2015 Chinese New Year of Wood Goat Set Menu at Din Tai Fung Pavilion Review

During Chinese New Year, normally we would be feasting on some of the heavy dishes, but here at Din Tai Fung, you can sample some small eats item while celebrating this Year of the Golden Goat.

Best Restaurant To Eat was invited for this Chinese New Year Special at Din Tai Fung Pavilion located at Lot 6.01.05, Level 6 Pavilion Bukit Bintang.

As usual what is Chinese New Year if you do not have the “Loh Sang” or “Yee Sang”.

The version that is served at all Din Tai Fung is the Three Treasure; the first treasure is of course the Abalone, followed by the smoked salmon and then the jelly fish.

At Din Tai Fung, they choose to topped the carrot as high as possible to signal for the patron that every step to the top meets with success.

After that we were treated to some small eat dishes which are fame at Din Tai Fung, one of which is the Shaoshing Wine Marinated Chicken.

followed by the Stewed Wheat Gluten. 

and then the famed Din Tai Fung House Special.

Next, we were served the hearty and tummy warming HOUSE STEAMED CHICKEN SOUP. 

This soup was served hot and although it looks very clear, the taste was very fulfilling and hearty especially during the festivity when one indulges on too many other snacks and oily food.

Another one of the food which is a must eat at Din Tai Fung; of course is the Siew Long Pao which we had the Crab Roe and Pork Xiao Long Bao.

and the Steamed Fish Dumpling.

The next dish is the Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk.

The prawns which was battered; was very springy, fresh and was heavily coated with the salted eggs; making every bite an indeed pleasure to eat.

For vegetables, we were served the stir fried seasonal vegetable Pea Sprout with garlic. A simple and straight forward way to cook vegetables.

For those that love pork, you can also have a try on the Fried Pork Chop. You can order this ala-carte or with Fried Rice, which we had the last time.

Next, we had the Shrimp Fried Rice.

and followed by 2 desserts; the first of which is the Sesame Dumpling in Red Bean Soup.

and the last dessert was the Boiled Papaya With Snow Fungus.

So, if you are checking out and preparing your plan for this coming Chinese New Year, on where you and your family can eat, you can look at some of the sets and packages as presented here that are offered by Din Tai Fung outlet.

Our Other review in Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung Empire Shopping Gallery Subang – Michelin Star Shanghainese Dim Sum Cuisine Review

Tanzini Upper Deck @G Tower Kuala Lumpur - An enchanted and magical Valentine Special Dinner Menu Review

Where are you planning to bring your special Valentine on this special Valentine Day? I am sure you would like a super nice place with top quality food for this coming special Valentine dinner to impress her. 

Best Restaurant To Eat did a special review for this coming Valentine at one of the finest restaurant in Malaysia; The Tanzini Upper Deck at 28th Floor G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak Kuala Lumpur.

At this height, the restaurant offers you a superb panoramic and breezy view. With the elaborate and posh setup, it is no wonder; the restaurant has won so many accolades including the top awards from the recently 2014 Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF).

Not only the decor was eye pleasing, the food that came after that was equally impressive as it was meticulously crafted and decorated by Chef Eugene. For this romantic occasion, he has crafted a special meal for HIM and HER; each with its own distinct, unique flavours and texture to impress you and your Valentine.

The chef has created the dishes that married both the natural flavours and texture of each of the ingredients to enlighten your taste buds and all your senses during the entire dinner course.

Innocent Looking Candy Floss before transformation

  

On your arrival on that special Valentine night, there is a special welcome drink for HER; which is the HER MAGICAL VALENTINE – a candy floss (blue and pink) with a dose of Absolut Vodka. Watch its magical moment; when the Vodka are added and the transformation of the melting of the candy to liquid. A smooth sweet beginning for your Valentine.

Infusing with Pomegranate Foam

While for HIM is HIS LUXURY VALENTINE – a concoction of Margarita mix with thyme and rosemary – a masculine start to the evening for HIM.

Next, is the BAKERS FEATURE - a Homemade Ciabatta Bread – a soft and fluffy on the inside bread to start off the night accompanied with an olive and special sauce spread.

followed by the CARAMEL CINNAMON PEANUT ROLL – at Tanzini, it advocates healthy food option; all the food served here are sugar free, so the sweetness that are found in the food are natural sweetness of its very own ingredients.

For the AMUSE BOUCHE it is the TSARSKAYA – A French oyster with a multitude of naturally coloured Strawberry, Mango and Passion Fruit Pearls with a dash of Konbu Shoyu (seaweed soy sauce). 

According to the chef, he chooses the French oyster over the others as this oyster has a very unique feature, in that it retains the marine saltiness and gives a unique light salted natural taste to the fresh oyster.

Next, is the HER appetizer which is the STONE CRAB. 

It is a Thai Kerabu style, which has fresh stone crab ceviche and pickled cucumber mixed with a spicy and sourish taste, tossed in a tangy dressing and topped with stone crab floss.

While for HIM appetizer is the BRITTANY BLUE.

It is a combination of poached lobster and crab. The different texture of the seafood gives you the feel of a different level of chewiness and was the perfect match with the light blended soy sauce infused Asian Slaw that gives you a special taste. With the use of wood ear fungus as the base, it adds another springy texture to this dish.

No dinner is complete without the soup, for HERS soup, it is the ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH.

The soup is served with a Butternut Brulee. The natural sweetness from the roasted butternut squash was very evident in the soup. The silky smooth light flavoured soup is a soothing start for the ladies.

While the HIM soup is the CAULIFLOWER With ATARI MISO.

This soup is another chef ingenuity use of a single ingredient in this case cauliflower and with an added spice of the SriRacha to the roasted cauliflower; gives out a light spiciness to the soup. While the use of the Atari Miso; adds a natural salty flavour to this soup.

Next is the starter; for HER is the FREE RANGE CHICKEN PIE.

The tender succulent chicken meat is roll up with chestnut served on a nest of fried vermicelli for the crunch texture. The yellow strip topping are specially cured egg yolk which adds another dimension to this delicious dish. 

While the HIM Starter is the MUSCOVY DUCK SPRING ROLL.

For the men, the duck confit is wrapped in Vietnamese Rice wrap and deep fried to give a crust on the outside while the duck meat has a strong and smooth flavour that was perfectly matched to the Shimeji Mushroom sauce. Just for your info, the Muscovy duck is reared in a farm in Ipoh.

For the INTERMEZZO, you and your Valentine will be served the sorbet of the day, which in our case was the Green Apple with Soy Beans sorbet.

The sorbet was very refreshing change to prepare for the main course.

For the main course, you and your Valentine can choose from either the WAGYU BEEF RIBS – which is a slow Brasied Wagyu Beef Ribs Goulash Style served with Spring Onion Mash and French Beans.

The Wagyu Beef Ribs is one of the signature dishes at Tanzini Upper Deck. The ribs are carefully selected to ensure that every piece has the essential requirement; added another perfectionist note on the dish. It is then slow braised for 72 hours till a tender, flavourful and hearty texture. Its’ aroma captivates your taste buds while you take each bite of the meat.

For fans of the fish you can have the option to choose the BARRAMUNDI – It is Seared Barramundi with Otak Otak wrapped in between and served with Seasonal Vegetables with a San Marzano Coulis sauce.

The fish is sourced from their own farm – which epitomises the tagline of “from farm to table”. It is another way of using a local produce just like the Muscovy Duck coupled with the art and science of cooking, to dish out another inspiring and lip smacking dish.

To end your elegant and perfect Valentine dinner, you will be served the CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER. For your information this sweet ending uses no sugar, all the sweetness is extracted out from the natural taste of the ingredients that are used to make this dessert.

If you are mesmerise by now, you better hurry it up, as Tanzini Upper Deck @G Tower Kuala Lumpur can only host 25 couples for this special Valentine Dinner. For reservation, please call 03 - 2168 1899. 

Below is full menu offering for the Valentine Day Special.

Valentine’s Menu

Gentleman

RM400++

Baker’s Feature

Valentine’s Artisanal Specials

Amuse Bouche

Tsarskaya

Strawberry-Mango-Passion Fruit Pearls, Konbu Shoyu

Appetizer

Britanny Blue

Poached, Asian Slaw, Yolk Carpaccio

Soup

Cauliflower & Atari Miso

Veloute of Cauliflower & Atari Miso, Roasted Cauliflower Sriracha, Cauliflower Cous Cous

Starter

Muscovy Duck “Spring Roll”

Muscovy Duck Confit, Roasted Butternut Squash Puree, Shimeji & Shishito

Intermezzo

Sorbet of the Day

Mains Seduction

Wagyu Beef Ribs

Slow Brasied Wagyu Beef Ribs Goulash Style, Spring Onion Mash, French Beans

OR

Barramundi

Seared Barramundi with Otak Otak, Seasonal Vegetables

San Marzano Coulis

Sweet Ending

Chocolate & Butter

 Valentine’s Menu

Ladies

RM400++

Baker’s Feature

Valentine’s Artisanal Specials

Amuse Bouche

Tsarskaya

Strawberry-Mango-Passion Fruit Pearls, Konbu Shoyu

Appetizer

Stone Crab

Stone Crab Ceviche, Stone Crab Floss, Pickled Cucumber

Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Butternut Brulee

Starter

Free Range Chicken “Pie”

Roulade of Chicken & Chestnut, Kataifi, Cured Yolks

Intermezzo

Sorbet of the Day

Mains Seduction

Wagyu Beef Ribs

Slow Brasied Wagyu Beef Ribs Goulash Style, Spring Onion Mash, French Beans

OR

Barramundi

Seared Barramundi with Otak Otak, Seasonal Vegetables

San Marzano Coulis

Sweet Ending

Chocolate & Butter

Pipers Restaurant - Mont Kiara - Friendly Neighbourhood Restaurant To Rejuvenate Your Stress Soul - Review By Best Restaurant

Finding a place to feel at home when dining out is usually not easy to find. Best Restaurant to Eat was invited to this quiet part of Mont Kiara. Pipers Restaurant located at the B3-06 The Fare 10 Mont' Kiara, Jalan Kiara 1, Kuala Lumpur.

Pipers Restaurant at Mont Kiara offer a relaxing pub café setting where you can dine to the soothing music played by a resident band on every Friday night and a jamming session for band to play on Saturday night.

Pipers Restaurant at Mont Kiara décor are simple in design while an open area by the side overlook the Mont Kiara areas and gives a calming sight during the evening sunset.

We started the evening with an appetiser which is the FRESHWATER SHRIMP & AVOCADO SALAD WITH COCKTAIL SAUCE. The poached deshell prawns was very fresh, firm, bouncy and succulent.

We had another appetiser which is the DEEP FRIED CALAMARI FRITTERS WITH BALI HAI SAMBAL. The calamari are first coated and then deep fried to a crisp. At Pipers they use the thick flesh calamari species which has a firm and springy texture and is perfect for deep frying.

The Bali Hai sambal sauce had a light spicy and sourish flavour; which comes from the use of the sauce of lime, vinegar, chopped tomatoes and cilantro. The only drawback was that the sauce was topped into the crispy calamari. We suggested to have the sauce served in a separate bowl, so that the deep fried calamari can retains its crisp much longer instead of turning soggy too soon.

After the appetiser, it was then followed by the soup, we were recommended to try out the SEAFOOD BISQUE. The verdict, this was one of the best seafood bisque that I had eaten.

The soup was so full of flavours and you can taste the unique sweetness of the broth in every spoonful. A check with the owner/chef Mr Carl Isaac reveals that his secret recipe and techniques in extracting the full flavours from the prawn head and shells together with salmon head and bones are the keys to all these goodness and natural flavours of these ingredient.

Our first main course of the night is the SLOW BRAISED BEEF RIBS. This is a special recipe that dates back at least more than 40 to 50 years; the chef got this recipe from a very old Hainanese chef and further improvised on it.

The result; is the meat of Australian Beef Rib, was cook until it was so tender, soft and full of flavours from the braising stew that was used. We were told that it takes more than 17 hours of slow fire braising to get to this quality and texture.

This braised beef ribs is served with a jacket potato with sour cream and topped with some crispy beef bacon and coleslaw as a side dish. 

I cannot really resist the temptation of not ordering a Lamb Shanks, as it is one of yours truly all time favourite. This version of Lamb Shanks that are served at the Pipers is the BRAISED LAMB SHANKS served on a bed of Polenta mash and sautéed vegetables.

The shanks was braised at low heat using a special recipe and simmered in red wine for more than 4 to 5 hours. The shanks pieces was not too overly soft, which I prefer, as some of those that I have eaten tend to be too soft and the meat breaks off too easily. 

I also loves those shanks that still need a little effort to tear off the remaining meat from the bones. Frankly speaking, I would have loved this shank to be served with silky smooth mashed potatoes which I am used to, as I find the polenta a little rough and coarse.

To close the wonderful gastro evening, we had the CRÈME BRULEE for dessert. 

At Pipers, I was pleasantly surprised that the car park is free and ample during the weekend when I was there; I am not sure about weekdays. So, if you like a quiet little place that serves nice western fare and love to have a little music to soothe your soul while dining, then make a date with the Pipers Restaurant Mont Kiara.