R-EEL DELIGHTS AT TIEN

 
Export-grade live eels from China took centrestage at Tien restaurant, prepared in four different ways as part of the month-long ‘Flavours of Suria’ dining experiences at Suria KLCC mall recently.

In keeping with its "Always Something New” tagline, Suria KLCC invited local media members to hands-on workshops and exclusive tastings at tenant restaurants: Din, Fuel Shack, Cili Kampung, TGI Fridays, Imperial Chakri Palace and Tien.

We sampled a special seasonal menu of fresh Chinese eels at Tien by Putien, where four distinctive eel dishes were served. Flown-in from Guangzhou, we learned the eels are also exported to Japan. 

Fed with codfish powder, the eels are raised in open-air, clean water ponds. Putien uses 70 cm long eels weighing 600-800g each as they are fleshier with better bite. It’s the second year Tien is promoting these eels and the promotional offerings will be available until end October.

Our lunch began with Fresh Eel Cooked in Spring Water. It only took about ten minutes to cook the eel in spring water with spring onion, goji berries and ginger. Once done, we tasted the eel chunks which were surprisingly chewy. Its natural clear sweetness was notable when we tasted the broth and meat.

Rich, savoury soybean sauce produced in the city of Puning was instrumental in the preparation of Baked Eel with Puning Bean Sauce. Stir-fried with garlic, ginger and onion, the delicately sweet eel chunks were superbly flavourful thanks to the beany sauce and aromatics. Not surprising it was the most popular dish last year with Tien diners.

Although the generous amount of garlic was welcomed, a lesser amount of Yangjiang soybean sauce for the Steamed Eel in Garlic and Soy Bean Sauce would have been great. But that’s my own preference as others may like how the chef prepped it.

Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, garlic and ginger bestowed this year’s new Spicy Pan-fried Eel with some tongue-tingling ‘ma la’ power and spicy heat. This was another crowd favourite as most of us enjoyed the dish’s robust chilli-hotness.

All the eel dishes are priced at RM138 for a regular portion and will be available until end October.

For reservations at Tien by Putien, call tel: 03 2181 2839. Address: Lot 434, 4^th Floor, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre. For more information on Suria KLCC mall, visit www.suriaklcc.com.my or www.facebook.com/SuriaKLCCMall. 

CONCORDE KUALA LUMPUR AGLOW WITH MID-AUTUMN SPARKLES

Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur stays true to its game-changing form by thinking out of the box this Mid-Autumn Festival, with the introduction of its crackle glass light globes.

Meticulously handcrafted, the hotel’s exclusive 9-inch and 5-inch blown glass light globes with crackle effect and LED lights come in Sparkling Gold, Sparkling Blue and Sparkling Pink. Priced at RM138 nett per set, each 9-inch glass light globe with 4 x 180g mooncakes are sold in four different sets:

A.               Japanese Red Bean, White Pure Lotus, Pure Lotus Double Yolk & Golden Pandan Pure Lotus 

B.               Japanese Red Bean, Lotus Paste with Loh Hon Ko (new variant), Pure Lotus Single Yolk & Pandan Lotus Single Yolk

C.               Assorted Fruit Nuts, Yam Lotus with Single Yolk, Lotus Paste with Chestnut & Custard (new variant) & White Lotus Black Sesame

D.              Snowskin with Red Bean Paste, Snowskin with White Lotus, Snowskin with Pandan Lotus Single Yolk & Snowskin with Yam Lotus Paste Single Yolk

In conjunction with the Merdeka celebration, Concorde Hotel KL is offering a Merdeka Special promotion as shown:

Crowned by The Star newspaper as the best snowskin durian mooncake, Concorde’s Snowskin Musang King Durian Mooncake is also available at RM168 nett per set of 4 pcs. Customers who prefer the smaller glass light globes may buy a pair of the 5-inch glass light globes with 2 pcs of mooncakes at RM90 nett.

Alternatively, pretty lacquer jewellery boxes in red, pink, lilac and baby blue containing 6 x 90g mooncakes are available at RM148 nett. Flavours include Japanese Red Bean, Pure Lotus, Golden Pandan Pure Lotus, Yam Lotus Paste with Yolk, Chocolate Peppermint Paste and White Pure Lotus.

 

 

Sales are in full swing at Hotel Lobby from 10.30am-8pm daily until 13 September. A separate kiosk at Ground Floor, South Court of Mid Valley Megamall is opened daily from 10.30am-10pm.

SPECIAL MENU BY CHEF RICKY WONG

On your next visit to Xin Cuisine, remember to sample the specialities of new Chinese Chef Ricky Wong. With three decades of experience under his toque, Wong interprets familiar dishes using his own expertise and inimitable touch.

The Sweet & Sour Pork in Ice Bowl (RM40-small, RM60-medium, RM80-big) proves a winsome appetite-whetter; every mouthful an enticing balance of fatty and lean meat generously coated in a palate-pleasing caramelised sweet-sour sauce. A dusting of parmesan crumble gives the dish a savoury finish.

 

While most Chinese chefs prefer to stick to the tried and tested when it comes to steamed fish, Wong surprises us with his bold employment of a bright, assertive rempah blend for the Steamed Soon Hock with Nyonya Sauce (RM30 per 100g). Fortunately, the fish’s natural sweetness remains discernible despite the blanket of zingy turmeric-galangal-chilli sauce on top.

 

Blended spinach lends extra nutrition to the chef’s Spinach Beancurd with Special Sauce (RM35-small, RM50-medium, RM70-big). Topped with white Japanese mushroom, the delicate morsels pose a nice contrast to the heartier offerings. The notable dried scallop and oyster sauce deserves special mention.

 

Bentong ginger piques our interest, adding warmth and textural depth to the speciality of Baked Spare Ribs with Crispy Sliced Ginger (RM40-small, RM60-medium, RM80-big). Lightly battered, the ginger slices not only amp up the dish’s appeal but also counter the meaty richness and the slightly cloying sauce.

Although not new to us, the Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan Two Styles (RM35-small, RM50-medium, RM70-big) is a welcome relief from the porky overload. The greens’ crispy floss and crunchy stalks make enjoyable mouthfuls from the usual blanched vegetables.

 

Nam yue (red fermented beancurd) plays a central role in enhancing the overall taste of the Braised Pork Belly with Fermented Beancurd Sauce (RM58). The resultant slab of gelatinous yet tender pork doesn’t bear ample testament to the arduous, multiple preparatory processes: searing, steaming, marinating and braising involved.

Remember to sample these new chef’s specialities when you next lunch or dine at Xin Cuisine.

For reservations at Xin Cuisine, call tel: 03-2717 2233. Address: Lobby Level, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

A JOINT CULINARY JOURNEY OF 88 YEARS AT THE ORIENTAL GROUP

A culinary masterpiece so rich with symbolism that it’d be perfect as a show-stopping Lunar New Year celebratory main course. I’m referring to Chef Justin Hor and Chef Jacky Lam’s cerebral speciality of Whole Pork Trotter with Hokkaido XL Dried Scallops, Japanese Mushrooms & Quail Egg (RM488 per portion for 10 persons).

Silky on the palate, the salubrious and unctuous sauce is akin to a big, warm hug; a sheath of rich umami flavours on the tongue. The phalanx of textural interplay from the different ingredients succeeds in seducing our gastronomic senses. 

According to Chef Jacky Lam, one must have time, patience, painstaking efforts and meticulous preparation to bring the nostalgic dish to fruition. “Every component of the dish represents a certain element: the coin-shaped scallops represent money and wealth, vegetables – earth and country, mushrooms – treasures and fortune, quail eggs – people and citizenry, fatt choi (black seamoss) – law & order, and pork trotter for power and authority.”

It is a most befitting dish to underscore the wealth of experience — a total of 88 years combined between the two sifu for The Oriental Group’s 11^th Annual Guest Chef Grand Dinner series. Billed as A Joint Culinary Journey of 88 Years, The Oriental Group Executive Chef Justin Hor has teamed up for the second time with highly lauded celebrity veteran chef Jacky Lam to curate a special menu, to highlight Chinese cuisine at its best.

Right off the bat, the dynamic duo whets our appetite with a tempting assortment of appetisers: Chilled Szechuan Farm Chicken (RM20), Ginger Sauce Jellyfish (RM18), Vinaigrette Kyuri & Black Fungus (RM18), Oriental Group’s Signature Char Siew (RM20) and Macau Crab Meat Cake (RM24, 6 pcs).

 

Having spent 6 months of R&D on the curated menu, every speciality we sample is on-point. My personal favourites are the crunchy strands of jellyfish smothered in minced Bentong ginger, spring onion and fried shallot, whilst the succulent pieces of poached chicken come lightly dressed in zingy-hot, mildly tongue-numbing Szechuan sauce flecked with sesame seeds.

The sweetness of fresh crabmeat also piques our interest when we nibble on the deep-fried pockets of Macau Crab Meat Cake. Just a dab of the resto’s housemade chilli sauce raises its appeal to tantalising heights.

 

Equally rave-worthy is the restaurant group's signature Char Siew – sweetish, juicy and slightly fatty barbecued pork. It makes a great pairing with the refreshingly crunchy kyuri (Japanese cucumber) and black fungus ‘salad’.

Chef Jacky Lam also regales us with his forays to remote mainland Chinese villages together with Chef Justin Hor, in their quest to seek new ingredients and culinary inspiration. Proudly showing us their rare find of aged choy poh (radish) which has been preserved for over 30 years, the chefs are effusive about its beneficial properties.

“Don’t underestimate the aged choy poh’s black and oily appearance,” says Lam. “Aged radish is great for keeping our respiratory system healthy, stimulating our internal energy, strengthening our immune system, improving digestion and detoxification.”

Writer David Yip noted in a 2015 issue of Gourmet & Travel magazine, choy poh is prepared by stacking radish in layers of sea salt. Heavy rocks are placed on top to squeeze out excess liquid. The radish is rinsed with brine and sun-dried until it turns golden brown. After the labourious months-long process, the radish is stored in earthen containers and taken out to dry every autumn. This turns it black gradually.

Both the preserved and aged choy poh play an integral role in enriching the Double-Boiled Superior Shark’s Fin Soup with Chicken and Preserved Vegetable (RM118 per person). The light, nutriet-rich broth which had undergone 3 hours of double-boiling, boasts distinct hints of muskiness with lingering traces of salty-sour nuances. Chefs Lam and Hor assure us it's as good and effacacious as drinking ginseng soup.

Dices of pork neck sautéed with minced garlic and dried chilli inspired by the rustic, back-to-basic cooking style of Taipa village ensures lashings of tantalisingly robust flavours emerge from the conversation-stopping speciality of Boston Lobster Macau Taipa Style (RM368). Despite the assertive condiment, the king of shellfish retains its natural sweetness and on-point doneness.

Finicky fish lovers will undoubtedly be reeled in by the prized catch of an Omega 3-rich Braised Sultan Fish Shunde Style (RM388 each). Complemented by eringi mushroom strips, sliced ginger, garlic pips, fresh coriander and  fried shallot, the fleshy fish tastes sweet and clear with subtle infusions of the aromatics. Even the thick, almost viscous sauce is slurpiliciously out of this world.

Pix courtesy of The Oriental Group

“There’s no short cut to any of these old-school dishes. If we want to savour nostalgic flavours, we’d have to be prepared to replicate what the old master chefs’ have done. Their methods exist for a reason so we cannot simply reinvent the wheel” says Chef Jacky Lam.

Ditto for the Lotus Leaf Treasures Rice (RM128 per portion for 10 persons). When the lotus leaf wrapper is unveiled, the rice grains are beautifully steamed and fluffy; whiffs of an enticing woodsy fragrance making our mouths water in anticipation. Freshly extracted crabmeat, dried prawns and assorted other ingredients make the rice so delicious and leaves us wanting more.

We resist from extra helpings though as there’s dessert to contend with. Not only does each of us gets treated to a substantial serving of Peach Resin with Snow Fungus & Papaya in Coconut (RM14 per person) but also two varieties of whimsical sweet dim sum.

Made from a mixture of tapioca starch and glutinous rice flour, the realistic fruity replicas of Mangosteen Custard Lava (RM15 for 3 pcs) and corncob-shape Sweet Corn Lotus Paste (RM15 for 3 pcs) are a visual and palatable delight.

Amazing how one Chinese pastry skin can differ when deep-fried and steamed. The former has a nice crunch with a QQ texture when you bite into it whilst the latter is sticky-chewy-gummy. Talk about closing a masterful dining experience on a sweet, high note!

A Joint Culinary Journey of 88 Years with Chef Jacky Lam & Chef Justin Hor Grand Dinner dates include Oriental Star (23 august), The Han Room (24 August) and Noble Mansion (28 August). All culinary creations stated available at The Oriental Group of Restaurants (excluding Seafood World, Ruyi & Yu) until 22 September 2019.

For more information and reservations, visit: www.orientalrestaurants.com.my