May 8, 2017

Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant @ Feast Village, Starhill Gallery


Week Day Set Lunch


Teochew cuisine is rather understated on our shores and I am not sure why it doesn’t get the limelight it should. The cuisine has such refine flavours that comes from the importance of freshness and quality produce. There is also a sense of humbleness in the dishes that echoes the heart and soul of Teochew people and its Chaoshan region.


There’s not many fine Teochew restaurants around the city and the one that has withstand the test of time is Pak Loh Chiu Chow at Feast Village in Starhill Gallery. Pak Loh Chiu Chow has been serving exquisite and fine flavours of the cuisine since 1967 in Hong Kong. Continuing the legacy of serving fine Teochew cuisine in Malaysia, Pak Loh Chiu Chow is helmed by award-winning Executive Chef Alex Au and his culinary team.


Chef Au’s creations never fail to impress us each time we paid a visit. His continuous passion and patience for the cuisine has taken Pak Loh Chiu Chow to new heights in the culinary scene in the city. The restaurant has recently launched their Week Day Set Lunch menu to cater to gourmands as well as the busy business executives in the metropolitan city. Featuring hearty and healthy dishes that can be served within minutes, diners are in for a scrumptious treat of classic comfort favorites.


The Week Day Set Lunch menu, available weekday daily from 12pm to 3pm, offers six choices of set which includes an appetiser of Roasted Duck with Butterfly Bun, a main course of your choice, fresh fruits and a juice.



Slurp on a bowl of La Mian Soup with Bacon and Seasonal Vegetable (RM35) for some comfort food. Smooth la mian in a cloudy and creamy broth derived from hours of slow boiling of pork and chicken bones, the noodles is jazzed up with colorful kernels of sweet corn, carrots, crunchy greens and crisp bacon.


The Fried Rice with Barbequed Pork, Prawns and Seasonal Vegetable (RM35) is a classic dish that has been executed to perfection. Essential wok hei gave the rice its robust deliciousness that every fried rice should have. Well-studded with prawns, char siew, egg and vegetables, the rice was fluffy, tasty and very aromatic, so much so we polished this off happily.


The younger crowd will be pleased with the Lemon Chicken Chop with Rice and Seasonal Vegetable (RM35). Boneless chicken thigh with a yummy and crispy batter is smothered with a lemony citrus sauce and served with steamed rice and vegetables. The chicken was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection. Old school dish that is worth savoring daily…


There is also more noodles with Stir-Fried La Mian with Pork and Seasonal Vegetable (RM35). These were aromatic with good dose of breathe of wok. Generously studded with tender pork, mushrooms and vegetables, noodling for lunch seems like a great idea.


Perhaps when classics appear on the menu, one cannot help but to put in an order of Rice with Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Moi Choy and Seasonal Vegetable (RM45). The dish may looked relatively simple but it takes days and hours of various processes of boiling, frying, steaming and braising to achieve this gorgeous layers of melt-in-the-mouth porcine goodness with savory and sweet mui choy. It’s one dish I can never get enough off, especially when it’s cooked to such sumptuousness by Chef Au.


The final choice of lunch is probably the highlight of the meal in my books. Rice with Baked Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs and Seasonal Vegetables (RM45) features two thick cuts of pork ribs with glorious layers of lean meat and fat, slow braised in an unctuous sweet and savory sauce with hints of tang from black Chi Kong vinegar. The flavours are superb and addictive while the meat is simply heavenly. The sheer simplicity of meat and rice here had us salivating at sight. As I write this post, I find myself drooling again just at the thought of the delectable pork and sauce… a Must Order!


The next few dishes are on the regular a la carte menu but can be easily served up within 10 minutes of order. Honey Barbeque Pork (RM40), pieces of pork marinated in fragrant rose wine or Mui Kwai Lo and other sauces and spices, emitted glorious smoky char and sweet notes. Layers of lean and fat makes the char siew taste even better.


If there is one dish that Pak Loh Chiu Chow is renowned for, its Chef Au’s Slow-Braised Goose with Pork Fillet, Pork Intestine, Pig’s Ear, Egg and Bean Curd (Small RM45|Regular RM80). It takes years to develop a full-bodied and well balance lou sui for the goose and other ingredients. Hence the most prized item in Chef Au’s kitchen is the heavily guarded lou sui that produces the pronounced flavours of this dish.


The goose is tender and yet firm with a good bite. Soaking up the wondrous flavours of moreishness, the goose is very flavourful. Besides the highly prized goose, there is also pork fillet, succulent large pork intestine, chewy and crunchy pig’s ear, braised egg and bean curd. Enjoy this with the side of garlicy vinegar sauce to bring out the robust aromas of the lou sui. A bowl of steamed rice would be perfect for this dish…


Pomfret Rice Porridge (RM45) is another option if you’re seeking comfort and healthy food. Chef Au uses three kinds of fish to make the stock base for the broth before whipping up Chiu Chow style rice porridge with premium pomfret fish slices. There is so much flavours in the dish that makes me want to keep eating it. Chef Au added Chor Hau Yue or dried sole to give the broth a tasty depth of flavour as well.


The Double-Boiled Pork Tripe with Pepper and Salted Vegetables (RM25) reminds me of my mom’s own recipe for the dish. Peppery and robust broth with a slight tang brought back such familiar flavours. There were tender pieces of pork tripe and soft salted vegetables in the soup too.


Another dish perfect with steamed rice is the Braised Spring Chicken Stuffed with Glutinous Rice, Garlic, Ginger and Straw Mushrooms (RM45). The chook’s meat is fork tender and has absorbed all the moreish savory flavours of the sauce. We dug in and found the creamy glutinous rice with mushrooms filling that is very tasty and so earthy with its gingery and mushroom notes. The coriander finished the dish with fresh aroma while crunchy wood ear fungus added textures to the dish.


Stir-Fried Kailan with Fresh Lily Bulb and Halibut Fish (RM40) is simple and delicious. Lots of freshness of crisp greens, sweet lily bulb petals and crispy bits of dried halibut fish.



PAK LOH CHIU CHOW RESTAURANT
Feast Village, Feast Floor, Starhill Gallery
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 – 2782 3856


Business Hours:
Daily 12.00 noon – 11.00pm (Last order at 10.45pm)


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