Review: Dim Sum @ Shanghai Restaurant, JW Marriott, KL

When I crave for Xiao Long Bao (Little Dragon Buns) or Shanghainese dumplings, the only place I can think of is Shanghai Restaurant (Su Zhou Yun in Chinese) at JW Marriott, Kuala Lumpur.

Of course, some would argue that Din Tai Fung and the likes serves better XLB but wait till you see the pictures of the mentioned buns.

Oh, apart from XLB, Shanghai Restaurant are known for their lui sha tangyuan (Dry glutinous rice balls coated in mixed nuts powder). Since my mom did not make any tangyuan, our whole family decided to have lunch at the said restaurant to celebrate Dongzhi. ;)

Cold appetizer of Japanese cucumber (RM 18)

Actually, I was wrong. They have other good dishes as well. One of the must-orders when dining here is their cold appetizer of Japanese cucumber. Make sure you ask for a larger plate or else you will regret for this dish is very addictive - thanks to the combination of sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic and soy sauce, used to lightly pickle the slices of crunchy and refreshing Japanese cucumber.

Par boiled Duck Eggs ( RM 9.00 per egg)

Another appetizer that I enjoyed immensely was the par boiled duck eggs. They reminded me a lot of Japanese tamago - the eggs have a jelly-like texture. The fresh tasting eggs go hand in hand with the salty crisps inside the top hat-like cups. I suspect that they are pieces of salted egg, fried to look like crisps.

Near translucent skin - you can imagine how thin the skin is!
(Xiao Long Bao, 4 for  RM 12, 1 for RM 3 - 1 AUD!)

When I say that Shanghai Restaurant's Xiao Long Bao is wicked, I am not lying. From the picture above, I am sure that you are able to see the contents inside the bun. Yes, my dear readers, it is actually the soup you are looking at! And can you see the colour of the soup?

Piercing the bun

Despite having XLB in Shanghai restaurant for many years (since 2006), I have never experienced a bad bun before. The bun always arrives in a pristine condition. The amount of soup has been the same. Not to mention, it still has the sweetness from the mixture of pork, rice wine and other ingredients that I cannot really point out. Until this day, the complexity of this bun still awes me. 

One whole tablespoon

However, the thing that confounds me most is the fact that they manage to get one tablespoon of the tasteful but not too oily broth inside of this bun that has paper thin skin.

If the Michelin people were to come here, I think they would give this restaurant three Michelin stars (Din Tai Fung HK earned a Michelin star in 2009). I mean, this place offers stellar service, Oriental ambience and great food!

Not the best Siew Mai that I had, but it was alright (RM 12)

However, I do not recommend first timers to order their Siew Mai or Har Gau. It is not the best in town although the ingredients used are fresh. It is just that the Siew Mai was shadowed by the other more interesting dishes we had.

Moreish flat glass noodles with peanut sauce (RM 18)

The flat glass noodles or liang fen, which are made of mung bean starch, served with peanut sauce and a little chili oil, is another dish I would recommend. The noodles are very bouncy and has a bite to them. The sauce is fragrant from the amount of peanuts used to prepare the sauce. The slightly spicy chili oil adds an interesting factor to this rather simple looking dish. If you like, you can add a little vinegar, which is served on the side, to the noodles to cut through the rich, nutty sauce.

Braised Wuxi Pork (Rm 24)

I love Wuxi Pork and the best place to eat Wuxi Pork, if you are not in Wuxi (A county in China), have to be none other than Shanghai Restaurant. The red-cooked pork is cooked to the point of perfection - it appears to be firm but as soon as you savor it, it melts in your mouth! The flavors of aniseed, cinnamon, bay leaves, soy, rock sugar and rice wine stood out in the savory sauce, but none stood out too much. All of these components blend harmoniously together to form a very complex taste.

If you find the phrases before confusing, I don't blame you. I am confused myself too. I apologize for my inability to give any form of justice to the sauce of the amazing braised Wuxi Pork.

Yes, the sauce is so delicious that we lapped it all up with the perfectly made steamed mantau. The slightly sweet, yeasty bun is so good to go with the sauce!

La Mian (Hand-pulled noodles) with Pork pieces and Chinese Mustard
(RM 16)

The hand-pulled noodles here are also our family's favorite. We usually order either the Dan Dan noodles, which comes in a very rich, nutty but also vinegary broth, OR hand-pulled noodles with pork pieces and chinese mustard. This time, we ordered the latter. The soup errs towards the salty side due to the Chinese mustard, which is pickled. Nonetheless, they are good to go with the al dente noodles and the tender pork pieces.

Savory baked chicken pie (RM 16 for four)

The pastry options here are not bad. Royal Bridge Biscuits, Spring Onion Pancakes and baked chicken pie are some of the ones that I've tried. Among these three, I prefer their chicken pie. What I love about it is that the pastry is not too oily but crispy and light. The marriage of the savory filling with sweet pastry never fails to delight my palette. :)

Red Date Shanghai Pancake (RM 10)

Some people may complain that the food portions are small but in my opinion, small portions means more room for desserts. :) In my visit this time, I had two desserts. I decided to try their Shanghai pancake. There are two options: the standard adzuki bean and red date. Feeling adventurous, I picked the latter.

 The Shanghai pancake here is a bit different from the ones I had in Shang Palace and Chynna. The pastry is a bit thicker and softer, instead of thin and crispy. Not only that, it has a slightly eggy taste, which reminds me of the egg wraps used for serving Peking Duck. It can be quite a put off for some and to be honest, I am one of them.

The only thing I liked about this pancake was the unique red date filling, which tastes exactly like Chinese red dates - sweet and sour.

The famous Lui Sha Tang Yuan (RM 10)

We ended our meal with the famous Lui Sha Tang Yuan. These small nut-dust covered rice glutinous balls may be tiny, but be prepared for a tastebud trip from the not-too sweet yet more-ish black sesame filing.

So, my dear Melburnians, if you are looking for some good XLB, you know where to go. It might be 4000 miles away, but if you got some time and some air miles to spend, head down to Kuala Lumpur.


Little things: 

-Cuisine: Chinese, Shanghainese

-Service: Very good. The staff are very friendly and knowledgable. :)

-Ambience: Our Chinese Ministers like to dine here...

-Budget: Damage done RM 180. Dining here can be slightly pricey but if you are a Melburnian, you need not worry too much.

-Portions: Slightly small but this means you can order more!

-Reservations are necessary

-Open for lunch and dinner

-Location:
1st floor, JW Marriott KL
183 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur

-For details, call: 0327159000