FEASTS OF PROSPERITY AT TOH YUEN

Hou or monkey in Chinese sounds similar to good so naturally this Chinese astrology sign grabbed the limelight at the prosperity yee sang with fresh salmon presentation at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ for our media review.

 

Us shutterbugs simply couldn’t stop snapping away at the Instagrammable creation before dinner! The yee sang tasted as good as it looked too. Chinese Executive Chef Ben Lim has stuck to tradition with loads of multi-colour, fried flour crisps, assorted pickles: ginger, leek and onion, shredded carrot and radish, fresh pomelo sacs, shredded kaffir lime leaves and pok chui (deep-fried flour crackers) and fresh slices of raw salmon.

  

Once the whole platter was tossed and stirred to boisterous shouts of lou sang, the mixed salad turned out to be delicious thanks to the bright, well-balanced melange of sweet, savoury, mildly spiced, briny, tangy and even faintly bitter accents. Augmented by thick fresh salmon slices, we made quick work of the salad.

 

Liquid intake in recent scorching weather is a must and the restorative double-boiled fish maw soup with black mushroom & dried scallop was most welcomed. With slippery smooth fish maw (fa kau), conpoy, black mushroom and wolfberries double-boiled for hours, the salubrious broth really hit the spot.

The biggest show-stealer of our preview was steamed imperial chicken with Chinese herbs and seamoss. Just a whiff of the pungent woody, herbal aroma sent our salivary glands into overdrive and we soon picked the bones clean of the chook. The sublime sauce would have gone superbly with some white rice but we resisted.

Abundance certainly came our way after we relished every bit of the Teochew style steamed pomfret. The fish’s inherent sweetness was discernible, the flesh soft and plump. Pickled mustard (ham choi), sliced black mushroom and custard-soft beancurd helped to boost the dish’s texture and taste profiles too.

You’d laugh with delight upon tasting the deep-fried prawns with lemon mayonnaise sauce. Topped with coarsely ground nuts, the springy shelled crustaceans in a light coating of lemon-infused mayo 'rocked' our palate. Underneath was some diced fruit tossed in mayo, lending unexpected creamy sweetness to the equation.

CNY is possibly one of the major occasions when pricey ingredients appear on the festive menu. Nothing screams luxury like stewed whole abalone with Australian sea cucumber & seamoss so I daresay we dined like a boss that night. Only good manners stopped most of us from licking the plate clean!

Instead of lap mei farn (rice with waxed meat), we raved over the packets of steamed glutinous rice with dried oyster wrapped in lotus leaf. Suffused with the distinctly rustic scent of the lotus leaf, the rice was a total win. Added with the subtly smoky dried oysters, the parcels of irresistible, soulful offering got the thumbs up.

Dessert was kept light yet sweet with osmanthus/sweet olive with lemongrass jelly accompanied by CNY cake (nin kou) with desiccated coconut. While the mildly sweet broth proved to be a nice palate-cleanser, we wished freshly grated coconut had been used in place of the dry, sawdust-like desiccated coconut. Such a pity that dismal, rancid overtone marred an otherwise perfect celebratory dinner.

Yee sang is available in regular (2-5 persons) and large (6-10 persons) servings, starting from RM98 onwards up to RM258. Toh Yuen’s set menus are priced at RM1,618 (Everlasting Happiness Set), RM1,968 (Luck & Joyfulness) or RM2,308 (Sea of Prosperity) per table of 10 persons; available for lunch and dinner until 28 February.

For reservations, call Toh Yuen, tel: 03-7955 9122 x 4073. Hilton Petaling Jaya, Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

ART OF BISTRONOMY AT 2OX

LATEST UPDATE

Effective 11 May 2016, 2OX has become a pork-free restaurant. 

Pork dishes mentioned in this review are no longer in the current menu.

 

The petite powerhouse behind Maison Francaise Sainy Chun has done it again with 2OX. Her months-old bistro venture at The Row (formerly Asian Heritage Row) fits in nicely with the revitalised F&B hub, bringing the art of French bistronomy to KL.

Channelling the effortless downhome chic of French bistros with tasteful facets: pristine white tiled walls, pared-down linear décor and edgy industrial finish, 2OX is out to draw those yearning for reasonably priced French dining with its array of exquisite, rustic specialities.  

A vibrant canvas of voluptuous, carousing personas take centrestage on the feature wall while smaller, intermittent bursts of colour from framed artworks act as supporting cast. The brief bistro-style menu is ample enough to leave you in a quandary on what to choose. Francophiles will lament everything sounds tempting!

The Duck Rillettes with Pickled Gherkins (RM38) won the appetiser tussle alongside Fresh Mozzarella with Tomatoes and Jamon Ham (RM48). We love the rillettes – a traditional speciality features pork, rabbit, goose or other poultry cubed, salted and cooked in lard to tenderise the meat before it is shredded to coarse paste-like consistency.

Known in some parts of France as ‘brown jam’, our serving came with toasted baguette and housemade pickled gherkins and pearl onions, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. The inherent gaminess and richness which reminded me of moist meat floss with subtly sweet-tangy baby gherkins and pearl onions layering their distinct flavours to the spread.

For us, the day’s showstopper belonged to the unbelievably tender Josper Oven Grilled Pork Chop (RM75). My mouth still waters at the memory of the tender meat’s juicy sweetness and spot-on doneness.

 

Heeding the recommendation to sample Les Tripe with Tomato and Spicy Herbs (RM58) also paid off. If you’re a fan of offal like us, the textural symphony: spongy chewiness interjected with slippery flabby bits should hold great appeal. I mopped up every drop of the robustly sublime gravy with bread.

Dessert consists of cherished classics like Crème Brulee (RM15) and Bourguignon Pear and Vanilla Ice Cream (RM20). The former came up to par while the pieces of red wine-suffused pear in the latter was surprisingly sedate. Great if you prefer ethereally light treats that leave you humming with good vibes.

For dinner, you can enjoy a 3-course set at RM88++ per person comprising one cold or warm appetiser, one main and one dessert. Certain dishes come with additional charges so consult with the 2OX team for an ox-cellent dining experience. Pair your choice of dishes up with some wine, served by the glass at RM20-RM28 each.

For reservations, call 2OX, tel: 03-2692 2233. Address: 56G, Jalan Doraisamy, Kuala Lumpur.

10 CNY DISHES TO EAT FOR PROSPERITY AT DYNASTY

Eat your way to prosperity and good fortune at Dynasty restaurant. Prepared by Chef Kok Chee Kin and his team, here’s the Top 10 Must Eat Dishes to usher in the Year of the Monkey:

Fruity Yee Sang

 

Yue as in the raw fish in this colourful salad denotes abundance. This year, Dynasty has added fresh dices of dragonfruit, strawberries, papaya and honeydew to the ubiquitous array of shredded veges, pickles and crisps. It’s to signal sweet beginnings to the new spring season and fortuitous year-long endeavours. Five other variants available from RM108 for 1/2 portion and from RM198 for full portion.

Braised Sun-dried Oysters, Seamoss,

Flower Mushrooms & Roast Pork

The customary pairing of hou si or in this case sun-dried oysters with fatt choi (wispy black hair moss) means good tidings and prosperity. Flower mushrooms are prized for their woody aroma and plump texture once cooked while flabby pork is associated with rising wealth. Truly, a classic celebratory dish that needs no reinvention.

Braised Pork Knuckle, Sea Cucumber & Fresh Mushroom

A timeless fave with the dish touts wang choi jau sau or lucky gains in hand. We were indeed fortunate the knuckle had soft, fall-off-the-bone tenderness and succulent gelatinous texture. Toothsome sea cucumber and spongy mushroom piled on the layers of delightful textures.

Ocean Treasure Soup with Crabmeat

Light and mildly unctuous, the rich broth with hoi sum (sea cucumber), prawns, strips of topshell and enoki aims to soup up on happiness and conpoy resembling ancient Chinese coins for riches. After the first sip, all of us were smiling from ear to ear and thoroughly relished digging into the treasure trove of sumptuous delicacies.

Fortune Combination Platter

This tempting quartet of ‘dragon beard’ rolls, scallops sautéed with asparagus, ‘money bags’ and deep-fried banana seafood rolls in batter signifies financial windfall and bright monetary prospects.

Prawns enrobed in kaitaifi pasty are meant to be dragon’s beard while delicate beancurd pouches stuffed with prawns, minced pork and fish paste are supposed to be money bags. Never mind if these items were eclipsed by the scrumptious battered rolls of banana and seafood.

Grilled Prawns with Spicy Sauce and Green Chilli

Laughter’s the best remedy in life and most festive feasts would include prawns as the Cantonese word har is liken to the sound of hearty ‘ha ha’. The chefs at Dynasty jazzed the prawn dish up with a piquant tomato and hot green chilli sauce to ensure diners laugh till they cry.

Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan & Wild Mushroom

Green vegetable or choy is synonymous with wealth or monetary gains. A great excuse to load up on greens and in this case the no-frills approach is best with mini white capped mushroom for extra textural interest.

Hong Kong Style Waxed Meat Rice in Claypot

Rice bins in the house are filled to the brim during CNY to ensure one’s back account and purse remain chiong moon or always full. Likewise, lap mei (waxed meat) are prized for expanding wealth. When you eat this comforting lap mei farn dish (RM39 per portion), not only would your tummy be full but your financial status too.

Sweetened Fungus, Mixed Jelly & Soya Bean

Sweet dessert broth signals sweetness for the joyous celebration and in life as in the Chinese adage teem teem mutt mutt while the coin-shaped jelly represents lucky gains.

Fortune Pastries

No CNY celebration is complete without nin koh which is a promising wish for yearly growth or heightened prospects. At Dynasty the sweet glutinous cake is sliced and steamed into malleable softness then served with freshly grated coconut. Traditional myth has it this sweetcake was to seal the lips of the Kitchen God on his annual pilgrimage, to prevent him from highlighting mortal foibles to the Jade Emperor.

Diners can go for the Double Happiness Set (RM428nett for 2 persons), Prosperity Treasure Sets at RM838nett and RM1,088nett for a table of 5) while the 8-course Chinese New Year Set for 6 persons is RM988nett. For group of 10 persons, select from lavish 9-course Happiness Set, Fortune Set or Longevity Set priced at RM1,598nett, RM1,988nett and RM2,888nett­­ respectively. Treasure Pot or Poon Choi is priced at RM398nett (ample for 5 persons) and RM888nett (for 10 persons).

For reservations, please call Dynasty Restaurant, tel: 03 2716 9388. Address: Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.