A bit too late but whatever.
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| Xiao Long Bao |
Forget the XLB. Order other dim sum dishes instead. XLB here is crappy. Stick to Shanghai Restaurant, where the good XLBs are!
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| Braised fish maw, goose feet and sea cucumber. |
I normally loathe eating something like this but I can make an exception as the fish maw is just mega sized. Did I mention that the goose feet are highly addictive? I even had the bones minced down into jagged pieces.
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| Phoebe Philo inspired nian gao. LOL. |
This may not be party-in-the-mouth for everyone. The almond part of this dessert nian gao appals my mom but it delights the child in me. I'm a huge fan of Chinese almonds, y'all. Plus, this is not too sweet.
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| My favorite! |
When it comes to Yee Sang, I vouch for Shang Palace's rendition. Seriously, most places have greens that are too limp, plum sauce that tastes sweeter than sugar itself (teeth-numbing) and lacks the aroma of kaffir lime leaves. This one is consisted purely of freshly prepared ingredients, plum sauce that tastes like unripened plums and chock filled with the teasing perfume of kaffir lime leaves. A lot of effort goes into preparing this. :) Been having this since I was 16. Had Yee Sang everywhere I go but could not find a place that could trump the Yee Sang here.
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| Fussing with their menu |
I always find Chynna good for the modern side of Chinese cuisine. They pull off fusion dishes better than any Chinese establishments that I've been to or know of.
But sometimes, I just prefer old skool Chinese.
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| The classic, stereotyped sweet and sour pork or should I say chicken? |
Red vinegar was used instead of the standard white vinegar. With the floral taste from the prized red vinegar, this is surely a winner. Only complaint? Wished there was more pineapples. Are pineapples really that pricey?
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| Scallop stir fry |
For the best scallop dishes in town, head to Shang Palace, Chynna or Celestial Court. Only the biggest, juiciest and sweetest. Of course, it comes with a price tag, as opposed to what Jessie J sings.
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| Sea cucumber, oyster and broccoli |
Not really my favorite. I still prefer the stuff I had in Shang Palace. Fish maw and all. Unfortunately, I do not know how to appreciate sea cucumber.
Zipangu @ Shangri-La KL
We decided to break the rules and have Japanese for reunion dinner. It's a way we brace the Chinese food tsunami in Ipoh *shudders*. Unfortunately, yours truly cannot handle the tsunami. I usually give up after three rounds of Chinese. Unless it's my grandmum's cooking. Or more like her kitchen helper.
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| Foie gras on winter melon |
This is the shiznit. I highly recommend this. The foie gras is just perfect with the winter melon. Also, the sauce that comes with it provides the foie gras an extra kick of umaminess. As if there's not enough umami going on in the foie gras. Teeheehee
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| Horse mackerel fish balls in soup |
I discovered love in this bowl of soup. The horse mackerel fish balls tasted a little like chicken but it's actually fish. Very subtle. May not be suitable for those who prefer dishes that are heavily salted or soups that are doused in lard.
LaFite for Chor 2
At this rate, you'd be wondering if we'd spent a bomb on our CNY meals. As my mom goes, "One year once, it's alright". However, the secrets lies in the card. With 3 of us only, we get to enjoy 33 percent off our bill.
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| Bread basket: Rye, wholewheat, squid ink and brioche |
The bread basket at LaFite is to die for. I think it's one of the better bread baskets in town. I'm saying this because there's four choices instead of the standard one.
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| Amuse bouche: Cherry caramel with foie gras centre |
Among the three complimentary amuse bouche we had, the best would be this. I think I'm saying this because I love anything cherry and anything that has the word "foie gras". Cruel, yes. Delicious, TRIPLE YES.
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| Lobster tail |
I wondered why they didn't make this the signature dish as this was superior to the other dishes that were labeled as "signature:. The lobster was cooked just nicely and the taste was just "wow".
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| Hen's egg, white truffle |
Nothing special with white truffles that taste like cardboard. The egg was the anchor of this signature dish. :(
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| Rabbit omelette |
I rather have this over the hen truffle thingmajiggy. The rabbit omelette is laden with shredded apples, cinnamon and of course, rabbit. You may think it's too cute to eat but I'll even eat my zodiac if it's delicious.
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| Dover Sole |
This was highlighted as the signature dish but really, the duck is WAYYYYY better. Oh, by the way, skip the gingerbread crumb chicken. It may be the healthiest option as the breast was used but it just did not have the awesomeness that the following dish has:
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| Duck, chocolate |
Duck + chocolate = mock foie gras.
Trust me, it just tastes like FOIE GRAS. Maybe that's why I love foie gras so much. It just taste so chocolatey.
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| World globe |
I have to say, don't go for the signature desserts. Instead, try this novelty that will soon turn into an overprepared, overhyped and overdone dessert - i.e. the ubiquitious chocolate fondant or macaron.
It's citrusy on the inside and the chocolate just you insane!
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| Foodporn. |
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| Best petit fours ever! |
Don't order too many desserts. We had only two to share amongst ourselves. We had petit fours that were super good. You can tell that the kitchen put a lot of effort into preparing this. There was a berry tartlet, earl grey chocolate truffle, pistachio cake, dark chocolate truffle and a marshmallow that was a little more on the gooey side.
So, this is how I spent part of my Chinese New Year in Kuala Lumpur. The rest of the time, I was studying and prepping for my Psych Honours.
