It’s a show-stopping spread this CNY at Grand Seasons

Mouth-watering Chinese New Year spread at Grand Seasons.

KUALA LUMPUR:

After a sold-out three-day Chinese New Year promotion last year, the Grand Seasons Hotel decided to go big this time around with a lavish spread spanning an entire month.

Master Chef Randy Lau pulled out all the stops, creating three tantalising Set Menus, showcasing his interpretation of familiar flavours and dishes associated with traditional Chinese cuisine.

Take for instance Set Menu 2 that comprises nine mouth-watering offerings, starting with the must-have Norwegian Salmon Fish Yee Sang. After the din created by hungry diners and the mess they happily left behind on the table from tossing the Yee Sang skywards, it was pure joy to lap up the luscious morsels of fish and the liberal sprinklings of crispy crackers doused in a sweet-tangy thick sauce.

Every spoonful of the Braised Fish Maw Soup with Five Treasures that followed was the perfect complement to the first course. “The shredded fish is cooked in double-boiled chicken broth that is brewed for 48 hours until it achieves a gelatinous texture,” Master Chef Randy explained, adding that shredded mushrooms and bamboo completed the authentic flavour spectrum of the dish, gently melding with the tender, succulent fish.

The real show-stopper would have to be the Authentic Style Baked Herbal Imperial Chicken. “This bird must be big and fleshy,” Master Chef Randy emphasised. Stuffed with ginseng, tong kwai, tong sum, red dates and wolf berries, the chicken is braised in a thick gravy, then slow-baked to perfection, giving off a heady aroma and rendering the flesh super soft yet luscious in texture. Diners have been warned – it’s virtually impossible to resist going in for seconds, or thirds.

The Steamed Garoupa with Crispy Ginger and Coriander that showed up next at the table was, according to Master Chef Randy, a “simple yet challenging” dish to prepare. He explained that precise timing was required when steaming the fish with a “superior sauce”, made up of a combination of secret sauces. A final flourish of shredded ginger and fresh coriander gave a boost of flavour and aroma that elevated the superiority of the dish.

Signifying “abundance”, Master Chef Randy introduced the Fresh Prawns Tossed in Homemade Anchovies Paste, a glorious mound of shelled seawater prawns, deep-fried and tossed in a thick paste of dried scallops, fermented beans, dry chilli, and a combination of seafood sauces. This dish had just the right amount of spice balanced with the salty hint of anchovies that was not overpowering but mild and elegant, giving the prawns a lovely punch of flavour.

To signify “propitiousness”, the Sea Cucumber with Baling & Wild Mushroom Stew Served on Garden Greens was a delight to the tastebuds. According to the chef, the mushrooms were braised, then stewed in a special gravy just before serving.

Rounding up the savoury side of the menu, was the long-awaited Hokkien Fried Rice with BBQ Chicken. No ordinary fried rice, the secret abalone sauce added to the rice certainly did a wonderful job of bumping up the flavour notes to an amazing high. A “must” at every Chinese dinner, this dish symbolises longevity.

Two servings of desserts – Chilled Sea Coconut & Lotus Seed as well as Deep Fried Nian Gao with Sweet Potato & Yam were a delicious way to end a delightful meal. Signifying happiness – how could anyone not be happy with these delicious treats – the sea coconut was sweet and refreshing while the deep-fried Nian Gao was crunchy, succulent and sinfully decadent.