When restaurants are busy preparing for reunion lunches and dinners for the following week, you know Chinese New Year is just around the corner. The Lunar New Year is a time dedicated to putting the bad and the old behind us, and welcoming the good and the new. At the same time, CNY is a time for feasting, reunions, and celebrations. Luckily for all of you who celebrate the festival, KL has a variety of options that comprise CNY buffets and special sets available throughout the month.
The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar is leading the charge into the Year of the Rabbit by presenting its “Reunion Feast” – an indulgent, 4-course Chinese New Year menu that highlights fresh local ingredients and familiar Malaysian flavours, available from now until 5th February 2023. We enjoyed a taste of the menu and here’s our take on it:
The feast begins with the Golden Prosperity Yee Sang, made with a medley of julienned local vegetables – pegaga, celun, sengkuang, ulam raja – sliced red dragon fruit, wild-caught smoked salmon, yam and sweet potato crisps, and citrus honey lemon dressing. We’d say this version of the yee sang is pretty impressive, and the taste is different, too. You get a sweet and fruity aftertaste, and the ingredients used in this yee sang are super fresh compared to the traditional yee sang. Of course, it had to get messy! No Chinese New Year is complete without the traditional yee sang tossing (also known as the prosperity toss). During the yee sang toss, the Chinese would shout out all sorts of auspicious wishes and hopes for the new year, including for good fortune, health, happiness and more. It’s believed that the higher you toss, the more luck you get. So, worry less about the mess and more about the fortune.
Next up on the menu is the Fine Fortune Scallop; a succulent grilled Hokkaido Scallop on a bed of wild betel leaves and kerisik rendang sauce, drizzled with their signature house-made chili oil. We’ve dined here a few times before, but this time, the scallop was amazing. It was not just fresh, but the pairing of seafood with rendang sauce was just mind-blowing. It was savoury, juicy and had a hint of spiciness at the end.
For mains, we could choose between Wok Hei Wagyu Fried Rice or Wok Hei Cod Fried Rice. They’re both fried rice, basically – the only difference is the meat used. Previous experience with the wagyu beef wasn’t really pleasant – but we had that “gut” feeling that this time, it was gonna be really good. For the main, we went with the Wok Hei Wagyu Fried Rice, a juicy 150gm Wagyu Fillet accompanied by wok hei fried rice, stir-fried tender stem broccoli, and a rich spicy tomato sambal. It instantly gave us this warm, homey feeling with just the first bite. The Wagyu was tender, juicy and added so much flavour to the dish. As for the stir-fried broccoli and the crispy fried greens on top, they were flavourful and really complimented the dish. Now comes the best part of the dish – the spicy tomato sambal. Well, it was supposed to be spicy, but actually, it wasn’t. And if those who have low to almost zero tolerance of spiciness, this dish fits you best. As for the cod, we heard some say it was equally as good as the Wagyu.
Now, we couldn’t leave without indulging in desserts, could we? The Panna Cotta and Lucky Longan, a rich and creamy lo han guo (monk fruit) pudding with caramelized longan syrup, closes out the Reunion Feast at The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar in the sweetest way. And by sweet, we mean “really” sweet. The pudding by itself tasted creamy and mildly sweet. But together with the caramelized longan syrup, you’d probably get a sugar rush. This dessert looks simple, but really gives you that sweet punch to your taste buds.
Overall, we had an amazing reunion feast at The Chow Kit. The ambience, with touches of Chinese elements, is warm and cozy. And the food is absolutely great. We feel like the menu is not only meant for our fellow Chinese who are celebrating, but also other races. The flavours and ingredients used are mostly a mix, which we think is great, as it is an element that brings everyone together.
The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar’s “The Reunion Feast” menu is priced at RM250++ per person, with an option for a wine pairing with Vins D’alsace Horcher wines at RM350++ per person (inclusive of food).
Visit their website or contact +603 2778 6688 to reserve your table or to find out more.
