NOT a food blog
Whenever the Bald Eagle and I have dinner at KL Hilton, we invariably end up at Iketeru. After much grumbling on my part, especially after seeing Boolicious and WMW rave about Chynna, I finally got the opportunity to dine there. After church service today, and some deception on the part of the Bald Eagle (who told me we were having dim sum at Taman Connaught, much to my disdain as I was inappropriately dressed for outdoor dining…the heat is just so unbearable these days), I was naturally quite excited when I was informed of the “change in plans”.
Located on the 5th floor of the KL Hilton, this restaurant can be described in one word as opulent. Beautiful cushioned seats drenched in rich hues of deep purple, red and green welcomed us, or at least our butts, as we sank into the chairs. We were served a welcome drink by a chap, known as the tea master, with a pigtail wearing a blue brocade chinese outfit carrying a teapot (which looked more like a watering can!) with a metre-long spout. Quite dramatic. 🙂 Teh tarik, chinese style.
The dim sum selection here is a lot more extensive than at Li Yen (Ritz Carlton, KL). I was initially under the impression that this restaurant was non-halal, as the waitress mentioned char siew pau. But after looking at the menu, I noticed that there were no pork dishes, so I guess she said it for easy identification of dishes.
The yam croquettes with minced chicken and mushroom had nice chunks of chicken in it and a slightly distinctive taste of butter. It was more like a whiff rather than an in-your-face taste, which was perfect.
I usually enjoy fried turnip cake, but the pan-fried turnip cake with chicken floss which we were served here was too soft and mushy to be enjoyable. There were absolutely no crunchy bits in it, and I can imagine how excited toothless people will be with this dish.
So my picture of the prawn dumplings isn’t so great, but I blame it on the lighting. Opulence always comes with dim lights to accentuate the eerie appearance of the entire decor. The prawn dumpling, on the other hand, was wonderful as the prawn filling was fresh and crunchy.
The dish I enjoyed most this afternoon was the oven baked Hong Kong barbequed chicken buns. The bun was soft and fluffy with a crust that was almost cake-like in appearance and flaky. The sweet bun was a good foil for the savoury chicken filling.
The Canadian cod fish topped with ginger and garlic was lovely too. The finely minced ginger and garlic concoction went well with the firmly textured cod.
The shrimp and scallop dumpling topped with tobiko roe was very refreshing due to the addition of what appeared like thinly sliced chives in the dumpling. Besides, it’s hard not to like the combination of prawns and scallops, both of which were steamed to perfection.
Our final dish, which we ordered as an afterthought, was grandiosely named octopus mousse dumpling rolled with golden thread. In layman’s terms, they’re sotong balls. 🙂
Service, was of course, excellent, with waiters and waitresses constantly changing our plates and asking us if we wanted to order more.
Chynna
Level 5, Hilton Kuala Lumpur
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral
Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +60 3 2264 2264
Food, for me, is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Food, for me, represents the love of family, the fellowship of friends, and the community and communality it brings.
Precious Pea
March 18th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
OOo…yummy dimsums!! The sotong ball look interesting. I tot it was some kind of dessert. How much was the total bill?
boo_licious
March 18th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Must admit we have never eaten dim sum here before as it’s always been the cooked dishes. Looks really yummy.
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 18th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Precious Pea: Total bill for 2 (with chinese tea) came up to abt RM120.
Boo_licious: Yeah, it’s worthwhile trying their dim sum. Next time, I shall try the other cooked dishes. I like the ambience in Chynna.
fatboybakes
March 18th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
AIEYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAA, i JUSTTT only lost my chynna virginity on saturday. must go back for dim sum. salivating.
tankiasu
March 18th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
May I ask on average how much are those dim sums cost?
jason
March 18th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Ooo.. nice Chinese atmosphere. Must tell my boss to try this cos he likes Li Yen
KampungboyCitygal
March 18th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Drools..Never tried any halal dim sums in my life..haha..the yam croquettes looks so good!!
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 19th, 2007 at 1:15 am
fbb: virgins for life. I think I saw that on One Tree Hill. Don’t ask me why someone my age watches that show.
tankiasu: Dishes generally cost between RM9 and RM11. Of course, it goes up to 20sumthing for the more expensive ingredients.
jason: Li Yen still ranks tops for me. But I guess each restaurant has its forte, and u gotta know what it is.
kampungboycitygal: Halal dim sum’s ok. 🙂 Anyway, out of all the dishes yesterday, we only went wrong with one. Oklar.. 🙂
Anni
March 19th, 2007 at 2:40 am
looks very posh!
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 19th, 2007 at 3:45 am
anni: yeah, it’s one of the nicer restaurants in town. 🙂
ka..t
March 19th, 2007 at 6:00 am
Your first collage looks nice. Do you use picasa?
Looks like a good place to entertain guests.
Do you mind if I link you in one of my post? I just went to Woo Lan, after reading about your review, and would like to credit you!
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 19th, 2007 at 7:45 am
hiya ka..t! Yes, I used picasa for the collage.
Sure, link away. I just visited your blog too, and I find it fascinating!
tigerfish
March 19th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Pan-fried turnip cake is usually my fav in dim-sum and with the floss, it will sure be again! And oh…those char siew polo buns…make me miss hong kong “cha chan teng” aka teahouse!
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 19th, 2007 at 8:10 am
tigerfish: my favourite dim sum is woo kok, and I’m constantly looking out for the best, melt-in-your mouth woo kok. The turnip cake here was unfortunately too soft. Maybe the chef just had a bad day. Can you get dim sum easily where you live?
jason
March 19th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
lyrical lemongrass: I never been to Li Yen, just constantly heard how good is their food from my boss. Yo, your post makes me craving for dim sum. Guess I must go for it when my friend is coming to Ipoh next week 😛
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 20th, 2007 at 1:39 am
jason: I hope you get your fix soon. Do it fast before I put up my post on Li Yen! 😛
Shilpa.
March 20th, 2007 at 3:35 am
you’re right – how to not like the prawn & scallop dumpling?! Aaaarrgh, torture! 🙂
Henry Yeo
March 20th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Is anyone here saving up for the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival later this year?
jason
March 20th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Lyrical Lemongrass: Ah.. have to ask him come few days earlier then ^^
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 20th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Shilpa: I get hungry looking at the pics too. 🙂
Henry yeo: Are you talking about saving money or saving space in the tummy? When’s the Gourmet Fest anyway? Maybe I shall put a countdown here.
Jason: lol. I suppose u can get ur dim sum fix at Foh San? Only problem, must wake up early for the good stuff lor. ^^
amr
March 20th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
great report, do they serve roast duck? is there such thing as halal roast duck place in KL?
jason
March 20th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
lyrical lemongrass: Either Foh San or Yoke Fook Moon. Yeah lor, need to wake up early -_-“
Lyrical Lemongrass
March 21st, 2007 at 4:33 pm
amr: thanks for dropping by! I don’t recall seeing roast duck on the menu, but I shall try to find out if there is roast duck, either in Chynna or at any other halal restaurant here. Will keep you posted.
jason: the early bird catches the char siew pau. 😉