Lightly poached Orange Roughy Fish with seed oil.
IT IS not often that halibut gets to star in an appetising yee sang – a starter many look forward to during Chinese New Year.
Chef Chai Wai Keong’s unique twist of using Greenland dry-aged halibut in yee sang is not only evident of his culinary ingenuity, it also gives a fresh taste to the dish much loved by Malaysians.
“It is something different and the fish’s texture goes well with ingredients in the yee sang.
“I believe we are the only restaurant offering yee sang with halibut for diners’ enjoyment,” said the Grand Imperial Group deputy executive chef.
The firm textured halibut, cured with Japanese salt, tastes sweet.
This year, Grand Imperial has readied five set menus for a table of 10 diners priced from RM1,488++ to RM3,388++.
The halibut yee sang is available in the RM1,688+ and RM3,388++ set menus.
During our visit, we savoured the Double-Boiled Eight-Head Whole Abalone with Mushroom, served in individual bowls, which was rich in flavour and comforting.
Grand Imperial’s signature grilled Spanish Iberico Spare Ribs with Cointreau accompanied with chilled ice plant is another speciality for the Year of the Dragon.
The meat, boasting a perfect balance of tenderness and chewiness, caresses the taste buds with a cascade of juices.
“Iberico’s sticky bones appeal to the younger crowd more than the suckling pig, which is another dish diners look forward to during the Lunar New Year.
“The meat and ice plant pair well together as the latter has a crunchy, refreshing texture,” Chai said.
The lightly Poached Orange Roughy Fish with seed oil is simple, bringing much happiness to the palate.
Fried Sea Prawns served with kimchi and rice cake.
Served with superior soy sauce, the New Zealand imported fish has decent fat content with the meat’s soft umami taste a joy to eat.
Korean influence has found its way into the menu with Chai’s rendition of Fried Sea Prawns with kimchi and rice cakes.
“We hope diners like the combination of mild spiciness in the prawns and sourish fermented cabbage.
“This dish is not spicy, to cater to children” he said.
The Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chinese Waxed Meat is also a hot favourite and a must-have when dining at Grand Imperial.
The Hong Kong imported waxed meats, oozing with flavour, lends the rice slight saltiness and rich aromas.
Grilled Spanish Iberico Spare Ribs with Cointreau.
According to Chai, most restaurants slice waxed meat sausages thinly but at Grand Imperial, larger portions are to be expected to give diners more bite.
A combination of desserts – Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Plum, Steamed Nian Gao with Shredded Coconut, and Baked Lotus Pastries with Sesame Seeds, wrapped up our meal.
The Chinese New Year set menu is available from Jan 21 to Feb 24 at seven outlets – Bangsar Shopping Centre, Hartamas Shopping Centre, Pinnacle Annexe Bandar Sunway, Sunway Velocity Mall, Pavilion Shopping Mall, The Club at Bukit Utama and Setia City Mall.
The Grand Imperial Poon Choy priced at RM688+ is good for eight to 10 persons.
The dish consists of 14 ingredients including whole abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, dried oyster, Japanese dried scallop, stewed pork trotter, roast duck and fatt choy.
Yee Sang with Greenland dry-aged halibut.— Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
For sweet delicacies, Grand Imperial is having the Chinese New Year cake featuring four combinations at RM108+ per box.
It comprises carrot cake with Chinese waxed meat, red bean nian gao, traditional nian gao and dried scallop yam cake.
For RM888+, the four combination cake comes with a bottle of Royal Salute 21 Years.
The restaurant is also selling Chinese New Year biscuits at RM55nett for a set of walnut and sesame twist varieties.
The Chinese New Year cake features four sweet combinations. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
There are eight different types of Prosperity Yee Sang priced from RM88++ for half portion and from RM128++ for full portion.
The restaurants will be closed on Feb 10 and Feb 11 and resumes business on Feb 12 at 6pm for dinner only.
Grand Imperial is also offering RM3,600 Grand Imperial cash voucher booklets.
Those who purchase one booklet will get a bottle of Hennessy VSOP for free while those who purchase two booklets get a bottle of Hennessy X.O free.
GRAND IMPERIAL RESTAURANT, MM-05, Upper Ground Floor, Setia City Mall, 7, Persiaran Setia Dagang, Setia Alam, Seksyen U13, Shah Alam Selangor. (Tel: 03 3345 9565/9653) Business hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm (Monday to Saturday), 10am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm (Sunday and public holidays). Non-halal.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
