DELICIOUS WEIL OF A TIME (part 2)

Update: Yuk Sou Hin is now a pork-free restaurant

Yuk Sou Hin Chinese Restaurant

"Yum cha" or tea drinking is a ritual cherished by Ipohites; a sociable practice that sees family and friends sitting down to enjoy copious cups of Chinese tea with dainty morsels of dim sum.

 

That's why WEIL Hotel's fine Chinese restaurant Yuk Sou Hin opens as early as 9am daily, to cater to Ipohites who wish to stop by for yum cha. Spearheaded by Hong Kong Masterchef Chung Ho Shi whose 47-year career has taken him beyond Hong Kong to Shanghai, Japan and Singapore, a refined selection of classic and contemporary Cantonese specialities and dim sum take pride of place here.

Three types of dim sum (pix above) whetted our appetite from the get-go: a triangular parcel of minced meat, a deep-fried crispy prawn & mango roll and a delicate prawn dumpling formed a tempting trinity so exquisite they begged to be savoured on their own sans sauce.

Personally, I like the crisp prawn & mango roll best especially the ethereal skin which turned out to be tissue-thin edible wafer paper (made from rice starch batter). Available from Chinese food speciality shops, this 'skin' is pliable enough to wrap and roll whatever stuffing or filling the chef chooses to use. Once deep-fried, its crisp-crumbly texture magically dissolves on the palate.

The delicate nuances from the subsequent wintermelon puree with minced chicken was a welcome change after the earlier flavour and texture overload. Although the broth was slightly unctuous, it had a clean, refreshing taste.

The deep-seated briny accents of soya sauce and black beans were cleverly reigned in by the chef using silken beancurd, giving the slab of cod just the necessary amount of flavour. Some freshly cut chilli add some zingy interest to the ensemble.

Our tummy space was reaching maximum capacity by now but no Chinese meal is complete without some staples such as rice or noodle. Naturally Chef Chung opted to treat us to his fluffy fried rice with egg white, dried scallop and ebikko garnished with chopped spring onion. Taking it up several notches was the chef's signature chilli and silverfish condiment; his XO sauce of sorts. We loved its robustness which packed nice zingy heat without leaving us dumbstruck.

 

For the finale, we rounded the meal off with a glass of chilled mango puree with pomelo. Such an apt choice as the juicy bursts of pomelo sacs reminded us of charming Ipoh and the state of Perak yet again.

For reservations at Yuk Sou Hin, call tel: 05-208 2228. The restaurant is on Level 1, WEIL HOTEL IPOH.

05-20822280

05-2082228