Private Kitchen is a homely haven for urban foodies |
Shredded chicken and crunchy cucumber salad redolent with appetising tangy-spicy nuances |
Everyone
knows home is where the heart is and the way to our hearts is through the stomach.
That's the feeling arises when you dine at Private Kitchen - the food has that
unmistakably homeliness to it; a heartwarming reflection of the chef/owner's
TLC.
The inviting private dining space upstairs at Private Kitchen |
Just
like any Chinese restaurant worth its salt, Private Kitchen is offering two special
menus to celebrate the upcoming CNY festivities. Priced at RM398+ for 5-7 pax
and at RM698+ for 8-10 pax, urbanites can very well afford to treat out-of-town
relatives and friends here when they come a-calling.
Dark and delectable...chicken stuffed with assorted mushrooms |
From
our recent sampling of some key dishes from both menus, the
conversation-stopper is undoubtedly the Special Stuffed Chicken with Assorted
Mushrooms. A whole chicken stuffed with diced assorted mushrooms, minced pork and
other goodies, it mimics that classic Chinese eight-treasure duck dish that was
once all the rage for grand banquets.
Carved open...the chicken spillis over with scrumptious stuffing |
Bathed
in a bewitchingly dark, glistening sauce, the chicken is tender and thoroughly
suffused with the rusticity of its fungi stuffing. It's wickedly delicious and you'd
find it hard to stop at just one piece.
Gold ingots of beancurd to herald the Horse Year |
Shaped
like ancient gold ingots, the golden brown Wok-fried Homemade Tofu with Minced
Meat in Abalone Sauce would be a shoo-in with the young and young-at-heart. The
beancurd's soft texture is combined with minced pork to give it better
mouthfeel. To boost the flavour quotient, the chef opts for a mildly briny
abalone sauce.
Prawns to evoke happy laughter for CNY |
Another
festive crowd pleaser would be Deep-fried Prawns coated with Honey Sauce &
Longans. A dead ringer for the evergreen sweet & sour dishes, the twist
lies in the inclusion of juicy sweet longans. While the crustaceans are great
on their own, it's a dish that will taste even better with plain rice.
Get hooked on this sumptuous fish drenched in a robust sauce |
Malaysians
are partial to strong, piquant sauces and the chef's Steamed Tiger Garoupa in
Special Sauce bears testament to this. Our dining party wish there had been
less of the robust sauce but alas, the fish's delicate sweetness was completely
swamped except for a small piece that escaped the saucy tirade. I sampled that
and found it utterly sublime.
Pork for thought in a pot |
It
would take you Herculean effort not to order bowls of rice to fully relish the Braised
Belly Pork in Casserole. Scented and tinged with aromatic cinnamon sticks,
ginger and dried chilli, the chunky pieces of belly pork and beancurd puffs
call to mind the hearty braised pork in soy sauce that many of us grew up with.
Simple, uncomplicated yet satisfyingly good.
Fried rice brimming over with deliciousness |
If
there's one good reason why you should restrain from gorging on too much on the
earlier plethora, it would be the need to save space for Fried Rice with
Preserved Meat and Mushrooms. These are not ordinary waxed delicacies mind you
but imported ones from Hong Kong - the chef's home base. The heat doesn't
dissipate as quickly from the claypot so the fluffy rice stays warm far longer.
Even
the dessert harks back to hearth and home - classic tong sui (sweet broth) of Red
Bean Cream with Lotus Seeds that nobody ever grow tired of eating. Its subtle
sweetness is bound to evoke a sense of happy contentment that stems from being
thoroughly well-fed.
For reservations at Private Kitchen, call tel:
03-7728-8399, The
outlet is located at 103, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling
Jaya, Selangor.