CHASING FOOD DREAMS: January 2019

January 28, 2019

Xiao Lao Wang Curry Fish Head @ Jaya One

Comfort Dishes and Healthy Greens

Xiao Lao Wang has been making headlines with its signature hotpots since years back. Ardent foodies know where to head for soothing pots of delectable hotpot broths. Everything is made from scratch in the kitchen where passionate owner and chef Andy Ong and his partner-in-crime Pamela Jan showcases Chinese soul food at its best.

The owners also owned Lammeeya where foodies slurp up tasty bowls of eggy gravy coated plump lam mee noodles along with housemade meat dumplings. At Xiao Lao Wang, diners can also enjoy an array of Chinese dishes that is familiar on our daily meals. What Xiao Lao Wang can assure their diners is that they can definitely enjoy comfort food at the eatery.

The ambiance also echoes pleasantry with the décor showcasing some of the owner’s own private collections of antiques set with an eclectic mix of modernity. One can choose to dine at both side of the restaurants where Lammeeya offers modern and simple bright minimalist décor or at Xiao Lao Wang’s oriental classic ambiance.

Enough said about the restaurants and let’s get down to the new menu available. Extending their menu to offer more classic familiar good eats, Xiao Lao Wang has added Curry Fish Head to their daily menu along with bio-dynamics vegetables for that healthier option.

To start off the meal, the owners offered a delicious and refreshing wolfberry puree drink called Ningxia Red. A superfood drink made from all the goodness of wolfberries, pomegranate and berries, it has a lovely tangy freshness when served chilled.

The limelight of the meal was definitely the Curry Fish Head (RM58 small, RM98 medium, RM128 large). Filled to the brim and loaded with big chunks of meaty fish head drenched in thick curry gravy, the dish warrants orders of piping hot steamed rice.

Unlike some places where the base curry is made in big portions, Xiao Lao Wang makes all their Curry Fish Head from scratch upon orders. Freshness is key to the owners. Using the freshest ingredients possible, Xiao Lao Wang uses the market’s freshest fish head available along with other locally source produce.

The curry gravy has a well-balance richness of spices and heat that is enjoyable. The fish head pieces is cooked well with enough meaty fish meat along with gelatinous bits to satiate diners of all ages. Along with the fish head, one can also tuck into blanched lady fingers, tau pok, eggplant, cabbage and more. It’s literally a one-pot wonder meal!

Though bio-dynamic is rather similar to organic cultivation, bio-dynamic farming goes one step further to produce everything from A to Z on its premise. Bio-dynamic vegetables are available for purchase at Xiao Lao Wang depending on their stock of the day.

Our dish of Bio-Dynamic Pea Sprouts with Egg White (RM18.90) was delicious with tender and smooth pea sprout leaves blanketed with soft egg white gravy. The tender sweetness of the pea sprouts is so good that even the little ones enjoyed this dish very much.

We also had the Bio-Dynamic Xiao Bai Chai (RM15.90) served in a pool of light soy sauce and finished with shredded ginger, spring onion and chili. The light crisp greens is very tasty and easy to enjoy.

The simple rendition of beancurd in Salted Chilli Tofu (RM18) was perhaps the most popular dish among our table since it was quickly polished off. Deep fried tofu cubes topped with that tantalizing bits of aromatics are so good, it can even be enjoyed on its own as a snack or with rice.

Although the order of Tomato Scrambled Egg (RM11.90) was for the little ones, the adults simply couldn’t resist stealing a few spoonful of the dish. Fluffy scramble eggs covered in a lightly sweet and tangy tomato sauce brought back some delicious childhood memories of yesteryear flavours that parents used to whip up for us.

The lightly boozed up Rice Wine Chicken (RM18 small, RM23 big) is another dish to order. The sweetness of the wine along with the savory notes of the soy sauce with hints of gingery flavour hit all the right notes. The chicken is also tender and juicy, rendering much satisfaction when savored with rice.

The Plum Sauce Chicken (RM18 small, RM23 big) has crispy fried chicken glazed with a gingery plum sauce. The crispy texture of the chicken made the dish addictively delectable.

If one has to order a noodle dish, the Signature Yee Mee (RM28) came highly recommended. Braised soft yee mee noodles with lots of greens and mushrooms are finished with lots of shredded golden egg omelette. The slippery smooth egg noodles is tasty and pretty much a well-favored dish by everyone that evening.

Xiao Lao Wang is indeed famous for their hotpot and one simply should try their signature Housemade Pickled Cabbage Pork Belly Soup (RM58 small for 1-4 persons, RM68 large for 5-8 persons). The pickled cabbage is made in house and provides the base of flavours for this delicious unique hotpot. The piquant tangy notes of the ‘suan cai’ or pickled cabbage makes a robust broth base along with some dried chili to add a gentle undertone of heat and some fresh cherry tomatoes for freshness.

One should order the Pork Belly Slices (RM9.90/100g small, RM15.90/150g large) or any other preferred meat such as chicken or lamb to add to the hotpot.

The succulent pork belly slices can further be enjoyed with the array of sauces available as condiments. Our spicy Sichuan chili spiced up sauce goes very well with the pork belly.

Add the Bio-Dynamic Pea Sprouts (RM6.90 per 180gm) for some goodness greens… or pick your choice of others such as Bai Cai, Nai Bai, Fu Kwai Choi, Cabbage, Pumpkin and more…

Another ingredient to order for the hotpot is the Housemade Mushroom Pork Balls (RM12.90). The texture and flavours of the pork balls when cooked in the hotpot is sublime, so much so that we would have love to order another round if we have not been so full.

A very satisfying meal at Xiao Lao Wang!

XIAO LAO WANG HOTPOT

100-G021, The School at JAYA One,

72A, Jalan University,

46200 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7496 0670

Facebook: www.facebook.com/xiaolaowang

Business Hours:

Mon to Sun - 5pm to 10.30pm

January 25, 2019

Chynna CNY 2019 Menu @ Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Year of Blooming Abundance

Feast on Chinese soul food this New Lunar Year at Chynna! Hilton Kuala Lumpur is wishing all their guests a Year of Blooming Abundance and there is not better wish to start the year than a festive CNY menu at the fine dining Chynna. Executive Chef Lam Hock Hin and the culinary team is bringing back soul food to take diners back to a gastronomy trip down memory lane.

Chynna has been serving fine Cantonese cuisine set in a Tang style opulent ambiance. Vibrant bold red, gold and dark wood Oriental theme, Chynna features an extensive menu of eclectic mix of Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine. The dining experience includes a tea master that acrobatically pours the house signature 8-Treasure Welcome Tea through a metre-long spout gold kettle that will leave diners in gleeful notes.

This festive Chinese New Year, Chef Lam has curated 4 special festive set menus along with a list of a la cartes and Yee Sangs. The 4 festive menus include Abundance, Prosperity, Wealth and Grand Fortune that starts from RM288nett per person to RM688nett per person.

Injecting a little fun of the West, this year’s highlight from the Yee Sang list is the Yu Sheng with Macadamia Nuts and American Strawberry. For those who do not eat raw fish or simply prefer non-seafood, this Yee Sang hits all the right notes.

The burst of fresh and juicy tang of strawberries brought Yee Sang to a new level of lusciousness. So delicious, the usual slices of raw fish was not overly missed. Instead of the usual peanuts, premium macadamia nuts made an appearance here. The sauce, a fruity one as well, married everything else in harmonious flavours. Simply delicious!

For the soup course, the Braised Assorted Dried Seafood with Vegetarian Fins, Crab Meat and Fish Maw was sublime. The thick soup exuded gorgeous seafood essence in every spoonful. Traces of fatt choi ran through the soup along with sweet crab meat, strands of prized fish maw and vegetarian fins. It’s a soup to be enjoyed slowly for its depth of flavours.

Perhaps Chef Lam knows best in terms of comfort classic flavours. His creation of Steamed Wild Caught Giant Grouper Slice with Congee, Fried Ginger and Tou Chu Chili Sauce had diners reminiscing about soothing flavours of delicate poached giant group slices in silky and smooth congee. A generous sauce of moreish and nutty bean paste and chili along with thinly julienned ginger and fresh herbs boosted the flavour of the fish and congee.

Another unusual creation, the Braised Abalone Cubes with Sea Cucumber, Pumpkin Sauce and Crispy Smoked Meat featured prized abalones and sea cucumber smothered in creamy golden pumpkin sauce. The presentation was albeit a plate of mess but the flavours are really sublime once you tasted it. The abalone and sea cucumber cooked well and the sauce had a beautiful umami note that goes very well with the seafood. The sprinkling of minced smoked meat added a touch of smoky and sweet note to finish the dish.

The Batter Fried Crispy Chicken with Yellow Curry Sauce is best savored hot for the full flavours and textures. Crispy and juicy boneless chicken coated in a creamy unctuous curry sauce would please even the discerning diners. Sliced lady fingers and chilis added touches of unusual textures to the dish.

Chef Lam aimed to inject comfort in all his menu this year. The next dish of Stewed Cabbage with Yam and Shrimps Served in a Claypot beckoned for steamed rice. Honing into more earthy notes, the creamy stew of powdery yam with soft sweet braised cabbage and large prawns evoked yesteryear flavours of pleasure. A dish that is absolutely soothing and very enjoyable…

For touches of healthy note, Chef Lam is serving up a Ten Grain rice stuffed with Chicken Floss. The rice has an al dente texture from the mix of ten grains and is nicely jazzed up with seaweed, crispy chicken floss and a drizzled of creamy sauce. Definitely unusual but it made a nice change from the usual glutinous rice or preserved waxed meat rice.

Dessert was Coconut Jelly and Nian Gao Roll with Cheddar Cheese, Musang King Durian and Macadamia Nuts. The odd thought of pairing nian gao with cheese and durian turned out to be a decent creative dessert from the approvals of the many diners there that evening. On the other hand, the coconut jelly with wolfberry sauce had a lovely sweet and fresh ending.

The festive set menu was definitely unusual from the standard but had a pleasing comfort flavours that will leave diners a sense of what festive season from yesteryears are all about. Chef Lam and the culinary team has really outdone their sense of creativity and effort so make sure to check out Chynna menu.