Australian Lobster Salad with Pan-Fried Scallop King and Handcrafted Carrots. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
FOR its 16th anniversary, Grand Imperial Group brought in Michelin-star chef Andy Ng from China to collaborate with its deputy executive chef Kenneth Chai on designing a new menu.
Executive director Joshua Wong said the menu was a celebration of Chinese food as well as a collaboration of skills between the two chefs.
“Chef Ng brought his own cooking style from Guangzhou.
“Together with chef Chai, we are set to develop Grand Imperial’s own food language,” Wong said during the “Four-hands Dinner” at the group’s branch in The Club, Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
(From left) Grand Imperial Group (Grand Imperial) deputy executive chef Kenneth Chai and Michelin star guest chef Andy Ang toasting to each other on the stage during Grand Imperial's 4-hands Dinner at The Club, Petaling Jaya, Selangor on Oct 22. —CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
He said Grand Imperial had grown from one restaurant to a homegrown chain that serves a wide range of Cantonese dishes to people from multiple generations.
“We have been bringing people and families together through celebrations, weddings, corporate events and family dinners throughout the past 16 years,” he said.
The group currently has 10 branches across the country.
“We have been serving similar menus with small variations throughout the years.
“Therefore, I am giving the chefs more freedom to develop new dishes,” said Wong.
The celebration took place at seven Grand Imperial branches across Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Some of the highlights in the “Four-hands Dinner” were Australian Lobster Salad with Pan-Fried Scallop King and Handcrafted Carrots, and Hong Kong-style roasted crispy marinated pigeon.
For dessert, there was soup with double-boiled peach gum, lily bulb, dried longan and Red King dates paired with crispy scallion pancake stuffed with premium Jinhua dry-cured ham.
“The Australian lobster in the salad is the most expensive of its kind.
“The accompanying handcrafted carrots are also made with the most delicate radish, making it very fresh and sweet,” said Wong.
“The roasted pigeons are made with two-week-old pigeons to ensure their tenderness. They were bought from China.
“Meanwhile, the dessert combines the taste of southern China (soup) and northern China (scallion pancake),” said Ng, who is also known as the Grand Master of Cantonese cuisine.
The dinner was accompanied by a live band performing classic Cantonese and English tunes.
