Chinese New Year Menu 2013: West Lake Garden Chinese Restaurant, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa

I had very good mooncakes, rice dumplings and even sampled West Lake Garden Chinese Restaurant’s Chinese New Year menu last year. This year, if possible, I’m liking their food even more.

At the point of sampling, I’ve had 6 Yee Sangs prior and this unarguably took the title of the best I have had.
The plate offers more fresh ingredients than the dried and fried items which I don’t really fancy. The salmon was the thickest served to me for yee sang so far and its fresh and firm flesh sure did made every bite of the yee sang even more enjoyable.

And of course, the climax of every yee sang lies in the sauce, the foil that binds every ingredient together.  I gave 2 thumbs up to the chef’s homemade sauce, thick, not-overly sweet with a lovely fruity flavour.

With the yee sang commencing lunch on a good note, I sat back, relaxed and hoped the other courses are just as promising. And Chef Lee didn’t disappoint.
I can only wish I get to sip on this everyday. The Double-Boiled Fish Maw with Sea Cucumber and Chicken Broth was made with only the finest ingredients as evident from the taste. The soup was subtly flavourful, yet also smooth and easy to drink. And oh, no worries about any lingering fishy aftertaste though sea cucumber and fish maw were added. The soup had none of such unpleasantness at all.

At the end of the preview, and if I had to make a choice, then the Oven Baked Rock Salt Chicken with Herbs takes the title of the best dish of the day. The chicken meat was tender yet imbued with enough flavour from the result of baked salt and the stock base. A touch of herb added a wonderful flavour and complements the saltiness of the chicken. Chicken (prepared Chinese style) never tasted so good! 🙂

Fish is a must have in all Chinese New year’s meal as it symbolizes abundance of wealth.  West Lake Garden’s Canadian Cod Fish Steamed with Golden Garlic Superior Soy Sauce is also a strong contender for the best dish of the day.
The cod was frankly, faultless. The flesh was fresh and flaky, and the simple execution of this dish brings out the natural flavour and sweetness out of it.
I was informed that the chef imports all his stocks (dried scallops, waxed meat, soy sauce, etc ) from Hong Kong, the Mecca of Chinese ingredients. Well I can attest to that. For one, the soy sauce used for the cod dish was pristine with a delicate balance between sweet and salty. It’s certainly not plain in-your-face saltiness which is what you normally get using the more common soy sauce brands in the market.

Deep-Fried King Tiger Prawn with Pumpkin Sauce was next in line for our gastronomic pleasure. The pumpkin innovation was intriguing on paper, and matched in taste. A mild grouse I had was that the pumpkin sauce did taste a tad too mild for the bouncy prawns.

I thus suggested that such a mild sauce to be cooked in contact with the prawns so the flavour would envelope the prawns better. But Chef Lee explained that he had experimented with that method of preparation but the result was rather unsatisfactory as it made the prawns soggy.
Hence, in order to preserve the crisp of the deep fried prawns, Chef Lee chose to pour the sauce over just before serving to retain the crunch of the prawns.

Braised Sea Cucumber with Dried Oyster and Black Moss is a constant dish in every review that I have attended but this preparation has been the best. The stew wasn’t as starchy as the usual version we’re all familiar with and instead of boring ol’ broccoli,  the chef substituted it with small Chinese cabbages. Nice! Small touches to an otherwise old favourite that made the dish more palatable.Quite a refreshing and welcoming change, in my humble opinion.

Egg Noodle Stew with Chinese Mushroom and Shredded Clams is a dish that symbolizes longevity.  Despite its simplicity, this dish is surprisingly good. The noodles was springy with a toothsome bite and was topped generously with mushrooms, carrots and bean sprouts.

Our meal ended with a waltz of duet.
Chilled Sweetened Eight Treasure and Chinese New Year ‘Nian Gao’ gave the entire meal an appropriate sweet ending. The Nian Gao was made in house while the chilled sweetened eight treasure was a refreshing.
As the name suggests, 8 ingredients made up the chilled dessert; aloe vera, lotus seeds, lily bulb, ostmanthus, sea coconut, dried longan, white fungus and rock sugar. Basically, the chilled dessert symbolizes abundance of good luck, hence the focus on the number ‘8’.

All in all, it was a truly enjoyable meal. The feast offerings was fabulous despite the fact that the meals are all pork-free. Prices are not too exorbitant either. Like most restaurants out there, West Lake Garden is offering Chinese New Year’s course meal too to usher the year of Water Snake. Their price range from RM1088++ to RM2013++ for a table of 10 persons and will be available from 11th January 2013 to 24th February 2013:

Billow of Wealth -RM2013++ for a table of 10 pax

Boston Lobster Yee Sang

Double-Boiled Fish Maw with Sea Cucumber and Chicken Broth

The Braised Whole Abalone with Hong Kong Dried Oyster and Black Moss

Sea Cucumber and Duck Stew with Chinese Mushroom in Casserole

Steamed Chinese Pomfret with King Soy Sauce topped with Crunchy Ginger

Deep-fried King Tiger Prawn with Superior Sauce.

Braised “Yee Fu” Noodle with Lobster Claw’

Double-Boiled Soya Bean with Hasma

Chinese New Year Sweet Fancy Duet

 

Billow of Health- RM1,588++ for a table of 10 pax

Sliced Abalone and Salmon Yee Sang

Double-Boiled Black Chicken Soup with Fish Maw and Cordyceps Flower

Eight Treasure Duck Stew in Casserole

Canadian Cod Fish Steamed with Golden Garlic Superior Soy Sauce

Braised Sea Cucumber with Dried Oyster and Black Moss, Wok-Fried Prawn with Superior Soy Sauce

Egg Noodle Stew with Chinese Mushroom and Shredded Clam

Chilled Almond and Snow Fungus with Apple

Chinese New Year Sweet Fancy Duet.

 

Billow of Longevity -RM1,288++ for a table of 10 pax.

Raw Tuna and Prawn Yee Sang.

Double-Boiled Black Chicken Broth with Fish Maw and Conch

Steamed Village Chicken with Golden Ginger and Garlic

Estuary Grouper Stew in Casserole

Wok-Fried Prawn with Curry Leaves

Butter and Chicken Floss, Dried Scallop Braised with Sea Treasure Black Moss

Barbecued Waxed Meat Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Chilled Almond and Snow Fungus with Apple

Chinese New Year ‘Nian Gao’

 

Billow of Happiness- RM1088++ for a table of 10 pax

Salmon Yee Sang

Braised Seafood Broth with Bamboo Pith

Oven Baked Rock Salt Chicken with Herb,

Steamed Patin Fish with Crispy Ginger and Garlic

Deep-Fried King Tiger Prawn with Pumpkin Sauce

Braised Black Moss with Scallop, Mushroom

Fish Maw and Vegetables

Chilled Sweetened Eight Treasure

Chinese New Year ‘Nian Gao’

The Yee Sang is available for takeaway from West Lake Garden for a toss of prosperity in the comforts of your own home. Also made available for takeaway is the Hong Kong Roast Duck with Condiments, Roasted Five-Spice Chicken with Condiments, Home-made Snow Koi Fish, Traditional ‘Nian Gao’ and the Prosperous Peach Bun.

Do note that a divine visitor will make a special appearance on the first three days of Chinese New Year at West Lake Garden in the form of Choy Sun Yeh the God of Prosperity to bestow tokens of health and wealth to diners of the restaurant. Should you want to dine there and meet the God of prosperity himself, do call up to make a reservation:

West Lake Garden Restaurant
Sunway Resort Hotel
Persiaran Lagoon,
Bandar Sunway,
46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Mondays to Saturdays
Lunch: 12.00noon – 2.30pm
Dinner : 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Sundays & Public Holidays
Lunch 10.00am – 2.30pm
Dinner 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Email: [email protected]

For reservations, call (6-03) 7495 1888.

Here’s my round-up for 2013 Chinese New Year Menu in KL. I’ll include the links once I have published the posts this/next week. I’m trying to write as fast as I can!

1. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Ti Chen Chinese Restaurant, The Saujana Hotel
2. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant, One World Hotel
3. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Li Yen Chinese Restaurant, The Ritz Carlton Hotel
4. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Shanghai Restaurant, JW Marriott Hotel
5. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Cheng Ho Court Chinese Restaurant, Mines Wellness Hotel
6. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: West Lake Garden Chinese Restaurant, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa
7. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Armada Hotel PJ
8. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Five Sen5es, Westin KL
9. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial Hotel KL
10. Chinese New Year Menu 2013: Latest Recipe, Le Meridien Hotel KL
….
there’s more for sure… let me eat first and I’ll update ya! 😀