When it comes to Taiwanese food, it is usually associated with the ever popular street food like the Beef Noodles, Oyster Mee Sua or the famous Fried Chicken of Shilin. We recently discovered a new Taiwanese Restaurant which is Secret Garden Chinese Restaurant in Taman Sea Petaling Jaya that serves Authentic Taiwanese Chinese Cuisine.
Secret Garden Chinese Restaurant Address
7 & 9, Jalan SS 23/15,
Taman Sea,
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Why Secret Garden; was the question posed to the owner? According to the founder Andrew Tan, everyone has a secret place that one can retreat to when the bustle of the world rides wearily on one’s soul; a secret garden serves to rejuvenate the tired spirit, accompanied by hearty comfort food and the good cheers of loved ones.
The modern decor with all its wall lined with murals drawing invoke a sense of serenity coupled with the sound of running water from the cascading walls makes dining at Secret Garden Chinese Restaurant; a truly de-stressing affair.
Our 10-course dinner started off with an appetiser, which is the Crispy Deep Fried Prawn Cracker (RM38.00). Fried to a deep crunchy crisp, coupled with a strong fragrant of the prawn paste filling it is indeed a nice starter to begin our meal.
Next is the tummy warming, hot piping soup which is called the Home Style Taiwanese Chicken Soup With Pickled Pineapple and Bitter Melon (RM18.00). It has that slight bitterly sweet sourish taste which stimulates our taste-buds for the upcoming dishes.
This is followed by the Steamed Free Range Duckweed Fed Chicken With Homemade Sauce (RM105.00). Duckweed which is of late gaining acceptance as a supplementary feed to poultry due to its high protein content. As the chicken is farm-raised, it possesses a firm tender meat texture with a natural sweetness of the chicken enhanced by the special homemade sauce.
The next dish is a real marvel i.e. Signature Taiwanese Style Braised "Dong Po" Pork Belly (RM66.00). The chef has done a remarkable job to braised the pork belly fats until it literally melts through the meat making it luscious and buttery; with a smooth mouth feel as the fats melt on the tongue.
Next is the Grouper Fish Head In Yellow Curry With Fresh Milk (RM92.00). The creaminess of the curry is contrasted with the tender, moist and flaky white-fleshed of the Grouper. Perfect with a bowl of steaming hot rice.
Our sixth dish is the Pan Fried Fresh King Prawn With Soya Sauce (RM156.00). The best part of the River King Prawns is its' head which is engulfed with the delicious flowing Roe. The bouncy and firm texture of the prawn meat is witness to the freshness of the prawns which was perfectly mated to the soya sauce. Needed a second helping with a bowl of white rice although we were told that we will be having a rice dish later.
After the heavy lifting of the earlier dishes, the next dish on the table is the Homemade Organic Black Soya Bean Tofu With Pumpkin Gravy (RM28.00) which is set to tone down our taste-bud. he Tofu is made in-house and topped with a generous topping of preserved vegetables and dried shrimp.
For our vegetable dish, we had the Stir Fried Garlic Chives With Mince Pork (RM38.00). This is not the normal chives but an imported chives which have a firmer texture and stronger taste.
As the waiter bring out the next dish which is the Pork Belly Fried Rice With XO Sauce (RM88.00), we could taste the aroma of the pork belly fats lards gelling up to every grain of rice. With the scallop infused XO sauce, it was a well-thought concoction for this tasty rice dish.
For dessert, we had the Herbal Jelly With Wild Honey (RM12.00).
Secret Garden Chinese Restaurant inspiration stem from the goal to provide a wholesome home-cooked Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine, focusing on the freshness and original taste of natural ingredients - food that reminds you of home, family comfort, and heartfelt simplicity; served in a peaceful garden-like oasis.
Our other review of Secret Garden
2017 Chinese New Year Set And Special Steamboat At Secret Garden
Secret Garden Chinese Restaurant Address and Location Map