Yen Restaurant at W Hotel - Hits and Misses

February 20th, 2019

Got invited by the Lenglui's Godfamily to try the food at the Yen Restaurant in the relatively new W Hotel on Jalan Ampang. Parking in the complex would prove easy (though stiff at RM25 for our three plus hours) and the lift took us straight to the door where we got ushered through the spacious main area into the equally spacious private room at the back. This was actually quite special, affording a vista view to the twin towers and a look down into the cratered and scorched earth that is the remains of what was once the glorious Bok House. Better et this view while you can, chances are whoever owns this plot of land will build on it and block the view (or should that be "Bok" the view... no). 

Table in the Yen Private Room

14 of us were parked around a massive red round lacquer table on solid and immoveable chairs. Our host has been a follower of the Chef here at the Yen through his time at the Renaissance, the Shangri La and a couple of other places. I remember his pig at the Renaissance as being finestkind and his Hokkien Mee is still the taste of legend. On his move to the Shang Palace, the pork aspect needed to be sidelined as the hotel became halal (ostensibly to easier facilitate business from the non pork consuming section of Malaysian society) and equally here at the W is was no pork. 

The dried scallop was indeed dry, though mostly as a result of the crab meat lacking any juice whatsoever (though not lacking in bits of shell that needed expectorating) - I have had better elsewhere. The Szechaun Eggplant was special request and on tasting it I remembered why - fiery spitz on the tongue yet with a sweet caramel sauce and the gunge of well cooked strips of brinjal were dynamite.

Soup - magnificent

The soup that followed was epic - Chinese Herbal with the usual boiled dry chicken and rubber chewy abalone, but serving it in a coconut and allowing the flesh to cook in the heat brought an amazingly delightful and sweet touch to the broth. The single Garlic chip on the plate was presumably for salt taste - I crunched it down on its own and it was a cracking little snap on the tongue; could happily have platefuls of these with beer and football. One of the better soups I have had, ever. 

The Giant Grouper had been cooked and cut and doused with its juice and chili. It was still cooking over those candles and I think by the time it got to me it had just flipped into overcook. My small chunk was firm and drying. So it goes. Would perhaps have liked to have seen the boy before it got drawn and quartered to assess the size. I did not touch the beancurd - I have a serious jones about beancurd; last two times I ate it the thing seemed to dislodge stones in the kidney and cost a shedful of ringgit to get treated. The Gwailo does not do beancurd. 

Serving of the Giant Grouper

I enjoyed the beef ribs. Mouth melt, tender, taste, no strings - I thought it extremely well prepared and presented and would happily have taken this home for breakfast. Not sure about the wine or the broth - there was a gravy looking substance on the dish, so perhaps this was it. Very rich, finestkind. Worth a return for this.

Beef Short Ribs

In contrast, the Oyster was awful - metallic, undercooked, and with that baked cheesy gunk on top. Darn sad - it was one of those humungous Pacific boys and would probably have been magnificent with just a dab of lemon juice. Definite fail for me and the Lenglui, though the rest of the table wolfed them down molto gusto. Maybe not a Western taste. 

Oyster. Pretty grim, sad to say

I passed on the Abalone and Sea Cucumber as usual and was thus able to get stuck into the Hokkien Mee. When it comes to this dish, Chef is absolute legend. People still remember his cooking it from twenty years previous. As do I - the stuff we would have at the Renaissance was brahma, sublime, whatever similar word you can come up with. Rich black sauce, not overly sweet, firm noodles, lots of tasty pork and ladles of Chee Ho Jiak (deep fried croutons of pork fat) - ho, ho seck. One that is totally seared in the memory. 

Abalone and Sea Cucumber

In a non pork environment, Chef turns to chicken and prawn for the proteins and created a wildly tasty substitute of Duck Fat for the Lard. It worked extremely well, giving that fatty crisp bite in the mouth to coat the mee and the meat. In this, the prawns were some of the freshest and best I have tasted for a while - excellent bite on these boys. One can only lament the absence of connection between chef and pork, though this was far from a bad dish. But O, the Hokkien Mee of the past….

The Pork Free Hokkien Fried Mee

Dessert

Dessert was… okay, I guess. Almond Milk is a new experience for me, and I think I got it. Gingko beans lent a sweet vegetal crunch, and I guess the snow fungus gives a fibrous rubber like texture. The Green Tea Yam was actually pretty tasteless on its own but it became the perfect crunchy foil for the amazingly tasting Salted Egg Yolk in the middle. Absolute belter - gooey egg with layers of taste and texture was wonderful - Asian version of a Cadbury's Creme Egg but savory over sweet. Someone offered me another - I opted to refuse, preferring to savour this brilliant mouthfeel of gunk and goo. Belter of a taste. 

Drinks were Chinese Tea and a couple of New Zealand Pinots which were well received and the light texture and cherry pop mouth matched quite nicely with most of the dishes. This group enjoy a little taste of the wines but I don't think they drink sufficiently to warrant investing over the longer term. Never mind - happy to share the booze. 

Ambience and views were excellent, the service was attentive and polite and efficient (though I decided to take over wine pouring duties for the table - a shade slow in this regard). 

So…  the hits were brilliantly on target whilst the misses were pretty grim. Overall, quite enjoyable (though would have been more so had I opted for a lighter lunch). Worth a visit, though I can't see a return for me in the near future - RM25 to park the car? Nope. Better to park up in KLCC and walk across, though that can be a whack as well…

Menu

MENU 

Dried Scallop, Fish Maw, Scrambled Eggs, Crab Meat, Bean Sprout, Szechaun Egg Plant, Lettuce Leaf

Double Boiled Anoectochilus Soup, Abalone, Farm Chicken, Yunnan Aged Black Garlic, Whole Coconut

Steamed Giant Grouper Fish, Hinan Yellow Fermented Chili, Beancurd Sheet

Slow Cooked Grain Fed Wagyu Beef Short Ribs, Aged 10 Years Hua Diao Wine, Chinese Herbs Broth

Baked Japan Oyster, White Sauce, Cheese

Braised Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Pomelo Peel, HK Sprout Vegetables

Briased Local Hokkien Noodle, Sliced Prawn, Chicken, Duck Crackling

Sweetened Amond Cream, Snow Fungus, Gingko Nuts, Natural Peach Resin

Crispy Green Tea Yam Dumpling, Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Filling

Wines

2013 White Cliff Pinot Noir NZ

2016 Giesen Pinot Noir NZ

Shook! at Starhill. Yes we were...

Lenglui loves signing up for these hotel cards which give you various freebies which often include dining at the restaurant outlets there. So it was with the YTL platinum card she had recently been sold on - we got a free set dinner for two at the Shook! in the Starhill on Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. 

We figured the last time we had eaten there together was over a decade ago - I remember a wine dinner with some lovely Virgin Hills red in the early days of our journey into wine. But no memories surface of having eaten there since. It is not really on the dining map for us. Actually, none of the hotel restaurants seem to have been on the map of late, with the exception of the Hilton and the excellent Iketeru and Le Meridien with the equally excellent Prime. Used to be we'd be all over the place - Lai Po Heen at the Renaissance and the Regent, Shangri-La Lafite and Zipangu, Ming Court Palace - we don't seem to find reasons to go there anymore. Probably the massive car parking all the hotels are charging these days - don't feel the need to get scalped anymore than necessary.

So it was with some degree of hope for a good evening that we parked up and wandered around the Pavilion and the Starhill killing time ahead of our 7.30pm date. Never knew there was a Debenhams in the Starhill. Time came and down we sat. The band had started up, a jazz quintet which proved somewhat overpowering in terms of both volume and song selection. It might have been entertaining for the patrons wandering around the Starhill but for those looking to enjoy a quiet meal it was not at all so. 

Don't get me wrong - normally I like my music and in a different context the band would have been very entertaining. A Blues band with a burger and beer at the Bulldog is Hartamas is a good night for me. But for diners looking for quiet romance, this was very jarring. One song belted out just before they took a break had all five seeming to want to bust a gut to outdo each other in thrash terms. Possibly playing for themselves and not for the patrons. I understand - I've been there.

But now being sat on the other side of the table, it really doesn't fit. Five was at least two and probably three musicians too many for a restaurant, though I understand that musos must be hired to keep certain people happy. When the band stopped and the piped lounge jazz got played it did make for a much more pleasant experience. And the Shook! ambiance is geared nicely for intimate business and romantic seduction - one of the prettier restaurants I have been in for a while. But serious thought needs to be given as to whether the band is an attraction or a nuisance. We found them a nuisance which is Reason One why won't be going back to Shook! Which is a shame because there was a very attractive looking wine dinner being promoted for one week's time. We seriously considered booking but when the band got going we now fear the same will happen on the Wine Dinner night and wreck the whole evening for us. No confidence. Not going to take the chance. 

The other reason we won't be going back (though possibly a bit unfair) is that the food was not really of a standard that we have gotten used to. The starter salad was fair, but the sashimi was bland and some of it (to my taste) not fresh. We sent one serving back, saying there was something definitely fishy in the tuna and perhaps chef could give an opinion for us. The replacement came without tuna and though the whitefish was very good the salmon remained bland. The waitress assured us that the tuna was indeed fresh and possibly it was because we might not like the taste of it. Which felt a bit condescending but there you go. I think I've eaten enough sashimi to know which is fresh and which is not. You don't go to Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo and come away without learning what is the dogs in sashimi. This offering of tuna at the Shook! was nowhere near. Maybe it had been left on the plate in some heat somewhere a bit too long. One does kind of expect a bit more from a place affiliated to a top star hotel. Fail.

The Salmon Terikayi was overcooked and the Chicken Teriyaki was massively sweet though the Miso had good umami without being too salted. The dessert was pleasant in a chocolate stodgy kind of way. No coffee but warm water and car parking were free. Got a free bottle of wine when the waiter slightly bent the rule for voucher redemption which was nice. Should have tipped him but the rest of the night kind of made me forget to do so. 

On top of all this, the a la carte menu felt a bit all over the place - western, eastern, meat, fish - and in various styles and presentations. Prices felt a bit hefty too, at least on the meats. And the wine prices I saw were, er, shooking. RM100 corkage was standard and this just seemed to have been added to the supermarket price of the wines on offer. Didn't feel like much imagination here. Maybe we'd have to give the place another shot for fairness, but given the prices and markups for booze I'm a bit loath to do so - rather go somewhere we know and like rather than look for hopeful new venues. 

Having said this, the place was clearly doing decent trade. Folks were sat at the bar with drinks and young trendies and business types with partners were getting seated and ordering up the food with abandon. And on a Thursday in the dead centre of KL town where the traffic is the most horrific. So it must be doing something right. Though I did see one group flashing the YTL Card so possibly this was it. Maybe I'm getting crusty and aged and prefer somewhere less musically loud when dining. But I don't see a strong reason to return any time soon to the place. Shook!? By the band it certainly felt like we had been. Lenglui gave formal feedback - we'll see what happens.

Food and Hotels and Massage in Bangkok November 2011

Again, posted these on Tripadvisor.

We had booked a Bangkok trip way ahead of the floods that hit Thailand late October 2011. After some fannying about with MAS which kept changing its mind about rescheduling flights we opted to stick with the planned flights and hotel. Some evidence of precautions being taken, with cars parked on flyovers and sandbags outside the shops in the Sukhumvit Road, but other than this life went on pretty normally.  The malls heaved with people and the food outlets all seemed to be doing healthy business. Was not the case further north, with advisories against visiting the big open air market at Chatuchak. We like Bangkok - looking to the future yet not at the total expense of the past. And always a great sense of peace and reasonable safety - not scared to walk the night time streets, which is becoming harder to do at home in KL.

JW Marriott New York Steak Bar Bangkok November 2011 - Overhyped

Disappointing. All the usual review sources had been building this place up as the business for good steak. Really? Didn't do it for me. Whilst the decor was indeed straight out of uptown New York, the so called 20 oz Porterhouse (Australian beef) looked a bit thin and more like a minute steak on the plate and tasted a bit on the cool side. Spinach was oversalted (but removed from the bill) though the hash browns were delightful. Wine list okay at the top end but substantial markups in my mid range. Maybe it was the floods disrupting supplies, but not a place I would return to for steak. 

Previously had steak at the Prime in the Bangkok Hilton on the Chao Praya river during a 2009 visit and it was very very good. But since it was off the radar in the reviews, we presumed others had overtaken in quality terms. Seems increasingly tough to get really good steak in South East Asia…  

Basil restaurant at Sheraton Sukhumvit Bangkok November 2011 - Great food, ambience too cool to relax

Decor felt like a modern temple with subdued lighting and modernistic table settings. Very upmarket feel. Impressed with the food quality and taste. The set dinner menus offered a great introduction to top end Thai cuisine. The three styles of rice was a nice touch. All the dishes were good in texture and taste, with the Tom Yam proving excellent - spicy but not overpowering with fire. The scallops in coconut soup and red curry duck were also top notch. 

Only issue for me was the somewhat overpowering new age music. I understand it creates a presumably desired ambience of chic and fashion style, but for me it made the restaurant feel impassive and austere. Kind of like eating at a fashion show. The result was that we felt we had to leave rather than languish and enjoy the place. Felt almost like the place was pushing us out, in stark contrast to the rest of the hotel which was extremely warm and relaxing. 

Sheraton Sukhumvit Bangkok November 2011 - Romantic luxury

Lovely hotel. Rooms were spacious and airy, bed was comfortable and large. Bathwater was a bit smelly, having that dank stale smell that seems to be pure Chao Praya, but hey, this is Bangkok! Hugely relaxing and great location being four stops down from Siam Paragon on the skytrain and with a walkway direct to the station. Concierge service was fantastic - anything we needed appointments for they did with grace, excellent courtesy and speed.  There is a lovely romance about the place. Would very happily return, especially now that we know there is a Healthland massage outlet within a ten minute walk along soi 19!

Taling Pling Bangkok November 2011 - Safe, not too spicy, excellent crab noodles.

This started out as a small eatery in 2009 and has now grown into a chain across Bangkok. The original restaurant remains on Thanon Pan but on this visit we tried the Siam Paragon outlet for lunch and were not disappointed. The quality and taste remain true to the home base roots, and the ambience is pure Thai silk cushions. Try the fresh lime juice over crushed ice for your welcome drink and the glass noodles and crab meat as main course. The red duck curry was also very tasty. Visual menus, so you can see what to expect on the plate. A good way to dip your toe in the water of Thai cuisine without burning your tongue or your pocket. 

Health Land Bangkok November 2011 - Genuine Thai Massage from trained professionals

A growing chain of traditional Thai massage centres. Forget the myth of lithe nubile young nymphs giving you a gentle back rub, this is the real massage deal. Two hour session for Bht450 with highly trained and professional masseuses, you get pummelled and pulled and painfully pounded but get to feel totally refreshed at the end of it. The joints and ligaments get the stretching they need and the circulation gets pressured and pushed around the body. Not for the faint of heart, this massage gives a sense of the real Thailand - considerate and giving. You will neither regret nor forget your Health Land experience!!