GET SET FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR AT EQ

It was love at first bite the minute we savoured the Apple Wood Smoked Chicken Roulade with Barbecue Sauce. Served with Mashed Potato and Mixed Mesclun Lettuce, the show-stealer is one of Golden Phoenix’s Chinese New Year (CNY) menu specialities.

Light barbecue sauce enhanced the smoky-briny chicken roll whilst creamy potato mash and toasted sesame dressing laced mixed mesclun lettuce salad lent a refreshing spin to the dish.

The first salvo opened with a 10-head Abalone Yee Sang to herald a boisterous start for the impending Snake Year. Yee sang choices at EQ this year range from Norwegian salmon and jellyfish to advance orders of fresh Canadian geoduck and Austrian lobster. Portions start from RM128 for a small serving (4-6 persons), to RM668 for a large portion (6-10 persons).

 

Drawing from its 50-year-old culinary heritage, Golden Phoenix returns annually for Chinese New Year as a pop-up, serving familiar classics as well as debuting new dishes for the Year of the Snake.

 

Soul-satisfying umami flavours from Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Matsutake Mushroom and Fish Maw warmed our hearts and tummies with every sip. We relished the assorted ingredients’ contrasting textures and their warm, rustic depths.

Hot on its heels came Steamed Tiger Grouper with Cordycep Flowers and Red Dates. The fish’s fine flesh flaunted on-point doneness; its subtle sweetness dialled up by plump red dates with earthy cordyceps flowers providing textural variation.

More of the appetising dark soya sauce would have ensured the Fried Tiger Prawns with Dark Soya Sauce leave a more robust impact. Luckily that element can easily be adjusted.

 

Little ‘money bags’ – fried tofu skin pouches filled with diced water chestnuts, carrots and seafood – amped up the festive speciality of Braised Sea Cucumber with Dried Oysters and Sea Moss. The smooth, translucent sea moss-laden sauce sheathing the sea cucumber’s slippery supple texture was notable. Hints of the ocean emerged as we sampled the dried oysters.

Instead of melding seamlessly, the subsequent Braised Seafood with Noodles in Crab Meat Sauce tasted disparate. Also, the noodle strands appeared disconcertingly short and dry, making this particular offering underwhelming.

Things went swimmingly well with the fish-shaped Golden Phoenix Rice Cake. Accompanied by a delicate Baked Peony Lotus Seed Paste Pastry and a bowl of winsome Chilled White Peach with White Fungus and Red Dates, these dessert treats drew rave reviews.

The Hong Kong-style rice cake had some crushed peanuts and desiccated coconut to dial up its taste. Top marks for the paper-thin layers of lotus seed paste pastry too.

 

Golden Phoenix’s celebratory set menus will be available for the Reunion meal. The Happy Reunion menu is priced at RM288+ per person, Prosperous Atmosphere menu at RM388+ per person, Wealth Treasures menu at RM488+ per person, and Great Prosperity menu priced at RM688+ per person. A vegetarian menu, priced at RM188+ per person, is also available.

For more information, contact EQ Kuala Lumpur via https://www.eqkualalumpur.equatorial.com/chinese-new-year/

 

FESTIVE WONDERLAND OF FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KL

The most wonderful time of the year at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur is chockful of festive holiday dining experiences, crafted with passion and hosted in dazzling settings.

Festive Takeaway and Gifting

 

Taking the spotlight this year is Gingerbread Panettone, an Italian speciality for Christmas and New Year conjured up by Executive Pastry Chef Yann Roumanille.

 

It takes the chef over three days to meticulously crafted the Panettone, banking on the magic of slow fermentation. The cake is soft, buttery-rich and imbued with a twist of aromatic gingerbread spices. Studded with dried fruits and nuts, it’s the perfect festive gift to present to family and friends.

Also discover the exquisite range of modernist cakes, tempting dessert and viennoiserie temptations for elevating your holiday gatherings.
 

Crimson Noel Grandeur | Christmas Buffet

Yuletide classics, Asian favourites, Middle-Eastern appetisers, international cheese selection and luscious sweet creations are some of the headliners taking front and centre at Curate this festive season.

Our choice picks to start with: an assortment of poached seafood on ice, three types of ceviche, hummus, beetroot & goat cheese with walnuts, and a whole baked pumpkin stuffed with quinoa, crumbled feta and sliced figs.
 

Main courses to leave you wishing for endless tummy space include Palestinian koossa hoos (stuffed squash with spiced rice and meat in chunky tomato sauce), roast leg of lamb and turkey, chicken tajine, Chinese-style steamed fish, fried rice vermicelli with seafood, and biryani rice with assorted Indian curries among others.

Sweet finish awaits in the form of fresh tropical fruits, local fruit pickles, strawberry pralines, poached pear, pumpkin pie, mont blanc, mince pies, basbousa (Turkish spiced cake), pulut panggang, rich fruit cake and chocolate brownies.
 

• Festive Lunch (except 24 & 25 Dec, daily until 30 Dec), 1pm-4pm. Price: RM193+ per adult, RM97+ per child

• Festive Dinner (except 24 & 25 Dec, daily until 30 Dec) 7pm-11pm. Price: RM250+ per adult, RM125+ per child

• Christmas Eve Buffet (Dec 24), 7pm-11pm. Price: RM308+ per adult, RM154+ per child

• Christmas Brunch Buffet (Dec 25), 1pm-4pm. Price: RM308+ per adult, RM154+ per child

• Christmas Night Buffet (Dec 25), 7pm-11pm. Price: RM278+ per adult, RM139+ per child

• New Year’s Eve Buffet (Dec 31), 7pm – 12 midnight. Price: RM488+ per adult, RM244+ per child

• New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet (Jan 1, 2025), 1pm-4pm. Price: RM308+ per adult, RM154+ per child

• New Year’s Day Dinner Buffet (Jan 1, 2025), 6pm-10pm. Price: RM268+ per adult, RM134+ per child

For more festive dining information or reservations at Four Seasons Hotel KL, call: 03-2382 8602 or email: [email protected] 

KENDALL-JACKSON WINE PAIRING DINNER AT SHANG PALACE

 

Kendall-Jackson partnered with Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur recently to host a wine pairing dinner with Chinese food. As guests arrived for the event, they were plied with chilled glasses of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s 2023 Reserve Pinot Gris. Fresh and crisp on the palate, we detected fruity aromas and creamy notes of juicy peach, pear and honeydew from the pale straw gold wine.

The curtain-raiser of Shang Palace Combination Platter comprising Lobster and Seafood with Truffle, and Grilled Foie Gras with Honey Sauce came paired with Kendall-Jackson 2022 Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay.

The white wine’s lush tropical fruit flavours (think pineapple and mango) with citrusy nuance melded wonderfully with the delicate tasting seafood and rich foie gras. Fleeting scents of vanilla and honey accompanied by rounded notes of toasted oak and butter emerged alongside the tipple’s long, lingering finish.

These characteristics made it a match made in culinary heaven with the soulful serving of Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Fish Maw, Dried Scallops and Matsutake Mushroom.

Interestingly, Kendall-Jackson 2022 Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir was the unconventional choice for the omega-rich Steamed Garoupa with Superior Soy Sauce drizzled with Garlic Oil.

Decanted earlier to allow the wine to breathe, we were enamoured by luscious dark cherry and raspberry accents; the oak-aged red exuded soft, supple tannins amidst toasty vanilla notes making the red wine a superb match for the fleshy fish.

Likewise, those big characteristics elevated the sumptuousness of our Fried Prawns with XO Sauce, Asparagus and Fresh Wild Forest Mushrooms.

Voluptuous black cherry and plum aromas with hints of strawberry supplemented by silky rich tannins from Kendall-Jackson Outland Ridge Pinot Noir proved stellar in heightening the delectable Pan-fried Lamb Cutlets in Chef’s Special Sauce.

Redolent with dark cherry, cassis and red currant flavours edged with some minerality and elegantly soft tannins, Kendall-Jackson 2019 Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was an on-point partner to amplify the hearty taste of Stewed Hong Kong Ee Fu Noodles with Shredded Duck Meat and Mushrooms.

It was a befitting wrap-up before we segued into the evening’s sweet ender of Chilled Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo, and two pieces of Chinese Pancake with Lotus Paste and Red Bean Paste.