Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial KL
We were recently invited to savour the authentic flavours of Cantonese cuisine leading up to the Chinese New Year celebrations. This restaurant is well known in the heart of Kuala Lumpur for its Dim Sum brunches and a la carte dishes. The contemporary dining of the interior reflects on the elegance and sophistication of Chinese culture.
This year, Executive Chinese Chef, Ho Boon, specially crafted a selection of Yee Sang. We were served Prosperity Norwegian Salmon Fish served with Crispy Shredded Treasure, Snow Pear and Plum Dressing. It was certainly refreshing and a good way to start the lunch and there was a generous double portion of the Norwegian Salmon.
This is one of the four Yee Sang's that you can order as an a la carte dish if you are not keen on ordering the whole set menu. A whole portion is priced at (RM218 nett) or you could opt for half a portion at (RM109 nett).
The next starter we tried was a Braised Seafood Soup with Bamboo Pith and Asparagus. It was served piping hot and there was a decent amount of filling in the soup.
One of the stand out dishes was the Crispy Roasted Duck infused with Chinese herbs. The skin was not as crispy as I would usually like but other than that, the flavours came through and the addition of the sweet plum sauce on the side brought the dish to life.
We moved on to the Deep Fried White Promfret fish with sweet and sour strawberry sauce. Instead of using the usual tomato sauce, the strawberry juice was extracted and used as a core ingredient to bring out the natural flavours. This particular dish brings me back to my childhood as I always looked forward to dive into this dish during our family reunion dinners.
Chinese set menus have been curated through the years and there is a reason behind every core ingredient served believing it will bring luck to the family for the year. Prawns are seen as opulence, the symbolism of wealth and prosperity and this Steam Tiger King Prawn was freshly cooked in black vinegar garlic sauce, simplistic yet wholistic.
This is the first time I have ever tasted braised rice, a Chinese version of an Italian Risotto. There are five different grains of rice with diced chicken, conpoy and eggs in abalone broth. It's almost like rice and soup but it still has a starchiness from the broth. A good meal for the kids around the table during the festive season but it certainly did not entice me enough for a second helping.
After having so many dishes we came to the end of the meal with a Hot Sweetened Eight Treasures in Almond Cream. The Almond cream has a strong distinct medicinal taste with a slight hint of marzipan. Most Asians would enjoy this dessert, however the combination of flavours may not be for everyone.
If you fancy something sweet you will like this deep fried Chinese brown sugar cake, also known as Nian Gao that is traditionally given as gifts during the lunar new year.
This Stellar Prosperity set menu is available at (RM2688 nett) for a table of 10pax and comes with a complementary bottle of Luis Felipe Reserve Red Wine and a box of mandarin oranges. These exclusive set menus are available from now till the 2nd of March during lunch and dinner.
Celestial Court
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm-2:30pm (Weekdays); 12pm - 3:00pm (Weekends)
Dinner: 6:30pm - 10:30pm