Lai Po Heen,
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2179 8885
Business hours: 12.00pm to 2.30pm
and 7.00pm to 10.30pm, daily.
Mandarin Grill,
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2179 8960
Business hours: Lunch, 12.00pm to 2.30pm and dinner, 7.00pm to 10.30pm, daily.
IN CONJUNCTION with the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) this month, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is offering the best of two worlds at Lai Po Heen and Mandarin Grill.
Specially made menus by executive Chinese chef Ricky Thein and chef de cuisine Reto Weber have some of the best Eastern and Western dishes just for the gastronomic festival.
At Lai Po Heen, which specialises in Cantonese delicacies and dim sum, Thien had kept it simple and classical. The lunch and dinner menus are priced at R198++ to RM288++.
For the starter, the Hunan Ice Chilled Whole Baby Abalone is served with fresh pomelo, avocado, kiwi and spicy sesame sauce. The spiciness of the sauce almost hits you as soon as eat it, enticing your tastebuds.
The Double Boiled ‘Kung Fu’ Soup made with premium dried seafood, cordyceps, American ginseng, morel mushroom and baby cabbage is a very light, clear soup.
Having the dish double boiled with ginseng made it tasty and healthy too.
Crispy and tender: Trio of Corn-fed Chicken with Szechuan Pepper Spiced, Wok-Seared in Crispy Skin.
For the main course, patrons have the option to try the Trio of Corn-fed Chicken with Szechuan Pepper Spiced, Wok-Seared in Crispy Skin or Steamed Dragon Grouper Roll with Hong Kong Kai Lan and Superior Rice Wine Sauce.
The winning number at Lai Po Hee is the Sun Dried Scallops Glutinous Rice served in a dim sum basket. It comes wrapped in spinach with all the flavours infused into the rice.
To end the meal, Thien prepared the Sweet Sensation, which features peanut coated butter milk cubic, green tea sauce, passion fruit infused coconut pudding.
Speaking about his creation, Thien, who is a Gold Medalist recipient at the 5th World Golden Chef Competition for Chinese Cuisine in 2005, said the idea was to keep the dishes healthy.
Sweet and cool: Mandarin Orange Sorbet with Watermelon Ceviche.
“Everyone is health conscious these days, so we have created the dishes to be very light, subtle in taste and well portioned. We don’t want people to be too full after finishing one course.
“This year, we used imported ingredients, so the taste is different.
“For example, the abalone is steamed for four hours, dipped in sparkling juice and Hunan chilli for two hours, resulting in a spicy taste.
“The soup is double boiled for four hours and only a hint of ginseng is added as we didn’t want an overwhelming bitter taste,” he said.
Over at the contemporary Mandarin Grill restaurant, Weber, who is participating for the second year has brought some autumn elements to the restaurant.
The appetisers include the Coral Dusted Bertagne Scallop with Leek Etuvee, Beef Chorizo and Parmesan Foam or Rabbit Loin ‘Perigord’ with Lamb Lettuce, Cep Mushroom and Truffle Juice.
Other dishes include a choice of Doversole Fillet with Salsify, Baby Spinach and Grenobloise Sauce or the Duck Leg Confit ‘A la Orange’ with Braised Apple Red Cabbage and Roasted Potato Dumpling.
The main course, the Halibut Fillet ‘Winemaker Style’ with Champagne Choucroute, Pomme Chateaux and Caramelised Grapes is a sweet dish as patrons would be able to savour the flavours of the wine.
Another main course option is the Pure Black Angus Tenderloin ‘Saliou’ with Foie Gras, Brussle Sprouts, Smoked Celery Puree Garnish Bourguignon.
Desserts on the special menu include the White & Orange, which features white sacher sponge, bourbon vanilla bavarois and orange custard, a must-try, as well as the Chestnut Honey Sentenced Reblochon with Quince Chutney and Black Pepper Baguette.
According to Weber, the dishes boast classic methods of cooking such as braising, and double-boiling.
“For the duck, we braise, smoke and confit it and we use duck bones to make the dark sauce. This is a time-consuming dish, which takes about two days.”
When asked about the Halibut fillet dish, Weber said: “The fish is cooked slowly and as autumn is the best time for grapes, the term ‘winemaker’ is aptly used to highlight the distinctive taste of wine in the dish.
“We try to cook according to the season; it is autumn right now and the ingredients used are what you would get during the season.
“We want to make sure the same products aren’t used all year,” he said.
For more details on the festival’s offerings, log on to www.migf.com/2012/offers/lai-po-heenoffers and www.migf.com/2012/offers/mandarin-grill-offers
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
