Lai Po Heen @ Mandarin Oriental KL

Lai Po Heen is Mandarin Oriental KL's award-winning Chinese restaurant, serving both Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine. We were invited there recently to sample some of their a la carte menu selections. Chinese Executive Chef Ricky Thein explains that they have revamped about a third of their a la carte menu with new items. Every month, they will also feature 3 types of special set menus for diners to choose from.

Other than the new menus, Lai Po Heen has also recently undergone a facelift and sports an elegant look. The grand decor was inspired by the homes of Chinese tycoons with high ceiling complete with wooden and glass panel sliding doors embellished with intricate classic Oriental designs. The dining area is decorated in rich white and gold tones and adorned with ornate chandeliers, Oriental artwork and artifacts. Diners can also admire the skilled chefs in the open kitchen. 

We started off our meal with the Seven spices scented soft shell crab rolls with ginger jelly. The presentation is inspired by the Japanese temaki, but instead of the temaki holders, Chef Ricky cleverly presents his roll in hollowed-out melon rounds. The soft shell crab was crispy and flavorful.. a great start to our meal.

Chef Ricky is famous for his soups and he certainly impressed us with his double boiled kung fu soup with baby abalone, fish maw, scallops, morel mushrooms, cordyceps and baby cabbage. The superior stock has been boiled for 4 hours resulting in a clear yet flavorful soup, filled with many sea treasures. Loved it.

Dried scallops

Baby abalone

The oven baked black cod fillet with butter and cheese crust was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. This is a fusion dish using Western ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and turkey ham. The cod was perfectly cooked - fresh, flaky fish complemented well by the cheese crust. The fish is served with asparagus and tempura mushrooms.

Flaky and yummy

The key to cooking a good vegetable dish is using fresh vegetables and it has to be cooked very quickly. Though it looks simple, timing and skill is important, explains Chef Ricky. The stir fried seasonal vegetables (4 types depending on availability) with honey and crispy preserved olive tree leaves is as it should be - crunchy and fresh.

The wok fried prawns were huge and juicy, which was nicely coated in a spicy lemongrass sauce. Chef Ricky used a Vietnam chilli powder to give this dish a subtle heat and the Thai basil leaf for a nice fragrance.

Wok fried prawn with spicy lemongrass sauce

The Jasmine tea leaf smoked chicken served with a ginger onion dip was delicious. We certainly could smell and taste the tea which has been infused into the meat of the chicken by smoking. The taste of tea leaves in this dish is further enhanced by some deep fried tea leaves as garnish. Chef Ricky explains that in Cantonese cuisine, chicken should always be paired with ginger. He uses corn fed free range chicken for the best taste and succulent meat.

To end the meal on a sweet note, we were served Lai Po Heen's signature dessert, the durian pancake. Fresh D24 durian is mixed with whipped cream and wrapped in a thin crepe, resembling the durian fruit. This was good, and Hubby who is a non-durian lover also found this delicious. Luscious.

Chinese Executive Chef, Ricky Thein

All photos above are taken with the Leica V-Lux 3, a camera that we won from Mandarin Oriental's "What Mosaic Are You?" contest. Below are also some shots taken with the Leica of the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers and also KL Tower.

Petronas Twin Towers at night

KL Tower

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Opening times: 12pm to 2.30pm for lunch (Mon-Sat), 11am-3pm (Sundays & public holidays), 7pm to 10.30 for dinner (Mon-Sun).

Location: Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8885

Website: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/kualalumpur/