Lai Ching Yuen, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur: Celebrate with a Grandiose Dragon Chinese New Year Menu!

Lai Ching Yuen – An illustrious restaurant famed for authentic Cantonese cuisine is proud to present their Chinese New Year Menu this month at Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur.

Previously known as Zing, the restaurant is definitely one of my favorite restaurants for glorious Chinese cuisine helmed by Chef Leong Weng Heng. A chef with an innate passion and fascination for food, Chef Leong is always outdoing his dishes one after another. For this Dragon year, Lai Ching Yuen has created another list of gastronomic dishes to please everyone!

We started with the must-have Yee Sang! At Lai Ching Yuen, one of their signatures Yee Sang is the Prosperity Yee Sang with Fresh Scallops, Mango and Crystal Pear, featuring delectable sweet poached scallops with a combination of fresh fruit.

This signature Yee Sang is priced at RM118++ for half portion and RM228++ for whole portion. Indeed luxurious platter as the quality of the scallops is superb whiles the mango and crystal pear lends a refreshing lightness to the dish. 

Thick and naturally sweet as the ocean, the scallops are simply a lavish mouthful!

Doused with Chef Leong’s Special Strawberry Sauce for the Yee Sang, every ingredient is coated with a fruity sweet and invigorating flavor. I am still dreaming of this Yee Sang as I am writing this post.

Let’s Toss for Good Luck!!

I love how the bright yellow shredded mango interweaved among the other Yee Sang ingredients but its flavors shined brightly in the dish! The sweet tender pieces of scallops were a lovely match against the sweet fruits in the Yee Sang… definitely a Yee Sang to remember!

 Our next dish of Roasted Crispy Duck Hong Kong Style was a fabulous dish raved by many that night. Priced at RM68++ half duck and RM128++ whole duck, the duck had a superb crisp skin and tender meat! I noticed that the skin of the duck, usually with a layer of fats, was quite lean without much fat. A plus point as I could savor this without much guilt… hehehe!

The aroma of the roast duck was gentle while the flavors showcased a slight sweet and savory taste of herbs and the duck. This dish was highly popular and disappeared within minutes… J

Chef Leong has always favored seafood and his fish dishes are one of his signatures. His last dish that won him an award at the recent MIGF 2011 was his fish dish of Baked Fillet of Sea Perch. Read about Lai Ching Yuen MIGF 2011 here. For Chinese New Year, fish is always a good choice, hence Chef Leong has created a timeless dish of Steamed Cod Fish with Soy Sauce priced at RM38++ per piece. A fairly big and thick piece of white cod was steamed to perfection as I dived into it. Definitely top notch quality as the cod was fresh and sweet while the supreme soy sauce gently enhanced the flavors of the cod. A timeless classic!

As Lai Ching Yuen is non-halal, we enjoyed a Baked Pork Rib Marinated with Lemon Grass priced at RM25 per piece. No faults as the pork rib were tender and juicy. I liked how the rib had a little fat to make it even more delectable. I also thought the pork floss beneath the rib was a great idea to enhance the rib. The cute cut out onion that was lit reminded me of a pumpkin Halloween… a great and pretty idea nevertheless!

Prawns are another must during this festive season to signify the laughter of joy among family and friends. Stir Fried Prawns and Asparagus in Golden Basket priced at RM38++ for small portion and RM80++ for big portion faired decent. Prawns were juicy and sweet with a lovely bouncy texture. This dish had light flavors to showcase the natural flavors of the prawns and asparagus. Crispy pastry skin added crunchiness while fried basil leaves added the aroma to the dish.

A dish heavily synonymous with good luck and prosperity is Braised Dried Oyster and Bean Curd Skin with Black Sea Moss! I am not much of a fan of dried oysters as they have quite a pungent smell but the ones here are quite lovely. Fairly big in size, the oysters had soaked up the flavors of the sauce just like the mushrooms and bean curd skin. Black sea moss or more commonly known as ‘Fatt Choy’ exuded a silky smoothness in the sauce. Priced at RM98++ for small portion and RM196++ for big portion.

Our last savory dish ended on a high note! Claypot Rice with Waxed Meat priced at RM25 per person featured a glorious array of sumptuous waxed meats imported from Hong Kong. Apparently, Hong Kong still produces the best premium waxed meat compared to our locals here and I do have to concur with this.

I spied luscious waxed preserved duck, Chinese sausages, Wine and Liver Sausages and Hong Kong Kai Lan in the aromatic claypot of grainy rice doused with supreme soy sauce. An ultimate Lap Mei Farn in my opinion!

Dessert may have been a simple Black Sesame Dumpling with Ginger Tea but it was definitely soothing after a course meal. The ginger tea was laced with loads of ginger to warm the soul while the tender dumpling was decent. Priced at RM12 per portion.

Quality and flavors are the plus points for Lai Ching Yuen. The restaurant oozes with a grandiose in the ambience and dishes in a modest way. Chef Leong’s dishes are always consistently controlled very well and his signature dishes are definitely one to look out for! Do call to ask for their full sets of Yee Sang and CNY menu. I’d say this restaurant is worth fighting the traffic for if you are looking for a Chinese New Year menu to remember!! J

Lai Ching Yuen

Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

T: +60 3 2117 4180
F: +60 3 2145 7876

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LaiChingYuen

Hotel Website: http://www.grandmillenniumkl.com/

Global Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.com/

* Thanks to Amanda for the invite!