The colourful salad flaunts a rosette of thick,
succulent salmon sashimi atop lollo bionda and lollo rossa lettuce, julienne
cucumber and radish. Jelly fish, Japanese crabstick, marinated seaweed, chuka
idako (marinated baby octopus), Japanese fishcake, tobiko (flying fish roe),
salmon fish roe, pickled onion, takuan (pickled daikon radish), sesame seeds,
roasted peanuts, and pok chui (fried flour crisps) form the festive melange.
Once tossed and mixed together, the resultant
salad is enticingly refreshing; a vibrant platter of moist, crunchy textures
with vivid, palate-pleasing accents.
Priced from RM43 upwards (half serving) and from
RM78 upwards (full serving), Still Waters will be offering other variants of
Yee Sang: Kanpachi (yellowtail), Salmon, Crispy Silver Fish and Jelly Fish from
10 January to 10 February.
The hotel chefs also have created three Chinese
New Year set menus to welcome the Year of the Rat. Catering to tables of 10
persons each, the Chinese New Year Set Menus are priced at RM888 nett (set A),
RM1,088 nett (set B) and RM1,388 nett (set C).
Our sneak preview gave us a taste of selected
dishes from the three special menus, starting with Braised Eight Treasure Soup.
After the salad’s appetite-whetting flavours, the broth tastes underwhelming in
spite of the myriad albeit scant amount of ‘treasures’: sea cucumber, crab
meat, fish lips, dried scallop, fish maw, mushroom and beancurd. Chef Wong
Thiam Ming promises the shortcoming will be rectified after our feedback.
Like a phoenix rising to restore the meal’s
equilibrium, the Roast Chicken with Chinese Herbs proved on point. An intensive
labour of love, the chicken is ‘bathed’ in oil first before it’s baked and then
steamed to tender, juicy perfection.
Delectably suffused with sweet, woody nuances of angelica
(tong gwai) gojiberries, red dates, codonopsis
root (dong sum) and Solomon’s seal (yuk chuk), the chook easily warm hearts
and tummies.
Hondashi (bonito powder) is the chef’s trump card
in perking up the Steamed Pearl Garoupa with Mirin Sauce and Scallions.
Although the sweetish soya sauce eclipses the fish’s inherent sweetness, the
classic soya sauce and scallion pairing remains a failsafe complement for this
fleshy catch.
IMHO the the Wok Fried Prawns with Golden Salted
Egg Yolk Cereal is rather ho-hum. However, I daresay the curry leaf-scented, creamy
and savoury sauce will hit the mark for most CNY celebrants.
Top marks go to the aromatic Garlic Fried Rice
with Dried Duck Meat, Mushroom and Barbeque Chicken. We like the inspired use
of dried duck meat dices which added a distinctly rich but not cloying overtone
to the rice. A winsome dish to generate a buzz of satisfaction.
Old meets new in the dessert department with
Steamed Housemade Nian Gao pair with blobs of Osmanthus Jelly. We love the
fresh, coarsely grated coconut coating the soft slices of new year glutinous
rice cake. To cleanse the palate, there’s QQ-chewy konnyaku jelly flavoured
with fragrant osmanthus.
A la carte menu for smaller dining parties are
available too.
For reservations, call Still Waters, tel: 03-2711 8866 or
visit www.hotelmaya.com.my
