West Lake Garden Restaurant, Sunway Lagoon, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Words by Polly Szantor

Images by Cheryl Hoffmann

West lake Garden, Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa’s Chinese Restaurant, is tastefully elegant with opulent gold tablecloths, soaring ceilings and exquisite portraits high on the walls. Huge windows bring natural light to the tables and allow diners to look down on the astonishing spectacle of the Water Park several stories below.  It’s rather a surreal experience.

West Lake Garden is already well known for its Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisine, however Executive Dim Sum Chef Low Kim Ong recently created an exciting, new a la carte lunchtime dining experience. There are all the regular favourites like Siew Mai and Steamed Barbeque Chicken Pau, but this inspired Chef has added his own twist, creating beautifully presented Dim Sum parcels that tempt the senses.

There was a trio of starters on the table: pickled hot peppers, salty sour cucumbers and a saucer of fried anchovies coated in chicken floss. If you like Ikan Bilis, these are totally addictive, and I had to stop myself from asking to take a few home with me.

We began by sampling some of the deep-fried Dim Sum, and the Unagi Spring Roll had to be the most unusual of them. Tasty, fresh eel was mixed with dried shrimp for a delicious mouthful of fresh, fishy flavours. The Bean Curd Prawn Roll was equally tantalizing with succulent Malaysian prawns delivering a sweet, juicy highlight and the accompanying Orange Mayonnaise adding an extra zing.

One of my favourite fried Dim Sum dishes is the Yam Puff, and Chef Low’s version pleased me greatly. The light, crispy coating yielded to a filling of soft, creamy yam hiding a barbeque chicken secret at its very centre. Yum and double yum! The Carrot Cake and Yam Cake were both lovely but the Deep-fried Radish Cake with Bean Sprouts and XO sauce was exceptional. The carrot cake was perfectly charred, with the crisp bean sprouts and XO Sauce providing the ideal complement.

We were also treated to a selection of beautifully presented steamed Dim Sum – Har Gao, Bean Curd Roll with Barbeque Sauce, Crystal Dumplings with Prawn and Pandan Pau – but by far the the most attractive dish was one of Chef Low’s specialities, the Tri-Colour Dumplings. These translucent packets of succulent shrimp were cunningly folded to create three little pockets on top. They were filled with cilantro, black fungus and finely grated carrot for a visual delight and a taste sensation that’s out of this world.

Chef Low’s Steamed Cheong Fun with Mui Choy and Chicken was also outstanding. I believe this was the silkiest, most tender Cheong Fun I’ve ever eaten. The noodles were wrapped around chicken combined with preserved mustard greens for a nice burst of crunchiness.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we moved on to the Teochew Clay Pot dishes. The Mui Choy Venison Rib with Chilli was bursting with richness and it was possible to cut the soft pieces of meat with a fork. The Yeong Sam Pou – stuffed chillies, eggplant and ladyfingers – were similar to their Yong Tau Foo cousins, but softer and juicier, while the Lamb Kut Teh, which Cheryl instantly dubbed Baa Kut Teh, delivered all of the anticipated rich meaty flavour.

There are more choices on the menu…Rice and Noodle dishes, Double-Boiled Soups, Congees and Hong Kong Roasted Delights…but we decided to save them for another day.  We ended the meal refreshed by Tong Sui, one version with Aloe Vera and another with White Fungus and Longan. Other desserts included Red Bean with Sago and Sweet Potato with Ginseng, and finally, the popular Egg Tart, with crisp, delicate pastry and creamy egg filling.

The Dim Sum cart will visit your table and selections vary from RM8 to RM15++. The Clay Pot dishes are priced at RM12 to 16++ and most of the other items on the menu are similarly priced. The Dim Sum Lunch is available from noon to 2:30 on Mondays to Saturdays and it’s served as Brunch on Sundays from 10:00am to 2:30pm. West Lake Garden Restaurant is pork-free. 

Reasons to visit: For the sensational Dim Sum creations, which are free of MSG; for the gracious surroundings; and for the gentle background music, which adds to the ambiance without drowning conversation.

For reservations, call: (603) 7495-1888

Email: [email protected]

West Lake Garden Restaurant

Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa

47500 Petaling Jaya

Malaysia