A little tired of reading about budget this and budget that? All the materials out there that give you advice of how to have a cheaper date, a cheaper night out, a cheaper festival? Well in this denial mad society we live in why not deny a little more? Afterall, food is great escapism. You can go back to your RM1 nasi lemak tomorrow but tonight you can feast at Chynna.
Yes, the food here is expensive and perhaps not the best choice in this climate of belt tightening. However, if someone owes you big time or your boss needs to take you out then Chynna is the place to indulge for the night. Service is excellent, food is certainly good and more importantly their creative interpretations work.
Firstly, in our opinion the yee sang here is one of the best. It’s not too sickly sweet and there is a lightness of hand in pairing all the ingredients. There are also a lot of fragrant nuts and sesame seeds mixed in it making it quite delicious. The salmon yee sang is the cheapest of the yee sang combo, the most expensive being lobster that they actually charge by weight. Certainly not for the faint hearted.
The set that comes out after is a combo of traditional dishes like salt baked chicken and nuovo Chinese fusion like tiger prawns steamed with bits of nuts and tempe. The tiger prawns are interesting. It’s uber fresh and almost crunchy. On top is this nutty confetti that almost reminds me a little of dry sambal pecal, groundnuts and tiny fried tofu with the delightful tempe mixed in.
The only real complaint is that you only get one prawn each. They bring out the dishes here so you can take in the aesthetics, then they go all European on it, portioning out the precious morsels in individual plates so you won’t fight over it at the table.
"Last chance for yee sang"
If you are feeling particularly risky order up an extra dish of steamed fish. Of course the best is soon hock. The flesh is so firm and stunning, this would have been the dish that would have made us stab each other with a metal chopstick for. Again we got just a piece each. So the drawback to exclusive meals like this is that you don’t get to eat your fill of your favourite dishes. However, at the end of the courses, you would not have that bloated feeling and instead experience that wonderful glow of well-being you get after a great meal.
The ‘hodge podge’ is a crock pot full of surf and turf delights. Turf being fat mushrooms and fu chuk and Chinese cabbage. Surf being sea cucumber and fish maw- although I can’t really be sure. It’s certainly soft and slightly gelatinous. Eventhough, this might not be the most attractive of dishes, it certainly is good. If you order the more expensive set, you will of course get scallops and abalone. Even the fried rice wrapped in lotus leaf was tasty.
Our epiphany of the night is also what we thought was the strangest on the menu. It’s nien kao (kuih bakul) made fresh and gooey. Then it’s laid gingerly on a bed of shaved sweetened coconut. On top is melted cheese. Yes, we thought it strange until we popped it in our mouths and was taken aback. It’s sweet and salty and like toffee in one instance and savoury cheese in another chew. Separate they are just normal dishes but together it’s like a little dance party in your mouth. Outstanding. This came with a soft dumpling with black sesame in a ginger tea. Also very good although the ginger tea was unnecessary. After this, all you can do is lean back and let someone else pay the bill.
Yee sang sets start at RM168.00++ per person. This goes on until 9th February.
More Photos To Drool On
This fragrant fried rice is wrapped in lotus leaves
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Foodster's Verdict
Chynna: yee sang special
Taste
Service
Ambiance
Address:
Level 5,
Hilton Kuala Lumpur,
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03 2264 2515
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