South Sea Seafood, Kampung Baru Subang: Wine & Dine at Sea Treasure Haven!

Wine Cellar Sets South Sea in High Spirits!

It was a night of wine and dine at South Sea Seafood located in Kampung Baru Subang a few weeks ago. With a heritage dating back to the late 80s, seafood dining icon South Sea has been always a favorite with many seafood gourmands. Many have sought out the restaurant that is said to serve up many splendors of the sea’s treasures in various cooking styles.

South Sea pays homage to gourmands with a room filled with tanks of live seafood. Rows and rows of sea treasures in state-of-the-art aquariums are home to over 80 types of seafood livestock from the king of crustaceans to giant Alaskan spider crabs, abalone and geoduck clams to the finest of fishes and more. It’s all about freshness at South Sea!.

Now there are much added eating pleasures as South Sea Seafood has just introduced its new wine and dine concept with its recent transformation to the seafood dining scene. South Sea’s latest piece de résistance, the Sea Cellar, is an impressive construction of stainless steel and glass to mirror its gleaming row of fish tanks. Yet, this glass tank houses culinary delicacies of a different kind. Row upon row of specialty wines float in airy suspension in the cool climate-controlled interiors of South Sea’s stylish wine cellar. The Sea Cellar houses 225 varieties of international wines with its oldest one aged for 33 years. As a rule, no retail or supermarket wine brands are used and only the very best is served with the restaurant’s signatures.

At the media event that night, South Sea General Manager Terence Wong announced South Sea’s rebrand into a premium seafood wine and dine haven – a notion inspired by the industry stereotype that wines are usually only synonymous with Western cuisine. ‘It’s true that wines usually accompany Western dishes, but seldom with Asian dishes, least of all seafood. Based on our observations and feedbacks from our customers, the Malaysian F&B landscape lacks an avenue to relish seafood paired with wine as a business philosophy. This is where South Sea’s new seafood wine and dine concept fills the void!’ quoted Mr. Wong.

Wine principal and expert from Miguel Torres in Chile, Gabriel Fernandez Borsch was also present to pair the delectable seafood repertoire with the most sophisticated wines in the menu that evening. Mr. Fernandez also provided an insight to all the wines served that evening at each course.

South Sea also underwent a refurbishment and the facelift boasts enhanced aesthetics integrated with practicality and functionality embodied in a stylish ambience. The interior is set in earthy hues and tones that allow guests to dine in comfort, harmony and stylish ambience. Ceiling lamps reminiscent of sea shells provides a warm lighting. Wood and rattan furniture evoked a sense of elegance while the spacious high ceiling interior allows guests to dine at ease. Private room is also available.

Our evening took off with some small bites and the very first pre-dinner wine, Miguel Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Reserve. The Rosé is exceptional in flavors, clean and fruity with a lovely aroma on the nose.

Entrée – Mediterranean Sampler of Gourmet Cheese, Oven Baked Grissini, Marinated Kalamata Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Sweet Pepper Stuffed with Greek Feta Cheese

Torres Viña Emeralda

I would describe this white as delicious! Beautifully chilled, it has a clean and crisp palate with a floral note. It paired well with the salty flavors of the tapas.

Carpaccio Delight

It was a king’s ransom all on a platter! Featuring the king of crustacean and king of clam, Carpaccio Delight consisted of fresh thinly sliced lobster and geoduck served on a bed of ice. Both prized catch are served as sashimi with wasabi or to be lightly dunked into a hot broth.

We were thoroughly impressed with this dish. Words cannot be described for its magnificence of freshness and flavors. The giant lobster meat is delectably sweet with a firm texture. Savoring it as sashimi with a little dabble of wasabi and soy sauce brings out the oceanic flavors of clean, crisp and sweet notes. I tried dunking the lobster into the hot broth for a few seconds. Lightly cooked, the lobster turns opaque and has a firmer texture but the sweetness is now balanced with a little savory note from the broth. Either way, the crustacean is still superb as the freshness reigns supreme.

The giant clam has always been extra special to me. Though it takes on an alienated form, this is one clam you do not want to miss. The huge siphon is highly prized in the Chinese community and is also often regarded to be some sort of an aphrodisiac due to its high content of zinc for testosterone production. Eaten all over Asia, there are many ways to prepare this clam. Though it is large in size, there is only a small part that is edible. I simply adored it being thinly sliced and served as it is. With a little dabble of wasabi and soy sauce, the geoduck is utterly delicious and almost intoxicatingly good! Sweet with a hint of briny savory sea flavors, the clam has a crunchy texture. The light hint of horseradish balance up the briny flavors beautifully. If you have never had it raw, do try it as one can really enjoy the maximum flavors of this clam in its purest form.

Torres Viña Sol White

It’s intense and fresh with a crisp palate, blending well with the rawness of the seafood. There is also a hint of citrus notes that matches with the seafood. This white is elegant and lingers on the palate. One of my favorite white of the night!

A Trilogy of Flavours

Lavishness on a plate, the Trilogy of Flavours has a whole abalone, a thick piece of sea cucumber, Shitake mushroom, asparagus and broccoli all braised in a supreme thick savory sweet sauce. There are lots of textures going on this plate with the tender and firm abalone, wobbly jellied sea cucumber and soft earthy mushrooms contrasting with crunchy greens. A dish that speaks of the chef’s skill in controlling the balance of flavors and textures!

  

Succulent Clams

I have never had a razor clam so big before. Imported from the sea of Scotland, the razor clam is broiled to just cook and crowned with loads of minced garlic and served a bed of glass noodles. The chef has dedicatedly explained that the skill of the dish lies in controlling the heaviness of the garlic by boiling it in milk to reduce the strong garlic pungency. I was really amazed at how subtle and sweet the garlic is in this dish. The clam is cut up into pieces and is soft and sweet too. The lightly soft and savory glass noodles are delicious when eaten with the clams and garlic. This dish was also paired with the same Cordillera Chardonnay.

Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay

A white from Chile, the Cordillera Chardonnay tasted of apples and nuts. It has a delicate acidity and is quite fruity. The wine also has an intense depth of flavors with citrus notes to equalize the sweet and savory flavors of the abalone and clam entrées.

East Meets West

South Sea does not only excel in seafood but manages to show off that they can do a mean meat dish as well. Serving the best of lamb from the green grass of New Zealand, the dish has a lamb cutlet coated in an oriental inspired honey glazed sauce. Caramelized bits with sticky goodness make the lamb succulent and finger-licking good. A few pieces of crinkle cut fries accompanied the lamb but I personally didn’t think it was needed.

Torres Gran Sangre De Toro

It’s a blend of a few variety of grapes and the intensity of the red is quite sharp for my palate. Though it is laced with a spice and berry note, I find the red too intense for my palate. While this was not to my liking, my partner love it as he insisted that it matches the lamb really well as both has strong flavors.

Alaskan Duet

I was on cloud nine that evening! How not to be when the exquisite Alaskan spider crab made its debut in three ways? This behemoth of the crustacean family is much sought after for its sweet succulent meat.

We were all enthralled by this giant crab with its enticing presentation. First up, the Alaskan spider crab was flavored with Salt and Pepper. Lightly coated with a thin batter and then sautéed in an aromatic mixture of shallot, garlic, spring onion, chili and seasoned with salt and pepper, the crab claws was gorgeous. One can taste the sweet chunks of crab meat laced with a nice aroma of the salt and pepper. A classic method that never fails to please when executed perfectly!

The second crab was doused in chef’s Signature Cheese Emulsion. It’s a golden pale yellow pool of creaminess glazing the crabs. Cheesy goodness matching up well with the sweet crab meat, making the dish really sexy to the very last bit!

Our third was the shell of the crab being filled with egg custard and steamed. The custard was a wee bit firm and a slight tad salty for me but others seemed to be oblivious and polished off every bit of the custard. I love how the bright red shell looks after being cook. It was certainly a magnificent experience for seafood lovers!

Miguel Torres Cordillera Cariñena

Though the red has silky tannins with a nice berry notes, I find it a bit too powerful for the crab. It’s a great red with full body and a touch of smoky edge with a long aftertaste but for me, it just over powers the sweet crab. Would have love this red with a nice piece of meat!

A Surprise!

When this dish landed on the table, everyone couldn’t be any happier! Lobster Head Braised Yee Mee is just beautiful at sight. The soft eggy noodles have been bathing and soaking up the flavors of the king of crustacean and its flavors are just deep, luscious and rich. I ate one and half bowl of this awesomeness with some donated from my foodie buddy Choi Yen!

Sweet Endings

It was a simple ending and it ended with such finesse. We indulged in a scoop of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream with Aged Balsamic Syrup and accompanied by berries. The sweet tangy rich balsamic vinegar is thick and divine, heighten the Haagen Dazs ice cream even more. I am hooked. I will be having my ice cream with aged balsamic vinegar from now on…

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro

We finished off with the sweetest of Spain, a dessert wine that is voluptuous in body and very aromatic.

The feast was unforgettable! South Sea Seafood takes seafood dining experience to another new level and now coupled with its Sea Cellar, pairing Chinese seafood with wine is set to impress gourmands from all over. Prices may be on a heavier end but bear in mind that its premium quality seafood brought in live from all over the world for the enjoyment of gourmands. Coupled with its brand new ambience, the wine and dine haven is certainly worth the journey for!

For more information on South Sea, please log on to www.southsea.com.my

SOUTH SEA CHINESE RESTAURANT

No229, Jalan Dua A Kampung Baru Subang,

40150 Selangor

Tel: 03 7846 5813 / 03 7846 1401

Email: tastebud@southsea.com.my

*More photos on my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams