CNY MENUS WITH RITZY TWISTS AT LI YEN

Yee Sang – the harbinger of auspiciousness and prosperity returns to herald the Year of the Dog highlighting salmon, tuna or abalone variants at Li Yen, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.

The raw fish slices came prettily arranged, shaped like flower blossoms with the various freshly shredded vegetables, crushed nuts, crisps and pickles forming the base. After the whole gamut of ingredients were thoroughly tossed and stirred, the colourful salad tickled our tastebuds with a milieu of bright, tantalising flavours and multiple textures.

Available from 15 to 18 February 2018, Executive Chinese Chef Leung Kwai Hong and his team will showcase their culinary prowess in specially composed set lunch menus priced from RM1,388 nett per table of 10 persons and set dinner priced from RM1,888 nett per table of 10. Should you wish to sample the Chinese New Year celebration menus before the promotional period, just call Li Yen ahead of time to make it happen.

We were lucky to enjoy samplings of the festive specialities in store; handpicked from Li Yen's different set menus. Our lavish lunch opening volley comprised Steamed Siew Mai with Crab Meat, Steamed Oyster with Seamoss, and Deep-fried Meat & Minced Prawn Rolls from Li Yen’s popular dim sum selection. As expected, the scrumptious morsels were on-point with delightful textural appeal of prawns and plump dried oysters discernible.

Abalone is a perennial delicacy on many festive tables during CNY as the premium shellfish or bao yue symbolises smooth progress to the Chinese. We made good of the Double-boiled Chicken Soup with Abalone and Mushroom too; lapping up every salubrious drop of the heartwarming soup.

Subtle, contrasting textures and delicate nuances prevailed in the Steamed Bamboo Fish with Chinese Ham. A refined dish brimming with clear, unadulterated Cantonese influences, I daresay no Chinese food connoisseurs will ever tire of eating it.

A well-thought out menu always has something for everyone and the set menus at this elegant restaurant is no exception. Li Yen Special Roast Chicken should get the thumbs up from younger diners thanks to the crispy skin and moist, juicy meat. Surrounded by prawn crackers, we love the old-school touch that harks back to the good ol’ days.

The speciality of Stir-fried Prawns with Chilli Paste was notable too thanks to the irresistible tangy-sweet-eggy sauce smothering the springy, shelled crustaceans. A dish guaranteed to leave you LOL or at least, smiling from ear to ear.

 

Specially imported Chinese sausages and waxed meat from Hong Kong are the central ingredient for the signature Steamed Claypot Rice with Chinese Waxed Meat. It took about 45-minute of painstaking preparation using selected Chinese herbs and the waxed meat to render the rice deliciously flavour-rich.

Dessert is kept simple with familiar crowd-pleasing options - think Black Sesame Dumplings in Red Bean Soup among them, to sweeten your celebratory meal.

For reservations and enquiries on the Lunar New Year dining experiences, call Li Yen, tel: 03 2782 9122. Address: Level 2, The Ritz-Carlton KL, 168, Jalan Imbi, KL. www.ritzcarlton.com

A JOURNEY THROUGH TEA AT NEWENS TEA HOUSE

The luxurious ritual of partaking afternoon tea goes creatively thematic at Newens Tea House this January to March.

Billed as A Journey Through Tea, Newens Tea House should be a compelling stopover for Anglophiles partial to Traditional English High Tea. Available daily throughout January, we had a sneak preview of the triple tier of classic afternoon tea favourites.

Splendid openers comprised delicate Finger Sandwiches with Salmon, and Beef & Cucumber, Cheese with Crackers and Scones served with Clotted Cream and Preserves.

Newens’ signature Maids of Honour Tarts in Chocolate & Apple variants were also part of the tea-rrific temptations. Airy-light yet crisp with a soft centre, legend has it the irresistible treat came from a 500-year old recipe confiscated by King Henry VIII. The king kept it under lock and key after he found the sweet-savoury tart made by one of Queen Anne Boleyn’s maids of honour very much to his liking.

 

The Traditional English High Tea also included shot glasses of Trifle, Red Velvet Cake and Lemon Meringue Tart accompanied by a free-flow of Orange Pekoe Tea. 

Come February, Newens Tea House will pay tribute to Chinese New Year with its Spring in China Tea. The selection of pastries highlighted a decidedly Oriental slant with scrumptious offerings of Shanghainese Sizzling Chicken Dumplings and Baked Crispy Chicken Puffs, accompanied by free-flow of Pai Mu Tan (white peony) tea – a subtly sweet, floral Chinese tea brewed from unopened tea buds.

Dainty portions of Osmanthus Flower Jelly with Water Chestnuts, Steamed Layer Cake with Custard Cream and Salted Egg Yolk, Baked Egg Tarts, Pineapple Tarts and Fruit Cake will also sweeten the festive coterie.

To herald the arrival of spring in March and the cherry blossom season in Japan, Newens will be serving Japanese-inspired tea Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea. 

Exquisite morsels of California Hand Roll, Salmon Sashimi, Makimono Tamago (Omelette Roll), and Makimono Kani (Crabmeat Roll) will be paired with free-flow of aromatic Wild Cherry Tea. Completing the experience will be Sakura-Themed Mini Cakes and Pralines.

The above thematic tea experiences are available throughout each respective month at RM150 nett per set (for two persons), daily from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Newens Tea House is renowned for their 300-year-old tea drinking heritage that has been re-imagined for the 21st century.

Guests who wish to order any of the thematic afternoon tea beyond the stated promotional period can do so with a minimum booking of 6 tea sets, for 12 pax. A minimum of 3 days advance notice is required.

The signature Maid of Honour tarts (RM12 each) are also available for takeaway in a gift box of either 4 or 9 pieces.

For more information or reservations, call Newens Tea House, tel: 03 2719 8550 or email: newens@ytlhotels.com.my. Newens Tea House is located at Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.