Blissful start to the Lunar New Year

Diners tossing the yee sang during a menu preview session at Yen. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star

THE Year of the Dragon is often associated with prosperity and wealth, and this is usually reflected in the dishes presented during Chinese New Year.

This year, families who choose to get together at Yen, a Cantonese restaurant in W Kuala Lumpur, can indulge in traditional Chinese cuisine themed “Stellar Lunar Bliss”.

As a must-have starter, Yen’s Norwegian salmon yee sang with air-dried Szechuan fish chips, crispy salted egg fish skin, and red palm oil is presented with a winding golden dragon made of salt, symbolising prosperity.

Shredded carrots and radish, complemented by plum sauce, form the foundation of the dish.

Its crisp texture and tartness whets the appetite for the rest of the courses.

The other ingredients, including pepper, allspice, peanuts, sesame, sugar and coriander, provide a nice balance of flavours.

Four other variations are also available, each priced between RM178 and RM288 for half portions and between RM288 and RM468 for a whole portion.

Next, diners warmed up with the restaurant’s double-boiled chicken soup with fish maw, morel mushroom and Hokkaido scallop.

The dish is brewed for six hours, ensuring the soup is chockful of goodness and flavours.

Being pleasantly chewy, the morel mushroom and Hokkaido scallop adds texture to the dish.

Diners can reserve one of the private dining rooms at Yen.

The restaurant also serves home-cooked dishes such as braised yellow croaker and steamed farm chicken.

The steamed farm chicken with black truffles and maitake mushrooms leaves a sweet lingering aftertaste with each mouthful.

W Kuala Lumpur executive Chinese chef Tan Kim Weng said Yen uses chickens from Johor that feed on pineapple enzymes.

“Besides the healthy feed, the chickens are also reared long enough to have a naturally delicate texture.

Tan is the executive Chinese chef at W Kuala Lumpur.

“Before steaming the chicken, we marinate it with truffle oil,” he added.

Meanwhile, the braised yellow croaker is complemented by shallots, ginger and garlic to bring out its natural sweetness.

Before being braised, the fish is pan-fried to obtain a crispy skin.

Another dish popular during the festive season is the braised rice cake with Sabah king prawn, garlic sauce and minced chicken.

The garlic sauce and pickled cabbage pair well with the minced chicken, prawns and rice cake.

To complete the meal, diners have a choice of sweetened soybean soup with Chinese yam, peach gum and rice dumplings.

The fragrant sesame and softness of peach gum are a delight for the senses.

Braised Hong Kong vegetable with baked fish maw, fish broth and shredded chicken is one of the dishes available for Chinese New Year.

Yen has four Chinese New Year set menus, priced between RM248 and RM488 per person.

The sets are for a minimum of two persons.

The pork-free restaurant also provides two “Luck and Prosperity Family Style” set menus, which are designed for five to 10 people.

One of the sets costs RM1,388 for five pax and RM2,688 for 10 pax, while the other costs RM1,888 for five pax and RM3,688 for 10 pax.

Yen also serves a la carte dishes priced between RM12 and RM488 each.

For a little privacy, diners can also choose to reserve one of its dining rooms.

YEN, Level 11, W Kuala Lumpur, 121, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: [phone] or 012-357 4788) Business hours: 12.30pm- 2.30pm (Tuesdays to Fridays, lunch), 11am-2:30pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, lunch), 6pm to 10pm (Tuesdays to Sundays, dinner). Closed on Mondays except for Feb 12 and Feb 19, 2024 in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.