TOUCH OF FINE ART FOR MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KL

Acclaimed contemporary ink artist C.N. Liew has added his fine art touch to this year’s limited-edition Four Seasons Mid-Autumn Festival (MAF) gift boxes.

Filled with handcrafted mooncakes by the talented Yun House team, the bespoke designs featured on the MAF gift box come from Liew’s Beyond the Border series, which was showcased at ART SG 2023 in Singapore. Liew is the first Malaysian artist whose works have been exhibited at Art Basel, Fine Art Asia and Art Miami.

The vibrant red MAF gift box incorporates a twilly scarf of Liew’s eye-catching artwork tied onto the handle, and a double-tier ‘drawers’ to fit eight mooncakes bearing the iconic Four Seasons logo.

“The custom of gifting and sharing mooncakes signifies harmony, happiness and good fortune,” says Jimmy Wong, Executive Chef of Yun House. “Our limited-edition mooncake gift boxes are the perfect way to share the festive spirit with family, close friends and valued business partners.”

Available in a variety of flavours, ranging from the traditional to the innovative, the classic Baked Mooncakes such as Red Bean Paste with Almond Flakes; Pandan with Single Egg Yolk; and Puer Tangerine with Lotus prove their timeless appeal never wanes. We sampled them at a lunch recently and each variant lived up to expectations.

Partial to Snow Skin Mooncakes? We highly recommend the delicate Bird’s Nest with Black Sesame and Almond - a winsome filling with a pleasant tinge of luxury. Equally stellar is Chocolate Lotus Paste with Himalayan Salt and Egg Yolk Custard - the fleeting chocolatey accent and mildly sweet egg yolk custard heightened by a touch of salt. The popular White Lotus Paste with Seaweed Black Sugar and Macadamia Nuts manages to hold its own. Of course, the sumptuous Musang King Durian Snow Skin Mooncake rules them all with its creamy indulgent taste and fragrant aroma.

Priced from RM42 to RM78 per piece, and from RM336 to RM624 per gift box containing 8 mooncakes, only one thousand of the exclusive MAF gift boxes are available for pre-order now, while stocks last.

To place orders for Four Seasons Hotel KL’s MAF gift boxes and mooncakes, call tel: 03-2382 8888 or email: yunhouse.kualalumpur@fourseasons.com

 

 

ROAR-SOME CELEBRATION AT DORSETT GRAND SUBANG

Patrons of The Emperor can look forward to a roar-some Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration at Dorsett Grand Subang thanks to the award-winning culinary prowess of Senior Sous Chef Liew Yin Wah (right) and Dim Sum Chef Chan Chee Loong (left).

With a plethora of Prosperity Yee Sang, CNY a la carte specialities, and 3 celebratory set menus to choose from, hotel guests will be spoiled for choice to welcome the Year of the Tiger from 1 – 15 February.

Chef Liew, whose accolades include 3rd placing in Battle of the Chefs at the 13th Penang International Sales Gastronomique in 2011, and part of the winning Malaysian team at the 2019 Salon International De L’alimentation (SIAL) Competition in Shanghai, proved adept at serving up treasured festive classics for the 8-course Wealthy Set Menu (RM899 nett for a table of 5-6 diners) we sampled.

Fervent wishes of good health, return to normalcy and reunion with our near and dear ones were uppermost in our minds as we tossed and enjoyed the customary platter of delicious Salmon and Shredded Young Mango Yee Sang. The mixture of shredded vegetables, pickles, and crisps hit the spot with a tantalising plum sauce that wasn’t too thick nor cloying.

Wholesome and nutritious yet light on the palate, the Double Boiled Sea Whelk, Bamboo Pith and Farm Village Chicken Soup proved on-point. A dish that’s likely to gain the approval of the fussiest matriarchs.

Reminiscent of grand banquets past, the timeless Roast Crispy Chicken with Prawn Crackers made it a show-stopper in this menu. Roasted to perfection, the paper-thin crispy skin and juicy meat would have tasted even better had it come accompanied with the classic ‘jiu yim’ (salt with ground Sichuan pepper and perhaps a smidgen of five spice powder) dip.

The chef’s winning streak continued with Wok Fried Tiger Prawns with Superior Soya Sauce. Rarely has any caramelised sauce coating sauteed crustaceans’ came on par with the finger-licking level but this one did. Coupled with the sweetness of stir-fried onions, we abandoned decorum to savour every morsel of the sweet, fresh crustaceans.

Hong Kong Style Steamed Red Snapper is featured in the actual festive menu. However, the chef’s recommended dish of Braised Housemade Beancurd with Fish Fillet (RM68 – small, RM118 – medium, RM168 – large) proved such a hearty hit, we made short work of it in no time.

It would be remiss if Braised Black Mushrooms with Dried Oysters and Sea Moss wasn’t included in a festive meal. Eating plump succulent black mushrooms, smoky dried oysters and fine threads of black seamoss during CNY is akin to internalising everything fortuitous, good luck, prosperity, etc for the rest of the year. Now, who is going to argue with that?

Chef Liew also gave the traditional waxed meat rice a healthier spin by serving Steamed Organic Brown Rice with Glutinous Rice and Smoked Duck. We are glad to report the recipe worked well as the inclusion of brown rice lent the dish a nutty slant whilst lightening the denseness of glutinous rice.

Refreshing dessert broth of Chilled Sea Coconut with Lemon Slices and Dim Sum Chef Chan’s handiwork: Deep-fried Nian Gao with Sweet Potato and Yam, and Crystal Skin Mango Puree with Pandan Lotus Paste wrapped up our lunch on a high note.

You can also order CNY Steamed Radish Cake (RM38 nett) for takeaway. Packed in a convenient gift box, the radish cake is ready-to-eat with toppings of fried shallot, spring onion and chilli. In Hong Kong, it's a festive treat enjoyed among family and friends throughout the Chinese New Year celebration.

For reservations at The Emperor, call tel: 03-5031 6060 or email: bookfnb.subang@dorsetthotels.com.

  

A ZINGY TWIST TO MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR

“Szechuan” Ma La Mung Bean mooncake anyone? Or perhaps a summer-inspired Mango with Lotus Seed Paste variant? These inventive conversation stoppers along with baked and snowskin creations form part and parcel of Yun House’s Mid-Autumn Festival cachet this year.

Trust Chef Jimmy Wong to imbue the traditional mooncake with a core of zingy-hot ‘ma la’ filling. When you bite into a wedge of his “Szechuan” Ma La Mung Bean (RM42), your tastebuds will tingle pleasantly when the sensation of burning heat blooms on your tongue before the confection's sweetness gradually creeps in.

Since gifting and sharing mooncakes is a beloved Malaysian tradition, Chef Jimmy has taken great pains to craft a variety of inventive and timeless selection for the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“This year, the ritual has taken on added importance, since many of us haven’t been able to meet loved ones and close colleagues for a long time”, said Chef Jimmy Wong. “Sending and gifting mooncakes expresses our good wishes, to remind people we care about them and a gesture to value their presence in our lives.”

His Baked Mooncakes with luxurious fillings include Pu Er Tea Paste with Tangerine Skin (RM42) and the summer-inspired Mango with Lotus Seed Paste (RM42). The former is subtly sweet with the citrus peel lending it a nice ‘bite’ while the latter yields a sublime candy-sweetness, remarkably similar to the fruit itself.

 According to the chef, mooncakes with egg yolk are symbolic of the harvest moon and good luck hence his Pandan Paste with Single Yolk (RM42), and Lotus Seed Paste with Single Yolk (RM42) offerings. For purists, there’s White Lotus Seed Paste (RM42).

 

Overall, the timeless selection are on-point and should please sticklers for tradition.

The mooncakes come packed in the Four Seasons gift box. Clad in theatrical red with a magnetic gilt clasp, the oblong box is embossed with the floral outlines of lotus leaves and butterflies, evoking feelings of joy and harmony with nature.

For more information, contact Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur: https://www.fourseasons.com/kualalumpur/dining/restaurants/yun-house/