Saturday June 28, 2008
Chic eats
By FEI YONG
A trendy Chinese fusion restaurant takes great pride in knowing what women want when they dine out.
The Tang Dynasty (618-907), considered China’s most glorious epoch, left such an indelible mark on the Chinese psyche that until today, many Chinese refer to themselves as tang ren or Tang people. This prosperous era also saw the rise of renowned poets like Du Pu and Li Bai, and the legendary Empress Yang Kwai Fei.
“DainTi Hill was conceived as a tribute to this celebrated period,” says Joshua Liew, managing director of Taiwan-based Zoe International which owns and operates the trendy Tang dynasty-themed eatery at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Bucket full of goodness: Fried prawn skewers. “The name is a euphemism of the English word, ‘dainty’ and an excerpt from one of Du Pu’s classic ‘My Fair Lady’ poem.”
That is why DainTi Hill’s, fashionable in- terior — from the avant-garde lanterns, metallic bead curtains, decorative blossoms and bamboo plants, right down to the floral-patterned feature wall and trendy furnishings are designed to capture the halcyon days of the Tang Dynasty as well as to please the outlet’s target market — lady diners between 20 and 35 years old.
According to operations manager Alvin Leow, their clientele are independent women with good earning power. “Many of them also love to dine out and are adventurous eaters.’’
The outlet offers a wide selection of inventive Chinese specialities that are liberally infused with Japanese and Continental influences. ‘‘The portions, creative presentation and unexpected touches will win over our female customers,” says Leow.
“We’ve put the dessert selection in the first two pages of the menu to satisfy women’s craving for sweets,’’ adds Leow gleefully. “Our most popular starter is the Soft Serve Ice-Cream with Baked Sweet Potato, Red Beans and Green Tea Sauce.”
Once you have a spoonful of the luscious treat, you will unlikely forget the interplay of hot and cold contrasting textures and flavours in a hurry.
Yummy stuff: Dragon Fruit, Apple and Prawn Salad. Those who are nutty over Fah Sang Wu, a classic peanut-based dessert broth will adore the rich Peanut Ice-Blended which tastes like chilled, melted peanut butter. Another hot-seller is Hot Fragrant Sago and Papaya Broth – a light, creamy coconut milk-based broth with sago pearls, fresh papaya cubes and black glutinous rice.
Mashed potato and pumpkin with lashings of mayonnaise on top make up the unusual Potato Pumpkin Salad. Soft and smooth with a delicate crunchiness that comes from the finely chopped Japanese cucumber and flying fish roe, this is one salad that will tempt even the most finicky eater.
The Dragon Fruit, Apple and Prawn Salad turned out to be a nice palate-refresher thanks its subtle fruitiness and crunchiness. An unlikely addition is Baked Escargots. The half-dozen snails baked and served with melted mozzarella cheese may not be the norm in most Chinese restaurants but I guess DianTi Hill is a good place as any to be acquainted with this French delicacy. Soup lovers will warm up to the Chicken and Papaya Soup as the chicken, papaya and shiitake mushrooms have been double-boiled for no less than eight hours.
Baked Rice Roll with Crabmeat, Pork Floss, Avocado, Papaya and Honeydew, Tang-Style Spicy Chicken, Fried Fish with DainTi Sauce, Deep-fried Prawn Skewers and Sautéed Imperial Beef Steak with Special Sauce are some of the imaginative offerings that will leave diners happily replete.
Wash down your meal with Calamansi Fragrant Iced Tea and Rainbow Concoction. The Iced Tea, a delightful mixture of jasmine tea with freshly squeezed calamansi lime juice, is a teetotaller’s dream. The latter which consists of five concoctions of Bacardi rum, soda and flavoured syrups served in long-stemmed champagne flutes lodged in a tall glass vessel, is better suited for dating couples and girly cliques. DainTi Hill’s cheery and affable staff adds to your dining experience. Many of the specialities are reasonably priced, with salads and starters costing between RM9 and RM18 while main dishes are priced from RM18 onwards.
Best of all, Citibank credit cardholders get 50% discount off all food and drinks under the Citibank World Privileges programme from July 1 to Sept 30, 2008. Now, doesn’t this sound irresistible?
DAINTI HILL
Non-halal
Lot 6.01.05 Level 6
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 2145 6628
Fax: 2154 6628
Business hours:
11am to 10pm daily
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