TUAN YUAN THIS DRAGON YEAR AT LE MEI, LE MERIDIEN PUTRAJAYA

 

An impressive dragon-shaped yee sang and a romantic setting heralded the Chinese New Year sneak preview at Le Mei Chinese restaurant, Le Meridien Putrajaya.

The cosy affair saw pretty lasses in qi pao greeting us at the door with tempting pineapple tarts, mandarin orange macarons and peanut tartlets along with mocktails. With Valentine’s Day four days after the first day of CNY, the hotel's novel idea seemed timely and appropriate. 

The multiple course CNY Tuan Yuan (reunion) set menus featured Chef Lim Kian Meng and team’s traditional and contemporary specialities. Available now until 25 February 2024, Yee Sang selection is priced from RM60 – RM388 depending on portion sizes. Splendour and Luxurious set menus for table of 5 are at RM1,590 nett with a complimentary bottle of wine.

Our preview got off to a rousing start with everyone stirring up the dragon-shaped yee sang laid out; a boisterous experience as we all stirred and tossed the fresh salad with joyful shouts wishing for prosperity, abundance and fortune.

Sampling the Salmon, Tosaka Nori Green and Butter Fish Yee Sang, we found the well-balanced dish teased our palate with a mélange of sweet, tangy and refreshing flavours. The various crisp, crunchy and succulent textures melded cohesively.

 

The heartwarming Double Boiled Silkie Fowl Soup with Dried Scallops, Dendrobium and American Ginseng packed a bittersweet punch at first sip. My palate was instantly awakened but perhaps some diners may find it too strong for their liking. However, the hotel team had taken note of this feedback and once the amount of American ginseng used is adjusted, we are sure the nutritious soup should hit the spot.

 

You have to be a fan of interesting smooth and slippery textures with the epicurean speciality of Braised Whole 6-head Abalone with Fish Maw and Goose Web in Premium Oyster Sauce.

 

Although some may baulk at eating goose web, try and appreciate its soft supple texture and collagen-richness. Along with the marble-smooth and succulent fish maw and the toothsome chewiness of abalone, the entire ensemble is all about textural mouthfeel. Also, the nuanced marine flavours of the lustrous, savoury sauce packed so much depth it almost induced us to lick the plate clean.

A mutedly zingy black pepper sauce amped up the appeal of Wok Fried Australian Lamb Rack with Black Truffle. We like how the wedge of caramelised onion's crisp sweetness lent a subtle counterpoint to the meaty richness.

Lending a healthy spin to the festive menu was Fried Organic Brown Rice with Quinoa, Seafood and Sakura Shrimps. Slightly nutty with abundant savoury-sweetness coming from the seafood inclusion, this creation was a shoo-in palate-pleaser.

Old-school dessert of Double Boiled Almond Tea with Honey Locust Fruit, Snow Fungus and Black Sesame Dumplings brought the curtains down. The dessert broth's distinctly nutty accent could be a tad strong for non-almond fans but I personally enjoyed the interplay of different textures amidst the delicate creaminess.

 

For elevating good luck and prosperity, don’t pass up the chance to sample Deep-fried Golden Spring Roll of Glutinous Rice Cake, Yam and Sweet Potato. Crisp on the outside, the roll proved enticing with its filling of gooey- and powdery-soft textures.

For tables of 10 persons, Le Mei offers four set menus priced at RM1,988 nett, RM2,688 nett, RM3,688 nett and RM3,888 nett. Instrumental music performed live during weekends for dinner whilst a lion dance will be held from 12 noon onwards on the first day of Chinese New Year at Le Meridien Putrajaya porte cochere.

For reservations at Le Mei, call tel: 03 8689 6888 x 6868 or email: dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com. More information at this link: https://lnk.bio/hDlm

 

ADD SHINE TO MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL WITH LE MEI ’S MOONCAKES

New and classic mooncake variants by Chef Yau Fong Peng and his team at Le Mei Chinese Restaurant, Le Meridien Putrajaya will add shine to this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

 

Available now until 21 September, I received a set of four mooncakes attractively packed in a specially designed Mid-Autumn Festival gift box: a sturdy magnetic flap carryall adorned with colourful mosaic and rabbit motifs.

Nestled within were four smaller boxes replicating the same design. The Mini Snow Skin with Cheese and Cashew Nuts piqued our interest thanks to its mildly savoury accent amidst the anticipated sweetness.

Mini Snow Skin with Cheese & Cashew Nuts

Mini Snow Skin with Red Bean Paste & Walnuts

Purists and traditionalists at heart may prefer the Mini Snow Skin Red Bean Paste with Walnuts. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel with such a classic, crowd-pleasing flavour.

Baked Mooncake with White Lotus Paste & Single Egg Yolk

Likewise, the Baked White Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk and Pandan Paste with Melon Seeds Mooncake belong to this ‘old is gold’ school of thought. The only concession made is possibly the reduction in the amount of sugar, as the mooncakes’ subtle sweetness was noticeable on the palate.

Baked Mooncake with Pandan Paste & Melon Seeds

We also like the liberal sprinkling of melon seeds embedded within the Pandan Paste Mooncake. It was reminiscent of the mooncakes of yore when fanciful fillings were unheard of then.

Priced at RM18 upwards, Le Mei’s mooncakes can be purchased from the mooncake counter of Le Meridien Putrajaya from 12noon to 8pm daily or from Le Mei restaurant. Enjoy 20% discount for purchases made using credit card from CIMB, Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, Citibank, HSBC, UOB, Standard Chartered and Affin Bank. 

For more information, takeaway or delivery, please call Le Meridien Putrajaya, tel: 03 8689 6888 or email: dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com

 

LE MEI’S WASABI-SPIKED AND NUTTY MOONCAKES #FTW

The fleeting yet noticeably zingy presence of wasabi was inescapable the minute I bit into the wedge of Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Wasabi and Pistachio Nuts Mooncake from Le Mei, Le Meridien Putrajaya.

I was hooked at first bite as the tantalizing taste had me returning for more. Since wasabi and pistachios aren’t the norm in mooncake-making, I applaud the chefs at Le Mei for daring to push the envelope when it comes to creating new variants of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival confection.

The mooncake’s subtle sweetness also scored with me as did the smooth lotus-pistachio paste. Handcrafted by the Le Mei team, the signature mooncake is priced at RM33 each and needs to be ordered 3 days in advance.

Another nutty variant comes in the form of Pandan Paste with Hazelnut Mooncake (RM30 each). Again, the thin baked skin encasing the fragrant pandan-scented filling flecked with hazelnut bits was palate-pleasing. The mooncake also had a nice glossy shine to it.

To please purists who prefer the tried and tested, I’d recommend the White Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk Mooncake (RM33 each). The confection is on-point, ticking all the requisite boxes and should leave no room for complaint.

Two other flavours: Assorted Fruits and Nuts (RM38) and Mini Snow Skin with Raspberry and Cashew Nuts (RM20) are also available. The Signature Mooncakes of Le Mei have to be ordered 3 days ahead of your desired collection date.

Available until 1^st October, Le Meridien Putrajaya’s Mid-Autumn Festival gift box features a sturdy laminated gift box with a magnetic flap, clad in a mosaic of colours and rabbit motifs reflective of the celebratory Mid-Autumn Festival.

For more information, please call Le Meridien Putrajaya, tel: 03 8689 6888 or email: dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com 

CELEBRATION OF NEW BEGINNINGS AT LE MEI

If there’s a dish to soup up the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, the excellent Shunde Style Traditional Shredded Fish Soup by Le Mei’s Chinese Executive Chef Lim Kian Meng will be the hottest choice.

Similar to a hearty bisque, the creamy white broth enhanced with fine slivers of wood ear fungus, snake gourd and carrot is to-die-for. Shredded seabass amps up its lush sweetness with crumbs of the deepfried fish give it a subtle crunchy finish.

This stellar speciality is one of the many show-stoppers featured in Le Mei’s three CNY menus: Wealth & Fortune Set RM3,388, Everlasting Prosperity Set RM2,388 and Spring & Happiness Set RM1,688 per table of 10 persons; available now until February 8. 

The customary Yee Sang (from RM50 upwards depending on variant and portion size) with salmon is par for the course. Personally, I find the salad platter a tad too sweet but it’s a minor hiccup easily remedied by reducing the sauce. Overall, the ingredients jive together well enough.

Pix courtesy of Chasingfooddreams.com

Chef Lim’s two decades of culinary experience from past stints in Macao, Russia and locally stands him in good stead. Gastronomic proof of his culinary prowess is apparent when you savour the Stewed Sea Cucumber with Free Range Chicken and Black Truffle in Claypot.

His judicious inclusion of black truffle paste prior to serving transforms a downhome offering into a raveworthy speciality. The discernibly musky scent of truffle coupled with the milieu of big, robust flavours from the toothsome, juicy chicken and plump mushrooms make this a divine dish to remember.

 

Wok-fried Scallops with Asparagus and Fresh Mushroom in XO Sauce maintains the impressive streak. Sweet and tender, the scallops imbued with a dash of the zingy house XO sauce will surely tantalise the tastebuds and get the thumbs up. 

Inspired by Hong Kong’s famed pei fung thong (typhoon shelter) style of preparation, the Fried Lamb Racks with Crispy Garlic and Chilli follow a similar approach. According to Chef Lim, the lamb is marinated with herb juice prior to being battered for frying. We find the blush pink lamb deliciously juicy; the crisp fried garlic and chilli bits setting the palate alight with bursts of flavourful piquancy.

 

Dense and firm, the meat of the Sabah Giant Grouper Steamed with Premium Soy Sauce is a winsome, classic way to ensure the pricey fish (loong da'rn in Chinese) fulfills the sumptuous and auspicious quotient for the festive table. 

Mindful of today’s health-conscious clientele, Le Mei serves Fried Organic Brown Rice with Seafood and Tobiko. Tiny Hong Kong dried shrimps, dices of fish, prawns and a generous topping of tobiko make the fried mixture of brown and white rice a surefire crowd-pleaser.

The sweet-ender of Pan-fried Glutinous Rice Cake is not your average nian gao. Dim sum chef Yau Fong Peng uses pheen thong (flat brown blocks of unrefined cane sugar) to ensure the festive CNY cake is lighter, less sweet and sticky.  Each slice is seared to give it a brown crust and amplify the caramel flavour. You can’t ask for a better way to welcome the Year of the Rat in 2020.

Picture courtesy of Le Meridien Putrajaya

For reservations, please call LE MEI, tel: 03-8689 6888/

6847/6868. Address: Lobby Level, Le Meridien Putrajaya, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City, Putrajaya, Sepang