Taiwan Travels – Le Palais @ Palais de Chine Hotel

Fine Cantonese Cuisine

Taiwan has recently been graced by the world-renowned food bible, The Michelin Guide. Out of the 126 restaurants in the Michelin Guide, only one made it to the highest star accolade. A 3-star rating was awarded to Le Palais at Palais de Chine Hotel in Taipei and we were honored to be able to make a visit to Le Palais recently on our Taiwan trip.

The moment one steps into Palais de Chine Hotel, it’s a revelation of Chinese and Western cultures cleverly married into harmony of elegance. The tradition of yesteryears has been given new life and updated to today’s modern style. At the foyer, one will meet Lady, the horse sculpture that signifies the earliest mode of transportation for travelers.

Located on 17 floors, Le Palais epitomizesd the same chic and elegance the hotel reflects. Gorgeous ambiance of mysterious opulence, the dining room is designed to impress. A main dining area of glorious brass and gold, dark steel, mirror ceiling, elegant furniture, Chinese oriental ceramic pieces, Chinese paintings and beautiful table setting will set an air of fine dining to follow.

Le Palais also has lots of private rooms flourished with much grace as its main dining area. Lavish light pieces, huge round tables in dark ambiance, the restaurant clearly is out to impress its diners.

Helming the kitchen are culinary duo of Executive Chef Matt Chen (陳泰榮) and Head Chef Ken Chan (陳偉強). Cantonese cuisine is their forte and Le Palais menu is filled with signature Cantonese cuisine that includes dim sum to Hong Kong roast and other classic dishes.

Our epicurean journey began with dainty morsels of plump dumplings. Dim sums are always irresistible, especially when they are made to perfection. Whether they be steamed dumplings or fried dim sum, it takes a skillful dim sum chef to churn out consistent baskets of dim sum with quality and fresh ingredients.

Tuck into pretty pleated Palais de Chine Steamed King Prawn Dumplings and one will be awarded with juicy sweet prawns encased in thin crystal skin. Crustacean sweetness, the dumplings are a joy to eat!

The Chicken and Lard Dumplings topped with Abalones are equally as delicious as the earlier dumplings. Delicious flavours and bouncy filling finished with lavish baby abalones, these siew mai had all the check marks of the perfect classic dim sum.

Hong Kong style Barbecue Pork uses a lean cut of meat. Le Palais version was scrumptious! Tender and succulent, the pork has a solid balance of savory and sweet notes. We certainly could not fault this lovely piece of roast…

Another roast appeared in Crispy Roast Baby Duck and boy did this one rocks! Duck, specifically selected from Vietnam, has been truly honored with meticulous preparation that resulted in a luscious aroma wafting through the air as soon as it was presented. Lacquered to rich hues of red amber, the duck is cut in front of us and served with a side of salt pepper mixture and lime wedges.

The duck is amazing in flavours. The crispy skin, the moist and tender duck flesh and the salty sublime notes was perfection on a plate. The chefs added that they selected this 28-day old duck because of its perfectness for roasting and we fully understand this once we savored the duck.

If indulgence is the motive for this dining experience, then one simply must order the Braised Middle East Abalone & Goose Web in Oyster Sauce. Premium ingredients like abalone and goose web requires a skilled chef to cook them well. This land and sea duo was excellent. The abalone was toothsome to bite and delicious with a delicate brown sauce. The goose web, highly prized for its soft and gelatinous goodness, was also cooked very well and beautifully glazed in the same sauce. Plump mushroom was well-braised and crisp tender asparagus shoot completed this dish.

The Stir-fried Shredded Tofu, Chicken and Ham is a dish that really showcase knife skill to new heights. Tofu cut finely and cooked gently with finely cut chicken and ham in a delicate broth. It’s a classic Cantonese dish that has rather simple and comfort flavours. This one would go well with steamed rice.

Our final dish of Stir-Fried Tiger Grouper Filet with Asparagus fared decent. It was a dish cooked well. The fillet fish was cooked just right and so was the asparagus. It was a faultless pleasure.

Le Palais showed a combination of exquisite fine Cantonese cuisine with quality ingredients set in an amazing ambiance. We heard that their reservations are full for the next few weeks so make sure to call in for reservation way ahead on your trip for a taste of this 3-star Michelin restaurant in Taipei.

Please contact Le Palais at +8862-2181-9985/86 Fax +8862-2181-9971

LE PALAIS

17F, Palais de Chine Hotel

No. 3, Section 1, Chengde Road,

Datong District,

Taipei City,

Taiwan 103

Tel: +886 2 2181 9999

Website: www.palaisdechinehotel.com/tw/index.php

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Palaisdechinehotel/

Business Hours:

Monday to Sunday

Lunch          11:30am to 2:30pm

Dinner         5:30om to 9:30pm

Putien Celebrates 16th Anniversary with A Starry Michelin Gala Night

A Fine Heng Hua Feast!

Heng Hua Cuisine is no longer unknown to many of us and its all tribute to Putien who has been serving up the cuisine to many of us for the last few years. Little did many know, Putien is celebrating their 16th Anniversary this year. What added to the glorious years of serving some of the finest Heng Hua cuisine is the recent win of the One Star Michelin Award for its Kitchener Road Outlet by the inaugural Michelin Guide Singapore 2016!

In conjuction with both joyous occasions, Putien celebrated their 16th Anniversary and One Star Michelin achievement with an exclusive starry and festive gala dinner recently as a gesture of appreciation for members of the media, bloggers and distinguish guests.

Putien’s General Manager, Ms Caren Poon giving her speech on the story of Putien and it’s glorious 16 years in the industry.

From Putien’s humble home kitchen meals to city cuisine, Putien’s story started when Mr. Fong Chi Chung, founder of Putien, couldn’t find Heng Hua dishes that he had missed dearly from his homeland. Putien started in a coffee shop in Singapore’s Kitchener Road in 2000, serving simple yet wholesome and down-to-earth meals from Mr. Fong’s native Putian home kitchen.

Putien’s authentic Heng Hua dishes took off so well, the restaurant expanded to 28 outlets internationally in the last 16 years with 5 more outlets in plan by the end of 2016. It’s all about the best and freshest ingredients for Mr. Fong. His constant focus on using the best ingredients possible even when it meant driving out in the early hours of the morning to purchase them. Using handmade Heng Hwa noodles from a particular family, he even made sure that the family continues their traditional method to make the noodles and supply Putien with this signature handmade noodles that is almost a long lost art. 

For Putien, it’s about Source of Ingredients, Revealing the Season’s Best Ingredients and Original Taste in all their dishes, who also features seasonal dishes from the various seasonal ingredients imported from Putian.

Putien’s Head Chef Li Shunrong

Dinner commenced with a tea tribute to the ceremony, showcasing some of the available teas at Putien. The three teas served were Shui Hsien Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea and Ginger Tea. This was followed by Putien’s signature dishes as well as some new dishes now available in the menu at all their outlets.

Our starter of Seaweed with Mini Shrimps looked deceptively simple but has such wondrous moreish flavors of the sea. Sweet, almost briny with hints of light tang, the soft and lightly chewy seaweed with bits of tiny shrimps whets the appetite for more to come.

Braised Putien Handmade Bean Curd showcases house made bean curd that is quite the staple in many of the Heng Hwa dishes. This one is nicely braised till tender and plump. The bean curd has well absorbed the flavors of the light braising sauce and is easy to enjoy on its own with just the right balance of savory note.

Bamboo shoot may not be everyone’s cake but I happen to enjoy them. Putien’s Braised Bamboo Shoot is relatively unique. There is still a good bite to the shoots and yet it is tender and juicy. A little smoky and delicate, the bamboo shoots are easy to enjoy as a light appetizer.

Putien Style Century Egg was much raved by many that evening. The century egg has a light crispy caramelized coating witht a gorgeous lush creamy inside. The light sweetness with the unctuous flavor of the century egg is sublime. So much so, I took my family back a week later and ordered a double order of this yummy dish. A must order at Putien!

New in the menu, Yan Pi Fish Maw Soup is another delicate dish that features ‘Yan Pi’, a wantan skin that is made from minced meat. Hence the Yan Pi has a lightly chewy meaty texture enveloping some meat filling. The contrasting textures of the Yan Pi dumpling and soft fish maw in a clean and delicate broth is quite unique and has a lovely comforting note that makes this soup wholesome and hearty.

The Shredded Meat with Bun is a popular dish that appears on many tables of diners. Golden fried mantao are served with a platter of stir fried shredded pork with onions in a delicious sweet and savory brown sauce. The crispy and fluffy mantao with sesame seeds together with the juicy tender pork showed that not all Heng Hua dishes are light in flavor. This one has a robust meaty savory flavor that goes well with anyone of all ages. My little one also loves this bun a lot whenever we dine at Putien.

Stir Fried Seaweed is a new comer in the menu. This seaweed is different from the earlier one. Thicker with a spongy texture, the seaweed is cooked in a light broth. The addition of onions and bell peppers gave the dish a sweet note. I prefer the earlier seaweed for its textures and taste over this one.

Putien is also having a promotion on yellow croaker, specially flown in from the waters of Fujian, for a limited time only. Prepared five ways, we tried their signature Deep Fried Yellow Croaker. Marinated over 24 hours with premium peppercorn and sea salt, these are then deep fried till crispy. The fish is so crispy, we could literally eat the bones and fins too. Simple but really tasty and love the textures of the fish!

Strawberry Prawn is also new and pairing the fruit with prawns may not be as odd as I would have thought after all. As strawberries have a lovely tangy fruity note, it goes pretty well with the crispy fried prawns. The light creamy and fruity sauce gave the prawns a pretty pink hue too.

One simply must order the Putien Lor Mee. It’s my all-time-favorite comfort dish at Putien. Slurp down soft velvety thick wheat noodles cooked in a gorgeous light thick broth full of seafood essences. We love how aromatic the dish is. The lor mee also has chockful of julienned bean curd, meat, prawns, clams, scallop, mushrooms, vegetables and more. This is one dish that you won’t want to miss when dining at Putien.

Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits is a fresh and light ending to the evening’s gala dinner. The chilled wobbly jelly scented with lemongrass has some fresh fruits and tiny crunchy chia seeds.

Putien Festival Road Shows

Join Putien for a celebration with food-tasting, fun and games, plus a chance to win some festive prizes when you drop by at any of Putien Road Show booths on weekends at the following locations:

Date (Sat & Sun)                   Venue

15 & 16 October, 2016             One-Utama Shopping Mall (G213A Ground Floor)

22 & 23 October, 2016             SS15 Courtyard Subang Jaya (1-05, First Floor)

29 & 30 October, 2016             Sunway Pyramid (LG1.45, Lower Ground)

PUTIEN

G213A Ground Floor, Promenade,

1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing),

Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tel: +603 7722 1539

Fax: +603 7722 2139

Website: www.putien.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/putien.my

Operating Hours

11.30am - 10pm (Last Order: 9.30pm)

The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur Presents The Destined Chef, An Exclusive Dinner by Michelin Star Chef Yuichi Kamimura

A Contemporary Japanese-French Affair!

I finally understood what it takes to receive a Michelin Star! Thanks to a culinary journey set beyond my wildest expectation, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur presents The Destined Chef, Chef Yuichi Kamimura. From 24^th to 26^th October, Michelin Star Chef Yuichi Kamimura will be showcasing his contemporary Japanese-French inspired cuisine at the following dates at both The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur’s restaurants.

No longer a stranger to Malaysia, Chef Kamimura has been invited to showcase his culinary repertoire here before and also in several other Asian countries. Destined to be a chef in footsteps of his family’s bustling restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan, he also had the honors to be taken under the culinary wings of famed Australian Chef Tetsuya Wakuda. After several stints with many prominent chefs from diverse cultures, he has created his own list of degustation menus inspired from Japanese and French cuisines.

Establishing “Kamimura” a restaurant aptly named after him in Sapporo which is now relocated to Niseko, Yuichi has won himself a Michelin star and numerous other accolades and praises for his culinary skills and ability to transform traditional cuisine to a contemporary winner with immaculate presentation simply living by the philosophy of making his customers happy. In person, he is absolutely down-to-earth as he would smile a lot and appeased us by our serious interrogations of his creations that night. His current restaurant only seats 40 as he is extremely set on serving the very best to his customers.

Let our culinary journey begin with The Suntory Night Set Dinner held at Kogetsu Japanese Restaurant. The exclusive degustation dinner is paired with 6 Suntory ranges of beer, shochu and whisky. The Suntory Group in Japan consists of many products and services in the Food and Beverage industry. Our dinner that evening showcased a beer, a shochu and 4 whiskeys from the range of Suntory products. As always in most pairings, we started slowly from the basics leading up to the premium and exclusive liqueurs.

It was undyingly beautifully presented. A large white canvas held the base for every of his dishes. Our first temptation of Botan Ebi King Prawn with Tomato Powder arrived like a modern artwork. Covered in a snow of white and pale golden hue powder, a sumptuous Botan Ebi king prawn lies beneath. Hardly blanched, the king prawns was unctuously sweet, firm and filled with glorious oceanic brine in tasting notes. Sitting further beneath the crustacean, a medley of finely minced broccoli with nuts accompanied the prawns to give it a boost of textures and flavors. Though I can barely taste much of the molecular gastronomy inspired tomato powder flavors in this dish, I am not even complaining because every element was just divine. I may ran out of words just describing this dish but who cares, it deserves every bit of my mad raving of this masterpiece!

Our first piece was paired with Suntory Premium Malt, a beer made using 100% natural water drawn from the underground deep wells of Japan. A mild start, this malt exudes a light floral aroma with a refreshing taste and a dry finish.

The next course of Terrine of Foie Gras & Saikyo Miso with Port Wine features a disc of goose liver flavored with creamy nutty Saikyo miso with a crown of chives and cubes of eggplant dressed in port wine sauce. I will be biased in this case as I am an ardent fan of foie gras. It may seem to be a ‘hoity toity’ ingredient to many but I just cannot resist the lustrous flavors of the goose liver. The foie gras disc is extremely rich in flavors from the liver and miso. Intense savory with a smooth nutty note, it is cleverly offset by cubes of eggplant for which I am told that is deep fried before being washed and marinated in dashi broth and chilled. Laced with a rich sweet fruity port wine, the dish has a beautiful finesse in it!

Served with a chilled innocent looking Suntory Shocu  Kuromaru, the flavors speak otherwise. Maybe I am just not familiar with shochu but this Kuromaru Shochu is fairly strong at first taste. Made with a base of sweet potato, it does have a sweet and rounded note and goes on easier after a few sips.

My partner-in-crime next to me boldly said ‘Gimme a big bowl of this dish so I can camp in front of my TV!’  He talks of this like it were mashed potatoes but we all know it takes hours to create Confit of Potato with Black Truffle & Scallop Cream. On the other hand, it’s so good, I do agree that I might want a big bowl of this dish at any time!  French cut yellow and purple potatoes are slowly confit for hours till soft and sits on a pool of thick scallop cream sauce. I can literally taste bits of scallops finely minced in the sauce. The crowning glory of the dish is finely shaved black truffles arousing my senses with its famous earthy and nutty scent. Besides being such a luxury dish, I know why we all wanted a big bowl of this… comfort, pure comfort blish!

Suntory Kakubin mixed with soda water is our third pairing and this is one of my favorite. A wedge of lemon adds depth to the whisky blend. It’s refreshing and really easy to enjoy, perfect to lighten up the heavier potato dish with cream sauce.

Once again, I squealed at this prettily dressed Grilled Fish with Braised Seafood in Tomato! It is such a feminine dish with the micro edible flowers piled up on the fish. The dish reminds me of bouillabaisse, a French seafood stew. Superb crispy fish skin coupled with tender flesh has a nice punch of salty notes while bits of vegetables and seafood sit beneath in a warm light tomato broth.

Suntory Hibiki 12 Years Old was paired with the fish. I read from the Suntory website that Suntory owns three distilleries - Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita in Japan. Hibiki 12 is a whisky blend from all three distilleries and is aged in Ume-Shu casks. On the nose, I can smell wood and caramel. On the palate, I tasted an earthy note and light sweetness with a hint of plums. I prefer this with ice.

When the golden skin Duck Risotto with Mushroom was presented, I could not wait to tuck into the duck. The duck was confit in its own fat till tender and then finished off with a nice sear to crisp up the golden skin. Very moist with deep meaty flavors, the duck is cooked perfectly. The risotto is also exceptionally well done, creamy, al dente and full of earthy and savory flavors from the assorted mushrooms and ham. Now it’s my turn to want a big plate of this delicious duck and risotto!!

Paired with a Suntory signature, the Suntory The Yamazaki 12 Years Old tasted of dried fruits with oak. It has good depth on the mouth and is well rounded too. I also had this with ice since it is quite strong for me on its own.

Our last course ended with Roast Lamb Rack with Wasabi Butter. Two pieces of lean tender lamb is roasted till medium. It’s sidekick of wasabi butter is superbly well balanced, just enough hint of wasabi to entice my nostrils and has a creamy buttery edge. I am so going to make wasabi butter for my meat from now on. A little au jus with brunoise of zucchini and baby kalian completes the ensemble.

This time it was the 2^nd distillery of Hakushi with Suntory The Hakushu 12 Years Old whiskey. I must say that the whiskey paired the best with meat, hence the malty and floral sweetness with a light smoke goes so well with the lamb. I braved this one and had it neat!

Pinch me someone! Dessert ended with a high note with Ice Cream with Pumpkin & Caramelized Nuts. The name did not do justice to the dessert. Let me rephrase it with Ice Cream with Roasted Pumpkin, Ginger Pattisserie Cream, Caramelized Nuts and Caramel sauce. It was so sexy and so sinful, yet it had a warm and inviting feel to the flavors. Creamy, aromatic, luscious and sultry, I definitely want more of this dessert. I actually saw Chef Kamimura assemble this dessert and he was just so meticulous and so precise, even down right to the quenelle of ice cream. This is what passion is all about!

His creations are just mesmerizing in every way. It’s no wonder Chef Kamimura is awarded the Michelin star. It is very well deserved as his Japanese-French inspired dishes are well balanced in flavors and textures with a modern feel. Yet there are very authentic Japanese ingredients used to keep us reminded of his roots. His creations are not to be missed and his passion shows in them. Do check out other his other menus available at both The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur & The Club, Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur  till 26^th Oct as per below.

  

24th – 26th October, Lunch at Kogetsu, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM180++ per person

24th October, Suntory Night Set Dinner at Kogetsu, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM300++ per person

25th October, Dinner at The Restaurant, The Club Saujana Resort – RM267 nett per person

26th October, Wine Dinner at Senja, The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur – RM380++ per person

For dining reservations and enquiries call (603) 7843 1234 or email dine@thesaujana.com

The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur 
Saujana Resort Kuala Lumpur, 
Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS, 
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. 
Contact: 603-7843 1234

Email: senja@thesaujana.com

Website: www.thesaujanahotel.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheSaujanaHotelKualaLumpur