I cadged the idea for this post, and tomorrow's (Dim Sum - Low), from a shelter magazine I subscribe to. An occasional feature is "High and Low", and it consists of photos of two seemingly identically-decorated rooms, side-by-side. The catch is that one's been furnished to the tune of, oh, I don't know, U$ 25,000 or so, while the other's been done up "on the cheap" for maybe a little less than $5,000. Same-same, right? No way -- close inspection reveals that you can always tell the difference between expensive and cheap chic.
What I've found here in KL is that when it comes to dim sum, the line between expensive and cheap is not so clearly drawn, at least not when it comes to the customer's satisfaction. Oh sure, the trappings are as different as night and day -- a grand hotel dining room versus a plastic table on the street. And the ogle factor of higher end dim sum is exponentially greater than that of the streetside version; restaurant dim sum is usually just so pretty. But in the end, I found, whether you prefer high or low depends as much on the mood in you're in and the experience you're looking for as the appearance and taste of the food. Sometimes, rustic is better than refined.
We'll start with high, though that may be a bit of a misnomer for the Concorde Hotel's Xin. The Concorde is not a 5 or 6-star hotel and the decor of Xin speaks to that effect; the restaurant has neither the silk-brocaded serenity and leafy view of the Shangri-la's Chinese restaurant, nor the aggresively kinda-old-Shanghai/kinda-classic-Beijing-Mandarin opulence of Chynna, at the Hilton. Xin is more your generic upper-level Chinese restaurant: lots of big round tables, white table cloths and napkins, staff dressed in nod-to-old-China black and white uniforms (frog buttons on the shirts), and too-bright lighting that is not particularly flattering to either diners or photos. But -- a random survey of about 50 locals (OK, not exactly random; all are acquainted with Dave and/or I in one way or another) reveals that the best dim sum in KL is to be had here, so this is where we are. It's fairly swanky, it's not on the street, so in my book it qualifies as "high".
I really have no beef with Xin; almost all the dim sum is really lovely. The place draws steady crowds for a reason.
A must-eat is the stir-fried carrot cake. It's made to order at the front of the restaurant, and it's quite delicious. For those unfamiliar with this dish (which I was till I sampled it in KL), it's radish (or turnip? jicama? input please) cakes cut into cubes and stir-fried with eggs, bean sprouts, and green onion, among other things. Every order I've ever eaten at Xin has been perfect: lots of char on the "carrot" cake and eggs, bean sprouts retaining a bit of crunch, not too soggy from too much soy. It's greasy, but that's really unavoidable when one is stir-frying a naturally oil-absorbing foodstuff like carrot cake. It must be eaten as soon as it arrives at the table, while it's still piping hot; sitting does not flatter this dish.
Xin, in my opinion, excels at steamed dim sum, especially those involving seafood. Chee cheong fun (rice dough rolls, usually filled and served doused in soy) with scallops is heavenly, and the shrimp enclosed in rice flour dumplings are perfectly cooked to a wee bit "al dente" -- no mushy shellfish here. The item pictured above, pork dumplings topped with shrimp, featured a well-steamed but chewy wrapper and plenty of porky goodness that nonetheless managed not to overwhelm the seafood flavor.
Another Xin triumph here: taro puffs. I avoid deep-fried dim sum as a rule; why choose heavy greasiness when you can have steamed, light loveliness? But I make an exception to my rule every single visit for these mashed taro orbs, studded with little nubs of pork, encased in an amazingly dry, crunchy, almost fluffy fried coating. How do they do it? This is comfort food a la mashed potatoes. They're even better if you can snag a just-fried, still-steaming trio.
We couldn't get a decent photo of Xin's wonderful congee with century egg and fish; blame it on the near impossibility of shooting white food in a white bowl under poor lighting. But I'll settle for this shot of pork, rice, and salt-preserved fish, steamed in bamboo. It's scooped from the bamboo onto a plate to order. Some of the rice remains untouched by pork goo, providing a little bit of firmness to contrast with the grains softened by pork fat. The pork, which is actually a bit pinkish, is falling-apart tender and speaks deeply of the pig.; salted fish adds, er, saltiness. It's always a struggle to limit myself to just one spoonful of this dish.
In many cases, dim sum desserts are a disappointment, but Xin's got a nice little selection of something sweet to end the meal. These nut, date, wolfberry and whatnot "jelly" squares were new to me. They're densely packed with chewy and crunchy bits but the cool jelly-with-a-whiff of spice (cardamom?) makes them light and refreshing.
Mochi -- it's Japanese. But it turns up all over the place here in KL. These mochi rolls are filled with pleasingly bitter green tea paste, very sweet red bean paste, and absolutely scrumptious coconut custard. The mochi wrapper is a bit lighter and less elastic than Japanese mochi. When you bite into one of these dainties the wrapper gives way without resistance to the soft filling within. (I would kill for a recipe for that coconut custard.)
It's not only Xin's decor that makes the "high" designation a bit of a misnomer. We've never spent more than U$12-14 per person on a dim sum brunch there. And believe me -- we don't go light. I'm talking a dim sum brunch that negates the necessity of dinner.
I suppose we should be checking out the other "high" options for dim sum in town. But it's hard to tear myself away from Xin.
Xin at the Concord Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Golden Triangle. Reservations recommended (but none taken on Sunday).
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!
Posted by: Celine | 2005.11.30 at 20:50
There are also lovely specks of salted fish in the bamboo steamed rice.
Posted by: shiewie | 2005.12.01 at 11:22
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.
Posted by: phizackerly | 2005.12.01 at 17:31
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?
Posted by: Robyn | 2005.12.01 at 18:57
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.
Posted by: Su-Lin | 2005.12.07 at 03:23
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
Posted by: Anthony | 2006.02.19 at 14:41
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 ?
Posted by: Sharon | 2010.05.12 at 02:40