The plush and cosy interiors of Yun House at Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur.
Hong Kong talent builds layers of flavour for new menu
GOURMETS with a love for fine Cantonese cuisine will be thrilled to learn that a new menu has been unveiled at a restaurant which made the Michelin selected restaurants list for two years in a row.
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur executive Chinese chef Jimmy Wong, 56, said the planning as well as research and development for Yun House’s latest menu, which debuted on Aug 1, took three months.
For palate cleanser, there are winter melon balls, pickled overnight in vinegar, sugar and lemon juice.
Covered in a yellow-hued coat of passion fruit and enhanced with citrusy notes of orange juice, the thick and fruity syrup was honey-like and sourish at the same time.
The sharp acidic notes in this starter has a highly stimulating effect on the appetite.
Fish Maw Dumpling with Cordycep Flowers, Caviar and Gold Leaf.
The appetising dim sum of Fish Maw Dumpling with Cordyceps Flowers, Caviar and Gold Leaf, Deep-fried Yam Puffs with Barbecued Duck Filling and Crispy Vermicelli Roll with Tiger Prawn, Dried Oysters and Foie Gras are next.
The fanciest of the three is the fish maw dumpling topped with black caviar and gold leaf.
The dumpling base of chicken, dried oysters and black garlic, comes wrapped in a kombu leaf.
The vermicelli roll, which is topped with bonito flakes, is filled with chunks of tiger prawns.
The mini beef steaks with black vinegar sauce.
Firm and sweet, we were told that they had been brined in salt and baking soda to give the flesh a crunchy texture.
For mains, there is prawn toast with caviar and tender mini beef steaks that cut like butter.
The pint-sized steaks are Australian short ribs cooked for six hours over slow fire and coated with a black vinegar sauce.
Punchy and tart but slightly sweet as well, the sauce base is derived from an ayam kampung stock.
Crispy Rice Vermicelli with Foie Gras and Dried Oyster.
For soup, there is a hot and sour version with sea scallops and fried wonton with Alaskan crab filling.
Though the soup is robust and fiery with a julienne of tofu, wood ear, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms and asparagus, it did not interfere with the delicate seafood flavours.
This dish also has dashes of Chinese black vinegar, giving it a sharp but appetising quality.
For steamed fish, there is black cod with chopped chillies. Silky and firm, the fish has a buttery sweetness about it.
Countering the richness is a light soya sauce given a zesty touch with white vinegar.
Steamed black cod with chopped red chilli.
On the use of vinegar, Wong said he always prefers it over salt because of its flavour enhancing qualities.
Wong also views this ingredient as a digestion improver.
“It just wakes you up,” said Wong, a Hong Kong native.
For noodles, Yun House has one that is braised with black truffle paste and wild mushrooms.
The handmade noodles by itself are flavourful and delightfully bouncy to the bite.
We were told that this was due to the additional amount of eggs which the kitchen had ordered the maker to add into the dough.
Wong says the new menu at Yun House took three months to plan.
The cooking method also plays an important role in retaining that firm bite. At the first stage, the noodles are blanched in hot water for around 35 seconds to soften the dough.
In the second, when it is mixed with black truffle paste, it is given a quick toss over a wok at a heat of 88ºC for 10 seconds.
Enhancing the earthy notes of truffle in this braised noodle dish are a combination of shiitake, white shimeji and brown button mushrooms giving off a woodsy, meaty flavour.
For dessert, there is black sesame ice cream sitting atop a white moat of chilled almond milk.
This nutty liquid had an intense fragrance and with it, a unique flavour which one could liken to marzipan or maraschino cherries.
The sesame ice cream, with its topping of black and white sesame seeds, was also topped with flakes of gold leaf.
In spite of the many new items, Wong said diners should not miss the first item that is listed on the first page of their new menu – the spicy and aromatic Deep-fried Eggplant with Cereal, Chilli and Curry Leaves.
Food reviewers have attested to how the frying was done so skillfully that there were nary an oily print on the plate.
YUN HOUSE, 145, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2382 8888) Business hours: Noon to 3pm (Sundays 11am to 4pm); 6pm to 10pm (Monday to Saturday).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
