Exquisite Chinese
16 July,
2019
Dining at
Five Sen5es Chinese restaurant is never only about food. This contemporary
restaurant is truly a feast for the five senses.
I prefer to
arrive as soon as it opens for business, so 11.55am finds me waiting outside
its doors. Sounds kiasu? Maybe. What I really want is to soak in the calm of
its surroundings before other customers show up.
For a start, I love the
serenity of its many water features, including the gurgling of the water
fountains.
Then I take my time strolling through the premises to admire
replicas of copper ding (ancient giant Chinese cauldrons). I notice dry ice has
been placed inside and the billowing vapour rises and falls over the side to create
a momentarily surreal atmosphere. There are many pieces of artworks besides,
including vases and sculptures of horses.
For many
people though, it’s the food that draws. At the open kitchens, chefs are busy
shaping dim sum, steaming and frying. We place
orders from the a la carte menu and for appetisers, pick a selection from the
dim sum menu. Our choice of tea is bi lou chun (RM10), a fragrant tea with
smokey undertones, from the premium tea selection.
 |
| Har Gow with truffle |
 |
| Yam Puff with fresh scallop and tobiko (right) and Crispy Prawn & Mango |
Har gow is a
must and here, it comes with shavings of black truffle (RM18/3pcs). The yam
puff (RM18/3pcs) doesn’t look like the regular stuff. It’s shaped more like
mini taro bowls filled with fresh scallop and topped with tobiko.
For a fruity
treat, we have prawn and mango wrapped in deepfried net spring roll (RM18/3pcs).
The pastry is delightfully crisp and airy, contrasting well with juicy prawn
and sweet mango.
 |
| Wok-fried turnip (radish) cake with XO sauce and egg |
To round up
the dim sum selections is wok-fried turnip (radish, actually) cake (RM14) with
XO sauce and egg. Beansprouts gave an added crunch while chopped chives lent a
strong, garlicky flavour.
 |
| Crispy Salmon Banana with green tea and strawberry dip |
Before the
last morsel of dim sum is finished, we are served a new addition to the menu, Crispy
Salmon Banana (RM36) with green tea dip topped with chopped strawberry. An
unusual combination. The sliver of salmon seems a bit lost though, overpowered
by the more dominant taste of banana.
 |
| Braised Fresh Scallop with Seaweed and Seafood is a thickened broth |
I am bowled
over by Braised Fresh Scallop With Seaweed & Seafood Thick Soup (RM36/portion). I see a big,
fat fresh scallop and a prawn resting on a disc of seaweed. Where’s the soup?
Turns out the thickened soup lies right under the seaweed. It’s a light flavoured
broth and, fortunately, though thickened, does not have that gluey consistency.
There’s chopped tofu, asparagus, prawn, crab and egg in the soup.
 |
| Cod with Lemongrass Sauce and julienned young mango/kyuri |
Cod (RM160/180g) with lemongrass sauce is
topped with julienned young mango and kyuri cucumber. This is reminiscent of
Thai hot and sweet sauce but milder in flavours. The mastery of deepfrying is
reflected in the cod fillet that stays crisp despite the sauce, and softly
moist inside.
 |
| Braised Chicken in claypot with chestnut and mountain yam |
Served
sizzling hot, the aroma from the Braised Chicken with Chestnut and Mountain Yam
(from RM52) is tantalising. This does call for steamed white rice as the
perfect sidekick. The deboned cubes of chicken is coated in the dark, clinging
sauce while the chestnut is soft and mountain yam
(huáishān, 淮
山) powdery.
 |
| Fragrant Crispy Vegetables with Roasted Pine Nuts |
Skilled
control of fire is again evident in Fragrant Crispy Vegetables With Roasted
Pine Nuts (from RM38). The combination of sweet pea, celery, onion, lotus root,
cloud ear fungus, carrot, young corn and ginkgo nuts, is well orchestrated and
each ingredient has the right texture despite the different cooking times
required. The vegetables are topped with roasted pine nuts and shredded conpoy
(dried scallop).
 |
| Fried Rice with Minced Duck, Prawn, Yam and Pumpkin |
Shredded
conpoy is also a feature in Minced Duck Fried Rice with Prawn, Yam and Pumpkin
(RM45). Served in claypot, the rice is fragrant, with flavours and textures
coming from the minced duck, egg, soft pumpkin and yam. Sitting prettily on top
are two large prawns and a sprinkle of scallions. This makes a great one-pot
meal in itself.
 |
| Chilled Silken Mango Cream and Chilled Herbal Jelly with Aloe Vera and honey |
 |
| Crispy Avocado Kataifi |
For dessert,
we share Chilled Silken Mango Cream with Pearl Sago and Crushed Thai Pomelo
(RM20), Chilled Chinese Herbal Jelly with Aloe Vera Honey Juice (RM16) and Crispy
Avocado Kataifi (RM20).
FIVE SEN5ES (pork-free)
The Westin
Kuala Lumpur
199 Jalan
Bukit Bintang
Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone
+603-2773
8495
Opening
Hours
Lunch: Noon
to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm
to 10pm
Website
Promotion
1. All-You-Can-Eat Simply Dim Sum: RM88 nett per person
Monday to Friday (Noon to 2.30pm) and
Saturday (10.30am to 2.30pm)
2. Sunday Simply Dim Sum Buffet: RM125 nett per person
Sunday
and public holidays (10.30am to 2.30pm)
All dim sum
are freshly made and served to each table
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