BOUNTIFUL CHEF’S SPECIALITIES AT NEW HARVEST

 

Not all chicken rice are created equal. In Klang, it's no secret if you wish to eat Chef Simon Lee's signature Chicken Rice (half chicken RM70 small, RM80 medium, RM90 large; whole chicken RM125 small, RM135 medium, RM145 large), you need to pre-order the dish at least a day in advance.

Using free range chicken weighing about 2kg, Lee said he sourced the Dutch breed of chickens for his speciality dish. We had the chance to sample the delectable chicken recently: its corn-yellow skin and tender, succulent meat proved scrumptious to the bite. It made perfect pairing with Chef Lee's aromatic and deeply flavourful chicken rice.

Accentuated with pandan, ginger and shallots, the rice was good enough to be eaten on its own. Rice lovers will find it hard to stop at just one bowl. 

Lee honed his skills as a disciple of a veteran Chinese chef who made a name for himself in the local Chinese restaurant scene back in the day. Having garnered a wealth of experience under his torque, Lee now holds court at his own New Harvest restaurant in Klang.

Those in the know considers New Harvest an 'old is gold' dining bastion; a haven where pricey specialities of shark’s fin and abalone command leading roles, sharing the stage with comforting chicken rice and familiar homey braised dishes.

Looks can be deceptive as the air-conditioned, austere interior of New Harvest appears like any other neighbourhood Chinese restaurant. It's simple and pragmatically furnished yet its pulling power is undoubtedly the chef’s la sau choi (signature specialities), boldly depicted on the colourful wall-to-wall backdrops.

Our lunch commenced with Stir Fried Scrambled Egg with Crab Meat (RM12 per person, minimum 3 persons per serving). Those old enough to remember will find much pleasure to taste this crowd-pleasing opener which had dominated Chinese banquets in the yesteryears.

Wrapped up in fresh iceberg lettuce, the fluffy-soft egg embedded with dices of sweet, crunchy water chestnuts and toasty pine nuts stirred up some nostalgic memories for us.

Then New Zealand shark’s fin, fish maw and Japanese dried scallop formed a luxurious combination to entice us in Chef Lee’s Braised Superior Small Shark’s Fin Soup with Dried Scallop (RM48). The unctuously gummy and superbly flavourful broth warmed our hearts, tummies and palates profusely.

According to Chef Lee, 5 kilos of chicken feet along with old chicken, lean pork and Yunnan ham were used to simmer the soup for 12 hours before it yielded the desired results. Aside from the fins, we also relished those umami-packed dried scallops and spongy fish maw.

 

The culinary bar was raised further with the Braised Australian 3 Head Abalone with Goose Web (RM118). One look at the lustrous sauce was proof enough the dish befit a king.

We were in gastronomic heaven once we bit into the toothsomely resistant abalone, contrasting against the meltingly tender goose web. Coupled with that incomparable sauce, the whole ensemble had me counting my blessings and lucky stars.

Who would have thought peanut butter was the unlikely secret ingredient to Chef Special Stewed Pork (RM48)? Similar to ‘tung por yoke’ (braised pork belly named after Song Dynasty’s famous writer, poet and calligrapher Su Dong Po), Chef Lee made his version with tong gwai, garlic, ginger, cloves and star anise. The silky, luscious sauce was soul-satisfyingly yummy although the pork belly was a tad on the lean side.

 

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Almonds (RM25) lent some balance to our meal. Water chestnuts, baby corn, shimeiji mushrooms, celery, sweet peas and almond flakes formed a sublime combination, teasing our tastebuds with a medley of varied crunchiness and delicately clear accents.

By now, our tastebuds were already saturated by the earlier spectrum of unapologetically huge flavours. Still, the plate of notable Fried Prawns with Pumpkin and Butter Milk Sauce succeeded in snagging our approval as we got our hands dirty, devouring the drool-worthy crustaceans. It was such fun, licking off the creamy sauce off the prawn shells before we sunk our teeth into the sweet springy meat. 

Slices of Klang homegrown Eng Kee pineapple and cantaloupe wrapped up our lunch on a delightfully refreshing note. 

For reservations at New Harvest, call tel: 03 3345 2288. Address: 19, Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Klang, Selangor