When it comes to innovative and great tasting food, Gu Yu Tien trumps everyone in the market.
This year, their Chinese New Year offerings is a balance of old favourites (as many of their clientele can't do without) and something to summon the dragon, their Dragon Fish Yee Sang (RM98++ for 10 persons).
While Gu Yu Tien still maintain their healthy outlook for their yearly offering of the prosperity yee sang (green coral lettuce, golden raisins, pears, pomelo sacs, salmon sashimi, sesame seeds, strawberry sauce and crunchy "pok chui" crackers), this year sees the addition of these dragon like fishes. These sharp toothed sea fishes add a nice crunchy taste to the whole festivities.
Toss them around and they look like dragons flying in the sky, an auspicious way to usher in the new lunar year.
Nowadays with the outcry of cruelty to sharks, restaurants are saying no to the Chinese delicacy.
Gu Yue Tien tries to balance between the old and the new, offering the two varieties, one with and without.
However, a taste of this sumptuous thick seafood broth filled with crab roe, crab meat, prawn, scallop, squid and tofu cubes will make anyone happy (including those old folks) that they won't nag when they don't see those forbidden fins.
A must-have when you dine here is the superb salt baked Spanish Iberico spare ribs.
It is so finger licking good that you won't mind getting your hands dirty to eat every small morsel of the delicious meat.
I do love my Hunan food hence I was a little surprised to see Chef Frankie unveil these spicy dishes.
I've always pegged him as a Cantonese guy but he showed today his breadth of skills (seems he is also well versed with Shanghainese and Szechuan dishes).
Rather than any old steamed fish, he marries the Western favourite aka the halibut fish with a spicy chillies and garlic topping.
The fish flesh is perfectly steamed until it becomes a creamy texture with its omega rich oil content. The not overly spicy but well balanced chopped red chillies and garlic complement the whole dish so well that you end up lapping every delicious bit.
I've always loved the steamed fish here and for those who prefer more delicate flavours, you can opt instead for their steamed australia jade perch fish with light soy sauce. Another omega oil rich fish, the flesh is silky smooth especially when dipped in their aromatic but not overpowering sauce.
While Chef Frankie is open to all types of Chinese food, he prefers to keep his Szechuan dishes to a lower spice level for it to reveal its many layers of flavours.
For instance, he ingeniously pairs the classic Szechuan Ma Po Tofu (named after this pockmarked lady, claims the legend) with these silky smooth noodles. The flavours in this dish is incredibly controlled for you pick up its subtle nuances - the bean paste used in the sauce, each niblet of the minced meat, the silky tofu cubes and the chopped chillies. The slight spicy taste is rather appetizing too that seems to warrant seconds even though you are full to the brim.
From the fieriness, we cool down with the aromatic Chinese almonds cream. Boasting a strong flavour of the Chinese almonds (which are in truth apricot kernels), this was lusciously smooth. Chopped fruits add a textural contrast while the scoop of vanilla ice cream gives it a creamy cool edge.
Specially for the festive season and a must to keep those reporting Kitchen Gods abay from spreading nasty rumours about you, is the traditional nian gao.
Usually pan fried, Gu Yue Tien also does the steamed version that gives it a soft melt in the mouth texture that is seasoned with salt and rolled in fresh coconut shreds. A much healthier and unusual version compared to the pan fried one. While most of the Chinese New Year sets they have feature the pan fried nian gao, you can request for this healthier version if you like.
For the festive season, the restaurant has various menus to cater to your needs. Prices start from RM738++ to RM3,999++ for ten persons. They also cater to small parties (minimum two persons) so check out their offerings. (I will place the scanned menus in my Flickr set later in the day).
Gu Yue Tien
Lot B5-A, Chulan Square
92 Jalan Raja Chulan
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2148 0808
(Non Halal. Restaurant closed only on the first day of Chinese New Year but open throughout the celebrations. For more pictures, see the Flickr set.)
*This is an invited review by the owner.
Tis the season for yee sang, the colourful salad that rings in our prosperity wishes.
Recently, we rolled off the celebrations with dinner at Chef Choi. It was actually more of a dinner to celebrate a friend's return from Europe and the USA with lots of goodies for us to savour.
Since the festive season was just round the corner, we also indulged in the festive goodies such as the yee sang. The version was very much the traditional one with the crunchy yam shreds, ocean trout sashimi and a drench of their yummy plum sauce.
Another festive must have is the lap mei fan and Chef Choi's version is a teensy weensy healthier with the use of low GI basmati rice instead of the normal white rice. While it means you sacrifice the crust, this version mean you can finish your rice happily after a full meal. The waxed meats are superb including the famous goose liver sausages from Hong Kong's Yung Kee. Surprisingly locally made lap cheong is used and it is just as good as the Hong Kong versions.
There was also a lot more indulging that night including this melt in the mouth braised pork shoulder served together with all those yummy Chinese New Year goodies such as mushrooms, fatt choy, dried oysters and fresh scallops.
We ate our greens in the form of braised wah wah choy with dried scallops dutifully as we knew more rich crazy carbs was coming our way. This braised dish is always a big favourite of mine that I often have second helpings of the smooth cabbage with the broth and dried scallops.
This was simply gorgeous - the special fried glutinous rice with Hong Kong goose liver sausage. If I wasn't so full from my lap mei fan, I would have eaten loads of this. The sausage adds a nice rich taste to the rice as each nibble bursts into a umami fat laden explosion in the mouth. Since we could not finish this, takeaways were packed and people were eyeing this for their supper or breakfast the next day.
Finally desserts to end the magnificent meal - the traditional crispy Chinese New Year cake with yam encased in a crispy batter and the very not traditional tiramisu. The tiramisu is simply gorgeous and very light tasting since beaten egg whites are folded to lighten the mascarpone cheese.
So much indulging with great food....thus the best thing of these festivals.
Chef Choi Restaurant
159, Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2163 5866
(Non Halal. For more details on the Chinese New Year set menus, see the Flickr set that also contains more pictures.)
*The meal was part of a private dinner between friends where the host paid for the meal.
Toss your way to prosperity.....the Year of Dragon is just round the corner.
It feels like just yesterday that New Year zipped past us and now another big celebration is due on the horizon. I must admit I'm not ready for the celebrations. Nevertheless, there's no way to stop time from ticking away so the best thing is to make it a great celebration.
Elegant Inn is often our de facto choice for family dinners hence it was cool to get a preview of their Chinese New Year offerings. Makes planning for that all important reunion meal so much easier.
At the Hong Kong centric restaurant, even their yee sang is different - a combination of three items to make it even more bountiful - salmon, clams and crunchy jellyfish. Keeping health in mind and taste, their prosperity dish does not contain a single strand of pickled vegetable or deep fried shredded yam. Instead it is all vegetables - a medley of turnip, pear, radish, carrots, maybe just one pickled leek, pomelo, cucumber and ginger. There is also the must-haves aka the pok pok chui or crackers with a sprinkle of pepper, salt, oil, plum sauce and a generous sprinkle of coarsely ground peanuts.
The wait staff in Elegant Inn add a touch of specialty to the yearly affair by adding auspicious sayings. All the better I reckon to toss and lo sang away to good health, prosperity and whatever our heart wishes.
Once the salad is finished down to its last crunchy cracker, we enjoy a "simple" starter - crunchy salt and pepper coated oyster mushrooms paired with decadent smoked egg topped with a piece of pan fried foie gras.
Prawns are a must for the occasion since they signify happiness. You will be happy to get these sea based crustaceans lovingly coated in a light wine sauce. Believe me, the sauce is finger licking good that I ended up even chewing on the shells for every drop of its delicious sauce.
Next comes an interesting dish, a play of textures in the mouth and of course, the flavours. Nicknamed the crunchy Chinese sandwich, this was a layered beauty. First layer enclosing it was a pillow soft bun, followed by a crispy chicken skin lightly touched with prawn paste that sandwiches a crunchy soybean skin nacho. Lastly a piece of Chinese ham completes this delectable sandwich that you has you clamoring for more.
The piece de resistance was the old fashioned braised pork cartilage rib slow cooked for four hours to fork tender meat and soft bone. The green radish and carrot balances out the rich taste of the dish that you wish you had a bowl of rice to soak up every drop of that delectable liquid.
One must not forget Elegant Inn's infamous lap mei fan. The waxed meats are all handpicked from Hong Kong with a rice that is cooked to fluffy perfection with just a teeny weeny crust at the bottom.
My personal favourite was the simmered Chinese cabbage with Japanese dried scallops and HK dried prawns. The vegetable is cooked till tender and infused with the lovely aroma from the dried seafood that I had to have seconds of this dish.
Like a person once told me before, dessert is reserved for a second stomach. Not sure if this is a true since I don't think we have the anatomy of a cow that boasts of multiple stomachs.
However, when it comes to sweets, we seem to always find a way to consume it including such seasonal items like the New Year cake or ning ko. Elegant Inn's version is just pan fried till it becomes a soft delectable gooey cake with crispy sides. They also make their own hazelnut cookies that have a simple yet alluring taste. Pair this with a lovely red bean paste with black glutinous rice.
Last but not least, a meal is never complete at Elegant Inn without my favourite dessert, their fluffy Ma Lai Koh or steamed cake. The pillow soft steamed cakes are gorgeous and always a must order for the family.
I reckon this meal at Elegant Inn has sealed the deal on where we'll be eating reunion dinner soon. How about you? Where will dinner be? Homeward bound or out at the restaurant for the celebrations.
Elegant Inn
Second Floor
Podium Block
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2070 9399
(Non Halal. For the festive season, there are also a variety of Chinese New Year menus starting from RM1, 088 for 10 persons. Enquire within for the full set meal details.)
*This meal was an invited one. For more pictures and the set menus, see the Flickr set.
Happy 2012. The long silence was a well deserved break from blogging. Blame it on work, a lot of partying, general laziness to even start the Mac every night or maybe just the rain....or the lack of it?
Am back with the first post for the year (pats her own back with a smug smile) with new fangled popsicles crafted from gelato and sorbet. Just think of it as upgrading the "ais krim potong" we all grew up with. These modern sticks are said to be made from all natural ingredients that gives it a creamier bite that beats those commercial sticks filled with palm oil or non dairy elements hands down.
As usual, our city is always a follower versus a trend setter and these gelato popsicles first made waves in New York since 2010. Last year, Singapore joined the pop (pun intended) line up too. Unlike those generic over the counter ice cream popsicles, these lickable portable babies pack more intense flavour as you slowly savour each bite of the popsicle.
Here is my initial look at what Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya is offering. With this sweltering heat or what we know as the "Chinese New Year" weather, who knows.....this craze may just spread all over to Malaysia faster than Chatime's expansion....
G Stick, Ben's General Store, Publika, Solaris Dutamas
Housed within BIG, that glorious supermarket packed with goodies everyone wants to get their hands on, G Stick claims to serve gelato sticks made from homemade all natural ice creams and sorbets. Each stick is priced at RM8.90. They carry fruit based flavours such as mango, raspberry or even those mixed with yoghurt to give it a creamier aftertaste with less calories. There are some classic gelato flavours like pistachio, chocolate hazelnut and unusual festive ones like chestnut and Christmas pudding. Even the Japanese black sesame is available here.
In addition, you can also select gelato sticks dipped with various "additions". These range from a sinful dark chocolate coating, chopped pistachio nuts and even marshmallows for the rocky road version. Rather than the usual candy bar look, they even do enticing heart shapes.
I sampled the pistachio decadently half covered with dark chocolate with a sprinkle of pistachio nuts. It has a dense creamy texture with a strong natural pistachio flavour. Since it was eaten in an air conditioned area, the gelato stick didn't melt as fast. It only ended a quick demise because I miscalculated how much weight on one side the chocolate coated one would have as I ate through the gelato side.
The downside I reckon would be that the sticks don't move that fast out of the store so freshness could possibly be slightly compromised. After one week of observing the place, I still see the same line of flavours. Nevertheless, a big thumbs up for the G sticks as I really feel I'm eating creamy gelato as I leave it to melt a bit. If I wasn't watching what I ate in anticipation of the Chinese New Year feasting, I'll grab a popsicle everytime I visit BIG.
Gelato Di Bruno, Candylicious, Suria KLCC
Gelato Di Bruno is housed within every dentist's nightmare aka Candylicious. The place serves a few varieties of gelatos - a variety of different flavours in the traditional manner and also in the stick form. There's a few offerings - the cutesy gelato stick for RM9, the cookie lollipop for RM12 and the sorbet lolly (price is around RM9 if I am not mistaken).
The gelato stick looked more like a cake pop on a small popsicle stick since it was just a teeny weeny scoop of gelato coated with pink, white and dark chocolate and sprinked with chocolate sprinkles or even stars. There's different flavours such as tiramisu, chocolate and vanilla. While the gelato is nice and creamy, I didn't like its taste since the chocolate has a rather fake and sweet flavour. The cookie lollipop looked like a bigger version of the gelato stick.
Not determined on just leaving after sampling the teeny weeny gelato stick, I sampled the sorbet lolly. They had flavours such as mango and raspberry. Luckily I gave it a try as it was excellent. Packed with lots of fruity flavours, the popsicle was very refreshing and extremely moreish. I can envision me polishing a few sticks especially since its a fruit based lolly, it must be healthier right?
Stickhouse, Sunway Pyramid, Petaling Jaya
In terms of perfect placing, one must admit that Stickhouse has it down pat down....right in front of the ice skating rink at LG2, Sunway Pyramid. There's no end of stream of kids clamouring for a gelato stick here. Moreover, that smooth span of ice with the skaters twirling around always seem to start the cravings for something cold.
This Phillipines based franchise has a mammoth variety of flavours that they break down to classic (RM6.90) and premium (RM8.90) flavours. They also offer mini versions at RM4.90 such as the tangy lemon, creamy milk and everyone's all time, chocolate. The Classic flavours range from the fruity green apple, pineapple, orange, watermelon and the creamier flavours like yoghurt and vanilla. Premium flavours include hazelnut, soy, coffee, milk, grape, mango, strawberry and kiwi.
You also have the option to dip your popsicle in chocolate (a choice of white, dark or milk that varies depending on availability) for an extra RM1. Chopped nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios can also be added for another extra RM1.
I managed to taste the rich hazelnut or Giandula dipped in dark chocolate with a hazelnut topping. The taste is definitely above par from the commercial ones. However in comparison with the G Stick, I felt the taste wasn't as creamy or intense. Stickhouse claims in their brochures that everything is made from 100% natural ingredients. These include a vegetable fibre called inulina that helps increase the absorption of calcium, aids digestion and reduces cholestrol, sodium caseinate that is a protein from milk. Egg white is also added to help to blend air in the mixture while carob bean flour is used as a natural stabilizer to prevent the ice cream from melting too fast. The popsicles also contain fructose, that is low glycemic.
The stall also runs special promotions like their Dip n' Top Friday (which is today, yay!) where you answer a trivia question to qualify for a free chocolate dip and topping. Their second outlet is at Ara Damansara's Citta Mall, Lot G-K07. Next one currently in the pipeline is located at Publika, Solaris Dutamas. To keep in touch with the Stickhouse people, surf their Facebook page.
For more pictures, see the Flickr Set.
Happy Popping. For first timers, just go pop the cherry and have a gelato stick as there's nothing like a cool lolly to beat the heat.
Life tends to deal out some weird cards.
Behind a bad show of hands, a joker seems to pop up to give us a little light and hope at the end of a dark tunnel.
Take for instance, this particular gem of a place.
While I had noticed it for some time, I only discovered that it served fabulous nasi lemak when I ate it at the most unlikely of places i.e. a funeral wake.
It felt a little weird to be stuffing our faces in a wake.
We had politely resisted the alluring nasi lemak packets on the table but some hungry tummies opened a packet that started a string of us falling down to its delectableness.
Unlike the fiery sambals usually shoved in the nasi lemak packets, this one has a home made feel with aromatic coconut rice, half a hard boiled egg and a sprinkling of deep fried ikan bilis and peanuts.
You get a choice of chicken rendang (RM5 per packet) or sambal sotong (RM4.50). I love both as they taste rather like what mum would have whipped up.
If you dine in, the bakery also serves curry laksa (RM8.50), an honest to goodness bowl packed with fishcake, bean sprouts, prawns, sliced omelette, chicken and tofu puffs. While I would have liked cockles, this version is still rather nice. Next time I think I'll try the Hainan noodles or the tomyam bee hoon. There is also toast and breakfast items.
Don't forget to pack back some goodies in the form of tiny tarts for RM1.60 each. I selected an assortment for the office - cheese with blueberry, chicken and apple. The pastry is light as air that has you hankering for more after the tiny bite.
Bakery Joy
No. 4, Jalan SS24/13
Taman Megah
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-78055188
(Pork free. Place is open till 9pm. For more pictures see my Flickr set. Bakery is sandwiched between Fatty Crab and Bake with Yen, the bakery supply shop.)
*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.
Pad Thai in a Croissant
Dining at Erawan is always a grand treat.
This is chiefly due to Chef Korn's exquisite touch to all his dishes including these new ones he premiered recently one Sunday.
Held among close friends, the party was also to celebrate their recent success in the Miele Guide 2011/2012 (they have now been elevated to the top three in Malaysia)
In addition, steadfast favourites such as the cockle curry, grilled scallops with Thai style salad, salmon sashimi, Panaeng beef curry and a lamb version of their massaman curry were also served.
sashimi salmon salad served on an endive leaf
Lunch started out with some fusion items.
Pad Thai was given a new form, as a croissant sandwich.
Instead of noodles, the prawns, beansprouts with a sweet sauce was served in an easy to eat-and-go style sandwich. Rather perfect for a midnight snack, as I write this with my belly rumbling away.
scallops with Thai style salad made from lemongrass, fried shallots and kaffir lime leaf
Another perfect to go item was the Thai fishcake burger. Served with a tangy plum sauce, the pan-fried fish cake with kaffir lime leaves was paired with sliced cucumbers, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce.
Thai fishcake burger
Intermingling with the new items were also some regular dishes such as the plump juicy grilled scallops topped with a tangy refreshing Thai salad of fried shallots, lemongrass and kaffir lime (RM60). Another regular was the mieng kam served with daun kadok leaves, roast duck and pomelo.
We also enjoyed the salmon sashimi salad (RM58 for 200g salmon sashimi) that was served on these slightly bitter tasting endive leaves that had a lovely crunchy texture. The cubed salmon was tossed in a spicy dressing made from ground roasted rice, lime and chillies.
Lemongrass prawns
One of my big favourites was the lemongrass prawns. Each juicy and crunchy prawn was tossed in this slightly sweet sauce with minced garlic and topped with lemongrass. I shamelessly had quite a few helpings of this dish.
deep fried flying fish
There were loads more such as various curries mingling with a magnificent looking deep fried flying fish. A lamb massaman curry with potatoes was excellent and we even sampled a new curry, a Northern beef version with nuts known as Pang Hang Lay.
chicken and spices curry
One of the dishes is a new item known as chicken and spices curry (RM48) already introduced since this September, a mild chicken curry cooked to an old recipe using lots of spices such as cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, caraway seed, cloves, cardamom and coriander seed. This is served with sweet green chilli peppers.
Thai Laksa two versions: creamy curry and tangy fish stock base
As a treat, there was even Thai Laksa. Two versions were made - the rich creamy one and a tangy tamarind based broth with fish chunks. Both were served with fishballs and the traditional rice noodles. Both were equally good that I had a hard time choosing which one to have seconds.
Another great dish was the roast duck served with crispy fried Thai basil leaves. Love the juicy pieces of roast duck breast that goes well with the aromatic basil leaves.
cockle curry
One of my all-time favourites is the cockle curry (RM38) served with daun kadok or betel leaves. Erawan prides themselves for serving premium cockles - large juicy ones - cooked to perfection unlike those rubbery cooked-to-death specimens we get in char kuey teow.
lup chup
We don't stop at appetizers and mains as there are sweets to nibble on such as exquisitely shaped Lup Chup - tiny fruit shaped desserts with a mungbean filling. There's loads to choose from - papayas, bananas, grapes, apples and etc.
Also on hand were these irrestible crunchy deep-fried puffs (like those peanut puffs we get for Chinese New Year) except these ones had a savoury filling made from dried shrimp.
apple cinnamon with black pepper, star anise served with vanilla ice cream
Last but not least, we ended with a cold treat - vanilla ice cream served with apples spiced up with cinnamon, star anise and Sarawak black pepper.
The apples still have a soft bite to them. Really lovely end to a wonderful lunch.
All the extra menu items here can be ordered ahead. Abide by Erawan's pre-ordering rule and you will have a great feast waiting for you. More pictures are in the Flickr collection.
Erawan Classic Thai and Fusion
22 Jalan PJU 5/16
Kota Damansara
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-61412393
(Pork Free. For full details on the menu, opening times and etc, see their website from the link.)
*This meal was an invited one.
