Xin Cuisine @ Concorde Hotel KL

Bites of tradition

January 15, 2017

It’s always a treat to dine at Xin Cuisine, so an invitation to sample some of the Chinese New Year dishes sees me braving the mid-week after work traffic to get to Concorde Hotel KL.

The restaurant chefs have designed three set menus for the festive season, at RM1,388, RM1,688 and RM2,188 nett.

Old-fashioned yee sang with plum sauce and snow pear

All 3 nine-course menus start with yee sang, that raw fish salad that is a must-have to start the year by tossing up wealth and good health. The Prosperity Yee Sang comes with Norwegian salmon and customers can also add other toppings such as snow pear, sliced abalone, soft shell crab, jelly fish and baby octopus.

Nourishing Double-Boiled Chicken Soup

After the refreshing yee sang, we sip on steaming Double-Boiled Chicken Soup with whole dried scallop, kei qi (wolfberry) and yuzhu (Solomonseal rhizome) a sweet root herb that nourishes the lungs and replenishes yin. 

The soup is so delicious I am tipping the bowl to get every drop. The soup is served in individual pots.

Crispy Roasted Duck is scented with the nourishing herb danggui which helps boost blood circulation. It’s so aromatic and full of flavour that the dips of plum sauce and chilli sauce are really not needed.

Crispy Roasted Duck is bursting with aroma

The Steamed Loong Fu Pan or Dragon Tiger Grouper is firm and sweet

Our choice of fish for the RM1,688 menu is Steamed Loong Fu Pan or Dragon Tiger Grouper. The freshness of the fish is attested by the thick, sweet juicy flesh. Served with superior soya sauce, the garoupa is topped with silky cloud fungus and tofu sheets.

Other items in this menu include Wokfried Sea Prawns With Garlic & Almond Flakes, Braised Dried Oyster with Fatt Choy, Mushroom & Fish Maw.

2-Grain Rice with Chinese Sausages 

All three menus end with 2-Grain Rice & Chinese Sausages. The chef has used fragrant rice and brown rice. The meat and liver sausages, together with waxed meat, are steamed on top to allow the flavours to seep into the grains. Just add freshly cut chilli padi if necessary.

Bountiful Fortune Pot has everything for a complete meal in itself

Apart from the set menus, we also try the Chef’s Special for CNY. The Bountiful Fortune Pot poon choi is priced at RM388 nett (regular) and RM688 nett (large). The claypot  is filled to the brim with layers and layers of ingredients. We see large prawn, abalone, roasted pork, chicken, fish maw, tofu sheet, dried oyster, yam, mushroom, whole scallop, sea cucumber, aduki beans and Chinese cabbage. A complete meal in one pot, perfect with rice.

Chilled Peach Resin with White Fungus and Red Dates. Right: Nian Gao in three ways

For dessert, it’s  Chilled Peach Resin with White Fungus and Red Dates and Nian Gao (Chinese New Year sticky cake).

The glutinous rice cakes come in three ways: Steamed and rolled with desiccated coconut as well as coarsely chopped peanuts and as dumplings coated with black and white sesame seeds.

CNY Gift Collection  comes in four choices of  crystal designs with LED lights, USB port and cable

Concorde Hotel is also making available its CNY Gift Boxes in four designs: Goldfish, Plum Blossoms, Clam With Pearl and Pipa, with mirror finish. At RM118 nett, each box contains either 2 Nian Gao or four pastries (pineapple tart, salted egg yolk pastry, yam pastry and red bean pastry). They are gorgeous and  make lovely jewellery boxes; I'd love to get one - or even 2 - for myself too. To order, call 012-399 5436. Check them out at the hotel lobby. 

phoenixbee@gmail.com

Xin Cuisine (non-halal)

2 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-2144 8750, 603-2144 2200 ext 2338

Website: http://kualalumpur.concordehotelsresorts.com/restaurant/xin-cuisine