Elegant Inn tends to be one of those steadfast places we always go for Chinese food.
This time, a tasting session of a few dishes they had introduced led to a very nice discovery.... a new breed of crabs aka Dungeness.
I've eaten it before in San Francisco but this particular crab comes from Europe.
Any genuine crab lover will love this newbie in the Malaysian market, as when eaten cold, the meat is sweet and chunky. Best bits is the creamy roe. Just add a dash of black vinegar and believe me you will be in crustacean heaven.
This yummy delicacy is priced from RM168 to RM238 per piece. Price tends to vary depending on the size of each crab received from the suppliers so double check prices and also availability of it before you head here.
We also sampled the baked version which was good but as exceptional like the supremely cold variety.
Continuing on the crabby trend, we also had these superb crab roe noodles.
It's based on a noodle dish I once sampled in Macau, on the recommendation of J, the owner of Elegant Inn.
This small place located next to the port that served these wonderful noodles had the distinction of being listed in Michelin's Macau guide. I've not blogged about my trip to Macau but these noodles were very memorable.
Even though you have not tasted the original, this one is almost as good with its creamy golden roe topping thin egg noodle strands that are have a lovely al dente texture.
For those who feel the crab roe noodles are too decadent, how about these crispy Chinese noodles braised with fish maw and sea cucumber. Part of a six course meal of RM118++ per person, I love these noodles for its textural contrast - crunchy strands mingle with softened ones that have touched the fragrant broth.
Adding more texture to the whole dish is julienne slices of fish maw, sea cucumber and Chinese chives (the pale version). A dash of aromatic dried prawn roe or har chee completes this wonderful dish.
We also sample steamed capon aka yim kai with a fragrant ginger paste but my favourite was the braised abalone served with sea cucumber stuffed with eight treasures, and a braised Chinese mushroom.
The abalone comes from the Middle East (my first time eating this type) and has a soft centre. While its fragrance is a wee lacking, this was made up with the aromatic eight treasure stuffing underneath that soft collagen rich sea cucumber. Even the braised mushroom was good.
One would have loved to abandon good manners and just licked up all that yummy sauce.
Even vegetables taste divine here and I love this home style cooking of eggplant with longbeans in their aromatic sauce with chilli paste, dried scallops and dried shrimps. Love how the eggplant melts in the mouth with bursts of the dried shrimp flavour coming through. Best eaten with a bowl of hot rice.
Last but not least, a sample of their new dessert, a nifty thing known as almond milk tea with glutinous rice ball. The tea is milky with hints of almond and once you reach the bottom, there is the surprise of a glutinous rice ball filled with black sesame paste. It is served with a sweet osmanthus water chestnut stick. A twist on the classic dim sum specialty, the water chestnut cake, this one was ingeniously battered and fried hence you get two textures - a crunchy batter on top and the almost jelly like with a crunch from the water chestnut. This is part of the RM118++ set menu.
Note, there are various set menus available. There's a 4-6 person set menu for RM338++ with wide choices for dishes. There is a RM118++ per person set and one for RM88++ per person. Details are in the Flickr set.
Elegant Inn
2nd Floor, Podium Floor
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2070 9399
(Non Halal. For more pictures and the set menu details, see my Flickr set).
*Note: This meal was paid for by the restaurant.
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