Old favourites on New Year menu

The starter of Pineapple Sapreribs and Butter Eel will wake up any appetite.

PETALING JAYA, Jan 14 - Sometimes the simplest food turns out to be the best. Take, for instance, the Steamed Village Chicken with Yam and Vegetables at the New Formosa Restaurant in Petaling Jaya. It has a glistening yellow skin, with sweet and succulent meat, and sticky and powdery yam, soaked in the juices of the chicken. A fragrant ginger dip is provided for the chicken, adding to its flavour.

Its one of the dishes on a Chinese New Year menu at this restaurant, and it can be a la carte if you order it in advance on an ordinary day.

The Yee Sang here is not just prettily presented, it's pretty yummy.

We had the Yee Sang, of course, in this nine-course RM498 nett menu. Its a Jellyfish Yee Sang, to which we added salmon. It has the right combination of fruit, vegetables, pickles, crushed peanut, sesame seeds and crispies, and a sauce that is just lightly sweet.

Pineapple Spareribs and Butter Eel appear together in a starter both are classic dishes at the restaurant. Eat these while they are hot, urged Jeanie Lee, who with her husband the chef, started this restaurant more than 30 years ago.

The Butter Eel, done in the style of butter prawns, just melts in the mouth, delivering a punch from cili padi and curry leaves, with a powdery egg and butter coating. I have always enjoyed this. The spareribs are in a sweet sour sauce, with slices of pineapple, red and green peppers.

Sharks Fin Soup with crabmeat and bamboo pith may be on this menu, but you can opt for the Fish Skin with shredded vegetables and lean meat broth like we did. Jeanie had hand-carried back the dried fish skin from Taiwan on ! her last visit there. The sweet broth is steeped from lean pork, drawing more flavours from shredded vegetables like carrot, celery and cabbage. These cling on to the fish skin which delivers a crunch and a great munch.

The Grilled Garlic Prawns is a signature dish.

We each had a Grilled Garlic Prawn, with the roasted garlic paste bursting out from the centre of the prawn. Again this has been on New Formosas menu for the longest time, and I have never tired of eating it.

Would I like a Silver Pomfret Taiwanese Home Style, or a Steamed Silver Pomfret Hong Kong Teochew Style? I took the first. I like this fried, crispy fish drenched in a dark spicy sauce made with Taiwanese soya sauce, garlic and cili padi.

Roast Pork with two kinds of vegetables has the meat fried with abalone mushrooms and carrot strips, and served inside a ring of broccoli. Its on a healthy slant, with the saucy, soft, smooth mushrooms contrasting with crunchy broccoli . There is also the Fried Lotus Root with green peas, ginkgo nuts and pumpkin as a second choice.

Not eating carbs? The Taiwan Hakka Bamboo Rice is worth making the exception for.

If you have been avoiding rice, make an exception for the Taiwan Hakka Bamboo Rice. I love this fried rice with pork, yam and dried prawns which is steamed in the bamboo tube and garnished with fried garlic and shallots. Its simply scrumptious.

We veered off the main menu, for the Hunanese Chinese Ham in Honey Sauce, served with deepfried silver rolls. This is irresistible you imbibe the wonderful aroma of ham, taste its saltiness amidst the sweet honey sauce, and you would want to go back for more. And there is no better pairing for it than the deepfried rolls.

C oming to dessert, we made a request for Ayu Jelly, all lemony, smooth and gelatinous, with those lovely dark, sticky sago beads.

Another signature dish here is the Honey Yam for dessert.

And theres nothing to complete your meal more perfectly than the sweet, crackling Honey Yam, or the puddingy Oh Nee, with creamy yam mash studded with ginkgo nuts.

The Chinese New Year menus are priced (nett) at RM368, RM398 and RM498 for 10 people, and RM338 for seven to eight people, all on cash terms. The restaurant is open throughout the New Year period, from the eve to Feb 6.

The restaurant is located at 46, Jalan SS2/24, 47300 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-3291 2031, 019-3353 274.

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