KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Lotus Root with Fish Paste

Grand Imperial is one of my favourite dim sum place in KL; you’ll see us stuffing ourselves silly with dim sum when the pay cheque’s out. During days when moolah runs low, we’ll resort to our favourite neighbourhood dim sum restaurant Jin Xuan.

My colleagues have raved about the food, and one of them chose to have his wedding reception here! We took their words for it and dropped by one morning. There was no turning back ever since. Usually we are here early to enjoy a quiet morning sipping Chinese tea and reading newspaper, just before the crazy crowd, otherwise known as the lunch crowd, comes in.

Lotus Root with Fish Paste. We were all enticed by the name so I put a big tick on the order sheet. I love the crunchy texture of the lotus root. The fish paste was really smooth and springy too.

The gun tong gao 灌汤饺 (RM12) is probably one of the most expensive dim sum item in the menu but it was worth every single cents. The huge dumpling was filled with a generous amount of pork meat, shark fin stripes and dried scallops. The soup was so clear and so sweet that it’s almost like a sin if you can’t finish em’ all.

Xiao Long Bao 小龙包. The broth within was sweet and flavorful but the skin was too thick for my liking.

Not to be missed is the fame Century Egg and Shredded Pork Porridge. The congee has a viscous and velvety smooth texture and it was neither too thick nor watery. Even KampungBoy who hates congee gave his two thumbs up, another exception being Mui Kee from Hong Kong.

Stir Fried Raddish Cake with XO Sauce.  Delightfully flavourful but not too oily.

you get what you tick

The grand entrance of Grand Imperial

A meal for two will usually cost RM50 – RM70 but I’m not complaining seeing that the dim sums were made to order and things are less chaotic here, i.e. no table hogging and no fighting for dim sums from the pushing carts.

T5, 3rd Floor, East Wing,
Bangsar Shopping Centre
Tel: 03-2283 1118

Lot No 2.171, 2nd Floor,
The 19 USJ City Mall,
Jalan Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ19,
47620 Subang Jaya
Tel: 03 80248777

Lot F33-F35, First Floor,
Hartamas Shopping Centre,
No. 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,
Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL
Tel: 03-6201 3777

With my bed hair and early morning sleepy eyes, I wrote my name on the perpetual waiting list at Jing Xuan and stand by the road side with a bunch of hungry people who loves their morning fix. “What’s with these DJ people? I can easily make money by opening a decent dim sum place around Atria!” I can’t help but to keep complaining.

Glad that we manage to secure a table after a mere 20 minutes or else kampungboy will drown in my grumpy mood. Unofficial sources were saying that Kam Hin, Hong Kee, Jing Xuan, apparently are all the same. If this is true, Hong Kee has taken the right cue and opened the doors of a second restaurant of different name and different concept few streets away. Thanks to Eiling! A good part of the dim sum crowd is diverted to Jing Xuan.

Variety is the key word here, from the usual dim sum fare to marmite pork ribs, buns and pastries. The century egg congee (RM3.50) brings a smile to my face. Other than the usual century egg and minced pork, some sinful blob of salted egg yolk were added in too.

KampungBoy reckons that the deep fried prawn roll is one of the best, fresh and luscious prawn shrouds within the thin and light skin had the right amount of crunchy bite. At RM3.50 per plate, it is good value for money.

No complains on the Cabbage Roll (RM 3.50) too, with a generous amount of chicken, mushroom and chinese waxed sausages hidden beneath the pliable cabbage blanket.

With chewy thick skin and bland fillings, the Steamed Prawn Dumpling aka Har Gao (RM4) on the other hand, is a total disappointment.

Deep Fried Radish Cake (RM 3.50) with a light and crunchy outer layer has a savory sweet flavor that crept up on the palate.

The Char Siu Pastry (RM3.50) is to die for! Succulent barbequed pork in sweet sauce is embedded in a parcel of crispy, flaky puff pastry. Heavenly!

The highly anticipated Taro Puff with Prawn and Cheese (RM 8.00) is a nightmare. Instead of complementing each other, the different flavors and textures of yam, prawn and cheese have a slight astringent flavor clash that brings a frown to KampungBoy’s face.

I find Jing Xuan’s variety (with many other interesting morsels and old favorites), reasonable pricing and posher interior keeps people from coming back. It is advisable to drop by after 12 noon when the crowd dies down.

Restoran Jin Xuan Hong Kong Sdn Bhd
59, 61 & 63, Jln SS22/19,
Damansara Jaya,
47300 P.Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 7729 6866

I blame it on food bloggers, with reviews like this, this ,this and this, Hong Kee Dim Sum is now pack to the brim every weekends. Like an annoying pest, we stood beside tables that look rather promising with rules of thumb like least food left on the table, the man is digging out $$, the woman is packing and kids were asked to finish the last sip of tea.

The legendary items like sang chao lor mai fan and stir fried raddish cakes were massly produced and shipped off to every single table in a jiffy. Some deep fried items are drenched in oil, when things get a little too messy.

However, one gets prompt services and quality food on a quiet weekday. Chefs’ creativity are playing well here; offering us with a myriad of possibilities for flavor and texture combinations. Spinach dumpling, deep fried prawn roll with century eggs, sang chao lor mai fan (stir fry glutinious rice) and fried fish paste coated with almond flakes, just to name a few.

I would recommend the egg tart with flaky crust, very aromatic stir fried raddish cake, warm and fluffy char siu bao and har gao with huge succulent prawns. Price is rather reasonable too, a decent meal for two comes less than RM30 most of the time. In a nut shell, it is best to drop by during the week days if you wish to stay awhile and soak up the tranquil atmosphere while indulging in some good dim sums.

Hong Kee Tim Sum Restaurant
No 18 & 20, Jalan SS22/25
Damansara Jaya
47400 Petaling Jaya.

No. 31, Jalan Puteri 2/5
Bandar Puteri
47100 Puchong.

No. 36, Jalan USJ 9/5P,
47620 Subang Jaya.

No. 69, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3A,
Pandan Indah,
55100 KL.

No. 2, Jln 19/3,
Seksyen 19,
46300 Petalin g Jaya.

Tel: 012-3809980
Opening hours: 7.00am to 3.00pm daily.

“Hi guys, can do me a favor? I need a Mandarin-English translator as I’m doing an interview with a China chinese chef from Oriental Spoon.”

“Sure! We would love to!”

In fact, Chef Yu, who was hailed all the way from Guangzhou, China, speaks his mother tongue so accurately and succinctly that will put our “mangonese” (Malaysian Cantonese) into shame. Jason Ipoh Mali has no problem conversing in Cantonese as well. Nevertheless, a beautiful misunderstanding as such has led us to a hidden gem at Sooka Sentral for excellent stuff.

Oriental Spoon that serves halal dim sum and ala carte Chinese cuisine is located at Sooka Sentral, a new lifestyle mall more often known as the stunning giant shark like building that take less than 5 minutes of walking distance from KL Sentral.

Captivating pieces of Chinese décor and solid wood furniture creates a sense of intimacy despite the restaurant’s location at one of the most hustle bustle place in the city. Patrons can choose to be seated in either the private booths that can seat four people comfortably, the round shaped cushioned enclave for a cozy meet or a larger private room that can accommodate bigger groups.

The making of Hedgehog Bun that requires much skills and experiences.

Chef Yu and ‘Sous Chefs’

1. Steamed Siew Mai with Fresh Scallops
2. Yam Dumpling
3. Sesame bun
4. Sharks fin dumpling in superior soup
5. Deep fried lotus roots puff with minced chicken
6. Steamed rice rolls with sweet corn and minced chicken
7. Egg tarts
8. Butter crab and fried mantao
9. Spicy XO sauce Fried rice

* All food above is from ala-carte menu.

Managed under the same brilliant team of Bangsar Seafood Village, I can almost ascertain the quality of food and service. The dim sums are special creations of Chef Yu who has been in the dim sum industry for more than 10 years. The word “halal” is not much of an issue here because everything is so close to the real deal, some even fares better compared to their oink oink counterparts.

I almost can’t believe it when Jade, the sweet PR girl told me that they are doing a dim sum buffet promotion on every Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday for the month of July at RM 18.80++! It is too good to be true, considering ala carte price that ranges from RM 5 to RM 12, it is a very good deal. I’m going to make my reservation anytime soon!

Oriental Spoon
1-5, Sooka Sentral,
Jalan Stesen Sentral 5,
50470, Kuala Lumpur
(opposite the MRCB building)
If you are coming from Brickfields, take the elevated road, which is called Jalan Stesen Sentral 5. Keep to your furthest right as the road curves, and take the first right turn. Sooka Sentral is on your left
Tel: 03 – 2261 3222/ Fax: 03-2780 2055
Opening hours: 7 days a week (11 am – 8pm)
Later opening hours for dinner: Just give them a ring in advance, and they’ll open till 10pm for dinner

I admit, I was skeptical towards halal dim sum, why would anyone want to pay so much for halal dim sum when the real thing is easily available? However, everyone, including our Muslim acquaintances deserves a fair opportunity to enjoy these tantalizing and dainty little goods that “touch your heart”, literally.

I was so glad that I tagged along for lunch at Restaurant MinMax, a halal Chinese place that comes highly recommended by my boss. A glance through its extensive menu offering various Chinese dishes and dim sums was enough to my salivary glands into overdrive.

The dim sum was decent, a somewhat hit and miss to be exact, but it is definitely a restaurant to return to again, considering the price that we paid for (approximately RM 17 per head) because a halal dim sum affair at hotels would cost a boom anytime.

Minmax Restaurant
PNB Darby Park
Jalan Binjai
50450 Kuala Lumpur
03 – 7490 3333