Chan with some of Shanghai’s festive offerings. — Courtesy photos
HAIRY crab-based delicacies, poached chicken with garlic and soy sauce, and other Shanghainese specialities await guests who want to savour a festive menu with a different flair.
To usher in the Lunar New Year, Shanghai, the Chinese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur, is offering dishes unique to China’s business capital.
Additionally, these delights are complemented by creations with local influences.
The crafting of the menu was led by Shanghai’s executive chef Wong Wing Yeuk, a native Shanghainese.
Assisting him was chef Chan Chee Hoong and the culinary team at the Michelin-selected eatery.
Chan said Shanghainese cuisine has more intense flavours compared to Cantonese cuisine.
“It also features the use of shallots and onions for sweeter, more fragrant flavours,” he said.
This Lunar New Year, Shanghai is serving three set menus, a yee sang menu plus a selection of a la carte dishes.
The Shanghainese Yee Sang with Salmon and Fresh Fruits for the health-conscious.
The restaurant’s Signature Shanghainese Yee Sang has options of accompaniments such as fresh fruit, salmon, jellyfish, sliced abalone and lobster.
Prices start from RM168+ for a small portion and from RM238+ for a large portion.
Advance orders are required for the Lobster Yee Sang.
For set menus, there are two eight-course options priced at RM2,688+ and RM4,588+, respectively, for a table of 10 persons.
Also available is a six-course menu priced at RM238+ per person.
The media preview session showcased a selection of dishes from the set menus.
These dishes are also available as a la carte orders.
Chan said the hotel prides itself in serving healthier versions of classic dishes.
As such, the Shanghainese Yee Sang with Salmon and Fresh Fruits was accompanied with olive oil and a dressing that included wasabi, which made it an ideal pairing with the fresh salmon slices.
The fresh fruits that made up the yee sang included rose apple, carrot, radish, melon and grape.
“New to this year’s menu are the Deep-fried Crispy Roll with Hairy Crab Roe, Steamed Sealord Fish with Light Soy Sauce, and Deep-fried Prawn with Wheat Flakes and Salted Egg Yolk,” said Chan, who is from Ipoh, Perak.
Among the new creations are the Deep-fried Crispy Roll with Hairy Crab Roe.
The crispy roll was a dish that resembled a dim sum roll.
The bite-sized items featured a filling made from hairy crab roe, a Shanghainese delicacy to which was added mushrooms.
Chan recommended savouring the rolls, wrapped in crispy kataifi pastry, with a vinegar dip.
“The Steamed Sealord Fish with Light Soy Sauce uses sealord fish sourced from Australia or New Zealand.
“It has a firm yet tender texture and natural sweetness.
“The fish’s reddish hue also makes it appropriate for celebrating the Lunar New Year,” he said.
Chan said the Poached Chicken with Garlic and Soy Sauce is a popular dish in Shanghai that had been adapted with some local ingredients.
Sourced from the waters of Australia and New Zealand is the Steamed Sealord Fish with Light Soy Sauce.
The Deep-fried Prawn with Wheat Flakes and Salted Egg Yolk catered to the local preference for salted egg yolk flavours, he added.
Festive ingredients such as sea moss (fatt choy) was featured in the Braised Spanish Pig’s Trotter with Sea Moss.
Dried Chinese sausages (lap cheong) were a central element in the Traditional Rice with Chinese Waxed Meat and Vegetable in Casserole.
“The Braised Spanish Pig’s Trotter is a time-consuming dish to make.
“The pork has to be first cooked in a wok and then braised for several hours.
“We also braise the meat with two types of wine, including hua tiao wine, to make it less gamey,” added Chan.
As for the Chinese waxed meat in a casserole, he said the Shanghainese version used a mix of Japanese and jasmine rice to get a good mix of stickiness and textures.
The waxed meat such as lap cheong and waxed duck were sourced from Hong Kong, he added.
The preview meal ended on a sweet note with Deep-fried Crispy Glutinous Rice Cake with Yam and Sweetened Cordyceps with Snow Fungus.
Shanghai’s Lunar New Year menu is available until Feb 12 for lunch and dinner.
SHANGHAI, Level 1, JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur, 183, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
(WhatsApp: 018-623 0069. Email: shanghairestaurant@jwmarriottkl.com)
Business hours: Lunch, noon-2.30pm (Mon-Sat), 10.30am-2.30pm (Sun and public holidays); dinner, 6.30pm-10pm (Mon-Sun). Non-halal.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
