Grand Imperial, HSC - quite impressed

June 23rd 2015 - Quick note on the Grand Imperial Palace Restaurant in Hartamas Shopping Centre. Went there for dinner with a group of Lenglui's old kaki from the Line Dance days (Line as in Yeehah Bootscoot and Scuff as opposed to the dum-chang dum-chang Lion Dance you see at Chinese New Year time). It was a triple birthday and they're usually good fun. 

The Grand Imperial has been around since 2008, now having five operations at outlets in BSC, USJ City Mall, 1 Utama, Casa Klang and the one where we were in Hartamas Shopping Centre. Their website says they also have an outlet in London - very international. Looking back, it is only the one in Klang that is missing for the full set to have been sampled - the others seemed to have come and gone in one off visits with occasional foodie buffs (BSC, 1 Utama) or wine dinners (USJ). Which is probably why as the food came out it all looked a shade familiar. So it goes. 

The HSC venue was like the Tardis from Doctor Who days - small door that opens out into a palatial system of private rooms and main hall. Most of the private rooms looked to have been booked and there was a smattering of people in the main hall. Quite nicely opulent and tastefully furnished ambience - not so "jang" as some of the larger Chinese restaurants can sometimes be. It is indeed quite Grand and does give a good sense of occasion. 

We got ushered into one of the private rooms with the ubiquitous karaoke system which had been switched to "off" for the night. Glasses were waiting at a side bar with the bottles brought for the occasion and a charming wine chap was ready to help with the pouring. I took command and retrieved the reds from the ice bucket and parked the whites therein. Sometimes they just need a bit of training, though my guess was that one of the guests had told him to park the red in the ice. Recognising this, I selected the less complex of the reds brought (turned out to be an Australian Merlot and which would not ultimately get drunk) and left it to freeze with the whites. Sadly one of the whites brought by Datuk proved undrinkable - it was a fancy named French thing from 2006 that must have been parked in his fridge for years. It was dark in the glass and rough as a robber's dog on the nose. He was quite miffed, saying it was supposed to be a good one. It was a shame, since he does usually bring decent wines. This particular one had the varietal name prominently displayed on the label. Conventional wisdom suggests that any Frenchie who does this should set off the alarm bells, since for this to be done often suggests marketing over the degree of care about what went into the bottle and how. But that's only the CW talking - it is only the uncork that reveals the truth.

Menu for the night was

Spinach Beancurd with Crab Meat

Steamed Rice

Double Boiled Soup with Dried Chicken

Ocean Garoupa

Baked Spare Rib

Sauteed Lotus Root with vegetable and (I think) Hazelnut

BBQ Pork Noodle

Longevity Bun

Chilled Longan with Peach

The Birthday Boys and Girl. And cake. 

Drinks were Chilean SB, Argentinian Chardonnay (both supermarket), a 2011 Argento Malbec Reserve (also Argentina, seen in supermarkets) and a delightful Pinot from Monterey County in California which I should have taken a photo of as I now can't find the name of it in any of the lists. Lovely and light as an aperitif, went belter with most of the food. Darn. Bit embarrassed to ask the company what it was since it was me that supped most of it. Charmer of a wine. I decided to go straight for the red because recent dinners suggest wine friends are happy to chug more white. So the less white for me means the more for the friends. And that Monterey Pinot was a rare tempting treat. 

In all, the food was not bad, though Lenglui found it all a bit ordinary and lacking taste compared to our Marco Polo. But looking back, I think perhaps this might the style that the Imperial Group is going for - not supercharging dishes with the spice or soy (like what the restaurants in the Noble House group seem to do) but keeping it simple and understated to let the food show itself off. Which for me it all did quite nicely. We both liked the soup, the Garoupa was perfectly steamed and the Lotus Root and celery and hazelnut made for a sourish crunchy mouthful with nut texture contrasting with the celery and lotus root starch and competing for dominance. The Pork Noodle was fair but the Total Star was the Baked Spare Rib. I remembered that the supplier to the restaurant is the same chap we buy our ribs from (Oscar from Spanish Passion) so that made them Iberico. They were darling - roasted to melting perfection and with a sauce that had sweet, smoke, zip and goo but without that overpowering gunk and unctuous fire you can sometimes get from the bottle. Totally delightful and wonderful balance. We had been given a pair of plastic disposable gloves with which to eat the ribs - these got licked and sucked completely dry. The company was very kind to let me have the remaining rib on the table. Absolute cracker with the Pinot, and tamed the Malbec tannins nicely to let some crisp dark plum come through. 

Baked Spare Rib. O beautiful...

Total bill was RM1250 for eleven people after service and GST charges and no corkage appeared to have been charged. Service was pleasant and efficient, with food being shown for the obligatory photo before being partitioned into individual servings for everyone. Also got fresh glasses for the red and also got offered for the change of white. Impressed. One of the group had brought a birthday cake for the obligatory candle blowing and photo. Not bad - coffee flavour though still that sickly sweet icing around the rim that suggested Secret Recipe. Also, table neighbour had started coughing a bit and, being a total germophobe, I decided against eating the surface bits. Doctor Gan once told us that the fastest way to get infected is from hand to food to mouth. Which is why the Japanese don't like to shake hands - perfect germ transmission system. I usually try and wash the hands after a handshake - or at least splash a bit of water from a glass on the table if a visit to a bathroom is cannot. Lenglui also carries a little disinfectant spray bottle filled with Vodka. Another tip from Dr Gan - alcohol is the best disinfectant - not greasy, dries quickly and no smell. Our yearly infections have definitely gone down. 

One Very Happy man

In sum, I'd go back for the ribs in a second. Fish was okay but not in the Soon Hock class of sweetness and texture, but that was menu choice rather than restaurant preparation. On this showing they'd do a standout job with any fish. The pork in the noodles felt a bit fat and sweet, though the desserts were lovely - ice cool, fruity crunch and a lightly sweet syrup. Beancurd was good though the crabstick felt a bit rubbery. Even so, for a group dinner the Grand Imperial makes a good choice. Have to get the IWFS to consider because those ribs were really off the map. 

Mmmmmmmmmm.... an excellently succulently good rib

Parking - there is a valet service, though if you go through the Car Parking gate just before the restaurant entrance and park near this gate you can walk back through and straight into the place. Only downside is trying to pay for your parking when you leave - the nearest machine was "rosak" and there were a number of people ambling around trying to locate another. Not the thing you want to be doing in a hot and stuffy car park after a good meal. We were lucky - HSC is a regular Saturday destination for massage and groceries so we were able to drive to where we knew the next one was located. Now if the management can get their fricking machines to take the new RM1 and RM5 notes it might survive the beating and kicking it will get next time it refuses to take the money. Though you can use the Touch N Go Card to get in. Life in Malaysia, eh?

Grand Imperial Restaurant

Lot F33-F35 1st Floor 

Hartamas Shopping Centre

No 60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel 03-62013777 / 62019777

www.grandimperial.com.my

Restaurant pics sourced from their website, others from an SII. Should really change the phone for one with a decent camera...

New Chef at Marco Polo - Star in the Making!

September 4th 2014

Quick note about the new chef at the Marco Polo Restaurant Kuala Lumpur. Don't have a name for him, but the story is that he was previously with the Noble House group and he has clearly been putting a signature stamp on the output from the Marco kitchen.

Lenglui, Chris, Sanjeev and Dave

The Marco Polo is one of the more long term and well established Chinese Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. Located on the First Floor of Wisma Lim Foo Yong on Jalan Raja Chulan and still going after decades in the business, it serves up consistently good and tasty Cantonese cuisine, including one of the best Suckling Pigs in the city. It remains one of our go-to restaurants when stuck for somewhere to go eat.

The Marco has also undergone renovation, with the result that the ambience in the main hall is warmer, with easy lighting and more western tones. There is a big time large TV screen at the back of the stage and the fish on view have spanking looking new tanks. The restaurant entrance is more modern with deep brown wood facades and beige marble floor and walls and TV screens showing the latest promotions. I thought the private rooms looked pretty much the same, though the big Venetian Room at the back has undergone extensive remodelling and is now able to convert into a number of smaller rooms each equippable with the requisite karaoke machine. Very necessary.

Steamed Garoupa

We have been there twice in the last week. First time was last Thursday for a gathering of the Pork Luck Club to taste some Burgundies with Dave Chan from Artisan Cellars. This one had come about as the result of an email invitation to taste the wines and me thinking it might be better to taste them with food. The PLC agreed. Normally our PLC Porkies each bring a bottle to the dinner and we then figure out the order once we see what is in or around the ice bucket. This time it would all be the Pinot grape so wine sequence got basically decided on calibre and we all split the wine bill. Equally, matching food was marginalised for the same reason - it was Pinot with everything so we could concentrate on enjoying the wines with some very good food. And enjoy them we certainly did. Most people seemed to say the Bizot was the star of the night, with the Champagne and the Marsannay following close. The fizz seemed to go exceptionally well with some smoky grilled bacon we had bought and brought from Petaling Street and the Prawn Crackers supplied by a good Doctor friend, which got demolished in short order. And though the Marco has fair glassware, we decided to bring our own globes so as to showcase the wine as far as possible to its best. Dave suggested we also drink the Champagne from the Burgundy globes rather than the flutes. This was totally off beam and totally worked - the bubbles didn't stuck to the glass bowl and the volume we could sip seemed to coat the mouth cheeks and roof with sparky delight. Revelatory - I have seen the light and this is how the stars should be drunk.

Iberico Ribs

Standout dish on the night was the Tea Smoked Chicken, all bitter smoky skin and firm tasty meat. We also had Steamed Garouper which had been, er, steamed perfectly with chili and ginger - excellent bite and bounce on the flesh with the chili and cilantro sparking off the tongue and mouth. Marco Chef is also doing Iberico Ribs grilled with black pepper and paired with a magnificent sweet and citrus lemon plum kind of sauce. The citrus was supplied by some Pomelo which took the cut off the sweet a treat and was brilliantly balanced, though perhaps the ribs could have done with a bit more meat on them. We also had Kai Lan and Mushroom which came across as sweet and bitter (and a perfect counterpoint on the palate to follow the pork), and ended with some magnificent noodles - all bounce on the bite and slurp on the finish. One of our Porkies has a particular taste for Dim Sum so the Marco went out of their way to prepare some Porky Dumplings and Siew Yoke with mustard starters for us as well. We get great service from our friends at the Marco Polo - they really look after us and we hope we look after them as best we can. Great service should always be rewarded.

The Burgundies

The wines were:

2010 CHARLES AUDOIN Marsannay Cuvée Marie Ragonneau - easy and light, good fruit and body. Chewy tannins, meaty on the mouth.

2011 Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee - delicate, light and breathy. Evaporated on the throat like an intake of violets and roses. Like breathing the air of French meadows of poppy and hay - total terroir. Good attack of acid and spice on the tongue. Also classy and brassy, like starting dinner with Christine Lagarde and finding it ending with Mae West. Va Va Voom!!

2011 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin VV - have bought this previously from Vinum when they had a branch in Kuala Lumpur. Very firm and masculine belt on the throat. Hefty wine, potent, powerful. Big nose of cherries and berries. Went brilliantly with the Tea Smoked Chicken.

2011 Olivier Bernstein Chambolle Musigny "Les Lavrottes", 1er Cru - smelled like concrete and taste of charcoal at first. Later showed itself to be lean and clean, with cherryade grip and zip in the mouth. Bit sweetish, not so perfumed, with a masculine whack down the throat. Like Jean Reno or Gerard Depardieu coming up from behind and giving you a friendly whack on the back. And the chest.

We also had a crisp and clean 2007 Benoit Lahaye Grand Cru Champagne which was grapefruit and apples in the mouth and a lovely acid rasp on the throat. Low dosage meant it was far from sweet and as said drinking it from a Burgundy bowl glass was totally delightful in an opulent kind of way. A night of "swirly happiness" as someone put it. Perfect description.

Kai Lan and Mushroom

We were at Marco Polo again on September 8th to celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival with the adopted family. Also known as the Mooncake Festival, it is when friends and family give and eat Mooncakes, which are baked pastry pie style sweets made and traditionally only eaten between August and September. This is the eighth lunar month and on the 15th day is the Mid Autumn, also known as the Night of the Moon.  A typical mooncake consists of a thin, tender pastry crust enveloping a sweet, thick filling usually either Red Bean Paste or Lotus Seed Paste , and may contain one or more whole salted duck egg yolks in their center as the symbol of the full moon. The crust can have imprints of Chinese characters (often "harmony" and / or "longevity") along with flowers and other forms of decoration. They are given between family and friends during the festival. Legend has it they were also used to conceal letters sent between rebels looking to co-ordinate a revolt against the Mongolian rulers during the Yuan dynasty. 

Mooncake

Our meal started with a very tasty plateful of pig (Siew Yoke, Char Siew and Suckling Pig) which paved the way for a magnificent soup - apparently shark fin stuffed in a chicken stuffed in pig belly and presumably boiled. Which I guess seems to make it a kind of Chinese Haggis. I normally avoid Shark Fin for environmental reasons; also it has no detectable taste to me whatsoever so my stated reason becomes that my Western palate is unable to appreciate it. However, the adopted family remains very traditional in this regard and it is difficult to resist the peer pressure not to conform. So an exception gets made in this context so as not to offend the hospitality. Standing on principle occasionally can get short shrift and no point to cause offense.

Tea Smoked Chicken

Which proved to be the right decision since the soup turned out to be little short of amazing - an oily, soupy broth full of taste and texture. The chicken gave the fin a sense of fowl which somehow worked whilst the pig belly just melted. It was beyond words, but totally off the map in both taste and textural senses. And the idea of combining all of these in one dish - as said, amazing. The management seem to be giving chef some leash to create. And he is clearly creating. This was stunning. 

We had chef's Iberico Ribs without the sauce this time, and this presentation had slightly more meat. Noble House influence here is clear, though the absence of that signature sweet caramel sauce which somehow seems to find itself on  all of the Noble meat dishes was most welcome. Nice that chef allows the meat to speak for itself, though tonight's was more of a whispered "Ole!" rather than a shout from this particular Spanish Porker. Will be good to see what Chef can do with home grown ribs.  

Lenglui x 3

Next out was the Abalone and Broccoli in gunk sauce which everyone (bar one) on the table praised (I just don't get Abalone in Gunk) and we finished off with some strange black bat-like looking things which turned out to be a variant of water chestnut. They tasted like a chalky fibrous tapioca, with a crumbly cardboard texture which was strangely calming on the stomach. Different. And then there were the mooncakes, the main reason we had gathered in the first place. One green skinned thing with green lotus paste and nut chips was equally calming on the stomach. We snaffled one from the management to take home and save for weekend dessert with coffee.

I brought two bottles of The Lackey 2008, a good value Australian Shiraz which everyone seemed to enjoy. Full firm body with good balance across fruit and alcohol. Six years in the bottle, it is drinking nicely and went with pretty much all of the food. Some other bottles were brought, but only one Bordeaux Style got opened and a late evening glass proved inconclusive though certainly not bad. 

Porkies!!

Chef has an element of both the traditional and the modern deconstruction about him. Clearly able to meet existing expectations with his Abalone dishes, he seems also to be looking to tickle younger palates - omitting Sweet and Sour sauce from his peppered Pork Ribs is way not traditional Chinese. He learns quickly too, adapting ideas of others to create the new - on a previous visit, we once brought some duck from a favourite place on Ipoh Road where they smoke it first and then cook. His Tea Smoked Chicken (which apparently is a new addition to the menu) looks clearly to be influenced by this. This chap seems to have a future - hope the Marco can hang on to him!!

Marco Polo Restaurant

1st Floor, Wisma Lim Foo Yong, Jalan Raja Chulan

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

03-2141 2233

Artisan Cellars (M) Sdn Bhd

Suite 8-12B-1, Level 12B, 

Menara Olympia,

8 Jalan Raja Chulan

43200, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Contact:

Dave Chan 
012 698 9322

+6 03 2022 2789

Tasty Cantonese Creations - IWFS Noble Mansion July 2013

Wines waiting to get uncorked

Umnnnngg  fuzzy head. Bleugh. Where's the plinkplink fizz when you need it?

Belter of a night with the IWFS last night. Everyone seemed in the mood to party and whoooo, that was what everyone seemed to do.

The Noble Mansion is the latest addition to the Oriental Group of Restaurants. Opened in January 2013, Noble Mansion showcases the latest creations of Executive Chef Justin Hor. As the name suggests, the restaurant is a modern interpretation of a Chinese traditional mansion. It is divided into a number of sections: The Lantern, The Bamboo Courtyard, The Terracota Rooms and The Grand Hall.

The Cuisine of Noble Mansion is inspired by that found in the renowned food province of Shunde in Guangzhou, China.  Shunde cuisine has a reputation for being regarded as providing the foundation for fine Cantonese cuisine. While the cuisine of Guangzhou has been Traditionally very minimalist in its use of flavors and seasoning, Shunde cuisine is noted for being generous in the delicate sweet side of things, using ingredients like tangerine peel and dates. Though occasionaly rustic and homely in appearance, these belie the preparation and expertise of chefs creating dishes that offer pleasant and delicate blends of texture and taste.

Let's raise a glass...

I seem to have got lumbered with organising the event.  A stab at a committee tasting died with only myself and Lenglui meeting with restaurant manager Jason and finalising the menu with the budget I was given. Possible matching wines within the drinking window at the IWFS Cellar all seemed to be French and quite attractive, so that  sorted itself. 

Always a bit apprehensive with organising a Chinese cuisine dinner for the members. They don't usually get too much support. Still, the Noble Mansion was a new place in a part of town generally free from traffic jams and with easy parking so it offered potential. And not a bad turnout at the end with 42 stumping up the RM250. 

Cheers!!

Notwithstanding a couple of service hiccups at the start with staff feeling a bit uncertain as to how to serve the wines (and getting pressganged into serving food as well - a bit overworked they were) there did not seem to be too many complaints about anything. Well, except for the fact that more wine was wanted than was available. Both the whites got downed at a scarily rapid rate ahead of the food coming out. Equally, the burgundy barely survived to get matched with the duck. The Bordeaux appeared to have an easier time of things, with the assembled having seemingly become more civlised in their drinking by this time. 

Oops - forgot to photo... remains of the Crab

Lots of good comments about the food, with the starter Crab and Asparagus and the Razorclam coming in for very special mention. The starter was indeed quite delightful - crab meat with a crunchy cucumber and what felt like an asparagus pate. The whole was a sourish bracing freshness around the mouth with the crab offering the soft sweetmeat to complement. The pairing Aligote had good spice and clean balance with a slight pepper mouth. Remniscent of a Gewurtz withouth the lychee and sugar. Nice and clean and a shade oily but good oily rather than kerosene you occasionally get with fierce Sauvignon Blanc and the cheap stuff. The prawn was big and fresh, though maybe slightly overcooked, and as said the Razorclam was stellar - garlic and glass noodle and clam in vinegar sauce had the table in paroxysms of tongue tickling ecstacy. Indeed, it was tasty and long in finish with afternotes still being tasted way after the plates got cleared. It paired nicely with the Chablis, though it soared with the Aligote - the oil cutting through the chewy meat and the spice giving the garlic and vinegar a good run for the tasting money. On its own, the Chablis was massive - complex, smoky butterscotch with a long clean finish.

The Fresh Prawn

The Garoupa had been cut into pieces and deep fried in a batter that tasted of soft melon and lemons - sweet but not overpoweringly so with the result being crisp tasty morsels of sweet well cooked fish. We guess the Yin Yang was the crisp outside with the soft inside. A bit gwailo maybe (ie one for the white folks rather than the traditional purist Oriental foodie) but tasty nonetheless. Lovely with the Chablis as one would expect. 

The magnificent Razorclam in Garlic

The beancurd was….   beancurd. I mean, it's all texture and pretty tasteless, though the chef had a decent go with it, searing it in some peppery fat and serving it with a softer and less gooey sauce than is traditionally served with the beancurd. Lenglui liked this. Killed the Burgundy so I didn't eat too much of it on principle - nothing should get in the way of magnificent wine. 

Pairing of the night was the Duck with the Ile des Vergellesses. The Vergelless was initially a shade fierce but opened out in the glass after its temperature got raised to room. It had a clean, glass like sheen on the throat and layers - lots and lots of layers so soft that they created so much depth. I seemed to be the only one who thought the duck was champion. Notwithstanding its hacked appearance, it was so tasty - crisp smoky skin with good lemon salt and great textured meat. As said, brilliant with the Burgundy. 

Yin Yang Garoupa

The rice was fair and offered good carbo for the Bordeaux. I missed the coconut, preferring to quaff. There were five bottles of fizz that were left over from the start so it was decided to crack them to end the night. Also, no one really wanted to take any bottles back to the store. So. It's a fizzy fuzzy that the brain is labouring under at this time of first writing. The more sober reflection suggests next time we crack them at the start to save the white wine from getting guzzled. We live and learn. 

In all, a most successful evening of good food and lovely wines being enjoyed by members clearly in the mood to party. It was good that none of the dishes was bad, though perhaps the purists might say that none of them was particularly spectacular. The Shunde inspired cuisine certainly contrasted with traditional Cantonese styles, being way more delicate in content than more usual offerings. The Governor and The Boss clearly had a good night, telling all and sundry what a wonderful time they were having. Indeed, it was surprisingly successful - some lovely individual dishes and wines and some delightful pairings. The room favourite by vote was the L'Estang, being quite nicely approachable and a good quaffer. The Chablis got my vote - complex, full, chewy and a lovely lingering finish. And the Pinot was belter. Definitely a good night had by pretty much all. And I managed to get my Elvis on. Such a slut for the microphone and karaoke...

Emptying the Bottles

Text and photos Brian McIntyre
Additional photos kind courtesy Jeff Walmsley

Menu

Aperitif

Andrew Peace Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot 2011

1st Course

White Asparagus with White Truffle Oil and Crab Meat

2009 Domaine Taupenot Merme Bourgogne Aligote

2nd Course

Steamed Fresh Water Prawns

2009 Domaine Taupenot Merme Bourgogne Aligote

Course Three

Steamed Razorclam with garlic

2007 Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume, Chablis 1er Cru

Course Four

Yin Yang Star Garoupa

2007 Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume, Chablis 1er Cru

Course Five

Braised Beancurd with Spinach

2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Ile des Vergelesses

Course Six

Roasted Duck

2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Ile des Vergelesses

Course Seven

Fried Rice With Dried Scallop, Crab Meat and Egg White

2005 Chateau De L'Estang Cotes De Castillion

Course Eight

Summer Breeze Coconut Jelly.

2005 Chateau De L'Estang Cotes De Castillion

Table A

Table B

Table C

Table D  

Prakash, Yin How and Zul

Brian, Paul, Song and Edna

Dr Rajan, Dr Bachan and Ong Li Dong

Dr Stephen, Dr Rajan and See Cheng Siang