Si Chuan Dou Hua, PARKROYAL KUALA LUMPUR: Let’s Toast to a Prosperous Chinese New Year!

Time to Lou Sang Again to usher in the year of the Black Snake!

Though as much as I love holidays, I do admit to loving the excuse to indulge in holiday cuisine even more! With that said, I am back at Si Chuan Dou Hua at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur for my very first Lou Sang of the year. Renowned for its classic signatures of Sichuan cuisine, Si Chuan Dou Hua offers more than just spicy cuisine. In honor of the coming Chinese New Year, Chinese Chef Chew Chee Kuong and his team has deliciously crafted sumptuous set menus to whet all our appetites!

Its my first live experience with Si Chuan Dou Hua’s tea master performing the art of the long sprout tea pot! Gosh, I just could not take my eyes or lenses of him. Deft and smooth, he skillfully twisted and poured hot water into little tea cups at an amazing length.  After each pour, the water will literally bubble ferociously for a few seconds before settling down to bloom the restaurant’s Eight Treasure Tea.

Tropical Fruit Yee Sang

Back for more, I will admit to loving the fishless Yee Sang at the restaurant. Tropical Fruit Yee Sang showed another side of the infamous classic must-have of the festive New Year. The platter synonymous with prosperity is decked out with the usual ingredients but with the addition of meticulously julienned assortment of fresh fruits. Everything little mount is a kaleidoscope of colors at sight. I personally felt happy just looking at the wondrous colors and effort on this platter!

We loaded up the platter with all its essential ingredient, seasoning and sauce and our first Lou Hei kicked off to an awesome start!

Each bite took me back to last year when I first savored this. As good as I remembered, each bite was juicy and utterly refreshing. One gets a dribble of flavors from sweet and sour to savory while the various aspects of textures tantalized our taste bud lovingly.

Of course to those gourmands who insist on sticking to a seafood Yee Sang, Si Chuan Dou Hua also offers Abalone, Superior Shark’s Fin, Salmon, Yellow Fin Tuna, Soft Shell Crab, Scallop Skirt, Jellyfish and Pacific Clams. These passionately prepared Yee Sang are served with one’s choice of creative sauces like Sour Plum enhanced with Fruit Flavor, Spicy Sour Plum Sauce with Mango or the traditional Sour Plum Sauce. Priced from RM55 nett (half portion) and RM90 nett (full portion) onwards, the Yee Sang dishes are available for dine-in or take-away.

Braised Coins Shark’s Fin with Kani Stick and Treasure Soup

Its Chinese customary practice to usher in festive or celebratory occasions with lavishness and Braised Coins Shark’s Fin with Kani Stick and Treasure Soup fits the bill. The lavish soup featured coin-shaped Shark’s Fin, jellyfish and crab stick among other ingredients. A little starchy in a delicious way, one only needs a little tangy sweet black vinegar to bring out the flavors even more. If you are not a fan of this soup, rest assured that there are plenty other soups available which are equally delicious!

Wok Fried Cod Fish with Spicy Rice Bubbles

My favorite dish of the night lies in a pool of deep rich spicy sauce of cod fish surrounded by light golden squares of rice bubble cakes. Wok Fried Cod Fish with Spicy Rice Bubbles is just as appealing in sight and taste. What used to be a classic is now less in sight. Crispy rice bubble pieces were once a 70s favorite but due to the effort it takes to make it, I can understand why this treat has ceased its appearance in today’s culinary world. I am glad some still takes the effort to make this.

The combination is lethally addictive with the contrast of soft smooth cod fish and crunchy rice bubbles all soaked in a glorious lightly spicy black bean and peppercorn sauce. Bits of onions and peppers added a little touch of extra bite. I was deliriously happy alone with the rice bubbles and the gravy! Simply a must-have in my books…

Deep Fried Prawns with Spicy Sichuan Peppercorns & Butter Prawns with Oats

One look at this dish had my other foodie fell hook, line and sinker at the duo of crustaceans of Deep Fried Prawns with Spicy Sichuan Peppercorns & Butter Prawns with Oats! Though it calls for a battle of flavors, both crustaceans are equally luscious it is own way. Huge sweet prawn balls are crispy coated and fried to golden perfection before dressed in two very different sauces. One was covered in the classic rendition of spicy Sichuan peppercorn flakes making the prawns spicy and robust. The second one was a creamy and buttery rendition coating the sweet prawns with bits of crispy oats. Since both sauces are different, I would not even consider comparing them since they are uniquely delicious it their own way.

Braised Dry Oyster, Sea Cucumber & Black Mushroom with Black Moss Vegetable

Much beloved by many elders, this dish symbolized a lot of prosperity through its ingredients. Jazzed up with lots of rich and precious dried seafood, Braised Dry Oyster, Sea Cucumber & Black Mushroom with Black Moss Vegetable was light in flavors surprisingly. The precious oyster and sea cucumber are well braised and soft while the earthy mushrooms and smooth black moss held the precious seafood on the humble ground.

Diced Chicken Fried Rice with Salted Egg Yolk

Albeit the high cholesterol point from the luscious creamy salted egg yolk, I enjoyed the Diced Chicken Fried Rice with Salted Egg Yolk whole heartedly. The fluffy fried rice is aromatic of chicken eggs and creamy salted egg yolks while cubed chicken added a good bite to the rice. It’s simple but delicious in its own merit!

Any meal would not be complete without desserts! If one has opted for the set menu, dessert would have been designated as per the set. On the other hand, we got to savor various choices of desserts a la carte like Chilled Sea Coconut with Ginseng and Dried Longan, Chilled Honey Dew Melon with Sago, Hot Red Bean Broth and Mango Pudding. Si Chuan Dou Hua is certainly filled with various options to cater to even the fussiest eaters downright to the dessert menu!

There are six specially prepared set menus for one to savor during this festive season. The ‘Chinese New Year’ set is priced at RM798 nett for 4 people and RM1030 nett for 6 people. For group of 10 people, one may opt for the ‘Prosperity’, ‘Fortune’ or ‘Wealth’ set priced at RM1158 nett, RM1390 nett and RM1622 nett respectively. There is also a ‘Vegetarian’ set priced at RM1042 nett per table of 10 people.

For reservations or enquiries, please call +603 2147 0088 or email douhua.prkul@parkroyalhotels.com

Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant

PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2147 0088

Website: http://www.sichuandouhua.com/Pages/default.aspx

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