If you realized, I seldom go for food reviews these days ever since I found out that I'm growing horizontally.. and yes, that strikes me really hard that I signed up for gym and try to avoid any food review invites by any chances. However, (hahaha, there's always a however) when an invitation came in last two weeks from one of the most prominent and highly-standard Chinese restaurant in Pavilion KL, I just cannot say no to good food. Thank you Imbi Palace Group and Naomi for the invites!
You would have passed by The Grand Palace Restaurant if you're a frequent shopper in Pavilion KL. This place is perfect for couples to have their Chinese wedding dinners, as well as other company dinners and functions as well. About 140 honoured guests including bloggers and friends from the media are invited to share this momentous occasion. That night, they launched their rebranding of the Imbi Palace Group. It signifies a new milestone on their journey, and a symbol of more exciting things to come. How am I not glad to be a part of their celebration ? Congratulations to them !
As usual, we checking out the menu of the night on what they prepared for us. Yum yum ! All of these are arranged and designed by Chef Jason Tong, Group Executive Chef. He has over 20 years experience in Cantonese Cuisine with a reputable hotel in Hong Kong.
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Alright, now let me show you our first starter dish, the Double Boiled Cordyceps Flower with Top Shell and Fish Maw (RM28.00)
What a fancy long name! It was indeed very appetizing. This starter is a very healthy and nutritious soup. It helps improve skin complexion, nourishes our Yin, and cleanses our kidney. So much good in it, not feeling guilty at all !
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Our second dish then was also a demo on the Crispy Golden Peking Duck (RM70.00)
Peking Duck is popular duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era. Today, it is considered one of China's national foods. I love ducks so much, be it both alive or dead (hahaha!). Do you guys eat ducks? Because the boyfriend cannot accept dead ducks into his body. I think that is weird. Anyone?
This dish is appreciated for its thin crispy golden skin with just the right amount of meat. Here comes the fun time! We will take the skin and meat, add some scallion and our specially prepared hoisin sauce and wrap it in the home-made thin pancakes called Momo at our table. If you do it right, when you bite into it, the juices from the meat will trickle between your finger tip. I would say that I the skin can be more crispy though. Other than that everything else was good.
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One thing about me when it comes to this kind of dinner (wedding/corporate business dinners), I will always skip the part where the seafoods came in the middle of the whole menu. I know! I can't be hating seafood, but I really dislike seafood since young, except fishes without that smell. You know what I mean.
Our third dish was Fried Stuffed Scallops (RM14.00). Scallop, what?! I will never touch scallop.But the boyfriend being the boyfriend, ever since he's with me he always ask me to try(or even force) every food that I dislike since young. I gave this a try then, which, I would say, this scallop taste awesome! Only this.
Imbi Palace Group chose the finest scallops from the icy cold waters of Canada. This is combined with Banana Prawns from the Gulf of Carpenteria. The scallops are stuffed with fresh prawns to create two distinct flavors and aromas. Fresh enough for me not to taste that smell. Geddit geddit.
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And then here comes our fourth dish of the night ; 8 Treasures Truffles Chicken (RM80.00). The Chinese has a thing about giving good names for good dishes, don't you think? For this particular dish, the chicken is prepared by stuffing 8 different types of mushrooms that has been infused with truffle sauce.
Don't you worry! They have pretty well-trained waiters and chefs to come to your table to cut out the chicken professionally. The smell was so good at the very moment when the chicken is "opened". Imagine the 8 different type of mushrooms in the chicken, when the entire chicken is hung up to roast to bring out the rich flavor of the chicken meat while maintaining a crispy skin on the outside. Due to the �hanging�, you will notice that the neck of the chicken is longer than usual, and that is how the name, Kookoo chicken comes about.
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After that, going on to our fifth dish ; the BBQ Broiled Spanish Pork Ribs (RM158.00). Something western into the chinese I would say? Of course, this will be my favourite dish of the night!The ribs are from the Spanish Iberian pig, which is known for its nutty flavour, and its delicate melt-in-your-mouth marbling. The Iberian pig�s diet of acorns gives it a uniquely tender, rich and rosy meat.
Oh, did I mentioned that we have beers too? Although I did not take much beer that night (beer belly? *dilemma! ), but ribs certainly goes well with the beer. Feeling all German-ish hohoho. The ribs was not too hard nor soft, it was just nice, and I really wish I could have a second one! Maybe we will visit them again just for their ribs?
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Our sixth dish, which is the most anticipated of all I supposed ; the South African Dried Abalone (Promo � RM 88.00 per piece). Again, we have a demo on this dish, and also lucky draw where lucky winners will walk away with abalones!Ahh, I'm not that lucky for the draw, but I'm contented to be able to taste it already!
Tthe South African Dried Abalone looks like a golden ingot that signifies wealth and prosperity. Harvested from the unpolluted seas off the coast of Hermanus, the quality of the abalone is assured in its preparation process. Notice the texture of the abalone? I'm not very an abalone person, but the taste is really fulfilling, sticky, rich and chewy. I think this promotion is really worth it, as they usually sell it for RM 168, but now it's RM 88! Not to mention, the size of the abalones are very big ones.
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Our seventh dish was somewhat kungfu-ish. It was a demo again on LanZhou Knife Shaved Ramen (RM10.00).
This is a delicacy from Lan Zhou, GanSu, China and is a heritage food enjoyed for generations. The Ramen is shaved off a ball of dough. At this point, I'm already quite full and my tummy is coming out. However, this dish enhances my appetite once again as it is served with pickled vegetable soup. Ah yes, I gobbled up everything and left nothing in the bowl too.
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The eighth dish was the Braised Noodle with Duck Meat (RM18.00). Here comes the duck again!
In this whole menu, Peking duck is generally served in two different styles, the first is the crispy duck we had earlier and the second where the duck meat is braised with noodles. This dish served by a senior Chef, Xiao-Chen who is from LanZhou. Wow, even a dish that seems normal on the outlook could taste very nice too! I had 2 bowls of that? No no, diet starts tomorrow.
Happy Mooncake festival by the way! (It's yesterday, haha!) This snow skin mooncake taste exceptionally good, as it was their home-made ones. Chef Nam-gor, Dim Sum Kitchen demonstrates hand-making snow skin mooncake with its content; white lotus seed paste from Hong Kong. However, one thing about this s that the paste tend to stick on the teeth. Imbi Palace Group is generous enough to let us have one of their mooncake each as a door gift. Thank you!
The coconut pudding is the signature dessert of the Imbi Palace Group and it�s their best kept secret recipe. I initially thought it would be another 'face coconut taste' kind of thing like the ones we usually get in other normal restaurants, but this just proved me wrong. It tasted so original, and very chilled of course! For a dessert lover like me, what else can I wish for?
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That being said, happy people with happy stomach. No, don't look at mine! Do give it a try if you really can afford it, after all it'll make your money worth it! Thank You so much Grand Palace Restaurant for having us for the night. It's really a great time..... to come hungry, and leave happy!
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Current 4 outlets: 1.Mutiara Palace Restaurant, Mutiara Damansara 2.The Klang Palace Restaurant, Centro Mall, Klang 3.Grand Palace @ Pavilion 4.The Jaya Palace Restaurant, Menara LYL 5. (Coming soon) Palace @ Setia City in Shah Alam
