Kim Ma,
Palace of the Golden Horses,
Mines Resort City,
Jalan Kuda Emas, Seri Kembangan,
Selangor.
Tel: 03-8944 3784
Business hours: Lunch (noon to 2.30pm);
dinner (6.30pm to 10.30pm).
THE delicacies at reunion tables often have auspicious names to symbolise the hope for a prosperous Chinese New Year.
Observing the tradition, Kim Ma Cantonese Fusion Restaurant chef de cuisine Roy Wong has given meaningful names to all the dishes in four set menus to welcome the Year of the Dragon.
Take the appetiser for intance, it is a combination of two items so it is called “The Arrival of Double Happiness”.
Fried Rice with Dried Oyster, Prawns and Salted Egg Yolk is “Good Things Come in Abundance” as the pronounciation of “good things” is the homophone of dried oyster in Cantonese. While credit has to be given to chef Wong for his creativity in naming the dishes, his talent in concocting the delectable courses should be recognised as well.
His quest for perfection was reflected in his innovative dishes as well as his insistence on using the right combination of ingredients for extra variety, which would be value for money.
The 43-year-old chef was particularly proud of his Prosperity Yee Sang with Salmon, which featured a “dragon ball” made of deep-fried rice noodles in a steel mould.
He described the act of tossing the yee sang as “dragons fighting for the ball” and patrons were encouraged to break the “dragon ball” with their chopsticks as they tossed their various ingredients into the air.
The crunchy bits of the “dragon ball” added texture to the dish, while the sauce made of sour plum, lemon paste and ribena coated the ingredients with sweet and slight sourish flavours.
The Palace Appetiser Combination consisted of two varieties of bite-sized food, which were glass noodles and scallop in a fried bean curd, and salted egg yolk and fish paste in the shape of a halved hard-boiled egg.
Double-boiled “Ming Mu Yu” (shellfish) with Sea Whelk and Shark’s Fin, which was served next, was said to be nourishing for the eyes.
Nibble on: The Double Happiness consists of two varieties of bite-sized food.Smoked Poached Chicken with Stuffed Crispy Chicken Skin with Prawn Paste and Peanut came with an interesting name as well.
Wong explained that it was dubbed “Dragon and Phoenix Celebrating New Year” because the appearance of prawn is similar to that of a dragon, and chicken is often said to be the embodiment of phoenix.
We continued to be awed by Wong’s culinary skills when Baked Silver Cod with Marmite Sauce Combination with Crispy Oyster was served.
“I brush a concoction of marmite and tomato sauce on the cod before placing it in the oven.
“The oysters are coated with mayonnaise and then deep-fried,” he said.
“Forever Young” was the fancy name for Poached Shiitake Mushrooms with Minced Chicken in Superior Broth while “Bountiful Harvest of Grain” was Stir-Fried Glutinous Rice with Seafood and Waxed Duck.
For desserts, “Yellow Gold and White Jade” (Coconut Pudding and Kidney Beans Served with Cream of Pudding) and “Reaching Higher Level Every Year” (Baked New Year Cake with Sugar Crisp) were served.
The former had a Western twist while the latter, although containing the traditional sticky cake, was a creative invention.
It featured a slice of sticky cake wrapped in a dough, and then topped with the sugary crust usually found on the pineapple buns.
The set menus are available at RM880++, RM988++, RM1,188++ and RM1,488++ until Feb 6.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
