TOH YUEN CHINESE RESTAURANT,
Hilton Petaling Jaya, No 2,
Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-79559122
Business Hours: (Tues-Sat) Noon-10.30pm,
(Sun) 11am to 10.30pm.
FAMILIES can organise their get-together at any time as Toh Yuen at Hilton Petaling Jaya will be open for the first 15 days of Chinese New Year.
Four different types of set menus have been prepared by the hotel’s executive Chinese chef Sam Lu, 33.
Sam revealed that his speciality were the seafood dishes, especially fish, prawns and clams.
Lu dropped out of school at 13 and this no doubt led to him being one of the youngest executive chefs at a five-star hotel.
His experience of more than 20 years in the food business has worked out well for him.
“It was a tough life. I had to work extra hard and start from the bottom. I used to throw away the restaurant’s rubbish. I was often told to clean the fish and chicken,” said the Tawau-born chef.
Since leaving Sabah, he has worked in countries such as South Korea, Macau and China.
The “Crispy Fried Rice Noodles with Seafood” was a notable highlight of the food tasting.
Highlight: The “Crispy Fried Rice Noodles with Seafood” was a notable highlight of the food tasting.
It is more commonly known as Cantonese Kuey Teow. Prepared in house, the texture of the noodle was extremely smooth and tender, making it stand out from what is served at hawker centres.
The thin strip of deep fried rice crackers placed over the noodles stood out. The crackers were made of rice flour and egg and tasted similar to prawn crackers.
The noodle gravy was cooked with seafood such as clams and tiger prawns were also added.
“I cooked the gravy in 200 degree Celsius heat to ensure it had the ‘burnt’ taste. The Chinese call it Wok Hey.
Juicy: Tiger Prawn with Chinese Herbs.
“Because the dish is prepared at such high heat, it is not suitable to incorporate vegetables as they would be overcooked,” said Lu.
Another simple yet tasty dish was the “Tiger Prawn with Chinese Herbs”.
“When you eat several courses, the dishes should complement each other.
“Ideally, the dishes should not have a strong flavour; some should be milder than others,” said Lu.
For the soup option, try the The “Braised Fa Choi with Crab Meat Soup” with ingredients such as black moss and crabmeat.
End your dinner with a chilled bowl of “Osmanthus Olive with Lemongrass Jelly” — a favourite at Toh Yuen.
Tasty: Braised Top Shells with stuffed Oysters, Mushrooms and Abalone Sauce.
There are four Fatt Choy menu options — Everlasting Happiness (RM1,288++), Love In Abundance (RM1,588++), Sweet Longevity (RM1,888++), Sea Of Prosperity (RM1,988) for 10 persons.
Guests can watch the chefs prepare noodles and dim sum from two live cooking stations at the newly refurbished restaurant which recently reopened after several months of renovations.
The restaurant was relaunched with a lion dance presentation, three piece Chinese orchestra performance by Regal Orchestra, Chinese calligraphy demonstration by Shi You Song and an art exhibition, recently.
Toh Yuen has a seating capacity of 138 and four private dining rooms.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
