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2005.11.30

Comments

Celine

Hi Robyn

Those 'jellied cakes' which had your tastebuds in the twirls are actually waterchestnut cake, made with diced waterchestnuts, chestnut flour, and of late, a very recent creativity, a handful of wolfberries,('keh-ji' in Chinese) to contrast the colour (or the lack of it).

It can be eaten fresh (chilled) or pan fried, with the edges slightly charred, like yam and radish cakes.

Btw, the radish (loh pak gou) cakes which you had, is served ala Malaysian (& Sgporean) style, fried with the array of ingredients listed. Elsewhere around the globe, this snack is usually served square-cut & pan-fried.

Hope you enjoyed the creative ways of our SEA cooking!

shiewie

There are also lovely specks of salted fish in the bamboo steamed rice.

phizackerly

You have not covered the "lows". The place we go to, when we are in KL, you have to drive for half-an-hour, and we always get lost. There are about 3 competing dim sum places along the same row of shophouses. They all lay out their tables along the road, competing with the cars, in the classic eating alongside an open drain arrangement. People roam up and down the tables with huge round trays of dimsum, advertising their particular tray at the tops of their voices. You can feed a family of 5 plus grandpa and grandma for under MYR50. Now that's living.

Robyn

Thanks phizackerly, but you kinda jumped the gun.

My first sentence -- this post is "high" and tomorrow's is "low". Well, tomorrow is now today (huh?) and the "low" post is up.

Mee Bon is also in a row of three shops ... wonder if it's the same place you go to?

Shiewie -- thanks! Noted.

Celine -- I don't know, these are definately gelatinous, not floury, squares (I think the photo shows a little bit of liquid on the plate as the squares start to "sweat") and I'm not sure how one could successfully fry jello. Are we talking the same thing here?

Su-Lin

As Celine mentionned, the radish cakes (aka daikon or white carrot) are fried Singaporean style and goes by the name of chai tow kueh. It's available in both light (which I believe you had) or dark (plenty of dark sauce...like the type used for char kway teow) styles. My favourite! Yum yum! It's more of a Singaporean dish rather than Malaysian.

Anthony

Robyn,

It’s a Sunday afternoon and based on your review I decided to go try out Xin.

I’ll have you know that I was bitterly disappointed!

Forget the décor; the food is easily one of the worst Dim Sum Joint’s iv ever been to!

The test of any descent Dim Sum Restaurant is their ‘Har Gau’ (Prawn Dumpling) and ‘Siew Mai’ steamed pork dim sum.

Both dishes I tasted at Xin were sub-par. I tried several other dishes, fried, steamed and deserts; ALL were ordinary, at best.

These criticisms are not aimed at berating you, nor an attack at Xin. I do this for the sake of good eating. I do this for everyone looking for really good Dim Sum.

Iv made it a personal quest to find the absolute Best Dim Sum in KL. So far I have been to 3 places worth mentioning. They are in my opinion very good but may not be the best and I would love for someone to let me know where the best is.

My pick for Dim Sum Bliss is

No 1. ‘Yu Jia’ in Imbi.

If you go early on a Sunday you may even be able to get a parking spot for free on the street (already one plus point over Concorde).

The décor is sheek modern Chinese. But im more interested in the food. Try the Har Gau & Siew Mai; you’ll find the prawns consistently fresh with a juicy crunch to the bite. I will let the rest of their menu speak for itself.

The service is also first rate. Ask about their membership program, its free and you get a card which entitles you to a 10% discount off the bill.

Their prices are better than my next pick.

Just up the street is my Number 2. ‘Imbi Pallace’. A much bigger set up with a wider selection on the menu but like I said a little dearer in price.

My 3rd pick is in Darby Park. Free parking is also available for early birds. This place is a Halal joint, service is very ordinary and their steamed Dim Sum is not as fresh as Yu Jia but their fried selections are very good. Try their fried ‘Lobak’ and Taro Puffs. But I love their Egg custard Buns (they do an even better job than Yu Jia) have it steamed or fried. I’m partial towards the fried.

So there you have it. My 3 picks for Dim Sum in the heart of KL.

Enjoy!

Anthony Robert III

Sharon

Thanks for the recommendations. There's also a list of the top 10 dim sum restaurants in KL --> http://themalaysianlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/best-dim-sum-in-kl-and-pj.html

What do you think ?

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