STEAMY AFFAIR AT CELESTIAL COURT

Here’s some steamy news to get you hot under the collar…Celestial Court is going full steam ahead with its “All Steamed Up – Oriental Steamboat” affair Steamboat until 30 December 2014.

Also known as ‘hot pot’, Chinese chef Vincent Loo Weng Soon and his team are proffering five distinct types of broth to ensure steamboat enthusiasts bubbling with anticipation. For a start, there’s ‘Nu Er Hoong’ Chinese Wine with Cordyceps Herbal Soup. Brewed from glutinous rice and wheat, this fine Shaoxing wine evolved from the tradition of burying it underground upon the birth of a daughter, and serving it during her betrothal.

Coupled with other Chinese herbs, the cordyceps' faint sweetness tinged with herbal nuances is lush on the palate and resonates with a coy boozy profile; letting whatever ingredients: earthy fungi, chicken slices and seafood retain their inherent flavours while enriching the broth.

Although it is known that I'm not partial to soup and porridge, I must admit that the Jade Porridge (below pix, top left) – vegetarian porridge-based broth with blended spinach surprisingly good. According to the chef, this concoction is great for strengthening the bones, nourishing one's eyesight and even has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory antioxidants to boot.

You can keep the meal healthy by opting for the Mushroom Set (RM49.90++) which proffer assorted fungi: Chinese and shitake mushroom, maitake, enoki, shimeji, eringi, abalone and fresh button mushroom with assorted vegetables, ee fu noodle and chicken eggs to go with the steamboat.

Fancy some richer soup to tantalise the tastebuds? Then try the Hot Slipper Lobster Soup – a sublime slipper lobster-based broth laced with ‘ma la’ sauce that gives it that numbingly spicy kick. The shellfish's sweetness comes through before the stealthy tongue-tingling nuance hits you. Use it to draw out flavours of meatier offerings from the Poultry Set (RM55.50++): sliced chicken and duck, smoked duck breast, smoked turkey slices, jalapeno sausages, black pepper chicken sausages, cheese chicken sausages, spring chicken, assorted vegetables, egg and glass noodle.

Traditionalists will rejoice over the classic Chicken Ginseng Soup - a clear, mildly herbal sweet broth that goes superbly well with the Seafood Set (RM68.80++). You'd enjoy relishing the delicate freshness of the sea abalone slices, white prawns, flower crabs, mussels, fish slices, jelly fish, crab sticks, fresh oysters, scallops, assorted vegetables, egg and rice vermicelli cooked in this broth.

Thai Tom Yam is the other piquant broth available. Choice steamboat ingredients such as sea cucumber, live fishes, scallops, beef and lamb strips, beancurd skin, beancurd and vegetables can also be ordered a la carte, priced from RM19++ onwards per portion. Those who wish to add a touch of indulgence have King Crab (RM30++ per 100 gram) and Tasmanian Ocean Petuna Fish (RM25++ per 100 gram) to choose from.

Celestial Court's Oriental Steamboat promotion is available for dinner from now until 30 December 2014. Set menus are available for a minimum of two persons per table.

For more details or to make reservations, please call Celestial Court, tel: 03-27179900, e-mail: restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com or visit:  www.sheratonimperialkualalumpur/celestialcourt