GET SET IN MARCH AT ELEGANT INN

Life’s a continuous feast at Elegant Inn Hong Kong Cuisine. March looks set to be marvellous with the debut of two special set menus: Bountiful Harvest and Golden Harvest at this city’s arbiter of fine Cantonese cuisine.

Highlighting a judicious selection of familiar favourites and newer creations, we were accorded a taste of the Golden Harvest menu recently.

Things got off to a happy start with us savouring Crispy Soft Shell Crabs in Light Spicy Sauce, Hokkaido Scallop Bacon Rolls and E.I. Crispy Vegetable Rice Rolls for openers.

Plump Hokkaido scallop wrapped in crisp, tasty bacon stirred our gastronomic juices with the scallop’s oh-so-delicate sweetness amplified by the bacon’s savoury richness.

Nice contrasting textures came into play from the Hong Kong-inspired jar leong. Instead of yutiao (fried fritters), the smooth flat rice rolls were filled with crispy taro strips. Drizzled with a little soy sauce, this delicious morsel made for a sublime mouthful.

I’m not a fan of deep-fried soft shell crabs so this appetiser was par for the course for me. Dressed in a tantalisingly spicy sauce, there were also crispy onion rings amidst the crab chunks.

Known for its salubrious soups, Elegant Inn reinforces its stellar reputation with a superbly Braised Twin Fish Maw with Sakura Ebi in Flaky Fish Winter Melon Broth. 

We lapped up every drop of that viscously silky broth whilst relishing the slippery suppleness of the fish maw strips. Lending it subtle crispiness and umami accent was some sakura ebi for that perfect finish.

Deserving a gold medal IMO was the serving of Golden Fried Sea Crystal Prawns in Salted Egg Yolk paired with Golden Prosperous Chicken Meat Balls. Springy to the bite, the big prawns had us hooked at first bite thanks to the attendant richly flavourful salted egg yolk crust.

Equally raveworthy were yummy chicken meat balls, reminiscent of classic hai jou (deep-fried crab and pork mince balls). The hearty bites brought back such nostalgic feels.

Heralding a sense of celebration in its wake was the show-stealing Braised Five Treasure Pork Belly with Whole 9-head South African Abalones, Black Garlic, Lotus Seeds and Chestnuts.

It was a stellar showcase of varied textures juxtaposed against a supremely lustrous, full-bodied sauce. We thoroughly relished soaking it all up with deep-fried mantou.

After all those heavy hitters, we readily welcomed the subtler nuances exuded by the Braised Vegetarian Assortment with Cordycep Flower and Housemade Tofu. Spongy and custardy-soft melding with gelatinous and tender textures ruled here.

Claypot Rice with Sea Star Garoupa Fillet, Hong Kong Dried Prawns and Tung Choi instantly garnered effusive praises once we dug into the scrumptious rice. Possibly the next best thing to Elegant Inn’s famed lap mei farn (waxed meat rice), this fish-laden version dialled up the appeal factor with a generous topping naturally umami-sweet HK dried prawns and preserved vegetable.

Lunch finished on a splendid high with exquisitely dainty Bird’s Nest Egg Tartlets and irresistible Nutty Sesame Balls. The latter deserved special mention as each chewy ball was stuffed with coarsely crushed peanuts and sugar, to deliver better mouthfeel. A treat worth going nuts over!

We chased those dessert treats with refreshing bowls of Double Boiled Fresh Pineapple with Lily Flower and Snow Fungus. An on-point, cooling broth to counter the current hot and hazy weather.

The Golden Harvest is priced RM1,188++ for 4 persons, RM1,688++ for 6 persons and RM2,788++ for 10 persons and will be available until end March.

For reservations, call Elegant Inn Hong Kong Cuisine, at tel: 03-20709399 or 03-67379399 or WhatsApp 012-7223518.

NICE RICE AND MORE AT SPICED PUMPKIN CAFÉ

Nasi Maqlubah, Nasi Mandy and Lontong Kering are the ‘must eat’ dishes at Spiced Pumpkin Café.

Derived from the word maqlu which means upside down in Arabic, café owner Mas Zuhairin Zubir explains the maqlubah rice recipe came from her ex-business partner’s husband of Palestinian descent. 

 

According to Mas, “Our Nasi Maqlubah has to be pre-ordered as it takes time to prepare. Firstly, onion and garlic are sautéed with 14 herbs and spices such as nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon stick among others to flavour the rice. Then we layer vegetables and protein (lamb or chicken) onto the rice. The whole pot is cooked over an open fire. Once ready, the pot is upended onto a plate – that’s why it’s known as ‘upside down’ rice.”

 

For the lamb version, the meat is roasted before it’s added to the rice whilst the chicken is spice-marinated. The original version uses cauliflower but to suit local tastebuds, eggplant, potatoes and carrots are used instead. Raisins, peanuts and almonds are included as well.  

Aside from mixed salad, Nasi Maqlubah also comes with house hot sauce (concocted with chilli, salt, sugar and pepper) and ‘daqqus’ (a mixture of lemon juice, Chinese celery stalks, mint and pepper) for those who like extra heat and piquancy. A mini pot of Maqlubah Lamb (enough for 3-4 persons) is priced at RM95 while a mini pot of Maqlubah Chicken costs RM65.

Formerly a trainer for the housekeeping department at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Mas first ventured into the food business by serving mostly healthy salads, soup and sandwiches out of a rented kitchen in an old bungalow, for patrons of a yoga studio in the same premise.

 

Then she ran a small café at SACC Mall’s indoor kids’ playground before partnering with another home-based caterer to open Spiced Pumpkin Café in 2016.

 

Now she is the sole proprietor after her business partner opted out due to unforeseen circumstances. “I’ve maintained her husband’s Middle Eastern recipes such as Nasi Maqlubah and Nasi Mandy but I’ve also added some Malay specialities into the menu.”

 

Mas says Spiced Pumpkin’s Nasi Arab Mandy Chicken (RM21) stands out from the competition as she infused the rice with charcoal smoke before serving. Tinged with the aroma and colour of saffron, the fluffy long grain rice has an enticing, subtly sweet smokiness to it. We enjoyed every mouthful accompanied by the tender, lightly spiced chicken.

 

The other show-stealer has to be Lontong Kering Rendang Daging (RM14.50). Mas explains it’s a Johorean way of serving lontong, with cubes of nasi impit stir-fried with her signature serunding kelapa (fried and spiced coconut floss), sambal tumis, peanut sauce, fried shallots and hardboiled egg halves.

 

Eaten together, the dish is akin to a flavoursome party in one’s mouth. Other variations of it include dendeng paru (dry curried beef lungs) and beef, chicken or fish serunding.

Signature light bites such as Pita Nachos Cheese (RM16.50) and Tres Quesos PJBB (RM17.90) are also available to tease the tastebuds of peckish diners. Here, pita bread is cut into triangular pieces then fried until crisp to resemble nachos.

The former comes laden with the house special sauce, melted cheese, hot sauce and chilli flakes. Cheese lovers can relish the latter as the nibbles are topped with three types of melted cheese, beef bacon bits and chopped jalapeño.

 

To please the younger set, Creamy Pumpkin with Pasta and Beef Bacon (RM17.00), and Spaghetti with Butter Salmon in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce (RM28.90) are among the crowd-pleasing selection featured here. All the sauces are made on-premise by Mas so her extra efforts help to dial up the appeal of her pasta offerings.

Having gone viral on social media, kunafa – a popular Middle Eastern treat made from finely spun phyllo threads drenched with syrup and crushed pistachios – proves to be a compelling dessert at this outpost.

 

Mas levels up her Kunafa with Tres Leches (RM16.50): mozzarella and cream, orange blossom syrup, dried rose petals and crushed pistachios. The whole ensemble is creamy, mildly sweet and nutty; with pleasing whiffs of orange blossom and rose.

She also bestows similar treatment to Kuih Lopes with Tres Leches and Ice Cream (RM9.50). Coated in coconut flakes, the wedge of pandan-infused glutinous rice pairs marvellously with gula Melaka, cream and vanilla ice cream. Ditto for the Sago Pudding with Tres Leche and Gula Melaka (RM7.50).

 

Somehow, we couldn’t wrap our head around the South American-inspired Tres Leches Cake (RM15). Dry sponge cake is traditionally soaked in cream, milk and fruits, but Mas improvises hers slightly by immersing the sponge cake into milk prior to serving. Topped with canned fruit, this dessert fails to hit the spot for us.

For reservations at Spiced Pumpkin Café, call hp no:019 2728317. Address: Lot 291, Kompleks KPPMS, 2, Jalan RU 3/9a, Shah Alam, Selangor. Business hours: Mon-Thurs 12 pm –7 pm, Sat 12 pm – 930 pm. Closed on Sun.

 

 

ZUAN YUAN TOUTS LOW SUGAR MOONCAKES

Melon seeds embedded within the Snow Skin Mooncake with Red Bean Paste with Melon Seed (RM21.50 per piece) from One World Hotel are evocative of the traditional versions I ate as a child. It’s a nice touch as the seeds are noticeably missing in many of this Mid-Autumn Festival treat lately.

 

Another recommended snowskin variant is Durian Lotus Paste (RM23 per piece) – the durian aroma is discernible in the lotus paste; its subtle sweetness a perfect balance to complement the astringency of Chinese tea. Other snow skin, low sugar variants available include White Lotus Paste (RM23), Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25) and White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25).

 
This year, One World Hotel Dim Sum Chef Jordan Chin Chee Hong has decided on 12 varieties of mooncakes to offer for the traditional celebration. Available now until 1^st October, Chef Chin said “A good mooncake will not stick to the teeth”. Having travelled to many Asian countries to taste different mooncakes, Chin is adamant Malaysia’s is the best.

 

He also offers a classic Deep Fried Teo Chew Yam Paste with Single Yolk (RM26 per piece), a tricky to make but scrumptious creation for the occasion. The crisp, swirly pastry is airy-light and generously filled with a savoury-sweet yam paste and salted egg yolk.

The mooncakes come in an Oriental themed gift box with a magnetic flap. Maroon with floral and lantern motifs, it holds four boxes of your choice of baked or snow skin mooncakes snugly.

 

As for the baked versions, the mooncakes are low sugar to cater to health-conscious market demand. We can vouch for the White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (RM26) which taste great despite the reduced sweetness. Other enticing flavours in the selection include White Lotus Paste, Red Bean Paste, Pandan Lotus Paste and Supreme Mixed Nuts.

For further enquiries or orders, please call Zuan Yuan at 603 7681 1159 or email: zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my