The Concept of Five Sen5es @ The Westin Kuala Lumpur

With the opening of the all-new Five Sen5es restaurant in The Westin Kuala Lumpur, the Kuala Lumpur dining scene now has reason to celebrate.  Five Sen5es, with its contemporary stunning cutting-edge décor, yet with nuances of traditional elements discreetly embedded, is home to the most authentic Cantonese cuisine, from simple tasty dim sum to the most luxurious and exquisite fine-dine delicacies.

Stepping into Five Sen5es, I was awed by its trendy and chic aesthetics, with water features bringing a Zen-like feel while Chinese vases and an ancient gong held their places of pride.  Colorful kois swimming in the water passages cleverly molded to the décor further add to its elegant charm.

So, what inspires the name of this elegant restaurant?  Five Sen5es presents and personifies the Five Human Sen5es of Sight, Taste, Scent, Touch and Sound.  Their a la carte menu embodies an extensive selection of authentic local Cantonese dishes paying homage to these five human senses.

In a special evening for invited guests recently, the culinary team highlights the presence of these five elements in the preparation, cooking and presentation of these five spectacular signature dishes.

 

1.   Sense of Taste

Have you ever been blindfolded and asked to taste a dish?  It is no easy feat.  The very action of bringing a spoonful of food from the bowl to my lips took a lot of concentration.  As sight was not employed, I found my palate heightened when tasting the Imperial Double Boiled Morel Broth.  The broth was umami-sweet as it has been double-boiled with French Morel mushrooms and vegetables giving it an earthy aroma.  The Australian scallop wanton gave it an additional rich flavour.

 

Chef Ng Kok Wai, Executive Chinese Chef, Five Sen5es & Banquet

 

2.  Sense of Sound

Stepping into the room, I could already hear a crackling sound – that of prawns being seared on a hot and huge round pan.  The Pan-seared Stuffed Prawns with Enoki Mushrooms in Honey Maki Jus were delightful.  Plump succulent prawns, seared just right and wrapped in the stringy enoki mushrooms were a perfect pair.  The templting sound emitted from the searing heightens the auditory sense for this luscious course.  The Secret Oven Baked Crispy Hongkong Bun filled with avocado cream gave a nice crunch to the bite.

 

3.  Sense of Scent

Wok-fried Seafood and Silken Eggwhite combined with crème brulee in a puff pastry cushion and then sprayed with some heady Truffle Oil encompass the sense of scent.  Although the puff pastry was a bit too thick, the delicate taste and texture of the seafood and silken eggwhite, enhanced by truffle oil, which was sprayed on the pastry prior to serving, was a tempting ensemble.  The Crispy Fried Fresh King Durian Ice Cream gave a whole new strong meaning to the sense of scent!

 

4.   Sense of Touch

The Crispy Black Fungus and Pork Layers, essentially braised pig’s ears, threaded through skewers were served cold, in a pot of dry ice.  When I reached out to the skewer, the sense of cold touched my fingers but this was quickly dispelled when I tasted the soy sauce-braised crunchy pig’s ears which had delicious aromatics of Chinese spices infused in them.

 

5.   Sense of Sight

Watching the carving the Peking Duck is an experience.  And experienced hands are needed to ensure the skin of the duck is deftly carved, without destroying the crispiness of it.  The carved crispy skin is then served on a Momo skin, complete with spring onion, cucumber stick and delicate Hoi Sin sauce.

The remaining duck meat can then be cooked in various ways.  I got to try one of Five Sen5es’ duck mean speciality – diced, and then saute’ed with some cubed onions and carrots and served on fresh lettuce leaves – very refreshingly delicious!

So, these are the signature dishes embodying the Five Sen5es.  You can select from an extensive range of dishes which incorporates the five human senses in their style of cooking and presentation.  I had a chance to marvel at some of their signature Dim Sum dishes that are specially crafted to replicate the five human senses – more of that in my next post!

Five Sen5es
The Westin Kuala Lumpur
199 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2731-8333  Fax: 03-2731-8000