Utara Coffee House
Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya
Level 1 Lorong Utara C,
46200 Petaling Jaya, Pj New Town
FOR those looking for something a little different to feast on this Chinese New Year, check out he offerings at Utara Coffee House in Armada Petaling Jaya, where traditional, good fortune must-have dishes get a modern tweak for an interesting meal.
Hotel executive chef Chew Teik Chye said the menus were a result of the collective effort of staff, who brainstormed and came up with many ideas for new dishes.
“We kept trying different things and inspiring each other until we found tastes that worked”.
“All the research and development can be tedious but it is worth it,” he said.
The result is three set menus and a buffet spread that tickles the taste buds and leaves the other senses refreshed.
Any Lunar New Year meal would not be complete without yee sang and at Armada, this delicacy manages to bring about a pleasant surprise to the palate.
“People always want to try something new and interesting, so we have come up with yee sang served with blueberry sauce, tangy mango sauce and even a Japanese cuisine-inspired one with maguro fish slices, tempura flakes, seaweed and sesame seed,” Chew said.
Over at the buffet table, diners can even set about making their own yee sang, putting more or lesser of any selected ingredient as they please.
Standing out: The fish course in the set menu takes centre stage.
The set menus then continue with dishes for good luck, including fish, chicken, black moss, prawns and such, with some dishes standing out more than others.
One dish that takes centre stage is the steamed fish, where the accompanying decoration for the deep-fried fish carcass is embedded in pineapple.
The prawn dishes are also something to remember as one has two types of the crustacean ? one cold and served on a bed of chopped fresh fruits, and the other laid out in a deep-fried noodle basket.
Chef Chew also assures diners of vegetarian “:shark’s fin” in their soup.
For those who opt for the buffet, there will be seven rotating menus, each with a selection of more than 20 hot dishes in addition to Western and Japanese ones.
“On Chinese New Year Eve, we will be serving additional dishes, such as poon choi (traditionally a variety of goodies cooked in a large pot and served as it is) and will present a giant yee sang where everybody can “lou’ together,” he said.
The hotel’s Chinese New Year promotion is available until Feb 25 and costs between RM988++ and RM1,188++ a per table of 10 pax for the set menus or RM70++ per adult, RM49++ per senior citizen and RM35++ per child or domestic helper for the reunion buffet dinner.
Utara Coffee House, Armada Petaling Jaya, Petaling Jaya. (03-7954 6888 ext 4557). Business hours: 7pm to 10.30pm, daily. Halal kitchen.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.