CNY Yee Sang Menu @ Park Royal Kuala Lumpur

Celebrating the prosperous Year of Horse at the award-winning Chinese restaurant at Park Royal Hotel Kuala Lumpur, this year Si Chuan Dou Hua offers 6 set menus for table of 2,4, 6 or 10.

As an early celebration for this festive season, Si Chuan Dou Hua prepared us a memorable dinner at one of their private dining rooms, putting together a bountiful feast of symbolic dishes expertly crafted by a team of talented chefs led by Chinese Sous Chef Sim Nin Looi.

Picture taken during my previous visit at Si Chuan Dou Hua.

Dining with a dash of drama is enjoyable. If you're lucky, you'd be delighted with the fine art of serving tea with metre-long spout kettle. I wonder how the tea master does that!

Signature Eight Treasure Tea

#1 Tropical Fruits Yee Sang

鲜果鱼生

Yee Sang delights are available as early as 2 weeks before Chinese New Year. Toss to prosperity with the refreshing Tropical Fruits Yee Sang, which is colorful with kiwi, dragon fruit, strawberry, mango, apple and pomelo. Yee Sang comes in various side orders including Abalone, Shark's Fin, Jellyfish, Pacific Clam, Scallop Skirt, Tuna, Salmon, Soft Shell Crab, etc) that are available for both dine-in and take-away. 

This year, unlike many Yee Sang out there, here you can choose your favourite specially concocted Sour Plum Sauce! You can choose among sour plum sauce enhanced with fruity flavour, spicy plum sauce with mango or back-to-basic traditional sour plum sauce. Each type is distinctive in flavour, definitely leaving a memorable taste on the palate.

The setting of the restaurant focused on a contemporary approach, yet keeping its Chinese essence. If you plan to try more than just the Chinese New Year item, I'd recommend some dim sum and Szechuan dishes! 

#2 Braised Coral Shark's Fin with Crab Meat, Bamboo Piths and Dry Scallop

红烧竹笙干贝勾翅

Next up was a hearty shark's fin soup with loads of oceanic goodness in it. The nutritious soup, which was slow-boiled into thick consistency, had generous amount of dried scallops in it. Simply satisfying!

#3 Deep-fried Cod Fish with Pomelo Sauce

杨枝鲈鱼

The fish came with a very crispy skin and was not ladened with too much oil. Pomelo sauce was a welcome change from the usual soy sauce, leading to a refreshing taste on the fresh oceanic piece. 

#4 Traditional Chef's Specialty Smoked Farm Chicken

古法烟口水鸡

New item on the menu, the smoked farm chicken exuded heavy smokiness upon being served hot from the kitchen. Thinking that the smell was too pungent, I was surprised that the chicken tasted extremely good! Fluffy and sweet on the flesh, it would appeal to fans of this particular poultry.

#5 Sauteed Fresh Water Prawns with Butter and Corn Flakes

麦香明虾球

Another notable dish was the butter milk prawns that had been deep-fried to bouncy, fragrant perfection. The corn flakes, which were finely grounded for the prawn coating, gave the fresh prawns a more crispy bite.

#6 Braised Sea Cucumber, Black Mushroom, Dried Oyster and Black Moss with Greens 

海参发菜冬菇时蔬

Also served during the meal was the symbolic dish of wealth and prosperity. It seems like a must-have item in every Chinese New Year set menu, therefore I have no complaints for this.

#7 Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles with Scallop
带子担担麵

For those who do not enjoy rice as their staple, you may opt for the individual portion of the signature Szechuan Dan Dan noodles crowned with minced meat, vege and large piece of scallop. The soup was more savoury and spicy, so don't be deceived by the name of the dish!

#8 Steamed “Nian Gao" with Coconut Flakes
椰丝蒸年糕

Putting a sweet endnote to the sumptuous dinner, one could devour the thinly sliced steamed glutinuos rice cake, which were lightly coated with coconut flakes. It tasted amazingly light yet sweet enough to satisfy me. 

Chinese New Year 2014 @ Si Chuan Dou Hua

Duration: 13 January until 14 February 2014

Auspicious Blessing: RM150 NETT per person (Min. 2 pax)
Blissful Happiness: RM195 NETT per person (Min. 2 pax)
Happy & Prosperous: RM750 NETT per table of 4
Smiles of Fortune: RM1088 NETT per table of 6
Golden Prosperity: RM1958 NETT per table of 10
Bountiful Wealth: RM2300 NETT per table of 10

[SPECIAL] Chinese New Year Hi-Tea:
31 Jan and 1 Feb 2014 (12.30pm - 4.00pm)

\

Enjoy 20% savings when you make full payment for a reservation by 15 January.

 Call 603-2147 0088 or email douhua.prkul@parkroyalhotels.com for enquiries and reservations.

Verdict:

1. In terms of taste and quality, I'm totally smitten but it'd be great if the portion could be more generous. 

2. Recommended: Tropical Fruits Yee Sang, Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles with Scallop

3. Pricewise, you'll be satisfied with the fresh, creative & delectable dishes during the festive season!


Si Chuan Dou Hua Chinese Restaurant 
1st Floor
PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-2147 0088
Fax: 603-2147 0099
Email: douhua.prkul@parkroyalhotels.com
Website:
www.parkroyalhotels.com
www.sichuandouhua.com
Facebook: fb.com/Parkroyalkualalumpur

Business Hours
Lunch: 12noon - 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm - 10.30 pm

NOOK Ala Carte Menu @ Aloft KL Sentral

Hello! Do you still remember my weekend escapade at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral? It was a lovely stay there, all I did was just chilling around the rooftop pool and breaking my diet plans--- Just eat my heart out! 

More often than not, hotel restaurants are associated with buffets. NOOK, the hotel coffee house will have the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner housed under one roof. But this time we went ala carte instead! 

By the way, I have blogged about my dinner at Nook and drinks at Mai Bar once.


The buffet spread is certainly amazing and full of international and local flavours.


The cozy seating and welcoming apple green tone at NOOK creates
a warm and comfortable ambiance that makes me feel homey.

Traffic light drinks that we coincidentally ordered! 

Glancing through the ala carte menu, I was surprised that the menu boasts an equally wide array of international and local delights that already sounded delicious from the description in the menu. Quickly we picked a few crowd's favourites and the service was friendly and fast there.

#1 Complimentary House Bread 

Each diner who opted for ala carte options would be welcomed with the freshly baked house bread with butter spread. The bread here was just normal, but nevertheless a good started before starting our gastronomical journey.

#2 Mushroom Creamy Soup

Creamy and soulfully hearty, the mushroom bisque exuded an interesting flavour and distinctive character on its own, especially when paired with herbed toast. I reckon this is one of the best simple mushroom soup I've tried. 

#3 The Aloft Club

Served with steak fries, the triple layered stack sandwiches were highly recommended for those who usually wake up hungry. Layered with thick grilled chicken breast, turkey brisket and avocado, it was definitely a hearty experience itself.  

#4 Aloft Watermelon Bowl

For the health-conscious, try the colorful platter of compressed watermelon, fried cheese and pumpkin drizzled with zesty lemon-thyme olive oil.  Surely you'd enjoy the refreshing taste in the palate.

#5 Aloft Cod Fish

#6 Asian Delight - Sang Har Yee Mee

For local flavours, you may go for Yee Mee with tiger prawns. The prawns were richly coated with the gravy, without overwhelming its naturally sweet oceanic flavour. The taste? Fresh, succulent and crunchy.

#7 Sarawak Laksa

Another noteworthy dish is NOOK signature Sarawak Laksa, which is also available on the buffet spread. Mildly zesty with lime, adding a dollop of spicy paste into the creamy broth should leave you a little hot under the collar and stuffed to the brain.

 #8 Seafood Spaghetti 

 #9 Dessert - Salted Caramel White Cheesecake

For dessert, I enjoyed the delicious salted caramel chilled mascarpone cheesecake with a melt-in-the-mouth crust. The top layer felt like a classic pudding that was silky and rich in texture. Best served cold for a nice end to the sumptuous meal. 

The perfect getaway to the city, Aloft KL Sentral is only 28 minutes away from the KL International Airport and connected to the main KL transportation hub such as the KLIA Express, KL Monorail, KL North – South Commuter and the Light Rail Transit.

Read about my hotel review for Aloft HERE.

Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 

5, Jalan Stesen Sentral, 

50470 Kuala Lumpur. 

Contact: 603-2723 1188 

Email: aloft.kualalumpur@alofthotels.com

Website: www.starwoodhotels.com/aloft

Facebook: fb.com/AloftKualaLumpurSentral

NOOK: 6.30am - 10.30pm daily (Blog entry: HERE)

Mai Bar: 3pm - 12am from Mondays to Saturdays (Blog entry: HERE)

W XYZ: 12 noon - 12am daily

Haagen-Dazs SOHO KL @ Solaris Mont Kiara

Hi! I'm still on New Year mood, how about you? It was great to kickstart the brand new year by celebrating The Butterfly Project's mamasan's birthday that coincidentally falls on 1 January! 

Happy Birthday Tammy!! Thank you for everything! :D

Her posh birthday party was held at Häagen-Dazs SOHO KL, which was located a stone throw away from Publika. Easily noticeable as it is a corner lot situated beside the escalator and valet service counter. 

The outlet has two storey--- Ground floor filled with ice cream and cake display, while the first floor has a spacious seating area which can fit up to 60 people! Ideal for parties and events, I reckon this is the largest Häagen-Dazs outlet in Malaysia.

Besides the birthday queen being the star of the day, everyone was looking forward for the festive fondue. The 2013 Christmas festive fondue (RM75) was available until 31 December only, but it was specially prepared for us during the party on 1 January 2014! 

Mamasan's birthday cake was one of  Häagen-Dazs' signature Christmas log cake.

How nice if my birthday falls on December, I can have festive birthday cake every year!  ♥♥

 *peace* We were actually waiting for our fondue!

Meet every girl's favourite Häagen-Dazs' festive chocolate fondue!

 For RM75, the portion was delightfully generous, and able to feed 3 to 4 persons. 

The ice creams came in 12 baby scoops, of 4 different flavours-- Cookie & Cream, Belgian Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla. In fact, all 4 varieties were creamy, distinctive in flavours and of course went well with the chocolate dip. 

It's nice to dip the icy cold balls into the hot melting chocolate, and enjoy the iciness from within as the chocolate hardens as a firm coating around it. You may also try the dip with fresh fruits, cookies and brownies served around the platter. 

 

Dip it into the crushed nuts and chocolate rice for a crunchy texture!

Yummy! Love the creamy and crunchy combination that melts perfectly in the mouth! 

How I'd wish the crushed nuts and chocolate rice are refillable.

Which do you prefer? Fruits (Strawberries, banana and apple slices) 

or snacks (Cookie, brownie, love letter)?

 

 My favourite vote definitely went for the ice creams! 

Häagen-Dazs premium ice cream is rich in taste and creamy in body, with longer slow-melting moment that allows ice cream lovers to enjoy slowly with pleasure. The heavenly chocolate ice cream was real, deep and dark with less sweet flavour to my liking.

The friends I made throughout the journey with The Butterfly Project :)

Thank you Tammy for all the opportunities and having me in this awesome group!

Girls Power! Stay sweet always ♥

Aww, how lovely! It was her birthday, but she had little handmade Happy Chocolate for us too! 

Häagen-Dazs has always crafted 100% real dairy ice cream, using only pure cream and milk to provide its signature creaminess and rich texture. Simply the best dairy ingredients, exquisitely combined. Now sold at retail and in more than 900 Häagen-Dazs Shops in 50 countries, Häagen-Dazs ice cream is savored around the world.

To enjoy the creamy goodness, please visit  www.haagendazs.com.my // facebook.com/haagendazsmalaysia

Häagen-Dazs SOHO KL 
K-OG-12 
Solaris Mont Kiara,
No.2, Jalan Solaris,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-6203 6695
Fax: 603-6203 6696
Website: www.haagendazs.com.my
Facebook: facebook.com/haagendazsmalaysia

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie @ Off Jalan Imbi, KL

Weekend morning is always the perfect time for me to explore the city and discover new eateries. There are plenty of breakfast places blooming in Bangsar and Publika, but nothing beats my old favourite- Levain Boulangerie and Patisserie, an escape from the hustles and bustles in the mid of Kuala Lumpur.

I'm not really a bread person but I love dainty pastries and delicate bakes. Entering the cafe, the aroma of fresh bakery from the gigantic hot oven immediately rushed into my nostrils. There I was spoilt with choices of pastries, desserts (colourful ones including macarons!) and breads.

#1 Scones with Raisin and Dried Mango Bits @ RM3.00 each 

As much as I love pastries for breakfast, they are just perfect for an afternoon tea. The scones looked so adorable in heart shapes! How could I not grab some from the tray since they were all freshly baked and served piping hot from the oven? 

Besides plain scones, my next favourite were those with raisins. Although the scone here had lovely crispy exterior, it was quite hard and slightly moist inside. Not the best I've tried, but I appreciated the effort of making them into pretty heart shapes that made my day! 

#2 Crispy Apple Pie @ RM4.50

Pastry lovers would enjoy this apple pie especially while it was still hot, because the crispiness was simply irresistible. As much as I loved the generous amount of apple chunks in it, it was too sweet for my liking. 

 #3 Mango Cheese Tart @ RM4.30

 It looked like a gigantic egg tart at the first thought, but the soft custard-like filling was rich in creamy cheese flavours! I think somebody should invent cheesy egg tarts too, and I'd be the first customer because of its smooth, rich and creamy texture. 

Here you'd have to grab your picks and pay before you dine. However, on the menu displayed at the counter, I found that the selections served hot from the kitchen were quite limited. Sandwiches, pasta, pizza and soup were some of the common ones.

 #4 Creamy Mushroom Chicken Soup @ RM6.50

We expected a hot bowl of creamy mushroom soup as the starter, unfortunately it turned out cold. However, we still loved it because it had a perfect creamy consistency and was full of chunky bite-sized mushrooms.

 #5 Chicken Lasagna @ RM12.00

I always prefer lasagna with plenty of creamy cheesy topping and thick layers of minced meat between each pasta sheet. To my delight, the chicken lasagna was served just the way I loved it. Fabulous! Love the basil sauce that spiced up the dish too.

 #6 Green Tea Tiramisu Parfait @ RM7.50 

As its name suggested, I thought it'd have a perfect blend of green tea and tiramisu. But it turned out to be a chilled green tea and red bean dessert with lots of whipped cream, which tasted better than expected! A must-try for green tea lovers!

 #7 Strawberry Cheese Parfait @ RM7.50 

The strawberry cheese parfait was very dense with cheesecake and strawberry sauce, and having this alone was good enough to fill my stomach! At Levain's dessert counter, I also stumbled upon dainty half-baked Japanese cheese cakes which I was so tempted to try but my stomach was rejecting any food at that time. So perhaps during my next visit there? Yes, I'd be back for more pastries and desserts :)

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie
7, Jalan Delima, 
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-2142 6611
Email: enquiry@levain.com.my
Business Hours: 7.30am to 9.00pm daily