TOH YUEN UNVEILS ITS MID-AUTUMN TREASURES

Snowskin mooncake fans are in for a treat with Toh Yuen's colourful medley for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. The most outstanding variant has to be the refreshingly fruity Dragonfruit Paste while the evergreen fave of Musang King Durian Paste makes a strong comeback.

Other variants such as earthy Yam Paste, delicately nutty Black Sesame Paste, the dual flavour Green Tea Paste with Red Bean, and Lotus Paste with Sunflower Seeds are delightfully agreeable on the palate. Priced at RM17 each, they are best savoured fresh and slightly chilled.

I'm a traditionalist at heart so the Mixed Five Nuts (RM24) gets the thumbs up from me. A faint whiff of kaffir lime leaf is discernible as you bite into a wedge of the nutty mooncake...enlivening the taste further. Also in the line-up are Pure Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM23), White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (RM26), Pandan Paste (RM23) and Red Bean Paste (RM23). Having sampled the different flavours, I daresay you can never go wrong banking on these baked ones for gift-giving.

Such a special occasion naturally calls for a gathering of the clan and these days, family matriarchs can leave feast day cooking to capable chefs like those at Toh Yuen. Inspired by traditional Cantonese dishes enjoyed during Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations of yore, the resto's Mid-Autumn Reunion Feast (RM1,800 for a table of 10 persons) should please most multi-generation urban families.

You'd have no bones to pick with the appetiser of Boiled Beef Ribs with Lemongrass scented Spicy Garlic Sauce. Although the meat may be a tad gamey for some diners, avid carnivores would enjoy the scrumptious slices especially with the accompanying piquant dip.

A whole dried conpoy takes centrestage in the Double Boiled Cucumber with Scallop Soup Topped with Green Pea. Tucked into a cucumber ring, its oceanic fishy sweetness makes the unctuous broth superbly lush tasting.

 

 

It leaves you eager for the main course of Baked Cod with Wasabi Mayonnaise and when the dish appears, the symphony of tantalising yet ephemeral accents and textural pairing will have you hooked.

Ramping up the flavour quotient is Pan-fried Chicken topped with Salted Egg & BBQ Sauce. An inventive dish that jogs at your memories of family feasts from yesteryear, the chefs at Toh Yuen have cleverly played around with the sweet-salty-tangy combination to delicious effect.

The next dish of Stir-fried Scallops with Dragonfruit and Lotus Root takes your taste buds to a different tangent. Savour the artful balance of varying textures and delicate nuances; its cohesiveness brought together by skillful cooking and quality ingredients.

The tempo picks up again with the offering of Pan-Fried Lamb chops with Coffee Sauce. We like how the bewitching brew is employed to bestow the tender chop deep-seated flavour that spur us to lick our fingers and the bone clean.

By now you should feel adequately full but don't throw in the towel yet. Find tummy space for the delicious Crispy Noodles with Tiger Prawns - you won't regret it. The dainty portion pack lots of yummy appeal so you won't have problems putting everything away.

Deep-fried Chinese Pancake with Ice Cream should wrap up dinner on a sweet note most satisfactorily. In fact, some of you may wish there's more of that irresistible pancake to complement your ice cream.

The Mid-Autumn Treasures promotion will be available now until 27 September 2015. Dishes reviewed here are also available a la carte from RM30 per dish.

For reservations, call Toh Yuen, tel: 03-7955 9122 ext. 4073/4. Address: Hilton Petaling Jaya, Jalan Barat, PJ, Selangor.

SCALLOP & MOONCAKE SENSATION AT LAI CHING YUEN

 

Six types of mooncakes are available to please mostly purists and sticklers of tradition at Lai Ching Yuen from now until 27 September. Packed in a bright red box with floral motifs, you can select your preferred mooncake variants available for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Creamy Milk Tea Paste (RM27-1 pc, RM108-box) is my fave – the filling pleasantly reminiscent of Hong Kong-style lai char (milk tea).

Assorted Fruits & Nuts Mooncake (RM30-1 pc, RM120-box) should delight traditionalists who relish its sticky rich, nutty content. Best eaten in small pieces washed down with some premium Chinese tea.

 

Lotus paste fans will find the Pure White Lotus Paste (RM27-1 pc, RM108-box) and Single Yolk White Lotus Paste (RM29-1 pc, RM116-box) delicately sweet; the lotus seed nuance clearly discernible on the tongue.

Other variants include Red Bean Paste (RM26-1 pc, RM104-box) and Yin Yang Paste (RM27-1 pc, RM108-box).

The ornate and opulent setting of Lai Ching Yuen (think old Shanghai in its heydays) attracts a mostly corporate clientele by day and its own hotel guests and families by night. With regular promos such as the Australian Scallop Sensation which will run until 16 September 2015, they are spoiled for choice when it comes to exquisite Chinese specialities.

Plump and sweet, the Braised Scallops with Crab Roe (RM38 for 2 pcs) come split in half and stuffed with prawn paste. Drenched in a clear unctuous sauce with chunks of crab roe, they are sublime.

For more assertive flavours, try Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles and Minced Garlic (RM28 for 2 pcs). This dish is best savoured hot to fully appreciate the slippery smooth glass noodles. We like how the minced garlic’s assertive sharpness kicks up the zesty notches for this creation.

Staying true to the Cantonese cooking style is Steamed Egg White with Scallops and Crab Meat (RM38 for 2 pcs). It’s perfectly suited for those who prefer clear, uncomplicated nuances and velvety textures.

Truffle oil amps up the aromatic appeal in the Baked Scallops and Mushroom in Filo Pastry (RM38 for 2 pcs) – the lush muskiness wafting up to greet you when the first mouthful hits the palate. The sliced mushroom's inherent earthiness melds seamlessly with the oceanic sweetness of the scallops.

Available for lunch and dinner, these dishes are ideal for corporate or personal dining, complemented by another dish or two of the restaurant’s signature offerings.

For reservations, call Lai Ching Yuen, tel: 03-2117 4180. Address: Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.