The restaurant’s stir-fry ‘paku pakis’ with its signature lime sauce.
Naming a dish with prosperity-linked terms is significant in Chinese cuisine because food is not just about flavours – it also bears a symbolic meaning.
Such practices are often seen in Chinese restaurants as these names not only convey prosperity or luck, but are also easy to remember for diners.
One such dish is the Hong Wan Dong Tao Chao Fan or Lucky Signature Fried Rice, a signature dish from Lucky Corner Seafood Restaurant.
In Cantonese, wan means “luck” and tao is “head”, signifying good fortune arriving or being within reach.
The spicy-and-sour crab dish is served with fried ‘mantao’.
The word hong (or red) is visually represented in the dish by the layer of bright orangey red ebiko (shrimp roe) on top of the golden yellow fried rice.
“We use only egg yolk to fry the rice, that’s why it gives each grain a golden hue and a luxurious, creamy texture.
“To savour the dish, diners have to mix the rice well with ebiko,” said the restaurant’s head cook Chen Chee Siong.
The ebiko topping adds a burst of umami and a pleasing pop when eaten with the egg yolk-coated rice.
The restaurant specialises in seafood, especially crab dishes, and has a few house signatures including claypot Indonesian curry seafood and sour lime steamed sabak.
The sour lime steamed ‘sabak’ is appetising. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
“We opened the restaurant last July in Alam Damai,” said restaurant co-owner Calvin Goh.
“I have a few years of experience managing other restaurants and decided to open a restaurant here.
“Customers can expect a range of Chinese dishes leaning towards Cantonese-style cooking as well as fresh seafood at the restaurant,” he said.
The restaurant’s stir-fry paku pakis (wild Asian fern) with its own signature lime sauce will surely whet one’s appetite.
“The homemade sauce is a combination of freshly squeezed lime and calamansi with condiments like sugar and sour plum sauce,” said Chen.
Having a crisp texture, the ferns pair well with the zesty sauce.
Crushed hazelnut gives the dish a delightful nutty flavour and textural contrast.
Also worth a try is its lime steamed sabak.
The Lucky Signature Fried Rice has ‘ebiko’ on top of the golden fried rice.
The firm yet tender flesh of the clams and the sauce makes for a mouthwatering combination.
Meanwhile, Chen has his own take on the hearty Indonesian-style curry prawns.
“Usually, the curry is added with coconut milk or evaporated milk, which gives it a sweet and creamy texture.
“To give it a twist, I use dong quai or angelica root to give it a herbal flavour,” he said.
The robust dish comes with a hint of bitter notes from the angelica root, which also provides an earthy depth and subtle warmth to the curry.
Fresh, succulent prawns are simmered in a claypot, absorbing the aromatic curry that is rich in spices.
Next up, the pork ribs in signature sauce is a true indulgence.
The Indonesian curry prawn is delightful.
Braised for two hours to achieve melt-in-the-mouth tenderness, the meat is then fried at high heat for a crispy, caramelised exterior.
The flavourful and addictive sticky sauce is sweet and savoury and a perfect match for the meat.
The crabs cooked in a fiery spicy-and-sour sauce here strikes a balance between heat and tang.
Braised for a few minutes to allow it to release its natural juices, the crab’s succulent meat was sweet while the thick sauce gave the dish a punchy flavour.
Soak up what’s left of the dish with a serving of fried mantou.
Diners can also try other dishes at this Lucky Corner seafood restaurant, such as claypot yellow wine cod fish, cordyceps flower steamed village chicken and yam basket.LUCKY CORNER SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, No.20, Jalan Damai Perdana 1/9B, Bandar Damai Perdana, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-9521 7420) Business hours: 11am to 2.30pm, 5pm to 10pm, closed on Wednesday. Non-halal.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
