Going All Out with A Regal Chinese
New Year Feast!
If
you are looking for an extravaganza feast this Chinese New Year to usher in the
Year of the Goat, look no further as Noble
Mansion at The Plaza, Jaya 33 is
the perfect venue for a regal feast. Noble
Mansion is part of the esteemed Oriental Group led by the award winning
Executive Chef Justin Hor. This restaurant is also the most stylish Chinese
restaurant in the group. Opened since 2013, Noble Mansion has been dishing out premium Shunde-style cuisine to many gourmands. Known for their impressive
dishes, ambience and services, Noble
Mansion is truly a force to be reckoned with in the F&B industry.
*photo from Oriental group
It’s
my first visit to Noble Mansion and
nothing prepared me for the regal experience that I was about to experience. I
have been to other Oriental restaurants and had unforgettable dishes and yet, I
was thoroughly amazed and impressed with Noble
Mansion. The moment one walks into the elegant restaurant, one will be
impressed at how spacious and elegant Noble
Mansion is. The modern design of the restaurant features contemporary
designs throughout the space, creating an air of luxury and fine-dining
ambience. The restaurant is cleverly sectioned into Bamboo Courtyard, the
Lantern, the Terracotta Rooms and the Grand Hall for privacy in mind. Chinese
restaurants do get pretty loud due to the nature of our Chinese culture. Then there
are also those who love to karaoke when dining. So Noble Mansion cleverly
caters to all with privacy in mind.
Executive
Chef Justin is renowned for his foresight in creating dishes that takes Chinese
cuisine into a world of endless luxurious deliciousness. He has garnered quite
a few distinguished accolades under his belt and continues to take Chinese
cuisine to new heights with his constant travels in search for inspirations.
I
was here for a festive purpose and this year Noble Mansion is going all out and bringing premium to another
level of exclusivity. There are plenty of festive set menus available and also
a la carte dishes as well. We got a sneak preview of some of the luscious new
festive dishes available at Noble Mansion this season.
Dinner
commenced with the obligatory Yee Sang and ours was enhanced by a highly prized
Western ingredient of truffle. Yee Sang
with White Bait & White Truffle represents East meets West where white
bait is a much beloved Chinese ingredient and truffle is favored by the West.
Since its launch of the white truffle previously, I was told that it’s back again
this year due to requests.
The
salad is filled with abundance of textures of crispy white baits, crispy
vegetables, citrus peels, raisins and crunchy Pok Chui. Flavours are further enhanced by the white truffle powder
together with tangy sweet dressing, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds and sweet
bursts of raisins instead of the usual pomelo. The white truffle gave a soft refined
earthy aroma which is pretty unique. A bold move in combining flavours!
When
the Braised Whole Sea Cucumber with
Abalones & Scallop in Winter Melon was placed on the table, everyone
was in awed. I have never seen such a huge piece of sea cucumber that is brimming
with loads of goodies and is accompanied by resplendent whole abalones balanced
on winter melon. If you are out to impress, then this dish certainly takes the
cake! This dish alone has so many extravagant ingredients of abalone, sea
cucumber and scallop that anyone who savors this dish will be feeling very
regal.
The
thick gelatinous sea cucumber is heavenly and well-braised till just tender. It
is accompanied by a rustic minced dried seafood, mushroom and gingko nut
filling. The abalone had signs of slow braised as it was gorgeously tender and yielded
to a light cut of the knife easily. Winter melon is stuffed with a whole dried
scallop and cooked till tender and sweet. All the lavish ingredients are then
brought together with superbly rich abalone sauce that gave the whole dish its
luscious savory and umami flavours.
For
a moment, I thought I was in heaven as each moment of savoring was so
satisfying and sinful. Rest assured, there was utter silence when everyone was
savoring this dish as they were in their own heaven!
The
next dish was Roast Duck with Plum Sauce
& Crispy Rice. Duck seemed to be a favorite these days and this one is
executed with a flawless touch. The skin had an even and impeccable rich lacquered
amber hue. Each bite was a contrasting note of crispy and aromatic skin with
dark tender meat. The duck was so well-seasoned, it didn’t really needed any
extra sauces. What I thought to be very enjoyable was the rice crispies.
Normally it would be crispy rice vermicelli but Chef Justin has cleverly
swapped it with the extra crunchy and lightly sweet rice crispies that worked
so well with the duck.
Just
when we thought it couldn’t get any better than the earlier courses, we had a
huge Steamed Ocean Garouper with King
Prawns, Stuffed Clams, Squid Balls & Angled Loofah in Casserole served
to us.
Literally
a signature seafood fortune pot, this is the gem of the sea in one pot. Steamed Ocean Garouper that has been
filleted into thick chunks which made devouring this easy. Accompanying the
fish is sweet king prawns, bouncy squid balls and very delectable stuffed clams
in half shells. The usual supreme soy sauce also has a good twist with the
addition of black beans, dried shrimps and tiny cubes of crispy salted fish that
evoked more delicious sensory notes. The flavours leaned more towards savory
with a moreish note that will have one keep going back for more. There were
also soft pieces of Seng Gua to soak up
the delicious sauce. We really enjoyed the sauce and would have loved to have a
bowl of rice to go with this dish. It’s another auspicious dish that is all set
out to impress and impressed us it did!
The
feasting continued with another King Neptune’s treasure of Braised Boston Lobster with Shrimp Roe & 3 Varieties Mushrooms.
What Chef Justin did here is lightly enhancing the crustacean with more oceanic
flavour and aroma while retaining its natural sweetness. To bring the dish its
humble earthy flavours, Shitake, button and Enoki mushrooms are sautéed with
the crustacean. A generous sprinkling of shrimp roe and citrus peels completed
the dish. When something is good, it’s just GOOD!
Despite
having reach my zenith point, the moment I saw Steamed Rice with Waxed Meats, Hakka Style, I knew I had to have a
taste. Taking on a different route, the rice is steamed in earthenware instead
of the usual cooking method. It is then crowned with a generous portion of
preserved meat and sausages with sautéed French beans.
Fluffed
them all together with a drizzle of sauce and one gets a steaming bowl of light
and fluffy rice perfumed with the essential oils of the preserved meat and
savory soy sauce. The rice is really light and flavourful. I like how the
French beans lighten up the heavy preserved meat and sausages, making the rice
easy to enjoy sans the guilt.
The
regal feast ended on a high note with Golden
Pudding with Bird’s Nest in Whole Orange and Deep Fried Nian Gao. Perfect for CNY, the whole orange encased a
wobbly orange scented pudding crowned with double-boiled bird’s nest. Each
spoonful is beautifully festive with the orange flavours coupled with the
luxurious bird’s nest. The Deep Fried
Nian Gao is also yummy with a lovely crispy rice paper encasing soft gooey
New Year cake.
Noble Mansion's CNY Menu for 2015
*photo from Oriental group
This is one of the
most extraordinary CNY feasts that I have had this year. Noble Mansion offers luxurious Chinese gastronomy cuisine filled
with creative nuances. Though it comes with a hefty price tag, dishes here are
of premium quality and portions are generous. The restaurant specializes in
showcasing Chef Justin’s latest creations. Noble
Mansion offers an impressive and luxurious dining experience perfect for
pampering this festive season!
NOBLE
MANSION
1st Floor, The Plaza @
Jaya 33
No.1, Jalan Semangat,
Section 13
46100 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7932 3288
Fax: 03-7932 3988
Business Hours:
Mondays – Sundays and
Public Holidays
11.00 am – 3.00 pm
6.00 pm – 11.00 pm
