RM50++/pax Chinese New Year Feast @ The Ritz-Carlton, KL

A thoroughly brilliant concept was launched at the Ritz Carlton KL for Chinese New Year this 2012.

And deservingly, it was launched with much aplomb, featuring a full lion dance performance followed by an imperial spread by Ritzs accomplished banquent team.

As usual, preceding the festive seasons, I have commenced my rounds of Chinese New Year menu reviews as early as last month. Im certain I have much prosperity coming in, since I have lou sang god knows how many times. Hahah.. :)

While other F & B outlets attempts to arouse enthusiasm and wow discerning diners with culinary masterpieces, The Ritz Carlton surprises this year with their cool spin of the traditional dinner concept where they focuses instead on service and convenience; offering diners the benefit of dining on a scrumptious spread of the usual 8 courses Chinese dinners, but starting from a minumum number of 4 dining pax.

Now thats a deal thats hard to beat. And yes, you read right.
Youll get the full works; the yee sang, soup, meat, fish, vegetables, carbs and dessert minus the hassle of cracking your head on how to fill up the table to the usual prerequisite numbers of 8 to 10 diners.

What makes this deal even more ingenious was the amazing price of R M50++/pax; while still assuring the usual spread of a full 8 course meal will be served.

I admit Im personally in favour of this concept, since Im all too familiar with the torment of organising CNY dinners for clients and friends annually. The agonizing task of putting together the right amount of people while simultaneously ensuring that the group invited are of the correct clique can be vexing.

The 8-course Chinese New Year Feasts are available between January 23 27, 2012 for two sittings. 11.00am 3.30pm and 7.00pm 10.30pm in The Banquet Hall, Level Three of The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur. Each course is priced at RM50++ per person with a minimum of 4 persons per reservation.

Set Menu A

Prosperity Yee Sang

Double-boiled chicken soup with
dried scallop and Chinese cabbage

Deep-fried fish fillets with Mongolian sauce

Deep-fried prawns with wasabi dressing

Braised seasonal vegetables
topped with mushrooms

Fried rice with dried scallop and
yam wrapped in lotus leaf

Deep-fried Nian Gao with yam

Sweetened red bean cream with lotus seeds

***************************************************

Set Menu B

Prosperity Yee Sang

Braised assorted seafood with sweet corn

Baked cod fish with honey glaze

Braised seasonal vegetables with dried shrimp
and Bai Ling Gu

Combinations of roasted chicken
and stir-fried chicken with Kam Heong style

Fried rice with dried scallop and yam wrapped
in lotus leaf

Deep-fried Nian Gao with yam

Sweetened red bean cream ! with lot us seeds

********************************************************************

Set Menu C

Prosperity Yee Sang

Double-boiled meat ball soup with
vegetables and mushrooms

Braised grouper fillets with sliced meat
and mushrooms

Combinations of roasted chicken and
deep-fried prawns with oatmeal

Smoked sliced chicken with seasonal
vegetables

Fried rice with dried scallop and yam
wrapped in lotus leaf

Deep-fried Nian Gao with yam

Sweetened red bean cream with lotus seeds

As usual Ill start with my favourite, though I must say that I pretty much enjoyed 7 out of the total of 8 dishes served.
I just felt that the yee sang and the broccoli mushroom dish was too ordinary but I understand that its all an essential part of the set menu.
The best dish was undisputedlythe honey glazed cod fish. It was so beautifully flaky and moist. I just wished I could have more than just one portion!

The corn and seafood soup was very well prepared, with morsels of prawns, scallops, fish in a moderately starchy soup base. The fowl dish was commendable. Call me biased but I love chicken with pine nuts or cashew nuts. It lents a wonderful nutty aroma to the savoury kam heong sauce chicken.

While a fowl dish commonly comes in one preparation method, this set has a combo of sauce-based pan fried chicken and dry deep-fried chicken fillets. The deep-fried fillets were kept crispy as the plating cleverly s! eparates the kam heong chicken from the fried fillets.

Desserts (my favourite part of any meal, if you dont already know) were simple and satisfying enough. The fried Yam and Nian Gao and red bean cream were as chinese as it can get. While I thought the red bean used could have been of a better variety, the yam & nian gao was decent, with a more fragrant imported Taiwan yam being used instead of our local tubers.

Below: The seating arrangement in the spacious banquent hall on the 3rd level of the Ritz Carlton KL.

With a personal service team allocated for each table, attentive service is assured. No more frantic waving of arms to get the attention ofwait staff!

Does this sound like the solution to your yearly Chinese New Year dinners dilemma? If yes , contact The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur at (603) 2142 8000 for reservationsor e-mail cny@ritzcarlton.com.my.
From what I heard over lunch, the 3rd day of CNY is already fully booked. But lunch reservations are apparently still open. So check out the Set A Set C menus above, pick your poison and call Ritz Carlton to secure yourself a table!

While I cant guarantee you a cute lion greeting like the one I had, I can assure you of a delicious meal, at wallet friendly prices and superb service. :)