In my opinion,
Shang Palace and
Chynna are two of my favorite places to have dim sum in Kuala Lumpur. However, my recent visits to Chynna for dim sum (not ala carte) have been extremely disappointing. For the price paid, there is only room for freshest ingredients and immaculate execution, not second rate stuff.
This has happened a few times this year. Thus, this lead to an increase of visits to Shang Palace and the latest contender in town,
Celestial Court.
Celestial Court used to serve lousy dim sum back in those days when Chynna served really good stuff. Now, the reverse seems to be taking place. I remember that last year, after their major rework on the menu, Celestial Court offered some rather tantalizing dim sum options (Read
Part 1 and
2 of my visit)
This year, they have changed their dim sum menu again. And the result? Fabulous.
I had to go there twice in a week to get my "modern-fusion" dim sum fix.
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| Steamed prawn and scallop dumplings. |
I thought that this was brilliant. Instead of Chinese chestnuts, asparagus is used to bring out the flavours of the prawn and scallops. It's no secret that asparagus is good with prawn and scallops. :) I ordered this twice in two of my visits. The scallops and prawns are really sweet and juicy. The skin is also quite thin. The caviar used is the fresh sort and not mere coloured flour balls, mind you.
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| Lion's head (Chicken version) |
This lion's head (chicken version - Celestial Court is halal) is different from the ones
my sister makes at home. Instead of being soaked in some stew or soup, this comes with a small amount of vinegar tinged dressing (I almost spelt it as vinagrette because it looks like one, probably without that much of oil). The acidity of the dressing makes this dim sum item rather light as opposed to heavy. Also, the ratio of lean to fat is quite balanced. I have an inkling suspicion that the thighs are used - most flavorful and tender, as opposed to the breast (??)
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| Caviar, pan fried scallop, young ginger shreds, truffle oil, pumpkin puree, egg white |
When at Celestial Court, do not forget to order this.
I'm not huge on truffle oil because I am aware of what truffle oil actually is. However, you can't help but to fall in love the aroma of one of the prettier savory dim sum items. Even my camera agrees! <3
The natural sweetness of the pumpkin puree is perfect with the egg white. The smattering of ginger shreds makes a huge difference. It offers a light hint of spiciness, not the offensive sort but the rather notice-me-not type.
Point is, this is delicious. I shall blather no longer.
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| Crab claw, salmon roe |
The assemblage of ingredients is good enough to make any artist squeal. I admire the amount of work put into preparing this. Plus, it is well executed. The anchor of this entire dim sum dish is the crab claw.
Since the mighty claw is fresh, there is no complaints. Only never ending praises.
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| Glutinous rice, chicken floss, screwpine leaves |
My mom absolutely adores this. It's hard not to. Note, none of us except for my sister and dad, loves glutinous rice. I don't fancy the starchy cousin of the standard rice. However, I will make a beeline for this. The moist, glutinous rice, infused with the fragrance of the pandan leaves, and the slightly spicy chicken floss, will woo your tastebuds in no time.
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| Oyster tempura |
The tempura items here are really good too. I highly recommend this and the unagi item. The oysters gives this rather simple looking dish a unique taste that one will never forget. I guess that's why people love oysters.
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| Pan fried Kimchi bun |
The only thing we did not enjoy that much will be the pan fried kimchi bun. I love my kimchi strong and acidic. Spiciness is not really a compulsory thing but it has to meet the approximate amount of saltiness, sweetness and spiciness. Unfortunately, the kimchi whimpers. So is the bun. Both are sweet. And you know what happens when something is marketed to be hot but turns out to be a sweet softie.
Bad idea.
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| Herbal Xiao Long Bao |
Methinks that JW Marriot's Shanghai Restaurant still serves the best XLB. Period.
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| Pandan lotus sesame ball, taro, mango puree |
When it comes to desserts, I recommend the pumpkin puree with coconut gelato and black glutinous rice over this one. The pandan lotus sesame ball is not bad. Just that there's a tad bit too much filling. Maybe you guys will love it but I certainly don't. The ratio is off. However, this is good execution.
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| A close up to torture you guys. |
Little things:
-Cuisine: Chinese
-Service: Good but can get pretty slow when the restaurant is packed
-Budget: On the pricey side (about RM 10-RM 20 per item) but you certainly pay for what you get. More perks if you own the amazing Starwood Card... hehe.
-Portions: Reasonable.
-Location/Other information: Click
here for more information.
Previous visits:
Part 1,
Part 2
