YUMIQI CHINESE CUISINE RESTAURANT,
Unit 1-13, Level 1, Nexus,
7, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2242 4668
Business hours: Noon-2.30pm (lunch), 6pm-10.30pm (dinner).
Non-halal
Traditional preparation complete with copper hotpots from China.
LIVING up to its name in serving authentic Shunde cuisine is non other than Yumiqi Chinese Cuisine Restaurant in Bangsar South.
Though not often seen served in Klang Valley, this style of cooking is similar to our local Cantonese dishes, which may taste closer to home for some.
Shunde District, in Foshan in Guangdong province, is home to a type of traditional Chinese cuisine that is similar to what we find here.
“We didn’t need to modify the dishes brought in from Shunde as it is very close to our local taste and so far it has been well received by our customers,” said owner Goh Wen Loong.
He said he and his business partners brought the restaurant brand from China with the help of Mun Xiao Wei, who is the original owner of Yumiqi in Guangdong.
Having made a name among local and foreign customers in Guangdong, the original eatery in China is a favourite haunt for Malaysians on holiday there.
“In fact quite a number of our customers recognise the shop and the owner,” he said.
Goh added that customers recognise the eatery also partly due to its unique dishes which are not found in other restaurants.
The interior of Yumiqi Chinese Cuisine Restaurant.
Yumiqi’s two signature dishes are the porridge steamboat and the seafood hotpot.
Served in a huge copper wok, the seafood hotpot can be custom-made from size to ingredients.
From as small as a group of two to a group of 10, Yumiqi is ready to prepare the dish to the customer’s liking.
“Customers can actually choose their own seafood and add in how much they want in the copper hotpot,” he said.
He explained that the copper hotpot brought in from China was used because it heated up fast. It is also China’s traditional way of cooking the dish.
Starting from RM18, the hotpot would be first filled with clear broth, beancurd and roast pork.
Then customers can choose from a variety of seafood such as crabs, prawns, lobster, abalone, fresh fish, oyster, and eel.
“They can even choose to only have a fish inside with two prawns, it is up to them and how much they can eat,” he said.
Price will vary, based on the type and amount of seafood added in.
Succulent speciality chicken served in a clay pot.
Placed above a portable stove built into the table, diners can savour the dish slowly without fear of the broth getting cold.
“Usually when I eat with my friends, we will dish out all the seafood once it boils and then add in rice into the broth. It actually tastes really good,” he said.
Due to the huge portion, Yumiqi does not serve rice with the hotpot, but customers can order separately if they want to.
Goh said the broth tasted different every time due to the different seafood added into it.
“The original soup base tastes different compared to after the seafood is added as the soup becomes richer, thicker and sweeter,” he said.
Yumiqi also serves porridge seafood, minus the porridge.
The chef from China actually cooks the porridge, sieves the grains and uses the porridge stock as the steamboat soup.
Served in a hotpot, customers can also choose from a variety of meats and vegetables for the steamboat.
“We didn’t want to serve the porridge grains because it is really filling.
“Also in other porridge steamboat restaurants there is usually the problem of the porridge burning at the bottom after a while,” he said.
Yumiqi is also famous for their wax meat rice and special fried chicken, which is served in a claypot to keep the dish warm.
Yumiqi’s food are cooked by chefs from China.
“We try to keep it as authentic as possible and we have brought in the chefs and assistant chefs from China as they would know the dishes best.
“Our spices are also imported from China to ensure authenticity,” he added.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
I find those dishes l ordered or rather been recommended by the staff was delicious and interesting as compared to our usual Chinese dining. Slightly cost a bit more than the usual dining in the Chinese restaurant. I think its worth the money for an authentic Chinese cuisine dishes. Services quite attentive and friendly despite the restaurant were busy.