Thursday, January 23, 2020

NOBLE CNY OFFERINGS FROM THE ORIENTAL GROUP


Trust Chinese cuisine supremo and Group Executive Chef of The Oriental Group of Restaurants Justin Hor to make a big splash for the arrival of the Rat Year...his Alaskan Spider Crab Vegetables Yee Sang (RM198++ medium, RM298++ large) is an unmatched festive dish to rule them all.
Available at all restaurants under the Oriental Group except Ruyi & Lyn, the fresh melange of shredded green apple, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, spring onion, coriander, raisins, crushed peanuts and dried mandarin peel is luxed up with freshly extracted and shredded Alaskan spider crab meat. Lightly dressed with the chef’s specially concocted plum sauce, the yee sang easily ranks as one of the best in town.
Chef Justin agrees the inclusion of Alaskan spider crab is a tad indulgent but he surmises such an extravagant culinary treat befits a major occasion like Chinese New Year when kith and kin gather around a good meal.
Diners welcoming the Rat Year at Oriental Pavilion, Noble Mansion and Noble House can look forward to a familiar favourite and the much sought-after speciality of Whole Pork Trotter with Hokkaido XL Dried Scallops, Japanese Mushrooms and Quail Eggs (RM488++ per portion).
Every ringgit spent is worth your while as Chef Justin and his team have devoted much time and effort into the dish’s painstaking preparation; to ensure the resultant pork trotter is sublimely fall-of-the-bone tender, every bite of the pork, skin and gelatinous bits thoroughly suffused with rich, savoury flavours augmented by black sea moss and XL dried scallops. Both the tau kan (compressed layers of beancurd skin) and plump mushrooms ooze with the unctuous braising sauce, amplifying their deliciousness.
Crazy about crabs? Then you’d love the speciality of Crabs Prepared Two Ways: Deep Fried Crab Claws with Red Vinegar and Crab Meat with Scrambled Egg in Lettuce Wraps (RM238++ per portion for 4 persons, available at The Ming Room and Noble House).
 
It’s a dream dish for diners and crab lovers who prefer not to get their hands dirty. The first comprises a sweet chunk of crab meat encased in deep-fried prawn paste wrapped atop a crab leg similar to a lollipop for easy eating. We find the whole morsel so delectably on-point when it’s dipped into some red vinegar for a subtle shot of acidity.
For smoother and creamier mouth feel, the latter consists of hand-extracted crab meat cooked gently with cream, egg white and a dash of vinegar, scooped into fresh iceberg lettuce; evocative of an old-school banquet dish of scrambled egg with shark’s fin.
 
Frolic in glorious abundance this CNY with Steamed Deep Sea Garoupa with Fresh Abalones and Prawn Medallions in Casserole Basket (RM388++ per portion for 8 persons), a house speciality of the Oriental Star restaurant. The fish is sweet with the right doneness, the prawns springy and succulent, and the abalones boast a nice garlicky punch.
Bottarga or salted dried mullet roe – a pricey delicacy favoured by Taiwanese gourmands – is the ingredient of choice to elevate the Crystal Prawns with Gold Caviar Sauce (RM128++ per portion).
Combined with lemon juice and red chilli oil, the mildly savoury sauce coating the prawns bestow a distinct richness similar to cheese. Break the giant beancurd bowl into shards to complement the prawns for a refined epicurean treat. This speciality is available at all Oriental Group restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu.
Tender French beans help to lighten up the ubiquitous Steamed Rice with Waxed Meat Hakka Style (RM78++ medium, RM128++ large). Available at all Oriental Group restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu, this festive favourite still has its die-hard fans who never tire of sampling the fragrant rice with slices of waxed liver and pork sausages in addition to waxed meat.
 
The last hurrah is as auspicious as the dessert name: Golden Pudding with Bird’s Nest in Whole Orange (RM23++ each). Served in hollowed-out orange ‘bowls’, we rave over the delightful orange jelly topped with bird’s nest.
 
Of course, every CNY meal calls for a serving of nin kou (sweet glutinous rice cake). At the Oriental group of restaurants except for Seafood World, Ruyi and Yu, it’s in the form of dainty Deep Fried Sesame Balls with Nin Kou (RM5++ per pc) to round up the celebratory feast.
For reservations and information, visit The Oriental Group of Restaurants website: www.orientalrestaurants.com.my

Friday, January 17, 2020

YUMMY OLD AND NEW EATS FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR AT DORSETT GRAND SUBANG


Oishi is the word that comes to our lips as we savour the multi-colour Japanese Style Prosperity Yee Sang with Crispy Fish Skin & Salmon (RM98++ half portion, RM138++ full portion) at The Emperor restaurant.
Available with a choice of traditional plum sauce or Japanese wasabi sauce, this celebratory salad platter is the tip of the CNY culinary parade rustled up by Executive Chinese Chef Bryan Teh and his team.
Pix courtesy of Chasingfooddreams.com
Having won three Gold Medals: from Shanghai International Top Chefs Invitational Competition, the 2019 Malaysia World Elite Chefs Championship and the 2019 Asian Culinary Exchange competition in Japan, in addition to a Silver Medal from the 2019 World Master Chefs Competition for Cantonese Cuisine held in Macao, the jovial chef and his team are ready to cook up a storm of old and new dishes for Chinese New Year.
Right off the bat, the Yee Sang gets a resounding thumbs up. Other variants to tickle your tastebuds include Jelly Fish & Fresh Fruits (RM68++ half portion RM108++ full portion), Salmon & Korean Pear (RM68++ half portion RM138++ full portion), Baby Abalone & Korean Pear ((RM138++ half portion RM168++ full portion) and Soft Shell Crab (RM88++ half portion RM168++ full portion).
Pix courtesy of Chasingfooddreams.com
CNY celebrants can also feast to their hearts’ content with three set menus available: Prosperity Set Menu (RM1,188 nett), Wealthy Set Menu (RM1,388 nett) and Happiness Set Menu (RM1,688 nett), each catering to a table of 8-10 persons.
The festive specialities in the Wealthy Set Menu are proof why The Emperor still rules as a favoured haunt for dining like kings among the corporate crowd and Subang residents. Especially after they slurp up a salubrious bowl of Double Boiled Matsutake Mushroom with Bamboo Pith and Farm Village Chicken.
Every spoonful of the nutritious, wholesome broth is more enjoyable and beneficial than popping supplements. Palate-pleasing textures emerge when you nibble on the earthy matsutake mushroom; a subtle contrast to the soft, spongy bamboo pith and chunks of fall-off-the-bone chicken.
A believer of the ‘old is gold’ adage, Chef Bryan Teh decides a timeless serving of Roast Crispy Chicken updated with Sweet Corn & Butter won’t go remiss for familial CNY feasting. He’s right.
 
Crispy skin- checked. Juicy meat – checked. The pile of buttery sweet corn niblets bursting with delicate sweetness, transforms the dish into something to crow about.
It’s wise of the chef to go with the usual flow when it comes to the perennial fish dish on such a significant occasion. Thanks to his own saucy concoction using superior soya sauce from Lee Kum Kee, the noteworthy Hong Kong Style Steamed Mandarin Fish with Superior Soya Sauce makes quite a splash with us. We appreciate the fish’s natural sweetness remains discernible, complemented by the aromatic soya sauce.
 
More soya sauce wizardry is apparent from the scrumptious Wok-Fried Tiger Prawns with Superior Soya Sauce. Slicked like shellac, the dark savoury glaze enveloping each crustacean entices us into much finger-licking and shell-sucking before the prawns are duly devoured.
Good things not only come to those who wait but also to diners who savour the auspicious-sounding dish of Braised Black Mushroom with Dried Oysters & Sea Moss. Plump and succulent, the black mushrooms paired with smoky dried oysters and fine hair-like seamoss are always eaten with gusto throughout the festivities – as hou si, fatt choi denotes the ushering in of good things and prosperity.
 
Instead of waxed meat rice, modernity and growing health-consciousness prompted the creation of new, almost guilt-free Steamed Organic Brown Rice with Glutinous Rice & Smoked Duck. A most mouth-watering speciality with a healthy spin yet suitably tasty for festive feasting. 
A sweet conclusion to the celebratory meal is Double Boiled Red Dates with Sweet Peach Resin & Snow Fungus. Refreshing and light, the cooling broth ensures diners will succumb to the dessert duo of Deep Fried Chinese New Year Cake & Pandan Coconut Milk Jelly.
Receive a Lee Kum Kee goody bag (while stocks last) when you reserve a table on the eve of and first day of Chinese New Year at The Emperor. Should you decide to partake the Wealthy Set Menu, you stand to win a special Gift Box courtesy of Lee Kum Kee (limited to 2 sets daily).
Pix courtesy of Dorsett Grand Subang
Advance reservations is compulsory from the eve of Chinese New Year until 8 February 2020. Call The Emperor, tel: 03-5031 6060 or email: bookfnb.subang@dorsetthotels.com or visit www.dorsetthotels.com/malaysia/subang


Tuesday, January 14, 2020

DECADENT CHINESE NEW YEAR DINING AT YUN HOUSE


Get the Lunar New Year celebration off to a decadent, impactful start with super-fresh Salmon Belly Yee Sang at Yun House this coming Year of the Rat.
Chef Jimmy Wong keeps his salad creation simple and fresh. The platter features 18 ingredients such as fresh magnolia petals, pomelo sacs, finely shredded carrot and radish. For colour, flavour and textural interest, dried yam strips, pickled radish, pickled onion, pickled ginger, walnuts, fried flour crisps and fried Norwegian salmon skin are included.
Topping the platter off with a distinctive flourish is a portion of crunchy deep-fried sang meen (wheat noodles). We like the novelty of breaking the crunchy noodles into smaller chunks during the lou hei (tossing) ritual as the gesture represents auspicious breakthrough for brand-new beginnings. To tantalise the palate further, Chef Jimmy proffers a tangy-sweet dressing concocted from plum sauce, white vinegar, apple jam and salt for the yee sang.
 
Thoughtfully curated, the festive menu integrates light and substantial fare, with a precursor of the Chef’s Special Dim Sum Platter. Delicately handcrafted, we enjoy every bite of the delicious Mushroom & Truffle Oil Dumpling. A dainty piece of Steamed Radish Cake with Dried Scallop whets the appetite before the delectable Spring Roll with Foie Gras & Seafood suffuses our tastebuds with its richer flavours.
 
Lush with hearty umami taste and differing textures, we feel richly rewarded when savouring the Braised Money Bag filled with Abalone. A befitting speciality to relish for the CNY celebration as both the dried oyster and abalone symbolise good things, abundant fortune and prosperity. 
 
The on-point selection continues with Braised Vermicelli with Fresh Crabmeat and Caviar. Pin-drop silence reigns around the table as we focus on slurping up the slippery smooth noodles imbued with the natural sweetness of hand-extracted crabmeat, interspersed with briny bursts of caviar.
 
My penchant for almond milk is fulfilled when the Dessert Duo of Doubled Boiled Superior Bird’s Nest with Almond Cream and Chef’s Special Fried Rice Cake is served. Every spoonful leaves me in gastronomic heaven, the creamy nuttiness melding nicely with generous amount of bird’s nest.
Even the simple nin koh or New Year rice cake comes up trumps, lightly sheathed in a crisp batter concocted from tempura flour, olive oil and water.
Chef Jimmy Wong’s specially curated Chinese New Year Set Menus (RM388-
688 per head) are available now until February 8. The repertoire of choice dishes is the chef’s personal favourites to pamper his loved ones; culled from his treasure trove of family recipes exclusively for this celebration.
Priced from RM148 nett onwards, Yee Sang variants at Yun House include Salmon Belly, Toro and Australian Lobster. Dim Sum is also served for lunch at RM10-45 nett per portion.
For reservations at Yun House, call Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2382 8888. Address: Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang, KL. Visit: https://www.fourseasons.com/kualalumpur/dining/restaurants/yun-house/

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...