I’ve always liked Teochew cuisine. Teochew dishes tend to be kinder on the palate and stomach due to the gentler cooking methods. Signature Teochew dishes are often prepared over a slow fire, stewed, steamed or just simply sti-fried. Oh, they also do their pickles perfectly. Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant is one of those restaurants that do all those perfectly.
Did you know that Teochew-style Yee Sang is quite different from the regular eye sang served in most restaurants? I had my first taste of the Classic Chiu Chow Yee Sang with Grass Carp recently here.
The components are all mainly vegetables, like leek, basil leaves, garlic, preserved radish (“choy poh”), coriander stalks, radish, pickled ginger and peanuts. Fresh grass carp slices are then arranged on top before pouring over the sauce which is made from galanggal paste and Japanese sesame oil.
It’s a rather plain and rustic yee sang with the strong flavours of some of the vegetables blending with the galangal paste and intermingling with the natural sweetness of the grass carp. For some, it’s an acquired taste; most of those vegetables tasted like the accompaniment for steamed fish. Nevertheless, it’s a light and refreshing start to the meal.
Next came the very nourishing Double-boiled Sharksfin Soup with Morchella mushroom. The unique mushroom added a nice earthy aroma to the soup. The long hours of double boiling resulted in a soup that’s enriched with the rich flavours of the dried seafood and mushroom.
Steamed Jade Perch with preserved vegetables, tomatoes and sour plums was done the signature style. Three medium-sized perches made up the serving. Their fine flaky texture absorbed the tangy sauce in the most delightful way.
Braised Pig’s Trotter with Black Moss and Vegetables had all the right flavours. The chef had used superior abalone sauce for the braising, resulting in a broth that’s extremely rich, thick and tasty. The trotter chunks were all tender and gelatinous – perfect with bowls of white rice.
Classic Crabmeat Ball with Vegetables and Mushrooms were pleasing to the eyes and stomach. Fresh bouncy crabmeat made all the difference.
Braised Assorted Fungus with Vegetables is a unique dish. Quite unlike the usual mixed vegetables dish, this dish had mixed fungi, lily bulbs, bamboo pith, dried oysters, black moss and crunchy water chestnuts. Every spoonful yielded different mouth feel, a delicious little discovery along the way.
Fried Chinese Glutinous Rice Cakes Chiu Chow style was an apt way to end the savouries. Flat pieces of the soft rice cakes were stir fried with meat, prawns and mixed vegetables – definitely a hearty way to load on the carbo!
Double-boiled Sesame Dumplings served with Ginger and Candy Sheet Broth left me a warm tummy after all these hearty dishes.
At Pak Loh Chiu Chow, there are 2 set menus for the Chinese New Year: the Four Seasons Fortune Set and the Golden Jade Prosperity Menu, both available until 5 March 2015. Bookings can be made for 4, 6 or 10 pax for these 2 set menus.
Besides these, there are also a list of special a la carte dishes on the menu.
For reservations please call 03-2782-3856.
Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant
Feast Village
Starhill Gallery
181 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur