Novotel Hotel, Jalan Kia Peng,
Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
Tel: 03-2147 0888
Business hours: Mon-Sat
noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.00pm.
Closed from Feb 10 to 12.
WHETHER you are seeking prosperity or a blossoming Chinese New Year, the Novotel’s Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant is the right place to usher in the Year of Snake.
The restaurant, famous for its halal Chinese cuisine, is offering three different nine-course menus that will enchant diners? taste buds.
The three menus are Blossom Set Menu, Auspicious Set Menu and Prosperity Set Menu.
After tossing the customary yee sang, which has the New Zealand salmon as a main ingredient, assistant chef Jerry Yong recommended the Steamed Mandarin Fish from the other dishes on offer.
“This dish signifies wealth and prosperity. We import some of the spices and fruits in the dish from China to maintain authenticity,” said Yong, who has about nine years of experience in preparing Chinese cuisine.
The Steamed Mandarin Fish was cooked to perfection and was served with a sticky black bean sauce that also had little gems of crisp red and green capsicum in it.
Dessert is served: Chilled Rock MelonPuree with Chinese Pastry.
Next, we tried the juicy Wok-Fried River Prawns, where the fresh Oriental flavour of Yong’s special sauce was immediately apparent.
Also on offer in Qing Shen Restaurant is its signature dish ? Charm of Szechuan. This dish is a quintessential preparation from China’s Szechuan province and was introduced at the restaurant by a former head chef who was from the Muslim province.
It features Australian mutton with a spiced crust that is flavourful and not too spicy. The dish has been on the menu at the Novotel’s Chinese restaurant since its opening and remains one of their most popular dishes.
Other dishes featured on the Chinese New Year menus were Braised Supreme Fresh Scallop Soup, Signature Roasted Chicken marinated with herbs served with prawn crackers, Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf and Hong Kong-Style Steamed Red Coral Trout.
Traditional favourites such as Chinese Mushroom with Sea Cucumber, Tau Kan, Garden Greens and Dried Oysters with Fatt Choi are also available.
For dessert, Yong prepared a Chilled Rock Melon Puree with Sago and Mixed Fruits, which, although simple, was wonderfully light and refreshing.
Also on offer is a variety of Chinese pastry including Sliced Crispy Pancake, Snow Layer Cake and Gold Fish Dumpling filled with black sesame paste.
The set menus, for tables of 10, are available until Feb 22.
Blossom Set Menu is priced at RM988++, Auspicious Set Menu is RM1,288++ and the Prosperity Set Menu is RM1,688++.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
