Monday, September 07, 2015

THE CHYNNA MOONCAKE CONNECTION





 

Fiery Phoenix (RM29) – an Asian inspired snow skin mooncake takes flight this year at Chynna. Hilton KL’s dim sum chef Chan Teck Woo takes the bold step by combining lemongrass, five spice powder, bird’s eye chilli and tom yam paste with chicken floss, dried shrimp and sun-dried scallop in lotus paste into a white snow skin mooncake streaked red with natural colouring derived from red yeast rice. 



The resultant sweet-spicy-savoury accents seem odd at first bite quickly grow on you; teasing the tastebuds with a robustness reminiscent of sambal heh bee (dried shrimps).
It is unlikely to dethrone the all-time Heavenly Gold (RM42) - the hotel’s signature Musang King durian mooncake. Pale yellow snow skin with a noticeably pungent filling which underscores the presence of luscious durian flesh extracted from Raub’s famed Musang King durians harvested from matured trees, one either love this variant passionately or avoid it like the plague.
More sedate versions making a comeback this year are Blue Moon (RM27) - Snow Skin Amaretto Lotus Paste with Blueberry Cheese Feuillantine and Flower Drum (RM27) – Snow Skin Lotus Paste with Soft Custard Egg Yolk.
Also available until 27 September are Hilton KL’s halal-certified baked mooncakes (RM27 each) in Lotus Paste with Single Yolk, Pandan Paste with Single Yolk, Red Bean Paste with Almond Flakes or White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk.
If you prefer something nuttier, the Five Nuts variant is perfumed by the citrusy scent of kaffir lime leaf. The Red Bean Paste with Almond Flakes is made with quality red beans while all natural colourings such as blue pea flower juice and purple sweet potato are used to give the snow skin mooncakes the desired colour.
This year, the hotel is offering lim­ited edi­tion prestige boxes inspired by Louis Vuit­ton trunks with stitch ef­fect in red (RM105) and pink (RM188) to cart those mooncakes home or for gifting purposes.

For more information, call CHYNNA, tel: 03-2264 2405. A mooncake kiosk can also be found at the Hil­ton Kuala Lumpur, 3, Jalan Ste­sen Sen­tral, Kuala Lumpur.

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

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.

Featured Post

EXPLOSIVE SURPRISE FROM CAKE RUSH

Whimsical. Fun. Impactful. Imagine a flock of butterflies fluttering up once you open Cake Rush’s latest Explosion Gift Box. We were thrille...