Review: Dinner @ The Han Room, Gardens Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur

The Han Room

One of the newest ventures by the Oriental Group of Restaurants, the Han Room at Gardens Mid Valley seeks to showcase old and new Chinese dishes alike with a dab of international flavors. 

Instead of the usual peanuts, we got this amazing sweet and sour starter 

Appetizers are usually a plate of braised five-spice nuts or roasted peanuts. However, the Han Room proves itself atypical by serving a plate of palette-enticing fried bean curd adorned with Thai-styled sweet and sour dressing.

Delight in a claypot

I wished I was a bit more careful with keeping my bills! I keep losing them! Thus, I could not give you the exact name of this very scrumptious spinach and egg dish. It was one of my mom's favorites. The silky texture of the thick broth together with the egg compliment the humble spinach very well.

Thousand layer bean curd

 It almost felt like a sin to cut through the thinly sliced bean curd. Yet, we cleaned up the plate in no time, savoring the amazing match of tofu, salted vegetables, deep fried mock meat and the special dressing that provided a canvas for this intricate piece of art.

Baked crab with cheese

The baked crab with cheese was another favorite. Most baked crabs are filled with mushrooms and onions, along with shreds of fresh crab. Here at the Han Room, glutinous rice is added. It absorbs the flavors from the crab, onions and mushrooms, making it very sweet to taste. Worcester sauce is served on the side. I find the Worcester sauce helpful in cutting through the decadent cheese top.

Braised sha tin chicken stuffed with goose liver sausage

I was craving for something meaty on that day. To alleviate them, my mom ordered Han Room's signature braised sha tin chicken stuffed with goose liver sausage.

I will die a blissful death

The sight of this tiny bird, fried, then drenched in a rich Chinese stock and stuffed with goose liver sausages that were redolent of Chinese rose wine (mui kwai lou), may be off putting for advocates of PETA but not for the silent carnivores residing within us. Not an single ounce of mercy was spared. We walloped it, with bones and all. Blame it on its tenderness. 

Goose liver fried rice 

For me, foie gras is best left to European fine dining restaurants - I had a fair share of bad foie gras in several Chinese restaurants - but my mom decided to give Han Room an opportunity to show what they can do with this prized delicacy.

The foie gras was surprisingly pleasant. It did not have the feared coppery tang and was very sweet. A fruity sauce was used to compensate for the rich goose liver. Along with the crisp rice, this clever West meets East dish was a sensational dish, provided if you can pardon the puny portion.

With their creative and exceptional dishes, the Han Room opens up a new chapter to the Chinese dining scene at Kuala Lumpur. And being a lover of all things creative and exceptional, I am looking forward to my next visit. :)

Little things: 

-Cuisine: Chinese, modern

-Ambiance: Depends on where you are sitting. We sat at the square tables, so it felt a bit casual.

-Budget: Some dishes can be slightly expensive.

-Service: A bit slow and disproportionate. A table that came before us had their dishes arriving later than ours.

-Portion: For those with tiny appetites, the portions are reasonable

-Information:
Lot G243,G246 &G247,
Ground Floor,
The Gardens Mall,
Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 KL.
Tel: 03 - 2284 8833
GPS: 3.117849,101.67522