Elegant Inn Third Anniversary Promotion - Sturgeon Fish Feast

The Chinese can sniff out a good thing especially exotic fish. First we had the Soon Hock flooding restaurants, then came Empurau which was touted as the most expensive fish in town, now we have the latest craze in town...the sturgeon fish.
It was by fluke I ended up sampling this pre-historic fish as I was asked to go for an impromptu dinner one night. "Sturgeon?" Isn't that the fish that produces caviar?"... I was asking when I got the invite. I admit my curiosity was piqued.
Turns out the ancient fish (it is claimed to have lived during the dinosaur's time) may be endangered in China but a nifty group of fellas had decided to rear them here. They had seen similar fish farms in Taiwan and they had brought in the fish and its technology as it needs very clean water to survive. The fish is also high in calcium,packed with antioxidants and fatty acids and collagen rich since it has a cartilaginous skeleton. The fish was highly sought after in the olden days in China and reserved for the Emperor that earned its nicknamewong yue, literally translated in Chinese as Emperor's Fish. It is also known as chum loong yue in Chinese.
Luckily we don't need to be an Emperor to dine on this fish as it is now on offer at Elegant Inn for its third anniversary promotion. The eight course meal starts off with the sturgeon fillet cut sashimi style and one of the best ways I reckon to enjoy this fish. Orange hued slices of the fish is artistically draped over an ice bowl to keep it cool and m! ake you go wow! The sashimi has a sweet taste with a slight bite to it, which I reckon is best eaten without dunking it in soy sauce.
Nothing is wasted for this 3.8kg fish and the cartilaginous bones are deep fried till crisp with a light batter coating. Diced garlic and pepper round up the flavours for this dish. Unlike the usual fish bones deep fried, these one are a little special since you can taste the fatty bits in your mouth that melt away. Even the head is chopped away and double boiled with herbs for soup. We didn't manage to try the soup that night but I can imagine it'll be wonderful (a smooth mouthfeel to each spoonful) since I've tasted shark bone soup and the fish structure reminds me a little of the shark with its firm flesh and rich collagen.
The next course is all about contrasts - the deep fried crunch of the sturgeon tail paired with the velvet smoothness from the firm sturgeon fillet. I'm always partial to the side bits of a fish (give me the fin and tail to crunch on and I'll be a happy camper) so I really enjoyed the deep fried taste of the sturgeon tail with the ginger shreds. It's interesting to eat the rich flesh deep fried as it leaves an oily mouthfeel but unlike the Empurau fish, I felt the balance between the flesh and the omega 3 oil within it to be much more balanced (the Empurau felt like it was just oil only). The omega oil also seems to give the fillet pieces a velvet-like sensation that contrasts with the crunchy asparagus and wood ear fungus. We had also compared the fish fillets with the fish belly slices, that was also stir fried (not available in the menu). The fish belly slices had a richer taste since it had a little bit of the skin.
Instead I preferred the fish belly cut into chunks and braised in a claypot with red dates, waterchesnuts, bamboo shoots, soy bean skin (fu pei), mushrooms and roast pork! . Each b ite is wonderful with the rich collagen - yields a little in the beginning and crumbles on the tongue to a smooth mouthfeel taste. For the feast, it's a choice between the braised and the traditional steamed version. While Elegant Inn does a lovely steamed fish, I must admit it felt a tad ordinary after sampling the fish in so many more exciting ways. If you're choosing which one to eat the fish belly, my recommendation is go for the braised version for a more unusual taste.
For the 8-course meal, there's two courses that are not sturgeon fish. Here you have the first one, a choice between braised six head South African abalone and sea cucumber or Japanese Kobe beef done in Elegant Inn's garlic style (I've blogged about this before in my beef post and it is gorgeous!). The next course is the last one before dessert - you get twin claypots, one where the sturgeon oil is used to fry rice and the other which contains brown rice porridge to add the sturgeon fish slices. We didn't get to sample the rice dish but the porridge version was wonderful with the sweet sturgeon fish slices. I especially liked the colour of the fish slices as you could distinctively see the golden hued fat glistening under the skin.Bird nest tartlettes and double boiled hasma with imperial dates round up your wonderful feast.
Definitely a chance of a lifetime to try this fish. If fish is not your thing, there are other things on promotion from 13 June to 10 July - RM3++ weekday lunch specials, RM33++ twin delights for weekly dinner and even RM333++ lobster meal for 3 persons. Also on offer is their Japanese Kobe Beef for RM333++ for 300grams.The feast is priced at RM3,333++ for a table of 10 persons. Pre-order 72 hours prior notice required. For the full list of items in the feast, see this link and this one.More pictures are found in my Flickr set.


Elegant Inn Hong Kong Cuisine
2.01, 2nd Floor
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-2070 9399


Elegant Inn Hong Kong Cuisine
16, Jalan Waras 1
Taman Connaught
Cheras
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-9130 2626 (Open Friday to Sunday only)


* This review was an invited one.

Marbled Black Sesame Japanese Cheesecake

A few months ago, I had an order of 6 carrot cakes. So I bought a whole pack (2kg of cream cheese) because its just cheaper to buy in bulk, right? Though I dont actually need to use so much cream cheese. But anyway, extra means I get to bake cheesecakes! Initially I wanted to bake a dense cheesecake but I wasnt sure what was I thinking that day, I baked a Japanese Cotton cheesecake instead. So since Ive done the original one, a matcha one (Oh, I havent posted it up eh?) I thought Id continue and do another Japanese flavour inspired one. Black sesame it is then. But instead of having a whole Black piece of cake, I marbled it. It looks pretty, like yin and yang.

I really like the smokey, nutty and sweet flavour of black sesame. I mean, you can see from this, this and this.. Lol, overused ingredient Haha..

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

(makes 8? round cake)

140g fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice
50g butter
250g cream cheese
100ml fresh milk
80g black sesame paste
2 tbsp of toasted black sesame seeds
60g cake flour (can also use plain flour)
20g corn flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Melt cream cheese, butter, half of the milk, vanill! a seeds and pod, over a double boiler. In another bowl, mix the remaining milk and black sesame paste. Whisk it well so it becomes a smooth paste. (May need to heat over double boiler to soften it) Strain the mixture through a sieve just to make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese. Cool the mixture. Fold the first cream cheese mixture in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks, lemon zest and mix well. Divide the mixture to 2 bowls, add the black sesame paste on another. So now you have 2 bowls, 1 plain and 1 with black sesame.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar or lemon juice until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. To prevent large holes, do not whisk egg whites at the fastest speed. Use a moderate speed to achieve soft peaks (and tiny bubbles).Divide the meringue into half as well (Just eyeball it)

3. Add the cheese mixture and toasted black sesame seeds to the egg white mixture and fold well for both. Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan; make sure the paper is 1.5 inch higher than the pan as the cake will rise pretty high if uve done it right, with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil if you are using a springform tin, to prevent seepage. Pour half of plain cream cheese mixture into a 8-inch round cake pan, dollop half of the black sesame cream cheese mixture sparingly. Then add in the remaining of both. Use a skewer to draw figures of 8 around, in the cake pan .Cover the top of the cake loosely with an aluminium sheet.

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160C. Remove the aluminium sheet after 50 minutes of baking.

5. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

help

Wonderful Fried Noodles @ Restoran Setapak Teochew

This place has a long history of noodle dishes in Setapak and the original shop was actually a few doors away down the road in a pre-war shop house.

Ambiance is good the shop is half air-con and half natural ventilated. It's always pack during peak hours.

"Sai Toh" Fried fish cake as a starter before the noodle eating.

Lum Mee is one of the popular noodle dishes in this eating house and this noodle is made by themselves. Eat it with some vinegar drops and it would be complete and fabulous.

Beehoon fried with canned braised pork belly.

Teow Chew Steam Pomfret which normally comes with beehoon.

It's fruit time and all fruits here are local fruits. Sweet and yummy.

Restoran Setapak Teochew,283 & 285, Jalan Pahang, Setapak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 4023 8706GPS : 3.185145,101.702035

How To Stay Cool

Summer approaches and the heat is already getting to me.

This is the time when all I can think about is fresh fruit, chilled soups, salads, and lots and lots of sorbet pops.



I bought the first saturn peaches of the season a few days ago. They are nature's candy, if you ask me. (I seem to say that about all fruit, don't I?). Soft, full of water, and sweet. We have been enjoying them sliced for breakfast every morning.

"Let's make an orange and peach smoothie" Jon asked. It hit the spot after we came back from a swim.




It has been so hot that I barely turn on the oven at home. We grilled outside and I made a few salads! with in gredients from the farm.

The kids and I went to pick tomatoes at the farm early in the morning. I guided them on which ones to pick and they quickly got the hang of it. Even as early as nine in the morning, it was unbearable to stand out in the sun, and we left quickly, just after saying hello to the baby goats and chickens.



Back at home, we turned the tomatoes into a mid morning snack. Drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, and a touch of pink salt.

For lunch, a refreshing red lentil, salmon, radish, and fennel salad inspired by a recipe I had seen at Elle Table.

"No dessert?" C. asked. "It's too hot to bake" I replied.

All I got was a look.



So I pulled out some mulberries from the freezer and made a quick batch of mulberry, millet and poppy seed cakes. And to take advantage that the oven was on, I ended up baking a galette with leftover tart dough from a recipe for the book, saturn peaches,and raspberries.



And summer is almost here.

Mulberry, Millet and Poppy Seed Cakes

Makes 18 cakes

1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbs tapioca starch
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup melted ghee
1/2 cup mulberries (mine were frozen)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first nine ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until incorporated. Fold in the mulberries.

Pour the batter into muffin molds lined with baking papers. bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Red Lentil, Salmon and Fennel Salad

Serves 4

1 cup red lentils, rinsed several times
8 ounces sockeye salmon
5 Tbs olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
6 rad! ishes, t hinly sliced
Arugula
Watercress
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover them with cold water plus 1 inch. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook the lentils for 8 minutes until they are al dente. Drain them and rinse them in cold water. Reserve.

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 Tbs of live oil over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn it over and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes longer depending on the thickness. Turn onto a clean plate and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, flake it with a fork and reserve.

In a large bowl, toss together the red lentils, salmon, fennel, radishes and greens. Make a quick vinaigrette with the dijon, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well and serve in glass jars.

Dim Sum @ Royal Tea House, Richmond Hill

Royal Tea House is a perennial favorite among some of my friends for their good value Dim Sum. Located on Woodbine and 16th Avenue, this was my first visit to the restaurant where we ordered quite a few Dim Sum Dishes.


Ham Sui Kok (Deep Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings


The Rice Dumpling was quite crispy and had a nice chewiness to it. However there was too little Minced Meat filling inside


Cha Leong (Flat Rice Noodles wrapped in Deep Fried Crullers)

The Deep Fried Crullers were a little too dense and chewy for my liking


Pan Fried Radish Cake

This was pretty good. The Radish Cake had a nice crunchy exterior and was quite soft inside


Roasted Pork Neck

My favorite of all the Dim Sum dishes. The Pork Neck was chewy and had a very nice Char Siew Flavor.
< br>BBQ Pork Bun

This was decent


Siu Mai

The Siu Mai had the right amount of Meat and Fat Ratio and was quite flavorful


Glutinous Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf

This was really good. The Rice had a nice flavor from the Lotus Leaf


Stir Fried Choi Sum with Garlic



Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings)

The skin was a little too thick and the Prawns were not very big. I prefer the one's at Casa Victoria and Crown Prince


Beef Cheong Fan


Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

The Spare Ribs was very good. It had a lot of meat and the added Chili Slices help give it a little spiciness


Overall I found the quality of the Dim Sum at Royal Tea House was decent but definitely could not compare with Casa Victoria and Crown Princess (my two favorite Dim Sum places). However if one were to factor in the price this is definitely a good place for value Dim Sum

Food: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Price: $$ (Approximately $20 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 10 Apple Creek Boulevard, Markham, ON, Canada
Tel: +1 905-946-1898

Manhattan Steak House

Perhaps the closest thing to fine dining in Kelana Jaya, showcasing a surprisingly ambitious menu, sterling service and satisfyingly comfortable setting.

We checked out only one steak, but it was a triumph: a perfectly prepared 180-gram tenderloin, bolstered by a buttery blob of foie gras and dripping with a decadent mushroom ragout for a fully rounded flavor.

More carnivore bait: duck breast with Earl Grey orange glaze. Hearty and tender, but not a knockout. Tasted like the run-of-the-mill roast duck that many decent outlets serve.

Pumpkin fettuccine with caramelized onions & crumbled goat's cheese. Sounded promising on paper, but we had mixed feelings about this. Maybe a mild mozzarella would have worked better, instead of this potent goat's cheese that overpowered each bite.

Couscous tossed with chermoula-marinated chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, cucumbers, tomatoes & mint yogurt sauce. A beautifully refreshing salad, bursting with light, tangy flavors.

The salmon soup seemed more like shellfish bisque (maybe our order was mixed up). Fresh and hot, but not as thick and richly flavorsome as it could have been.

Seafood risotto. Hit the essential bullet points of this recipe: al dente, creamy and rich. But perhaps too predictable, laced simply with prawns & scallops.

Prosecco, to further lighten up an evening of hits, misses & kisses.

Peter Lehmann Barossa Weighbridge Shiraz '08 (Australia).

Manhattan Steak House,

Plaza Kelana Jaya.

Tel: 03-7876-5188