Jia Restaurant @ Kings Green Hotel Melaka

Home to Chinese & Nyonya Cuisine

While we were having our weekend staycation at Kings Green Hotel City Centre Melaka recently, we also dined at their Chinese eatery, Jia Restaurant. Quite the hidden gem in the historical city, Jia is translated as ‘Home’. On the evening that we dine there, the restaurant was packed with locals enjoying their dinner there as well as guests.

The restaurant is elegantly designed with a simple classic Oriental theme with splashes of auspicious red contrasting with white and wood elements. While the main dining room is rather spacious and filled with big tables as well as banquette seating, there is also a large private dining room available.

The menu boasted of classic Chinese dishes along with another menu of Nyonya dishes as well as some Thai dishes. Since we dined at Jia on the evening, we savored their Chinese dishes by Chef Lam Yee Voon. The restaurant offers a solid choice of dishes from simple classics to banquet style Chinese dishes, both available a la carte or set menus for small to large parties.

Chef Lam, a humble and rather shy one, surprised us by whipping up some really scrumptious Chinese dishes. Not only were the dishes yummy, the presentation was simply elegant and quite grandeur with his skillful carvings and sugar works to enhance the dishes.

First dish up, a Thai classic of Steamed Seabass in Spicy Lime Juice (RM49 onwards). Beautiful balance of sweet, savory, sour and spicy makes the dish a very appetizing one to go with steamed rice. One may even find the soup so irresistible like me who kept going back for spoonful after spoonful of the flavourful soup. The presentation was an added bonus to the dish.

The Braised Chicken with Salted Fish in Claypot (RM28) was one of my favorite dish that evening. The moreish notes of salted fish with dark sweet soy sauce has soaked into the tender dark meat of the chicken so well along with spring onions, ginger and dried chilies. Aromatic and quite sinful, the dish beckons one to enjoy more rice as it has such an addictiveness of flavours. Super yum…

The next dish of Baked Prawn with Cheese & Butter Garlic Sauce (RM42) made an impressive appearance from its presentation of colors. The crusteaceans were deliciously succulent with a lovely garlicky and cheesy note. Enjoy these piping hot for the best flavours!

Chef Lam went all out and serve his Deep Fried Squid with Butter (RM31) in an intricately carved watermelon bowl. Talk about the whole works, the dish looked so regal that we almost didn’t want to touch it as it was simply too pretty. One gets fluffy, crispy golden strands of buttery egg floss studded with crispy light battered squid pieces and curry leaves for aroma.

We also tucked into Braised Asparagus with Assorted Mushroom (RM25). Simple classic stir fry vegetables with earthy mushrooms and crunchy black and white fungus.

Another humble dish took form in Homemade Beancurd (RM20). House made egg bean curd, it was deliciously soft, eggy and cream, topped with minced chicken and special sauce. The dish was so yummy, it was polished off soon after it was served.

Besides dishes to go with rice, we also tried their Braised Longevity Noodle (RM38) and Braised Seafood Noodle (RM42). The Braised Longevity Noodles has silky thin rice noodles braised in thick gravy filled with shredded vegetables and mushrooms. Flavours were delicate and pleasant. The Braised Seafood Noodle had egg noodle braised in a rich brown sauce and served generously with lots of fresh seafood and greens.

We finished our dinner with a classic crispy Pancake (RM12) filled with lotus paste as well as a Fruit Platter (RM12). The presentation of the fruit platter was really impressive as Chef Lam showed off his carving skills again on this simple dish. When asked if he presents all his fruit platter like this, he said he tries when the restaurant is not overly crowded.

Daily set menus available from 2 to 10 pax with prices starting from RM109 to RM360, featuring four to six courses with complimentary soup, steamed rice and Chinese tea.

The next day before we checked out, we also dined at Jia Restaurant again but this time for their Nyonya dishes by Chef Jeffrey Khoo. Having worked in other prestigious hotels like Shangrila in Penang previously Chef Khoo’s repertoire of Nyonya cuisine is a mix from Northern and Southern states.

Tuck into this beautifully presented Deep Fried Jenak Fish Chili Garam (RM88 onwards). A whole fish battered and fried till crispy and finished with a piquant chili spiced sauce. It’s a decent dish that works well with steamed rice as most other Nyonya dishes usually do. The sugar work that defies gravity on the plate gave this dish a wow factor when it was served at our table.

Chef Khoo’s Buah Keluak Chicken (RM45) was marvelous in flavours. Deep and complex flavours from buah keluak gave the curry its unusual flavour of aniseed note. Not a dish to win everyone’s palate, the dish was generous with chicken and buah keluak. A lot of effort goes into making this dish and chef did justice to the dish with a good balance of spice flavours.

Another crowd pleaser during that lunch was this creamy and rich Udang Masak Lemak Nenas (RM55). Beautifully tinted with turmeric, the curry was luscious and sublime. Prawns and pieces of pineapple was cooked well too.

Otak Otak (RM22) was passable but nothing to shout about. There was also some Acar served that was yummy.

The Nyonya Chap Chai (RM25) is also good. Lots of vegetables cooked with vermicelli and prawns, the vegetables had a nice sweet savory note.

We also enjoyed the Bendi Kerabu (RM16), a classic Nyonya dish that many would order. Steamed lady fingers topped with a pungent sambal belachan sauce is my kind of a vegetable dish.

Though the Cincaluk Omelette (RM12) was a tad salty, it goes to show that chef was generous with the cincalok. Simple dish but one can really enjoy a whole plate of steamed rice just as an excuse to eat this!

Somehow, we had a Thai dish of Pineapple Fried Rice (RM25) included in this meal. At sight, the dish is very colorful. A decent one as well, the pineapple rice was well-seasoned with light spices and generously studded with chicken, prawn, pineapple and served with crunchy finely shredded cabbage.

For extra condiments on the side, we try the essential Sambal Belachan, Cincaluk and Pickled Chilies.

Prices listed are portions for 4 to 5 person while our dishes are larger and catered for 10 person.

For those in Malacca, this is one Chinese restaurant that is worthy of a visit. Food is excellent and decently priced for a hotel restaurant. Ambiance is also pleasant and perfect for some indulgence or celebrations with family and friends. Now, let’s go ‘home’ for a taste of Chinese and Nyonya flavours at Jia Restaurant…

For reservations and enquiries, please call 06 288 1091 ext. 7

JIA RESTAURANT

Kings Green Hotel

No 28, Jalan Tun Perak (127.66 km)

75300 Melaka

Tel: 06-288 1091

Website: www.kingsgreenhotel.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kings-Green-Hotel-City-Centre-Melaka-701633139862812/

Business hours:

Lunch           12noon to 3pm

Dinner         6pm to 10.30pm

Closed on Mondays

Nyonya Flavours @ Melting Pot Café, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Celebrating Nyonya Flavours with Adriana Tan

This month at Melting Pot Café, it’s a celebration of sumptuous Nyonya cuisine at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Nyonya cuisine has always been renowned for exceptional balance of robust flavours from its amalgamation of Chinese and Malay heritage. The used of spices coupled with the tedious preparations that goes into the cuisine highlight the complexity and effort that goes into the cuisine.

From March 6 to March 26, 2017, savor a tantalizing spread of Nyonya dishes by Adriana Tan and her husband as well as Asian and international delights at Melting Pot Café. Guest Chef Adriana was born and raised in Bukit Baru, Melaka. Passionate about cooking, she began cooking from her teens and has a small catering business ‘Adriana Nyonya Delights’ that she and her husband, Ng Joon Tai, runs from their current home in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. They have been catering to special occasions from small parties to bigger functions including corporate events. We’ve been told she and her husband both once catered to over 500 people in a corporate function on their own.

Chef Adriana’s homecooked meals are a big hit among her regular family, friends and customers in Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Her list of Melaka Nyonya cuisine includes Nyonya Laksa, Mee Siam, Ayam Pong Teh and a kaleidoscope of colorful and delicious classic Nyonya kuih.

Don’t miss the gorgeous spread of colorful Nyonya cuisine at Melting Pot Café this month. Diners should start off with Chef Adriana’s signature Nyonya Laksa that she makes daily from spices and seafood. She generously shares her secret to her Nyonya Laksa by adding kerisik to boost up the flavours of the spices as well as to thicken the curry. Served with yellow noodles, the luscious creamy curry also has squid, prawn, fish ball and beancurd cooked into the laksa gravy to add seafood flavours to it. Savor this bowl with the chef’s thick chili sambal and a squeeze of calamansi lime.

Needless to say, the Nyonya Laksa is indeed sublime. Beautiful robust flavours of spices with hints of seafood essence and lots of deep rich coconut notes summarized the laksa.

Besides the laksa, there’s also Mee Siam. Chef Adriana makes everything from scratch. She pounds her spices for the Mee Siam gravy and cooks it till its well balance with savory and sweet. Her rice noodles are served quite simple with bean sprout and egg omelette strips as she prefers to let the flavours of the sauce shines.

Pai Tee, little crispy tophats of pastry shells filled with cooked yambeans and other vegetables with a smudge of chili, is simply a must-try from this buffet. There’s also Sambal Timun and Sambal Mangga to whet the appetite for more Nyonya dishes to try.

Nyonya cuisine comprises of steamed rice served with a list of main dishes that includes curries, stews, soups, grilled or sautéed dishes. Every dish is unique with bold flavours that somehow works well together. In this buffet, diners are treated to signatures of Chicken Pong Teh, Asam Pedas Tenggiri with Peria, Sambal Udang Petai, Ayam Tempra, Kari Ayam Kapitan, Ikan Bakar Gerang Asam, Ketam Bercili, Chap Chye, Telur Cincaluk Kukus and more.

The Ayam Pong Teh is delicious! A chicken stew cooked with tauchu or fermented soy beans with gula Melaka, the version here is beautifully balance and not overly sweet. The chicken was tender while the potatoes are soft and creamy, all beautifully soaked up with the flavours of the sauce.

Ayam Tempra, another dish that utilizes lots of onions for sweetness, soy sauce for savory, calamansi lime for sourness and hints of heat from chili, is easy to enjoy.

For those who love sourish and piquant flavours, there’s Asam Pedas Tenggiri with Peria. Thick cuts of mackerel cooked in tangy piquant curry gravy are quite addictive and makes one want to pile on more steamed rice. Chef Adriana adds bittergourd to her recipe for the subtle hints of the bittersweet vegetable.

The Ketam Bercili was a big hit with many that evening including myself. Flower crabs cooked in spiced up dry curry was a firework of flavours in the mouth. The balance of spices and heat was just right, allowing the natural sweetness of the crab to come through. A must-try!

There’s also Ayam Kapitan curry as well as a tasty Sambal Udang Petai to pile on to your rice.

Ikan Bakar Gerang Asam, Chap Chye, Telur Cincaluk Kukus and more are also expected to be in the buffet on rotation daily. Besides Nyonya dishes, there are also lots of other international dishes such as Seafood on Ice, Grilled Seafood Stations, local and Western dishes as well as soups and salad.

While it may be quite a task to not fill up on all those scrumptious main dishes with rice, one simply must try to save room for Chef Adriana’s desserts of Nyonya Kuih.

The list is quite mind-boggling with Abok Abok Sago, Kuih Abu Sago, Apam Balik Durian, Pulut Tekan & Kaya, Onde Onde, Rempah Udang, Kuih Bongkong, Kuih Seri Muka, Kuih Kosui Pandan and Kuih Kosui Gula Melaka, Ang Koo Hitam, Ang Koo Merah, Putugal and more.

These Assorted Nyonya Kuih are all made fresh daily by Chef Adriana. Not only does her kuih taste yummy, her kuihs have gorgeous colors, most made using natural flowers and leaves for color extraction. Her Kuih Abu Sago, Rempah Udang and Pulut Tekan uses the bunga telang for its vibrant blue hues. Her Ang Koo Hitam uses dried daun ramai for its dark green while the Kuih Seri Muka, Kuih Kosui Pandan and Onde Onde uses pandan leaves.

Nyonya kuihs are tedious treats of sweetness. The balance of flavours and textures are very important and more of them requires layers of different batters and ingredients to be amalgamated in harmonious way. Don’t miss out on the kaleidoscope of Chef Adriana’s Nyonya kuihs in this buffet!

Melting Pot Café Nyonya Flavours with Adriana Tan

*Available from March 6 to March 26, 2017

Buffet Lunch 12.00pm to 2.30pm       RM80 nett per person

Buffet Dinner 6.30pm to 10.00pm      RM110 nett per person

Menu rotates on a daily basis. Currently Melting Pot Café is offering 25% Discount for buffet and a la carte. For reservations or enquiries, please call +603 2717 2233 or email to fbkl@concorde.net

MELTING POT CAFE

Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur

2 Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Tel: +603 2717 2233  

Fax: +603 2149 2659

Email: fbkl@concorde.net

Website: www.kualalumpur.concordehotelsresorts.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/concordehotelkualalumpur