Chinese New Year at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ

Chinese New Year at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ

“Usher in the Year of the Rabbit with the sumptuous and fresh variety of ‘Yee Sang’, auspicious ‘Fatt Choy’ set menus and festive a la carte Chinese delicacies of Toh Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Hilton Petaling Jaya from 17 January till 28 February.

‘Fatt Choy’ signifies the growth of fortune and prosperity.” It’s that time of year again, when ‘Yee Sang’ is in abundance and reunion dinners a must. Chinese New Year at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ, promises you ‘Happiness’, ‘Longevity’ and ‘Fortune’ in the form of 3 special set menus.

There is also a Yee Sang menu, with ‘Fatt Choy’ options. Abalone, Hokkigai, Salmon, Sea King Prawns and even a vegetarian Pear & Honeydew ‘Yee Sang’.

It was a particularly interesting gathering that evening as we were joined by Frat Mustard (theQguides.com, Book, Eat, Be Rewarded), who as usual was the centre of attention.

Also with us, bloggers Debra (http://fongmeijean.blogspot.com/), Cai Jin, (http://jindramaqueen.com), Mei Yee (http://www.iamthewitch.com), and Ester (http://youresty.com).

Together with Terry (Red FM Drive), Lexie (Red FM’s Late Night Love Songs), Jeremy (Red FM Breakfast Show), Donovan (photographer) and myself, all of us were really in the festive mood, geared up in our traditional Chinese attire, armed and ready with chopsticks to get tossing.

‘Yee Sang’ is generally made from assorted condiments, which differ in their auspicious meanings. Cracker represents happiness, peanut and sesame symbolise harvest, oil represents health and pomelo means good luck. The dish is normally completed with fresh seafood sashimi as raw seafood symbolizes life and longevity.

Elaine Chiew and Than Shaw Shiuan (Marketing Communications Executives) were our lovely hosts that evening, and they suggested we try their premium ‘Longevity’ menu.

LONGEVITY (RM1388++ for 10 persons)

‘Fatt Choy’ Abalone Yee Sang

You could feel the festivity in this Yee Sang. Brightly coloured mix of shredded pickled vegetables crowned by thin slices of raw abalone.

Topped off with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, then drizzled with oil, sauce and the finishing touch of crackers, our Yee Sang was ready to be tossed.

“Moooooooneeeeeeyyyyy… come…come, come, mooooney come….” bellowed Terry.

The abalone added a wonderful chewy  texture to a light, sweet and crispy mix of ingredients. Nutty and refreshing all at the same time.

Braised Sharks Fin Soup with Crab Meat & Roe

A Chinese delicacy, there were no visible slivers of translucent sharksfin, but rather a subtle flavour that complemented the soup.

It worked really well with the meaty shellfish taste of the stock base, and was complemented even more by the rich taste of crab meat and roe.

Add a touch of vinegar to get that kick in your cheeks, and you have a very flavoursome soup.

Deep Fried Chicken with Two Tastes

The Chicken won us over and was one of our favourite dishes of the evening.

On the outer ring of the plate was what tasted like a well marinated, crispy skinned roast chicken. Nestled on the inside of the plate was diced chicken coated in a dark, intense, sweet yet salty soya sauce. Delicious.

Steamed Fish Pomfret with Soya Sauce

Pomfret (Bawal Putih) is one of the few fishes I actually enjoy eating. It’s very mild in flavour, and the meat has a lovely, break-at-the-touch texture.

It’s one of those fishes that don’t need much done to it, and here at Toh Yuen, the Chef actually steams it and pours over a light, salty thin soya sauce. Garnished with spring onions and coriander, it’s a simple yet terribly tasty dish.

Stir Fried Sea King Prawns with Pineapple Sauce

I love prawns so I was really looking forward to this one. The prawns were fresh, and tasted of the sea… fried first to get a crunchy skin, they’re then tossed in a sticky, sweet savoury pineapple sauce.

Divine.

Stewed Sea Cucumber & Mushroom with Broccoli

Vegetables are always a must before the carbs arrive, and the mushroom broccoli combination works every time. However, there’s the added bonus of Sea Cucumber here, which I’ve tried before, but never in this style. It’s hard to describe the texture, kind of a cross between a cooked aubergine and jelly.

I asked Chef what it looked liked raw, and he obligingly brought out a couple for us to look at.

Jeremy was not impressed!

Seafood Fried Rice with X.O. Sauce

Finishing off our savoury courses with a fragrant fried rice in X.O sauce.

Contrary to popular belief, X.O. sauce does not contain any alcohol in it. It’s actually a traditional Cantonese sauce made from  roughly chopped dried seafood, scallop, fish, shrimp, chilli onion garlic and oil. The name indicates it’s a quality, superior sauce, just like the Cognac. The rice was wok fried with chopped beans, spring onions, garlic, egg, and of course, the secret sauce. Fluffy, charred and terribly tasty. A sterling finish!

Chilled Honey Dew with Hasma

Another delicacy, but for this one, I merely had a taste after I found out what Hasma was. Apparently, t is actually dried fallopian tubes of true frogs. From the one taste I had, the dessert itself was delicious and cooling, but I guess everyone has a line that they just can’t cross. I’m no Andrew Zimmern, but the rest of the gang were and licked their bowls clean!

We could not have wished for a more lavish, decadent, and exotic meal. Abalone, Sharksfin, Sea Cucumber… and not forgetting the truly exotic Hasma. Yes, the Longevity set Menu at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ, is an experience you must have to Usher in the Year of the Rabbit this Chinese New Year!

Kung Hei Fatt Choy!

*Thanks to Elaine, Shiaw Shiaun and the Chef & team at Toh Yuen for a spectacular meal.

Special thanks to Donovan for the beautiful photographs. www.donovanchin.com

ALL THIS WEEK, TUNE IN FROM ELEVEN2THREE TO WIN RM150 VOUCHERS! THE BIG RED FOOD REVIEW, ONLY ON RED FM, TODAYS BEST MUSIC! 104.9 in the Klang Valley.

Other Chinese New Year Menus at Toh Yuen, Hilton PJ

‘Happiness’ Set – RM888++ per table of 10 people

Salmon ‘Fatt Choy’ Yee Sang, Double boiled Chicken Soup with Sea Treasures, Deep Fried Crispy Sesame Chicken, Steamed Grouper with Soy Sauce, Pan Fried Tiger Prawns with Chef’s Special Made Sauce, Stewed Bean Curd with Preserved Vegetable, and Meat and Fried Rice and Minced meat in Lotus Leaf. Dessert – Chilled Sea Coconut with Ginseng.

‘Fortune’ – RM1188++ per table of 10 pax

Fatt Choy Hakkigai Salmon, Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Dendrobium Candidrum, Roasted Duck with BBQ Sauce, Steamed Cod Fish with Soy Sauce, Stir Fried Tiger Prawn with Fresh milk and Butter,, Braised Sea Moss Mushroom and Dried Oyster with Lettuce, and Stir Fried Noodle with Chicken and Mixed Vegetable. Dessert – Braised Red Bean with Glutinous Dumpling.



Advertisement