THURSDAY NIGHT TREATS

Whenever Thursdays roll around, I would invariably think of Eastin Chinese Chef Yong Kam Wah's exquisite Thursday Night Specials. It seems Thursdays tend to be popular dining out night with the hotel guests hence the chef decides he would proffer some choice morsels to delight them. 

During the recent mooncake sampling session, we were treated to samplings of the chef's Thursday Night Specials. The starter of Deluxe Twin Hot Combination pairs a wispy and crisp Prawn Yam Puff with a Lemongrass Skewer of Grilled Fish/Prawn Paste wrapped in Bacon. I like the latter for its imaginative combination of textures and piquant flavours, accentuated by a dollop of tantalisingly tart and spicy green bird's eye chilli and garlic dip.

Although I wasn't big on soups, the Double Boiled Fish Soup with Apples went down well for its salubrious and delicate nuances. The sweet, hearty broth bears fruity hints that temper whatever fishy accent there is.

It's not everyday one gets to savour old-school faves like Braised Eight Treasures Duck so this classic speciality definitely went swimmingly with me. As expected, the duck was fall of the bone tender, its inherent gaminess bestowing a deliciously deep-seated overtone to the yummy stuffing that comprises water chestnuts, mushroom, lotus seeds and other goodies. If you're a farn toong (rice fiend so to speak), you'd want to douse the unctuous brown sauce over a bowl of fluffy white rice to savour the superb nuances.

Looking distinctly like mahjong tiles, the Deep Fried Stuffed Boneless Chicken is another surefire palate-pleaser. You must appreciate the chef's patience and artistry in creating those irresistible layers that has crispy deep-fried chicken skin adorned with toasted almond flakes and fish paste alternating with mashed salted egg yolk and seaweed.

 

I must confess I'm not a big fan of cabbage but surprisingly, I relished every mouthful of the Braised Tian Jin Cabbage with Dried Scallop. The soft, tender leafs appeared almost velvety and well-infused with the dried scallops' subtle umami sea-brininess.

The Mini Lotus Leaf Rice could be a dead ringer for choong - those rice dumplings that we eat for Duan Wu Jie except the rice was less compactly wrapped in lotus leaves. Dried shrimps, salted egg yolk and sliced Chinese sausage lend the rice their scrumptiously rich accent.

 

 Before we proceed to sample the hotel's mooncake selection, a Double-Boiled Pear with American Figs dessert broth was served to cleanse our palate. Light and mildly sweet, the concoction is just the tonic to pave the way for the asssortment of baked and snow skin mini mooncakes.

 

The most outstanding variant this year for Eastin is undoubtedly its Mini Crystal Durian Paste mooncakes - a special edition to commemorate the Hotel’s 15^th anniversary celebration.  Filled with fresh Musang King durian flesh, the snowskin mooncake makes its presence felt by the sheer aroma of the King of Fruit alone.

 

More exotic fillings include Dragon Fruit paste, White Coffee and Corn, and Chocolate - inventive flavours to suit today's discerning palates. The hotel has a total of 15 varieties to choose from so those looking to buy Mid-Autumn Fest gifts for their family and friends should be over the moon. Available from RM10+ per piece and from RM80+ per box until 19 September 2013 for take-away and dine-in. 

Dishes for the Thursday Night Specials Promotion starts from RM 30++ per portion and will be served until end of September. Patrons will also be serenaded by the J Musical Live Band who will be performing evergreen Chinese and English hits from the 70’s and 80’s from 7.30pm-8.15pm and 8.45pm -9.30pm. 

For reservations, please call Ee Chinese Cuisine at 03 -7628 7338 or log onto www.eastin.com.