Chinese New Year, China Treasures, KLGCC

Offering a haven of tranquility just metres from the busy highways of Bukit Kiara to the north of the city centre, KLGCC might not be the most obvious venue for a Chinese New Year celebration but if you have yet to discover this place or have dismissed it as a dining option having assumed that it had an exclusive ‘members only’ policy, you are in for a very pleasant surprise.

Once through the security barriers, we got a little lost as there are several entrances and six eateries in the expansive Golf and Country Club house. Our meanderings down the wrong corridors did however, give us the opportunity to soak in the serenity of the place and admire the luxury of its surroundings until we finally asked for help and were whisked away by a helpful security guard who drove us no more than a hundred metres, ensuring that we arrived at China Treasures in style in the back of a golf buggy!

An understated classiness pervades China Treasures: the decor is typically Chinese with the ubiquitous black and gold latticed wooden wall panels and the dominance of rich red in the furnishings.

China Treasures, KLGCC

We were warmly greeted on our arrival and ushered through an archway into the restaurant’s more secluded private dining area where our meal began with Yee Sang or Prosperity Salad. Having sampled a couple of interpretations of this traditional CNY meal opener already this year both of which having confirmed my status as an ardent fan, I was enthusiastically anticipative and eager to learn something new about the dish.

Abalone and Norwegian Salmon Yee Sang

So what I didn’t know was that most variations of Yee Sang contain eight main ingredients but Chef Eddie informed us that China Treasures had gone for ‘the perfect 10.’ The list comprises carrot, radish, papaya, preserved red and white ginger, red and green taro strands, preserved leek, jellyfish, abalone Norwegian salmon topped with oodles of fresh coriander. Once the ritualistic sprinkling of spices and the pouring of sauces were complete, we stood and tossed the ingredients, ensuring with our vigour, not only that our year of the goat would be a prosperous and happy one but also that all of the ingredients received a generous and even coating of China Treasure’s special Yee Sang sauce.

Here, the plum sauce is enhanced with apple and apricot jams, calamansi juice and brown sugar and it adds a deliciously sweet and tangy note to the uber fresh ingredients that, when combined, produce mouthfuls of crunchy and silky smooth texture combinations with complex flavours permeated by the subtle yet always detectable coriander. This scored a perfect 10 from me!

Crab Meat Soup with Braised Seafood

Bowls of Crab Meat Soup with Braised Seafood replaced the Yee Sang at our table and although completely different to our first course, was also seriously delicious. Strands of shredded crab meat, sea cucumber and prawn were suspended in the thick, glossy broth along with slithers of shitake mushrooms that infused the broth both with their earthy flavour and rich brown colour. Warming and hearty yet delicately flavoured, this was the ultimate comfort food.

Braised Sea Moss Oyster Rolls with Sliced Abalone and Wheat Gluten

Staying with the seafood theme, the next dish was Braised Sea Moss Oyster Rolls with Sliced Abalone and Wheat Gluten. A fish paste and sea moss moussey mixture encased the oysters forming quenelle like rolls that were steamed and deep fried before braising. The rolls surrounded a mound of gleaming chunks of sweet abalone and shitake mushrooms with al dente broccoli florets – a tasty combination.

Crispy Roast Chicken prepared ‘Two Ways’

Crispy Roast Chicken prepared ‘Two Ways’ was next up. The first of the two ways was a deeply aromatic dish: the succulent bite size pieces of chicken were coated in a tasty black bean sauce and were accompanied by slices of red pepper and juicy shitake mushrooms. The second of the ‘Two Ways’ came in the form of perfect rectangular portions of firm mousse slices topped with a crisp golden skin and had us completely intrigued. Was this really chicken? The predominant flavour was of fish but the skin looked and tasted like chicken. After much speculation with my dinner companions, Chef Eddie explained that the base was indeed entirely fish based and composed of seasoned minced mackerel with parsley root. The satisfyingly brittle topping was made from the skin of the chicken which had been removed and coated with honey before roasting until perfectly crisp. This was a really unusual and flavoursome dish.

Home Style Steamed White Cod

Home Style Steamed White Cod followed the chicken. The purest snow white, steamed fish fillets were garnished with  red and green vegetables and coriander and presented atop a bed of braised enoki mushrooms and cabbage bathed in a pool of dark brown liquor composed of the finest quality soy sauce, oils and pepper. The fish was cooked to utter perfection and was flaky, juicy and bursting with subtle flavours. We waxed lyrical about this dish long after the last morsel was consumed.

Sautéed Crystal Prawns with Hot and Sour Sauce

Sautéed Crystal Prawns with Hot and Sour Sauce followed the cod. The meaty prawns were served glistening in the sticky, tangy sauce and although my chilli loving palate would have appreciated more of a heavy weight heat punch here,  they were, nevertheless, very tasty.

X.O. Fried Rice with Seafood

X.O Fried Rice with Seafood was the final savoury dish of our banquet. Chef Eddie explained the origins of the unusually named X.O sauce which he claims was a Hong Kongnese chef’s twist on Malaysia’s beloved belacan. Much of the dried shrimp was replaced by dried scallops to appeal more to local palates and the name was given to create the same sense of prestige and reverence associated in Hong Kong with this brand of Cognac.

The perfectly formed mounds of rice were flecked with chilli peppers, prawns and strands of cooked egg and each grain of rice coated in the flavoursome sauce. Testament to its tastiness was the fact that despite feeling rather replete after the preceding six courses, we somehow managed to put a considerable dent in these.

Hot Soy Bean with White Fungus, Lotus Seed and Gingko Nuts

The conclusion of our meal was Hot Soy Bean with White Fungus, Lotus Seed and Ginkgo Nuts. It was a delicately flavoured sweet soup: velvety and milky in texture and a warming and pleasant finale to what had been a banquet befitting of a very happy and enjoyable beginning of the year of the goat.

Until the 8th March, China Treasures will be offering a variety of set Chinese New Year menus priced between RM2642.88 net and RM4740.88 net per party of ten people. For smaller groups, the restaurant’s Abundance and Happiness menus cater for groups of six at RM1396.88 net and RM1102.88 net respectively and at RM2082.88 and RM1662.88 for parties of 10. The restaurant is open from Monday to Sunday from 11:30am to 2:30pm for lunch and fro 6:30pm to 10:30pm for dinner.

Reasons to visit: the beautiful setting and luxurious surroundings, excellent food, in particular, the Yee Sang, Crab Meat Soup with Braised Seafood and the Home Style Steam White Cod.

China Treasures
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club
10 Jalan 1/70D Off Jalan Bukit Kiara
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6 03 2011 9188
[email protected]
www.klgcc.com