De Hunan Restaurant (湖南湘菜馆) @ Bandar Puteri, Puchong

Hunan Cuisine is no longer a new thing for me, but this outlet of De Hunan Restaurant is something fresh among the neighbourhood around Bandar Puteri Puchong. 

First opened its door in Kuchai Lama, now De Hunan has its second outlet shifted from Sunway Mentari to Bandar Puteri. Here it is a double-storey lot, fully air-conditioned with hanging chillies as the drapes. 

Upon stepping into the restaurant, I saw much family crowd dining there during a weekday evening. The brightly lit setting, when complemented with the cheerful orange painted walls, gives me a very warm, homey feel.

The interior has a traditional yet contemporary setting. Exclusively imported from China, the marble tables display different Chinese paintings which allows more comfort for the patrons. 

For large group dining, the private rooms are ready to cater for your needs. The whole restaurant has a total capacity of 200 pax! That shouldn't be a problem if you want to held meetings, gatherings, and celebrations there. 

#1 Menu 

This is a real rustic Hunan cooking, where the chefs from Xiamen, China use chillies in all their untempered glory. However, it is always adjustable to cater your needs. According to the chef, the level of spiciness people can normally take is Extra Mild (少辣), Mild (微辣), and Normal (辣).

#2 Cold Appetizers

We begin with a medley of appetizers. I am very taken with the chilled chopped cucumber served with   blended chilli juice and garnished with aromatic parsley which keeps me reaching for more despite of its sharp spiciness. 

#3 Steamed White Rice

What not to be missed is definitely a bowl of rice to go with all the spicy and heavy-in-taste dishes. This is surely unique as the chefs steam it bowl by bowl, separately so that the rice is soft enough yet retaining its moisture. Great effort!

#4 Baked Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk (咸蛋黄焗南瓜)

Our first few dishes are filled with assorted healthy vegetables. The soft pumpkin slices' consistency is just right, with a light coating of rich salted egg yolk. It is quite addictive with the right amount of heat and salty sweetness.

#5 Stir Fried Beijing Cabbage (平锅北京包菜)

#6 Stewed Beancurd with Green Chives (韭菜焖豆腐)

Next, the chefs are kind enough to make this soothing broth ready before we hop into the next level of spicy food. The light broth of tofu and chives is an excellent blend of fresh ingredients, creating each perfect bowlful of steaming goodness! 

#7 Hunan "Yin Yang" Style Fish Head (招牌鸳鸯鱼头)

Here comes the very much anticipated dish, the fresh catch of the day! The "Yin" and "Yang" Hunan style fish head is drenched in the chilli oil bath, topped with sour yellow ginger and vegetables on one side, and spicy hot chopped chillies on another side. Resulting in a tangy, spicy, savoury taste, nevertheless the freshness of the fish is simply overwhelming.

Cautious: This fish contains a lot of bones. Be careful while enjoying the flesh.

Served along with a bowlful of handmade noodles, I feel as if I am having a mild version of Szechuan ramen. 

#8 Sauteed Prawns in Hunan Claypot Style (干锅馋嘴虾)

The presentation is impressive! The generous prawns are tender in a mildly spicy lemongrass and dried chilli-infused gravy. They go perfectly with the warm and fluffy white rice garnished with green chives.

#9 Spicy Skewered Prawns in Hunan Special Style (道地湖南串烧虾)

Much as I enjoy the sweet, sauteed prawns, my favourite of the evening has to go this skewered prawn. It is deep-fried in chilli oil, but surprisingly not oily at all. In fact, the crust turns out so crispy while the prawns remain moist and succulent inside.

#10 "Uncle Mao's" Special Braised Pork (毛家红烧肉)

The elegantly plated dish tastes as good as it looks. I poke a form through the meat, and it unravels almost instantly to reveal tender juicy goodness. I enjoy the good ratio of greasy fat and lean meat as it is moistened with salty dark sauce with hints of sweetness.

#11 Hot Spicy Fresh Frog on Sizzling Stone Hunan Style (石锅生猛鲜田鸡)

In my personal taste, the definition of 'meat' only includes fish, poultry and pork, and I shiver when imagining myself cutting through the slimy frog skin. I guess I'd just have to pass this. 

#12 Stir Fried Cubed Beef on Flat Pot (平锅牛仔粒)

#13 Fried Spicy Deer Meat in Special Hot Stones Style (特色石头烹鹿肉)

For more exotic meats, De Hunan serves deer meat in their special hot stones which keep the meat warm throughout the course of the meal. However, my dining companion mentions that the meat is quite tough, and a salty sweet sauce could have livened it up.

#14 Pork Spare Ribs and Corn Soup (玉米炖排骨瓦罐炜烫)

After so much of heaty foodstuff, the chefs create a very porky broth of light soup to soothe our throats. The essence of the broth is so rich, with the right amount of lean ribs and sweet corns, what a hearty broth to go! 

#15 Homemade Potato Pancake (香甜士豆饼)

For dessert, we have the potato pancake which appears rather savory than sweet, perhaps because of the thickened starchy texture which some may enjoy but not all. However, a dip into the chilled condensed milk is so heavenly, perfectly complementing the hot crispy potato slices!

#16 Pumpkin and Sago Dessert Soup (黄金珍珠露)

Well, it tastes very similar to the Taro Coconut Milk with Tapioca (西米露), but definitely less sweet, and not so thick. Certainly a healthier treat for those with a sweet tooth. 

Overall, I have a highly enjoyable experience! 

Verdict:

1. The chefs did a good job in maintaining excellent quality of the seasonal ingredients. In terms of taste, the overall spiciness is toned down to suit our taste, and very favorable for me too.

2. Recommended: Spicy Skewered Prawns in Hunan Special Style, Pork Spare Ribs and Corn Soup and Stir Fried Cubed Beef on Flat Pot 

3. Pricewise, it wouldn't burn your pocket once in a while but it is recommended for group dining to share the huge portion of dishes and of course the bill as well.

De Hunan Restaurant (湖南湘菜馆)
42, Jalan Puteri 2/4, 
Bandar Puteri,
47100 Puchong, Selangor. 
Contact: 012-6345218 and 012-2828048
Website: www.dehunan.com
Facebook: fb.com/Dehunan
Operating Hours: 11am to 11pm

Xiang Fu Xiang Cheng Hunan Chinese Restaurant @ Scott Garden, Old Klang Road

Despite of my current situation of the throat, I'm off to search for some hot, spicy foodstuff out there. Here it reads "乡府湘城", reflecting the delectable cuisine of 湘菜 ("Xiang Cai"), or more commonly known as Hunan Cuisine.  

Chef Liu, who is from China, is specializing in cooking home-cooked Hunan dishes, and therefore the menu here features a mix of 70% Hunan Cuisine and 30% of Cantonese Cuisine. 

Targeted for family, Xiang Fu Xiang Cheng Restaurant provides a cozy Chinese decorated dining are along with soothing warm tones. The ambiance here is really inviting, and most suits the mood of Chinese New Year (Will visit this place during festive season too!).

 #1 Left: Homemade Groundnuts with Orange Caramel

Right: Marinated Seaweed

Upon ordering, the friendly local waitresses serve us with some light bites, while waiting for our food to be prepared. The ground nuts here are especially crunchy, caramelized with orange flavour and richened with sesame. 

 #2 Century Egg in Sauce (凉拌皮蛋) @ RM15

Let's start off the meal with the cold dish of the day, century egg dipped in sour and spicy sauce. This homemade sauce mainly consists of vinegar, soy sauce and peppercorn. The spiciness here is still acceptable, but it serves a good starter to tantalize the taste buds.

#3 Slapped Cucumber (拍黄瓜) @ RM15

Considering the name of the dish, this platter of cucumber is slapped after being cut to enhance its juicy taste. Greatly seasoned with peppercorns, the cucumber is spicy but cooling in taste.

#4 Main Royal Claypot Chicken (皇牌鸡煲) @ RM56

The first main dish is the spicy chicken pot, mainly made of red chilli and tender chicken meat. Surprisingly, this dish can be adjusted into a non-spicy one, to meet the demand of most family diners. In contrast, you can choose 4 types of spiciness, depending your tolerance towards the fiery hot taste:

Non-Spicy; Mild; Moderate; Extreme

#5 Pig Stomach Chicken Soup in Hotpot （猪肚煲鸡火锅）@ 
RM35 (Small for 2-3 pax), RM56 (Medium for 4-5 pax), RM 102 (Large for 8-10 pax)

According to the owner, this is the most popular dish among families and even parents are surprised that their kids love it so much! Seasoned with large amount of pepper, the soup is really warming to my weak stomach, along with a good portion of herbs and spices. 

#6 Chopped Chilli Red Tilapia (剁椒金凤鱼) @ RM35

Just from the picture, you can sense the hotness from the chopped red chilli topping of the fish. I'm impressed with this Hunan signature dish, in which the fish is so well-cooked with the special sauce that retains the freshness of the flesh.

#7 Hot Plate Fish Topped with Minced Garlic and Hunan Chilli (铁板蒜蓉鱼) @ RM30

Another chef's specialty is served piping hot from the kitchen, and I can smell its goodness from far. The spiciness here is a little special as it goes along well with the aromatic minced garlic. Munching through the crispy skin, I manage to taste the fresh, flaky flesh which is so originally-flavoured. 

#8 Fragrant Spicy BBQ Prawns  (香辣串烧虾) @ RM25

Well, I would name this as Prawn Satay as the prawns are barbecued until aromatic on the satay sticks. This dish doesn't need further explanation from me, as you can see the abundance of fiery red chillis with the red chilli oil. The spiciness is very well-absorbed into the flesh of the prawns; it's surely good to warm you up.

#9 Mou’s Pork Braised in Brown Sauce (毛家红烧肉) @ RM25

Here's another great dish to go, with the right balance of sweetness. I'm not a porky person, but I enjoy this braised dish because each cube of pork meat is soft and juicy with the thick brown sauce.

#10 Thousand Page To Fu (黄焖千页豆腐) @ RM25

A whole platter of Hunan Thousand Page Bean Curd is good to neutralise my tongue after a series of spicy food. However, it may look mild, but it definitely comes with a hint of spiciness which makes this dish healthy with special flavour. Not to mention the beancurd slices are specially produced in China and freshly imported to Malaysia. 

#11 Aromatic Stir-Fried Spicy Chicken (飘香辣子鸡) @ RM22

Complementing its name, the chicken cutlets are very aromatic and highly spiced with dried chillies. As spicy as it looks, however it is very addictive after each bite of crispiness with the juicy meat.

#12 Stir Fried String Beans (干煸四季豆) @ RM15

The next main course goes milder in taste, and it's good to give my throat a break. Served hot from the kitchen, I can sense the goodness of the greens accompanied with generous amount of sesame. 

#13 Maltose Sweet Potato (发丝地瓜) @ RM15

Here's the signature dessert of the restaurant. If you want to try authentic Hunan cuisine, then this dessert mustn't be a miss! The maltose coating of the potato stick is very sticky, with its taste enhanced by the special ingredient here--- Orange peel! Surprisingly, it's not overly sweet, and tastes refreshing as well!

Dip each stick into iced water so that the maltose coating will harden on the surface of the potato stick. Under the cold, crispy sweetened skin, I find the sweet potato very soft and warm inside.

#14 Deep Fried Pumpkin Cake (南瓜饼) @ RM15

To perfect the duet desserts, the pumpkin cake is served crispy hot. Well, perhaps I might be wrong but I can only taste the filling as a non-sweetened version of Chinese sticky rice cake ("Nian Gao") here!

#15 Lo Han Guo @ RM3

Lastly, to complement with a good range of hot and spicy Hunan cuisine, I opt for some cooling herbal drinks to reduce the heat from the dishes. After the satisfying dining experience, my voicebox and throat remain healthy, indicating that I can go from "Mild" to "Moderate" during my next visit!

Verdict:

1. Out of 9 main dishes, all of them are delightful for me, despite of my low tolerance towards the hot and spicy cuisine.

2. In overall, the average price for fishes is around RM25-38 per dish, meat RM20-30 and vegetables ranging from RM15-25; Very fairly priced, considering the marvellous Hunan taste!

3. Revisit? Yes, Hunan Cuisine is definitely a better alternative over Szechuan Cuisine which numbs my tongue with its spiciness.

Xiang Fu Xiang Cheng Hunan Chinese Restaurant (鄉府湘城湖南菜馆)
(Facing the front main road; Above Wong Kok and beside Beer Factory)
Lot 1-47, Level 1,
The Scott Garden Mall,
289, Jalan Klang Lama,
58100 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-7982 5071
Facebook Page: fb.com/xfxc.hunan
Operating Hours: 11am to 11pm daily