Savour elegant dimsum at this fine Chinese restaurant

Savour the twin delights of smoky prawn cake with crunchy nachos.KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13

It’s hairy crab season again, till December, and these crabs from Lake Tai in Suzhou, China, are on the table of fine Chinese restaurants such as Elegant Inn.

More than a month before their arrival, the restaurant had put together a six-course hairy crab set. Hairy crabs are mostly about the roe, which tastes like a creamy half-boiled egg, and those at Elegant Inn weigh 5 tahils or 190g each (in the six-course set at RM118++), which compares favourably to that of the 4-tahil one offered by a certain restaurant chain, and whose set costs at least RM20 more.

The Australian scallop dumpling is a mouthful of textures.I have had the five courses (without the hairy crab) twice and was happily satiated. First was the Twin Delight Platter with Smoky Prawn Cake and Crunchy Nachos. It’s a mouthful of differing and delightful textures and flavours. First the smoky bacon in the panfried prawn cake that sits on a slice of crunchy lotus root. Then the “fu chook” nachos that breaks up at the bite, so that it’s “yat hou so” (whole mouth flaky). The plate is dotted with a balsamic and orange sauce.

Double-boiled Shark’s Cartilage Chicken Soup with Shark’s Fin and Bamboo Pith is one lavish soup that does not stint on ingredients nor the time taken to steep the superior stock that yields all these lovely mellow flavours with each slurp. Seasonal greens with Japanese Oyster Sauce came before the Braised Rice with Fish and Pearl Clam Slices in Abalone Sauce. Japanese oyster sauce, according to the knowledgeable Jeannette Han, one of the owners of Elegant Inn, does not have any MSG in it, hence it’s a step above all other oyster sauces. The braised rice was sublime, infused with the sweetness of the seafood and the complexity of abalone sauce.

The braised rice with fish and pearl clam slices in abalone sauce is divine.

Dessert was a divine Double-boiled Ginger Soup with White Fungus and Red Dates; I enjoyed the slow heat coming from the Bentong ginger in it. This is served with a Crunchy Nutty Sesame Ball, whose description is spot on. This Hairy Crab Set came in the midst of a dimsum lunch at Elegant Inn recently. We just had to taste the complete range of dimsum, from the Home-made Fishballs and Steamed Australian Scallop Dumpling to the Deepfried Taro Pouch and Steamed Custard Cake. It was a feast that invoked all the senses. Let’s say that dimsum will never be the same for me after this. First the Homemade Fish Balls that were so smooth and had a nice bouncy bite, then the Barbecued Meat Bun (char siu pau) delivered all the pleasures of a fluffy dough that does not stick to your teeth, and a moist char siu filling that almost oozed out of it.
Char siu pau here is really good... does not stick to your teeth.I revelled in the tender feel of the Steamed Australian Scallop Dumpling, with the almost silky thin crystal skin. Australian scallops have more flavour, said Jeannette, and I agree, having had some scallops that looked succulent but were completely tasteless at a dinner recently.

The Fried Taro Pouch (wu kok) melted in the mouth, tumbling the almost liquid filling into it, amidst the creamy yam and crispy filigree skin. I didn’t know that Fried Beancurd Roll with Shrimps and Cheese (a thin layer) could taste so good. It’s the skill of the chef that not a trace of oil was on the plate. Old-fashioned Prawn Toast was also perfectly done. One dimsum I will never tire of eating is the Crispy Vegetarian Rice Roll (chui pai fun kuen). You bite through the soft, smooth rice skin into a crunchy layer of deep fried shredded taro, carrot and radish. It sits on a little sweet and salty abalone sauce. The taro aroma fills your senses as you crunch to the last layer. There’s Loh Mei Ngap (glutinous rice parcel with duck and dried scallop) that makes a delicious change from the usual Loh Mei Kei. Slurp up every bit of the abalone sauce in the yummy Beancurd Roll. I couldn’t get enough too of the Fried Radish Cake with Chef’s Sauce, so good it was.

The baked egg tartlet is light, buttery and awesome.At this point I shall name my three favourite sweet dimsum — the lightest Steamed Custard Cake, the Baked Egg Tartlet that completely dissolved at the bite, and the Banana Red Bean Pancake (I just loved the combination filling). The dimsum ranges from RM6 for the fishballs, RM6.60 for the char siu buns and deepfried taro pouch, RM9.80 for the Vegetarian Rice Roll, to RM10.50 for the Australian Scallop Dumpling. It’s a small price to pay for such dedication to skill and perfection.

Elegant Inn is located at the 2nd floor, Podium Floor, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur (Tel 03-2070-9399). It’s also at 16 Jalan Waras, Taman Connaught, Cheras, KL (Tel: 03-9130-2626).