Way Modern Chinois

Way Modern Chinois, Dim Sum & Mooncakes

 

Words: Craig J Selby Photos: Monica Tindall

Way Yummy Yum Char at Way Modern Chinois

I have found bliss.
In the form of a little, light blue mound.
A mooncake to be exact.
Lavender-infused mooncake.
Possibly the most delightful morsel that has passed my tastebuds this year.
I might be biased. I don’t do durian. I don’t do nutty.
I like sweet, but subtle. And I love snowskin.
Sapphire is for me!

Anyhoo, there’s a lot more to this story than a singular blue sweet (oops, I had two).

Way Modern Chinois Dim Sum Brunch

Way Modern Chinois (WMC), hiding just off the main road up from Semantan Station, is a great place to have our Chinese brunch favourites, but clearly with a spark of ingenuity to them. Their current special is a weekend all-you-can-eat yum char (locals call it dim sum) buffet – selecting a generous supply of select dishes from their menu. Bring two friends with you and this promotional menu is up for grabs at RM 39.90 per person –believe me, well worth it.

Covering all my favourite yum char items, WMC added depth by shaking up the flavours and presentation. If you’re familiar with the yum char scene, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you’re new to the experience, then buckle up, and enjoy our journey.

Way Modern Chinois
Skinless XLB

Typical of any yum char establishment worth its weight in gold would be their Shanghai Soup Dumplings. Soft little moneybags of hot soupy goodness, these little dumplings contain both herbed-minced meat and soup – the small amount of soup designed to ooze out at first bite. Today’s ones are piping hot to the lips, and filled with a mild broth. Bringing this to yet another level were the Truffle Crab Soup Dumplings – same concept, but stronger flavour. Crab broth, surrounded by truffle-infused dumpling skin, offered short intense bursts of flavour.

Way Modern Chinois
Shanghai Soup Dumplings

A trio of dumplings should be a favourite for anyone. Prawn dumplings with XO sauce are delicious parcels of prawn, deep-fried to golden brown, to be dipped in house special XO sauce. Crab Claw Dumplings are wrapped in a translucent rice pastry (which is much like a soft gel consistency when we bite into it). Delicious in flavour, quite mild, and great with added mayo or vinegar (each to their own preference with this one). Crab Roe Dumplings are soft and moist, with generous splatterings of juicy crab roe ready to burst with every mouthful.

Way Modern Chinois
Truffle Crab Soup Dumplings
Way Modern Chinois
Prawn Dumpling with XO
Way Modern Chinois
Crab Roe Dumplings
Way Modern Chinois
Crab Claw Dumpling

A much loved local favourite is fried ‘carrot cake’. Technically, nothing to do with carrots, or cake for that matter; and is actually made from radish extract. At WMC they do a Pan Fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce. The “radish” should be tender and slightly moist, but perfection is when the outside has been nicely wok-charred to crispiness. This version had a great char, with burnt crispy pieces adding to the complexity of the dish.

Way Modern Chinois
Pan Fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce

For me though, every time I hit a Malaysian yum char establishment, I want Chee Cheong Fun – wafer thin rice rolls stuffed with either BBQ pork pieces or prawn, or sometimes served plain with only a simple sweet soy sauce. WMC’s interpretation of this dish is heavenly – crafting the rice rolls into a tight, compact cylinder, and then deep frying them to ensure crispiness on the outside, before smothering them in a spicy paste. Delicious! I’m hooked. I love the crunch from the deep-fry, the chili paste which packs a kick, but best of all, the soft rice roll still retains its tender flavor. Well done Chef!

Way Modern Chinois
Chee Cheong Fun

A lovely variation on classic Spring Rolls are to do them with Crispy Duck, adding both distinctive texture and flavour. Also on the menu, but perhaps for my personal preferences, less desirable, was the crispy bean curd skin roll. The taste was pleasant, but I’ve never been a fan on bean curd, so I little biased. However, for those who are die-hard fans, this one is rolled up, deep fried, and served with mayo.

Way Modern Chinois
Crispy Duck Spring Rolls

In addition to the yum char promotional menu, one can order off a more extensive al la carte menu too. Being a huge fan of dumplings, I wanted to sample the Sticky Rice Lamb Siew Mai – and glad of that decision I was. Typically siew mai are pork, and quite heavy bites. WMC lightened the dish, used lamb for sweetness, and mixed them with glutinous rice for a taste of salt. What a great reinvention of this everyday item.

Way Modern Chinois
Sticky Rice Lamb Siew Mai
Mooncakes at Way Modern Chinois

Although independent from the yum char promotional menu, WMCs’ mooncakes are certainly something to experience. Each of the four varieties has been hand-crafted to pay homage to precious jewels; these distinctive snowskin mooncakes are little jewels in themselves. Clearly, Sapphire (lavender with cream cheese and cranberry) struck a chord (I’m sure it will for you too); they also offer Onyx (black sesame, salted egg, and Thai tea), Topaz (Japanese yuzu with matcha and adzuki paste), and for the adventurous of us out there, Jade.

Jade is quintessentially Malaysian – soft pandan for the green hue, gula Melaka for a hit of sweet, and creamy durian for … well, impact. Absolutely a hit for durian lovers, and something that every expat should try at least once.

Way Modern Chinois
Mooncakes

Mooncakes are currently available at RM 88 for a set of four.

We loved the menu, and finding a modern Chinese venue for weekend brunch is great. It’s always fun exploring reinventions of classic dishes, and kudos to WMC for crafting such an enticing selection.

Reasons to visit Way Modern Chinois: Excellent value dim sum weekend brunch (only RM39.90); innovative yum char dishes; relaxed private atmosphere; Sapphire mooncake.

Way Modern Chinois
G-1, WORK@Clearwater
Jalan Changkat Semantan
50490 Damansara Heights
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 03 2095 1118
http://way.com.my/

12 Comments

  1. Can’t say I like the colours of the dim sums.

  2. Wow, a dim sum buffet at RM39.90 (for a min. of 3 pax) sounds too good to miss…is that all-you-can-eat or a special set of fixed items? 😉 And that skinless XLB is a first…how do you even make it skinless?…hehe! ;D

  3. dumpling and lavender moon cake…does sound interesting

  4. Certainly different from the dim sums I have had and at RM39.90 for a minimum of 3 pax, it is not to be missed. I would love the Jade mooncake – pandan, gula melaka and durian sound like a heavenly combo for me!

  5. I am so much fascinated by this variety of dumplings and spring rolls. That is a very good restaurant. Everything looks so stunning and delicious. Thanks for your tip.

  6. Lamb siew mai? I’ve gotta try this!
    I had Tibetan lamb dumplings before, which I quite enjoyed 🙂

  7. The dumplings are way too cute! Happy Monday, Monica 🙂

  8. As usual interesting post! Thanks a lot for sharing)

  9. I just love the food you have on here and I wish I could just pop out and buy some, it is really mouthwatering. I really want to try moon cakes but where can I find them!! Enjoy your week cheers Diane

  10. Promise! they all look so tasty! i thought at first pics i have faves until i keep on scrolling that i am lost already which one’s even more tasty!

  11. Amazing post!! Really interesting! Everything looks so yummy:)
    Have a nice evening!
    Natallia

  12. This cuisine looks so interesting, something I am not familiar with.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.