Roast Suckling Pig Promotion @ The Oriental Group of Restaurants

Hogging the Limelight at Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33

Hear ye Hear ye… calling all suckling pig fans! For the whole month of July, The Oriental Group of Restaurants are hogging the limelight with their roast promotions in various restaurants in the city. It’s a month of indulgence filled with plenty of classic as well as modern roast meats from suckling pig to Peking duck and more.

We headed to Oriental Pavilion at Jaya 33 for an oinking good time with a few swine lovers recently. Oriental Pavilion, voted as one of Asia’s Finest Chinese Restaurants by The Miele Guide and also rated as the only Chinese restaurant in KL’s Top 20 restaurants by CNN Travel Guide, has always been a popular hot spot for classic Cantonese cuisine. From dim sums to Cantonese roasts and dishes, diners can opt to dine at their main modern dining room or one of the eight private rooms available.

From now till 31 July, Oriental Pavilion is running specials on their famed Roast Suckling Pig and Iberico Pork Ribs. It takes special skills of a roast master to achieve luscious roasts, so diners like us can savor sumptuous roast suckling pig, roast Peking duck and more. The Oriental Group of Restaurants roast masters has certainly nailed their roasts to perfection!

What makes a perfect Roast Suckling Pig? For me, the skin is the most important part of the dish. I need the acoustic sound of crunch upon savoring the skin as well as the even lacquered hue of the whole suckling pig as the main judging point for a perfect roast suckling pig. Choosing the right size of the piglet would yield just the right amount of meat and fat for a solid roast as well. Then one needs to also ensure that the little amount of meat is also tender, juicy and well-seasoned. The roasting skill is another crucial factor to achieving even roast as well as fabulous crispy skin.

First up, Finest Macau Style Roast Suckling Pig, served with Chilled Citrus Juice and crisp greens. Brownies point goes to how gorgeous this piglet looked and from every angle too! The skin is beautifully and evenly lacquered with such a glistening skin that rendered many sounds of excitement from everyone at the table that evening.

Unlike those suckling pig that one only enjoys the skin, this one has a little meat that oozed with much juiciness. A closely guarded dry rub recipe, the special rub is what makes this Macau Style Roast Suckling Pig superior to all the other roast piglets. We heard the rub is so good, only the top two chefs in the group has the recipe for this special rub.

After our homage to the pig with our lens, our Macau Style Roast Suckling Pig was cut up in thick pieces for easy consumption.

The skin was literally to-die-for! The acoustic of the crunch of the skin was music to my ears. The little bits of meat was sublime and moist while the special spice rubs on the bones had me succumbing cavemen style (or cavewomen in my case) in gnawing the piece clean in doing justice for the piglet.

The Chilled Citrus Juice worked out well as a refreshing palate cleanser after that oink…

Next up, another variation of the Roast Sucking Pig, BBQ with Glutinous Rice. This one is quite different from the Macau style one as the Roast Suckling Pig is deboned and served with steamed glutinous rice.

Though it doesn’t have the same smoothness of the skin as the earlier one, this one still rendered a solid crispy lacquered skin with a lot of crunch. We enjoyed the leaner skin on this one and it certainly paired well with the soft and sticky glutinous rice studded with bits of mushrooms and Chinese sausage. It is served with a side of scallion and hoisin sauce though we think it didn’t really needed it because the glutinous rice was already very tasty with the Roast Suckling Pig.

There is also a third variation of Roast Suckling Pig, BBQ with Foie Gras Sauce, which also sounds wonderfully delicious. All 3 styles of Roast Suckling Pig is priced at RM238++ each (normal price RM350++ each), available until 31 July, 2017.

There is another special swine that also stole much limelight that evening. Charcoal Grilled Iberico Pork Ribs Spanish Style served with Chilled Citrus Juice and crisp greens is a modern Chinese take on using the sublime black Spanish pig.

An order of this dish features a whole rack of Iberico Pork Ribs Spanish Style served at tableside with crisp greens and Chilled Citrus Juice. The picture shown here was for two orders hence two full racks of ribs. The restaurant was so thoughtful to provide disposable gloves for the dish though we felt that we should just dive right in to savor the full finger-licking good sensation of the ribs.

Look at the glorious rack of Iberico ribs! Generously seasoned with dry herbs as well as special marinade before roasting, the Iberico ribs were unctuously succulent with tasty fatty bits.

We also enjoyed how the meat has a good solid bite, a note of just ribs roasted slowly to achieve a meaty bite. There’s plenty of tender meat to gnaw till the bones are clean. Besides the ribs, there were also end parts of soft ribs that added much delight to just enjoying the ribs. The crisp greens on the side is great with the ribs too as it balanced off the heavy notes of eating this much meat. End this course with the zesty tang of the citrus juice too…

The Charcoal Grilled Iberico Pork Ribs Spanish Style served with Chilled Citrus Juice is available on promotion at RM138++ per rack (normal price RM198++ per rack) until 31 July, 2017.

While you are there, you might as well end your meal with Oriental Pavilion’s long list of desserts. We had their Lemongrass Jelly, Summer Coconut Jelly and Chilled Yam dessert that was light, fresh and a sweet way to end the dining experience.

No reservations required for the Roast Suckling Pig and Iberico Ribs Promotion, just make sure you have a table booked ahead as Oriental Pavilion gets very busy, especially in the evenings. There are other Roast promotions going on at all other restaurants featuring different choices such as Peking duck and more so check out their website or Facebook for more information. Don’t miss this great promotion!

ORIENTAL PAVILION

P1-04, Level 1 Podium, Jaya 33

No.3, Jalan Semangat, Seksyen 13

46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 03- 7956 9288

Website: www.orientalrestaurants.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theorientalgroupofrestaurants

Business Hours:

Mondays to Saturdays

Lunch 11.00 am – 3.00 pm | Dinner 6.00 pm – 11.00 pm

Sundays & Public Holidays

Lunch 10.00 am – 3.00 pm | Dinner 6.00 pm – 11.00 pm

Imperial China Restaurant Whisky Pairing Dinner with Fifty Six Degree Scotch Whisky

A New Age Whisky Pairing Dinner with Chinese Cuisine

Food pairing with wine and liquor is getting more popular these days. It’s a perfect way also let diners enjoy a sumptuous list of pairing without the hassle as the chef would have work with the sommelier on the best pairing for the food and alcohol.

Imperial China Restaurant, from the Tai Thong Group, played host together with FIFTYSIX Degree Scotch Whisky to bring diners a scrumptious pairing of Chinese cuisine pairing dinner with Scotch whisky recently. Imperial China has hosted several wine pairing previously and due to positive demands from diners, the restaurant has organized a creative and unique Chinese dinner courses best paired with whisky.

FIFTYSIX Degrees Blended Scotch Whisky is a new age Scottish whisky with a 40% ABV (alcohol by volume). Blended for our Asian palate in mind, FIFTYSIX Degrees is named after the latitude of the Scottish Highlands where the fine dram is distilled. It is a boutique whisky made with exacting standards of quality through Ian Macleod Distillers’ generations of masters with many accolades under their belt.

As always Imperial China restaurant, located in Subang Jaya SS17, resonates an elegant dining ambiance. Set in opulent shades of bold red, black and cream, the evening mood was also enhanced by a live 3-piece band named The Raw Note that evening.

Cocktails of 56 Escape and Scottish Lass were served, made with FIFTYSIX Degrees whisky of course, with bites of Crispy Crab Dumpling with Wasabi Dressing and Deep Fried Pumpkin and Lotus Root with Salted Egg. I do enjoy the cocktails a lot as I guess it’s sweeter and I for one love my cocktails while the Crispy Crab Dumpling was superb!

The first course of trio appetizer made a grand starter! Leading the limelight was the Lobster with Fresh Fruit Salad with Italian Vanilla Dressing. Standing in full glory, the lobster shell commanded everyone’s attention. The lobster flesh was sweet and succulent though the salad was a bit heavy on the creamy vanilla dressing. A unique inclusion was the vanilla as I can sense its presence in the salad. Lobster with fruits in creamy salad is a crowd pleaser as always.

Next, Sliced Chicken with Foie Gras and Almond, a combination of chicken paste with crispy skin crumbed with almond are served with a spread of foie gras on crepe. It’s a delicious combination but I would have love to taste the presence of the foie gras a bit more. I do enjoy the texture of the chicken with almond a lot.

The third appetizer was Crab with Roasted Sesame Sauce wrapped in Egg Roll, topped with shredded meat floss. Certainly a mouthful but the flavours work harmoniously well. It’s got a good hint of sweetness as well as savory notes with a creamy ending.

The appetizers certainly worked well with the FIFTYSIX Degree whisky as the bold flavours of the dishes are beautifully balanced with the smooth and vibrant note of the new age whisky.

One of my all-time favorite course is soup and ours was a warming one of Double Boiled Village Chicken Soup with Apricot Kernels and Snow Pear. Full of comforting flavours and soothing nutrients, the soup had a gentle and natural sweetness from the snow pears which I really enjoy.

The next course was heavenly, a big crowd pleaser and definitely a great match with the whisky!

Spice Roast Suckling Pig with Chilled Ambarella Juice Shooter had us all savoring crispy skin from the succulent piglet with a dab of hoisin sauce and scallion. Once we enjoyed the scrumptious swine, we were told to down a hot of chilled Ambarella or Kedondong juice shooter to cleanse the palate. Love the idea of this dish…

There would always be a fish course in any Chinese meal as well and ours was the highly prized estuary grouper prepared in two sauces of Yin Yang Estuary Grouper Grilled with Caramelized Onion & Sauteed with XO Sauce, Celery and Apple.

The presentation was definitely an eye-catcher with the whole fish fried till golden and placed in the middle of the platter. The fish was prepared in two sauces, one with more of a sweeter edge with caramelized onions and smoky note while the other was more fruity and delicate in flavour. I definitely enjoyed the first sauce because of the smoky caramelized flavours of the dish.

Our final savory course was the lavish platter of Braised Abalone, Sea Cucumber Stuffed with Tuna and Wanton. It is my favorite dish of the night, not because of its lavishness but because I really enjoyed the stuffed sea cucumber and also the wanton.

The abalone is well braised and smothered in the classic Chinese brown savory sauce. The spiky sea cucumber was tender and gelatinous with a scrumptious bouncy tuna and meat filling while the plump wanton had delectable sweetness of prawns. The dish epitomized Chinese lux and is also a great dish paired with whisky.

Dinner ended with a high note of trio of desserts. The trio of Chilled Layered Dessert of Black Sesame, Mango and Fresh Milk, Mini Pumpkin Dumpling with Sweet Potato and Cheese and Sweet Corn Bun sprinkled with Cocoa Powder looked really unique and interesting. The pairing of black sesame with mango and milk seemed to be decent. It was a sweet and savory one for the mini pumpkin dumpling with its combo of sweet potato and cheese. I adored the sweet corn bun shaped to resemble a mushroom. It’s nice and fluffy with a creamy sweet corn filling.

The Imperial China Whisky Pairing Dinner with FIFTYSIX Degrees is priced at RM1888 nett for a table of ten pax. Each table includes 2 bottles of the FIFTYSIX Degrees Scotch Whisky. Look out for more pairing dinners to come from the Tai Thong Group through their website: www.taithong.com.my and Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaiThong

For more information on FIFTYSIX Degrees Scotch Whisky, please visit their website www.56degreeswhisky.com or at Facebook: www.facebook.com/fiftysixdegreeswhisky

IMPERIAL CHINA RESTAURANT

7th Floor, Intan Square,

No. 3, Lorong Utara C,

46200 Petaling Jaya

Tel: +603-7956 6868

Website: www.taithong.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaiThong

GUINNESS CNY Banquet Feast @ Grand Imperial Restaurant

Celebrate a Bold Start to a Prosperous New Year with GUINNESS®

It’s all about black gold with GUINNESS®! Festive cheers are made more luxurious and delicious with GUINNESS®, Malaysia’s favorite stout. Ushering in the Year of the Goat, GUINNESS® is the perfect stout to be paired in the festive Chinese banquet menus that many indulges for this festive season.

Going all out with a delicious gesture, GUINNESS® is teaming up with Grand Imperial Group of restaurants this festive year to create a special GUINNESS® Chinese New Year Banquet Menu available at all 6 Grand Imperial restaurants across Malaysia. Gourmands can now enjoy eight sumptuous courses paired with the rich and flavoursome black gold GUINNESS®. Each course is carefully matched with GUINNESS® to bring out the full flavours from both dish and stout.

Our preview of the evening took placed at the Grand Imperial Restaurant at Bangsar Shopping Centre with distinguished guests, members of the media and bloggers. Our emcee of the evening was Owen Yap and the evening took off with a special Chinese calligraphy presentation by Haze Long. She was really so good because her calligraphy really had a unique and artsy feel.

Hailing the collaboration, Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director of , GUINNESS® Anchor Berhad, said “ GUINNESS® is known the world over for its superb quality, rich taste, and proud traditions. It is a beer Made of More – more flavour, more boldness, and made with passion and dedication by our Master Brewers. As such, I can think of no better beer with which to usher in this auspicious time of the year, when we gather with friends and family to celebrate sau-kong and to look forward to beginning the New Year in the best way possible.

By pairing with the Grand Imperial Group of restaurants, renowned across Malaysia for its sumptuous food, GUINNESS® ensures that you can begin the New Year in a bold and prosperous way while out to celebrate, as well as in the comfort of your own home.”

Dinner commenced with the Yee Sang with Silver Fish, a unique take on the auspicious Yee Sang featuring crispy golden battered silver fish. The Yee Sang here looks normal but the flavours and textures are just so awesome! I have had many Yee Sangs and this one definitely is few on top of my list of Yee Sang.

As we Lou Hei with our usual foodies, it was the merriment of laughter and shouts of joy that made me feel that its great company with good food that makes life feels so blessed!

The combo of loads of fresh cut greens with cucumber, carrot, radish, pickled ginger, fresh sour mangoes, pickled onions, jellyfish, pomelo, chicken floss, peanuts and dressing is utterly tangy and so refreshing in each bite. Many of us raved about this Yee Sang for its flavours. We polished off this dish with much gusto!

The next course had everyone at Hello! Our table was silent, as everyone enjoyed the lavish bowl of Braised Bird’s Nest with Fresh Crab Meat. Going eco-friendly, the restaurant still manages to amp up the opulence of the feast with bird’s nest. Teaming up with fresh chunks of sweet crab meat and speckles of truffles, the soup tasted just as majestic as it sounds. The strong and earthy truffles worked well with the GUINNESS® if you asked me. It seemed to be the link between the stout and the soup. We loved this course dearly…

A traditional Chinese banquet meal cannot be completed without the ever popular and sought after Roasted Whole Suckling Pig! Ours was roasted to perfection, showing off super golden crackling with a luscious note. Our table left nothing on the plate as we literally devoured every single part of the suckling pig with loads of happiness. This course is pure 100% satisfaction and went so well with GUINNESS®.

Classic Steamed Pomfret Traditional Style will always be a favorite this time of the year. The highly prized pomfret is best savored steamed with superior soy sauce as usual.

Our prawn course was another luxurious pot of Fresh Water King Prawns in Casserole. The aroma was heavenly and the prawns looked all gloriously delicious coated in a sticky sweet and lightly spicy sauce. The robust sauce deserves a bowl of steamed rice. The prawns came in different sizes so some were cooked right and some were slightly over cooked. Other than that, there were no complaints as the flavours of the sauce were good and addictive while the prawns had a nice light note of sweetness.

Another highly sought after seafood took form in Braised Slice Abalone with Black Moss & Dried Oyster. This course is always a favorite with the older generation as abalone considered a precious ingredient that only the rich could afford. Slices of abalone together with braised dried oysters, black moss, mushrooms, bean curd sheets and greens are drenched in the classic brown abalone gravy. It’s prepared well but I happen to prefer other dishes compared to this one.

Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage & Dried Meat Hong Kong Style is another popular dish that never fails to be ordered by many during the lunar festive season. The star of the pot is all the waxed and cured meat and sausages which basically lends the aroma and flavour to the rice with the helping of a flavoured soy sauce. It was certainly a generous helping of two types of Chinese sausages, waxed duck and cured bacon. While the meat and sausages were gorgeous, the rice fell short as it didn’t have enough flavours or crispy crusty bits that I would normally love in this dish.

Dessert ended with two types of Chilled Fresh Mango Puree with Sago & Pomelo and Deep Fried Nian Gao & Deep Fried Sweet Potato Pastries.

The Chilled Fresh Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo is fresh and bursting of the sweetness of the mangoes. With bits of pomelo sacs and jellied sago, the chilled sweet dessert has always been a crowd pleaser.

Deep Fried Nian Gao & Deep Fried Sweet Potato Pastries completed the evening feast on a really wonderful sweet note. Both are pretty good and satisfied our sweet-tooth cravings well.

GUINNESS® New Year Banquet Menu priced at RM1888 nett, available from January 13^th until March 5^th, and includes two quarts of, GUINNESS® stout, as well as two sets of exclusive , GUINNESS® ang pow.

Additionally, between 5^th January 2015 and 28^th February 2015, consumers throughout Malaysia may be in the running to win one of the 100 pure gold bars, worth up to RM1 million, with any big bottle of GUINNESS®, Tiger, Heineken and Anchor by looking out for the winning bottle cap liners and answering a few questions! Good luck…

GRAND IMPERIAL RESTAURANT

3rd Floor, East Wing,

Bangsar Shopping Centre,

285 Jalan Maarof,

Bukit Bandaraya,

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2283 1118

GPS: 3.142808, 101.667448

Website: www.grandimperial.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrandImperialGroup