Puteri Restaurant
Lot 3074, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman,
Sungai Penchala, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-7728 4886
Business hours: 11.00am-3.30pm,
6.00pm-11.00pm.
AFTER a two-year hiatus, the Puteri Restaurant in Sungai Penchala relaunched its new dinner menu.
This time, the menu will comprise 11 Chinese-Muslim dishes, with more recipes in the offing depending on response.
No Chinese menu, Muslim or not, is complete without fish, and Chef Chang Yin Wan, who previously worked in Brunei, has cleverly adapted a Chinese dish, known in Cantonese as Jiong Zheng Yu, or as the chef called it “Special Sauce Fish” for Malay palates.
“We call it ‘special sauce’, because it is actually a combination of sauces. I added plum sauce to give it a sweet taste, and fermented bean paste for the ‘body’. Lastly, some fresh-cut chillies to add a bit of spice and colour the sauce,” said Chang.
Although the reddish sauce looks very much like sambal, and may intimidate some diners, the sauce was actually quite mild and sweetish complementing the neutral-tasting tilapia fish.
A fellow diner in fact used three bowls of rice to finish off the dish.
Another show-stopper that made its debut in December was the Sweet and Sour Crab.
Looks belie the taste: Despite its fearsome reddish appearance, the ‘Special Sauce Fish’ is actually quite sweet with a slight hint of spiciness, to complement the neutral taste of the tilapia fish.Again, looks can be deceiving what with the fiery red appearance, but the actual taste leaned more towards sweetness than a balance of both flavours.
However, the crabmeat did not disappoint in terms of freshness and texture.
Meat lovers need not worry about getting their share of the meal.
The Black Pepper Beef dish, thin yet chewy slices of beef are sufficiently covered in black pepper sauce with a good amount of diced capsicum to satisfy any craving.
Similarly, Braised Brinjal With Beef and Chillies is another good dish for meat lovers.
Diced sotong(squid) with dried chillies:More familiarly known as Kung Pao Squid for some,diners can choose to order squid,chicken fillets or prawns done up in this style.The brinjal’s neutral flavour and absorbent texture serves as a good bed for the gravy of minced beef, chillies and diced spring onion.
Diners looking for chicken might want to try out the Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Alternatively, there’s also the Lemon Sauce Chicken with its thick sauce that packs a rather zesty taste to offset the savoury fried chicken strips.
One dish that ought not to be missed is the Homemade Special Beancurd.
Hand-made from a mix of beancurd and fish paste, then deep-fried, the fish added flavour to an otherwise bland dish.
Diners could also choose to dip the beancurd in sweet chilli sauce for that extra “kick”.
If you love Malay dishes, then the Assam Fish head would not disappoint.
Though the asam pedas gravy might seem too salty and thick for those who were more accustomed to a soupier version.
With Puteri restaurant already quite popular for its buffet and a la carte lunch, the decision to serve halal Chinese cuisine came about after discussions with the customers.
“We talked to our regular diners about the possibility of starting a Chinese-Muslim menu, and their response was supportive,” said Puteri general operations manager Azlinda Mohd.
Chang, who has been a chef for 25 years, said that he learnt to adapt Chinese cuisine for Malay-Muslim palates after working in hotels in Brunei, Malacca and Tampin, Johor.
“Running a Chinese-Muslim kitchen was something I had in mind for a long time, so when a relative introduced me to Puteri Restaurant, who were looking for a Chinese-trained chef to help relaunch their dinner menu, I jumped at the opportunity,” he said.
Currently, the Chinese-Muslim menu at Puteri Restaurant Sungai Penchala is only available for dinner from 6.30pm till 11pm.
The dishes can be ordered a la carte in three sizes of small, medium and large, although the restaurant planned to introduce set menus in the future.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
