Kim Ma Cantonese Fusion Restaurant, Palace of the Golden Horses: A Fabulous Fusion Chinese New Year Menu in Honors of the Dragon!

‘Loong Chu’ Yee Sang Toss for Goodness at Kim Ma Restaurant, Palace of the Golden Horses.

My first time to this award winning restaurant, Kim Ma at Palace of the Golden Horses, certainly opened my eyes to a splendor feast of fusion creations by Chef Roy Wong. Named after the noble character of Golden Horse, the ambience certainly emanated an imperial palace with its magnificent décor!

The usages of red, gold and dark wood replicated an extravagant ambience fit for royalty with oriental furniture and tasteful ornaments and finishing. The restaurant also has quite a few private dining rooms with one huge one set out to impress. Gorgeous Chinese motif wallpapers adorned some private rooms while soft music vibrated into the background.

Chef Roy Wong, best known for his modern interpretation of Cantonese cuisine in a fine dining presentation, has been showcasing his creations by using fresh vegetables grown at the organic farm within the hotel. In collaboration between Chef Wong with Dr. Jia, the famous TCM practitioner of Golden Horses Health Sanctuary Wellness, the hotel focuses on fresh and healthy food served at all their restaurants. Even the entire Kim Ma chefs are well trained with TCM knowledge and they prepare the food based on the herbs recommended for the dish. 

For our ‘Lou Sang’ course, Chef Wong has ingeniously prepared a Prosperity Yee Sang with Fresh Norwegian Salmon topped with what he calls a ‘Dragon ball’ to usher in the year of the Water Dragon.

The Yee Sang is made extraordinary with the additions of root vegetables like yam, green radish and pumpkin while sacs of pomelo added a burst of juices to the dish. The dragon ball is made from crisp rice noodles to added another level of crunch factor to the dish and also signified more precious and prosperous things to come for the year!

Chef Wong proceeded to perform the rituals of the ‘Lou Hei’ while we captured the moments behind our lenses.

A final moment of the mélange of intricate ingredients before we toss for some goodness!

Lou Hei!!! Here’s Wishing Lots of Health & Happiness to all my Family & Friends… J

A lovely balance of intricate flavors coupled with Fresh Norwegian Salmon was a pleasure to savor. Flavors were nicely balance while sprinkles of sesame seeds and peanuts provided the fragrant aroma for a vibrant Yee Sang.

When Kin Ma’s Appetizer Combination platter showed up, everyone was highly amazed by it’s presentation! Sitting among the delicacies was a representation of the restaurant in the form of a horse that glows with neon colors. I thought it was a brilliant idea to add the horse for that nice touch of Kim Ma.

The appetizer featured two varieties in the form of Salted Egg Yolk Ball and Baby Octopus in Inari. The wedge of meat encasing the salted egg yolk is one of my all time favorite appetizer while the Chuka Idako stuffed with a spicy noodle in sweet bean curd was superb. Somehow, the spicy flavors of the noodles surprised me but I love its combination of spicy and sweet flavors.

I do have to sing high praises of Chef Wong’s superb creation of Double-Boiled Minced Chicken Broth with Fish Maw and Shark’s Fin. In the bowl of golden broth lies soft warm and smooth custard topped with a fabulous piece of gelatinous fish maw and slices of shark’s fin. The soft custard had all of us guessing on its ingredients when Chef Wong’ proudly announced that it’s made from minced chicken without any addition of other ingredients. There was a silent moment where everyone enjoyed the broth in full concentration.  To disguise chicken into the form of custard showed Chef Wong’s talent which certainly deserved a standing ovation!!

Palace’s Special Roasted Chicken and Baked Chicken Chop with Black Sesame Sauce was also presented in a very artistic platter. There is just something truly unique about the way the food is presented.

The Special Roasted Chicken had a nice glossy amber sheen on the crisp skin. Chook meat was as tender as can be and there was a pretty darn good sauce of spice flavors beneath it.

I like the Baked Chicken Chop with Black Sesame Sauce simply because the sauce was quite fragrant and flavorful with the combination of seaweed. Crunchy from the panko breadcrumbs and topped with the tiny bubbles of flying fish roes, there is an interesting mix of textures in this dish.

The next dish displayed a gentle side to Chef Wong where he showed us his skills in preparing a dish with such refine and light flavors. Sautéed Tiger Prawns and Fish Fillet with Superior Fish Broth and Vermicelli portrayed a sea of sweetness in the broth while the thick fish fillets and prawns were fresh and delightful. The chunks of century egg and salted egg yolk added a rich and creamy touch to the gentle dish. I certainly don’t mind savoring this again!

Stir-Fried Hong Kong Kai Lan with Crispy Vegetarian Dumplings simulated an adorable interpretation of a tree! The little bags of bean curd skin held small chunks of braised dried seafood while the crunchy Hong Kong Kai Lan is a great change from the normal broccoli. Cute… right?

The last savory dish ended with a jazzed up noodle of Yee Fu Noodles with Assorted Fresh Mushrooms and Truffle Oil. Well braised and heighten with the aroma of truffle oil, the flavors had a simple earthy flavors from the mushrooms. I actually love this noodle a lot because of its simple and natural flavors of the mushrooms and noodles.

Dessert was nothing like the norm as we were presented with white mounds of cake topped with a golden crisp. Baked Chinese Glutinous New Year Cake with Sugar Crisp was a modern interpretation of Nien Kou.

See the layer of Nien Kou nestled in the rice mochi layer? I find it very intriguing while the crispy layer provided a contrasting texture. My only gripe was that the mochi layer should be thinner… nevertheless, a great fusion of creativity!

A refreshing Homemade Kiwi Beancurd with Mango Puree ended our novel feast from Chef Wong. Love the fruity flavor combination! Our meal that night is priced at RM880++ for 10 people.

Kim Ma is certainly a restaurant to look out for with its modern fusion of Cantonese cuisine with other various cuisines. Chef Roy Wong exuded a truly creative touch to all the dishes we had that night. If you are seeking for a banquet with a novel influence, this is the restaurant for you! J

There are menus with prices range from RM880.00++, RM988.00++, RM1,188.00++ and RM1,488.00++ per table of ten respectively. The promotion is valid from now until 9^th January till 6^th February 2012. In addition, one cannot leave without having Loh Hei or tossing high the Yee Sang hoping for abundance of health, wealth, luck and prosperity.  Be tantalized for a medley of Yee Sang selection: Salmon Yee Sang, Salmon & Soft Shell Crab Yee Sang and Salmon & Pacific Clam Yee Sang.

Other notable signature dishes are Double-boiled Minced Chicken Broth with Fish Maw and Shimeiji Mushroom, Steamed Village Chicken with Wild Ginseng, Stewed Shanghai Duck in Claypot, Crispy Soft Shell Crab served with Steamed Pancake and Crispy Ginseng-Milk served with Baked Banana in Citrus Sauce to name a few.  

CHINESE NEW YEAR SET MENU II AT RM988.00++
PER TABLE OF 8 TO 10 PEOPLE
9/1/2012 to 6/2/2012

Prosperity Yee Sang with Fresh Norwegian Salmon
Kim Ma’s Appetizer Combinations
Double-Boiled Minced Chicken Broth with Sea Cucumber and Superior Shark’s Fin
Stewed Chicken Drumstick with Chinese Herbs and Vegetables
Poached Grouper in Soy Sauce topped with Sautéed Prawn Meat with Beancurd Flower
Nai Pak Vegetable with Fresh Mushrooms and Egg in Superior Fish Broth
Fried Rice with Dried Oyster, Prawn and Salted Egg Yolk
Homemade Kiwi Beancurd with Mango Puree

CHINESE NEW YEAR SET MENU III AT RM1, 188.00++
PER TABLE OF 8 TO 10 PEOPLE
9/1/2012 to 6/2/2012

Prosperity Yee Sang with Fresh Norwegian Salmon and Soft Shell Crab
Kim Ma’s Appetizer Combinations
Double-Boiled ‘Ming Mu Yu’ with Sea Whelk and Shark’s Fin
Smoked Poached Chicken with Stuffed Crispy Chicken Skin, Prawn Paste and Peanuts
Steamed Promfet with Ginger-Wine Sauce and Sauté Fillet with Scrambled Egg White
Stirfried Spinach Topped with Crab Roe Sauce and Crispy Prawn Meat
Ye-Fu Noodles with Dried Shrimp Roe, Enoki Mushrooms and Egg Plant
Coconut Pudding and Kidney Beans served with Cream of Pumpkin
Baked Chinese Glutinous New Year Cake with Sugar Crisp

CHINESE NEW YEAR SET MENU IV AT RM1488.00++
PER TABLE OF 8 TO 10 PEOPLE
9/1/2012 to 6/2/2012

Prosperity Yee Sang with Fresh Norwegian Salmon and Pacific Clam
Kim Ma’s Appetizer Combinations
Braised Superior Shark’s Fin with King Prawn
Steamed Village Chicken with Chinese Herbs
Combination of Baked Silver Cod with Marmite Sauce and Crispy Oyster
Poached Shiitake Mushrooms with Minced Chicken in Superior Broth
Stir-Fried Glutinous Rice with Seafood and Waxed Duck
Coconut Pudding and Kidney Beans served with Cream of Pumpkin
Baked Chinese Glutinous New Year Cake with Sugar Crisp

Kim Ma Cantonese Fusion Restaurant
Lobby level
Palace of the Golden Horses

Jalan Kuda Emas,

The Mines Resort City,

43300 Seri Kembangan,

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Telephone number: 03 8944 3784

Business Hours: 12.00pm until 2.30pm / 6.30pm until 10.30pm

Website: http://www.palaceofthegoldenhorses.com.my/
Email: enquiry@pgh.mines.com.my

*Thks to Penny and Yvonne for the invite!