CNY 2015: Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant, Novotel Kuala Lumpur

Usher in the Year of the Wooden Goat with one of three delightful Chinese New Year menus on offer at Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant at Novotel KL. Available from 19 January to 7 March 2015, you can choose from Wisdom Set Menu (RM1088++ for 10 pax), Fortune Set Menu (RM1288++ for 10 pax, and Prosperity Set Menu (RM1888++). If you are dining in a smaller group, fret not as Qing Zhen also offers a smaller menu for a minimum of 6 pax. Full CNY menu can be viewed here.

CNY Decor at Qing Zhen

We had the pleasure of dining at Qing Zhen during our staycation here last year and last week, we were invited back here to sample their CNY menu.

Yee sang is always my favorite part of a CNY meal. Over here, you can choose to have smoked duck, lamb & salmon or smoked salmon & abalone yee sang. We had the latter, which is also part of the Prosperity Set Menu. Tossing yee sang is always fun, as we shout out auspicious wishes for the new year such as good health, more money, winning the lottery, etc.

Smoked salmon and abalone yee sang

Topped with salmon and abalone

Ready for the toss

First yee sang toss of the year! Yay. ;)

Next to arrive is the braised seafood soup, filled with treasures of the sea such as fish lips, sea cucumber, dried scallops, fish maw and crab meat as well as mushrooms. Although Qing Zhen is a pork-free restaurant, their dishes will not lose in the taste and flavour department  even when compared to a restaurant serving pork. Each mouthful of the soup is smooth and soothing to the tummy, all of us had second helpings and some even up to 4 bowls! Excellent soup.

The prettiest, and my favorite dish of the afternoon is the steamed Pacific cod fish. Each piece of cod is topped with a large pan seared sea scallop with green ginger sauce. Utterly delicious! And lucky me for getting two portions of this ;)

The wok fried king prawns boasts huge, fresh prawns which are deep fried until the skin crispy, while retaining the taut, juicy flesh within. It is served with wolf berry, red dates and a sauce made from dried Chinese yam "Wai San" style.

Lamb is not something you always see on Chinese menus, and this wok fried lamb loin was certainly a breath of fresh air. Furthermore with this CNY being the year of the goat/lamb. We were really impressed with the tender, flavorful lamb meat which is coated in aromatic premium coffee sauce. Assistant Chinese Chef, Jerry Kong explains to us that he uses lamb tenderloin and we also expressed how we liked that the dish did not display a strong lamby taste. The lamb was delicious eaten on its own or wrapped with the flower bun and lettuce.

A well-loved dish during the CNY period, the braised Mexican abalone, mushroom, sea cucumber and dried oyster with scented abalone sauce was delicious. Discerning, health-conscious diners will be happy to learn that Qing Zhen's menu is pretty low in sodium, but without comprising on the taste as all the dishes were very well-flavoured and tasty. 

The steamed aromatic buttered rice in lotus leaf got the approval of my fellow diners, and they were impressed that such a delicious version could be made without any pork. Chef Jerry uses dried mushrooms, waxed meat (duck) as well as his own-made chicken char siew for this. Furthermore, rice instead of glutinous rice is used for a lighter, healthier version.

To end our meal on a sweet note, we had Chinese New Year cake, also known as nian gao. The nian gao is coated in a light, thin batter and deep fried until the skin is crispy and the nian gao is warm and gooey.

Thanks to Novotel KL for having us, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal! :)



The Chinese New Year menus are available for both lunch and dinner from 19 January to 7 March 2015. However please note that the restaurant will be closed from 19-22 February 2015. For reservations or enquiries, email H6324-FB3@accor.com or call 03-2147 0888.

Pork-free.

Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays - Lunch: 12.00pm – 2.30 pm; Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.00pm. Closed on Sunday.

Location: Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant, Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 2 Jalan Kia Peng, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2147 0888

GPS Coordinates: 3.151861, 101.719673




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