible impression. Springy to the bite, the prawns retained their
natural sweetness amidst the strongly flavoured seasoning. Crunchy snow peas
were the vegetable du jour to lessen the guilt factor.
Much as we enjoyed the Braised Ee Fu
Noodles with Seafood, Dried Oysters and Beansprout in Abalone Sauce, the
metallic fishy overtone of the dried oysters tasted at odds with the overall
flavour palette which was subtler and more delicate.
Still, the premium dessert of Double-boiled
Bird’s Nest with Red Dates, Sweet Pear, White Ginseng & Snow Fungus more
than made up for the minor hiccup. The faintly bittersweet herbal nuance was
amply tempered by other sweeter niceties so everyone left happily ever after.
The dishes sampled were a concise
selection from Celestial Court’s CNY set menus priced at RM1,988, RM2,088,
RM2,288 and RM2,688 nett per table of 10 persons.
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