OVER THE MOON WITH ORIENTAL GROUP’S MOONCAKES

Moonlight and love converge this Mid-Autumn Festival when you celebrate with delicious mooncakes from Oriental Group of Restaurants.

A vibrant red oblong gift box adorned with pretty blossoms and a pair of birds can be filled with your choice of baked or snowskin mooncakes from the restaurant group.

My favourite is the old-school Baked Mixed Nuts (RM30) mooncake. Packed with almonds, sesame seeds, walnuts, sunflower and melon seeds, the mooncake’s subtly sweet and nutty filling has a subtle whiff and taste of kaffir lime leaf too.

More unusual is the Black Sesame with White Lotus Snowskin (RM24) variant which boasts a rich nuttiness complemented by the delicate sweetness of white lotus.

 

Fans of classic mooncakes may prefer the buttery crumb texture of the Single Egg Yolk Shanghai Style (RM37) mooncake or the Baked Single Yolk with White Lotus Paste (RM34) mooncake.

To order Oriental Group’s mooncakes, kindly WhatsApp: 012 811 8812.

FROM MACAO TO KL GRAND DINNER SERIES

Award-winning Master Chefs Yap Poh Weng (below centre) and Chung Kuy Fai (right) are the leading men at The Oriental Group's Grand Dinner series, scheduled from 22 August to 8 September 2020.

Teaming up with Ruyi's Chef James Ho (left) for the opening night, both master chefs pulled out the stops to showcase their signature specialities for the evening. Using carefully selected superfood ingredients and their wealth of culinary experience, the dynamic duo expertly whipped up more than a menu of good Chinese food – they artfully merged an eclectic blend of traditional Chinese cooking techniques with premium quality items and subtle global influences.

Hailed as one of China’s Top 50 Celebrity Chefs for Food & Wine magazine, the Malaysian-born Chef Yap has chalked up a sterling career spanning three decades in luxury hotels and upmarket restaurants, covering Malaysia, Surabaya, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Macao. His counterpart, Ipoh-born Chef Chung also boasts similar world-class credentials: having traversed some of the top kitchens from Tokyo to Shanghai, California’s Napa Valley to Macao.

Their Signature Appetisers Combination is a distinctive quintet featuring Pineapple, Mango, Pomelo & Crabmeat Tartare with Spicy Dressing & Caviar; BBQ Flaxseed Crispy Chicken; Organic Cherry Tomatoes with Sour Plum and Pickled Radish in Traditional Shanghainese Vinaigrette; Suzhou Style Crispy Eel; and Japanese Scallops with Sesame and Dressing Organic Spinach Rolls with Caviar.

Inspired by the idea of mango salsa, the chefs titillate our tastebuds with a tropical version: Pineapple, Mango, Pomelo & Crabmeat Tartare with Spicy Dressing and Caviar. Somewhat tart-tangy-hot, it helps to whet our appetite for the subsequent offerings.

Giving traditional sesame chicken an updated and healthier spin, Chef Yap’s BBQ Flaxseed Crispy Chicken wins instant plaudits around the table. Us Chinese are pragmatic people and the way to our hearts is definitely through our tummy!

Our palates have a bold wake-up call thanks to the sour-brininess of the Cherry Tomatoes with Sour Plum & Pickled Radish in traditional Shanghainese Vinaigrette. Luckily, it doesn’t affect our enjoyment of the exquisite Japanese Scallops with Sesame Dressing and Organic Baby Spinach Rolls with Caviar. We appreciate the dish’s delicate sweetness lightly punctuated by pinpricks of saltiness from the caviar.

Also on-point is the sesame seed-flecked, caramelized strips of Suzhou Style Crispy Eel. They’re incredibly addictive as once you try one, you’re compel to gobble up more unthinkingly. Slightly sweet and nutty on the outside before yielding to the soft, moreish flesh inside.

As a foodie, I never stop learning and discovering new food and ingredients. This year it’s the Double Boiled Roxburgh Anoectochilus & Black Garlic with Fresh Fish Maw Soup to leave us scrambling for more information. The smoky-sweet and slightly earthy broth is a result of two core ingredients: black garlic and a dried orchid root known as Roxburgh Anoectochilus – both selected for its medicinal properties and luxe up with smooth fish maw, dried scallop and village chicken. Let’s just say everything is good to the last drop.

A show-stopping main course of Poached Lobster with Chinese Wine quickly has us whipping out our smartphones to capture the impressive platter for posterity. Whiffs of the fragrant rose wine stimulate our senses as we savour the sumptuous lobster medallions.

On-point doneness makes the Steamed Ocean Garoupa with Guanxi Style Stuffed Japanese Beancurd Puffs & Luffa Gourd in Supreme Soy Sauce a joy to eat. The diverse spongy-softness of the beancurd puffs and the luffa’s soft, squishiness make interesting mouthfuls.

Instead of sticking to the tried and tested, the chefs proffer Crispy Stuffed Sea Cucumber with Hot & Sour Sauce. Stuffed with minced prawns, the plump piece of sea cucumber comes enveloped in a crisp batter crust. Complemented by a zingy hot and sour sauce, it’s another boundary-pushing dish to get Chinese food lovers talking.

Prior to dessert, we get to tangle with a generous serving of Shark’s Fin & Braised Meat Noodles with Chicken Lard Cracklings. Flavourful and springy to the bite, the eggy noodles are guaranteed to leave you replete albeit with enough tummy space for dessert.

Brace yourself for a triple treat as in addition to the salubrious Double Boiled Snow Lotus, Lotus Seeds & Pearl Seaweed with Osmanthus Sweet Broth, be sure to sample the sumptuous Black Thorn Durian Glutinous Rice Dumplings and Shanxi Red Dates Sweet Cake.

Not only does the sweet broth tickle the palate and senses with myriad textures, Malaysia’s highly sought-after, creamy black thorn durians also send us to seventh heaven as  gold-dusted charcoal powder glutinous rice dumplings in impossibly thin skins. Not to be outdone, slices of chewy Shanxi Red Dates Sweet Cakes – easily mistaken for layered agar-agar jelly – ensure the dinner finishes with a memorably sweet flourish.

Priced at RM288++ per person (min. 2 persons) or a table of RM2,288++ per table of 8 persons, the Grand Dinner at Oriental Group of Restaurants is available on:

August 25 & 29                 NOBLE BANQUET                     tel: 03 2145 8822

August 26 & Sept 4          ORIENTAL PAVILION             tel: 03 7956 9288

August 27                            THE HAN ROOM                         tel: 03 2284 8833

August 28 & Sept 8         NOBLE MANSION                      tel: 03 7932 3288

3 September                      ORIENTAL STAR                        tel: 03 9134 8488

5 September                       ORIENTAL TREASURE            tel: 03 2242 2382

NOBLE CNY OFFERINGS FROM THE ORIENTAL GROUP

Trust Chinese cuisine supremo and Group Executive Chef of The Oriental Group of Restaurants Justin Hor to make a big splash for the arrival of the Rat Year...his Alaskan Spider Crab Vegetables Yee Sang (RM198++ medium, RM298++ large) is an unmatched festive dish to rule them all.

Available at all restaurants under the Oriental Group except Ruyi & Lyn, the fresh melange of shredded green apple, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, spring onion, coriander, raisins, crushed peanuts and dried mandarin peel is luxed up with freshly extracted and shredded Alaskan spider crab meat. Lightly dressed with the chef’s specially concocted plum sauce, the yee sang easily ranks as one of the best in town.

Chef Justin agrees the inclusion of Alaskan spider crab is a tad indulgent but he surmises such an extravagant culinary treat befits a major occasion like Chinese New Year when kith and kin gather around a good meal.

Diners welcoming the Rat Year at Oriental Pavilion, Noble Mansion and Noble House can look forward to a familiar favourite and the much sought-after speciality of Whole Pork Trotter with Hokkaido XL Dried Scallops, Japanese Mushrooms and Quail Eggs (RM488++ per portion).

Every ringgit spent is worth your while as Chef Justin and his team have devoted much time and effort into the dish’s painstaking preparation; to ensure the resultant pork trotter is sublimely fall-of-the-bone tender, every bite of the pork, skin and gelatinous bits thoroughly suffused with rich, savoury flavours augmented by black sea moss and XL dried scallops. Both the tau kan (compressed layers of beancurd skin) and plump mushrooms ooze with the unctuous braising sauce, amplifying their deliciousness.

Crazy about crabs? Then you’d love the speciality of Crabs Prepared Two Ways: Deep Fried Crab Claws with Red Vinegar and Crab Meat with Scrambled Egg in Lettuce Wraps (RM238++ per portion for 4 persons, available at The Ming Room and Noble House).

 

It’s a dream dish for diners and crab lovers who prefer not to get their hands dirty. The first comprises a sweet chunk of crab meat encased in deep-fried prawn paste wrapped atop a crab leg similar to a lollipop for easy eating. We find the whole morsel so delectably on-point when it’s dipped into some red vinegar for a subtle shot of acidity.

For smoother and creamier mouth feel, the latter consists of hand-extracted crab meat cooked gently with cream, egg white and a dash of vinegar, scooped into fresh iceberg lettuce; evocative of an old-school banquet dish of scrambled egg with shark’s fin.

 

Frolic in glorious abundance this CNY with Steamed Deep Sea Garoupa with Fresh Abalones and Prawn Medallions in Casserole Basket (RM388++ per portion for 8 persons), a house speciality of the Oriental Star restaurant. The fish is sweet with the right doneness, the prawns springy and succulent, and the abalones boast a nice garlicky punch.

Bottarga or salted dried mullet roe – a pricey delicacy favoured by Taiwanese gourmands – is the ingredient of choice to elevate the Crystal Prawns with Gold Caviar Sauce (RM128++ per portion).

Combined with lemon juice and red chilli oil, the mildly savoury sauce coating the prawns bestow a distinct richness similar to cheese. Break the giant beancurd bowl into shards to complement the prawns for a refined epicurean treat. This speciality is available at all Oriental Group restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu.

Tender French beans help to lighten up the ubiquitous Steamed Rice with Waxed Meat Hakka Style (RM78++ medium, RM128++ large). Available at all Oriental Group restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu, this festive favourite still has its die-hard fans who never tire of sampling the fragrant rice with slices of waxed liver and pork sausages in addition to waxed meat.

 

The last hurrah is as auspicious as the dessert name: Golden Pudding with Bird’s Nest in Whole Orange (RM23++ each). Served in hollowed-out orange ‘bowls’, we rave over the delightful orange jelly topped with bird’s nest.

 

Of course, every CNY meal calls for a serving of nin kou (sweet glutinous rice cake). At the Oriental group of restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu, it’s in the form of dainty Deep Fried Sesame Balls with Nin Kou (RM5++ per pc) to round up the celebratory feast.

For reservations and information, visit The Oriental Group of Restaurants website: www.orientalrestaurants.com.my