The Han Room @ The Gardens, KL

The Han Room is part of the Oriental group of restaurants and with such a good reputation, posh decor and nice ambience, my family headed there to try out their dim sum. 

    

My first impression of the restaurant is its unfriendly reception staff, one of whom was quite cold and stand-offish. Perhaps they were busy, perhaps I was prejudiced. 

     

Anyway, next grouse was the method of ordering dim sum. Instead of giving us a piece of paper to mark the types of dimsum we wanted like other restaurants, theirs was quite confusing. Steamed and deep-fried items came in a cart which allowed us to pick what we wanted from the array of dishes. For congee and braised chicken feet, we had to go to a corner where the congee is prepared upon order. For  steamed rice rolls, we had to order from the wait staff. No one informed us of this beforehand - we only knew of it after enquiring about the dishes because they were not among the items in the cart.

    

The final thing which gave us a bad impression of the restaurant was the super long wait for the bill. We requested for the bill twice and it still did not come. I reckon if we walked out without paying, they wouldn't even know as they immediately cleared our table when we went to the reception to ask for the bill.

     

Additional Dipping Sauces

      

Siu Mai

   
 The Siu Mai was good but as you can see from the picture, the amount of roe on top was very little.
   

Har Gau

     
The prawn dumplings were good with bouncy prawns and acceptable dumpling skin.
   

Char Siu Bao

   
The Char Siu Baos were inconsistent in size but quite good. One grouse is that the char siu filling is a little too crumbly due to it being chopped into too small pieces.

      

Loh Mai Kai

 
The glutinous rice came with a huge piece of mushroom and was quite good.
   

Stir Fried Radish Cake

   
This dish lacked wok hei and it was served warm. The cubed radish cake was also slightly hard and tough like it was the previous day's leftovers whereas the beansprouts were not crunchy.

   

Yam Puff

   
The yam puff was also disappointing and the yam shell was quite hard instead of being soft and fluffy and crunchy. The filling, on the other hand, was good but typical.

   

Char Siu

   
Char siu was really good with sweet caramelised layer on the outside.
   

Braised Chicken Feet

   
The braised chicken feet was really flavourful and absorbed the marinade very well but it was not very tender.

   

Medallion Carp Congee

   
The congee was really smooth and pleasant. My mum detected hints of oatmeal mixed into the congee for added aroma and texture.
   

Prawn Cheong Fun

   

The prawn wrapped in rice rolls and soya sauce were good but they were stingy with the prawns >.> For each portion of rice roll, there was only one tiny prawn so if you bit the rice roll in two, the other side is just plain rice roll =.=

   

Overall, the Han Room is really disappointing. The dim sum was really just average for that sort of restaurant and price - I've had much better at Grand Palace Restaurant at Pavillion and the now-closed Crystal Jade Fine Dining Restaurant at The Gardens. Go there only for the ambience and decor but the service and food leaves much to be desired.

 
 
PawPoints: 2 Paws
Pawket: Tomato
   
The Han Room
Lot G243, G246 & G247, Ground Floor
The Gardens
Tel: 03 2284 8833
Mon - Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat - Sun: 10.30am - 11pm

Old Hong Kong Legend Restaurant @ Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore

Our friend PMS brought us to Old Hong Kong Legend as she said it was one of the few nice dim sum restaurants at Singapore. You can trust that it's definitely nice as she has good taste(buds) =P

       

Ji Gei Yau Restaurant

          

Complimentary pickles

     
The pickles which had a hint of spiciness were very tangy and refreshing. I couldn't stop munching on them.

     

Barbecued Pork Puff Pastry with Macadamia

      
The Char Siu Sou here is really good - crumbly baked pastry with lots of delectable filling within.

     

Abundant pork

    

Salted Pork with Century Egg Congee

      
The congee is extremely good as it was silky smooth with a sufficiently thick consistency. I love how the yau char kwai (Chinese crullers) is deep fried to a crisp and crunchy texture. Too bad I couldn't have a bowl to myself =P

       

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Dumplings with Scallop

     
Dumplings were springy and well flavoured.

    

Steamed Mushroom Dumplings

     
Somehow I don't recall eating this... =.=

    

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

     
Gigantic siu mai with prawns and lots of pork filling - very good.

    

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

     
The har gau is springy and fresh and the skin of the wrapper is really thin - thumbs-up!

   

Steamed Mushroom Dumplings

     
I found this a little odd with the many ingredients within the translucent wrapper but it tasted quite nice.

      

Steamed Chicken Claws with Black Bean Sauce

     
The chicken feet fully absorbed the delicious savoury flavours of the black bean sauce. Yummy =D

      

Steamed Flour Rolls with Mushrooms, Barbecued Pork and Shrimp

     
The cheong fun consisted of mushrooms, char siu and shrimp so it was tough to tell which part consisted of which filling. Nevertheless, it was good.

    

Pan-fried Radish Cake

       
I love pan-fried radish cake and this was cooked to perfection. The accompanying chilli oil (not pictured) was the perfect companion to the not-oily radish cake.

     

Deep-fried Chive Dumplings

     
The chive dumplings had an abundant amount of chives and minced pork - this was good too.

     

Panfried Shrimp Rolls Wrapped in Beancurd

      
This is something new...I have not seen this in KL before. Shrimps were encased in a dried beancurd wrap which was then deep-fried. It was extremely crunchy and the shrimps did not lose their moisture - very yummy!

     

Mini Egg Tarts

      
The mini egg tarts had a flaky, buttery pastry and smooth egg custard. Yummy when eaten piping hot =)

I gather this is like fine dining dim sum and I wouldn't mind returning here whenever I'm at Singapore. Really good stuff <thumbs-up>
 

   

PawPoints: 4 Paws

    
Old Hong Kong Legend Restaurant
City Hall MRT
#02-18 Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road

Singapore
Tel: +65 6336 3038

Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum @ Damansara Jaya, PJ

This place is always packed with families on weekends enjoying a late dim sum brunch. This is a good place to go as the dim sum are affordable and there is a huge variety. The downside is that it is really packed on weekends and you have to register at the counter where they'll call you once a table is available.

      

Customers spilling onto the road

       

Minced Pork Century Egg Congee

     
The congee was good overall but it was not very smooth as you can still feel the rice grains. For this price however, it is acceptable.

     

Minced Pork Potstickers

     
This was quite good although the skin was a little thicker and the bottom of the potsticker was not crispy enough. I wished they provided 2 saucers of ginger and vinegar dip as one is not sufficient. Or at the very least, more ginger shreds. I think the potstickers at Esquire Kitchen are the best d^_^b

    

Prawn Cheong Fun

    
The cheong fun was smooth and silky and the prawns were of average size. Quite good, I'd say.

   

Loh Mai Kai

    
Loh Mai Kai was not bad though I think the char siu is a bit too sweet for my liking.

   

Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice

     
The Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice was value for money as the lotus leaf's fragrance permeated the glutinous rice. JS enjoyed this dish as it had lots of filling. The salted egg went really well with the glutinuous rice and bits of meat.

   

Abundant filling

     

Steamed Prawn Dunpling

     
The prawns here are big and bouncy. Very nice.
   

Steamed Pork Dumpling

     
The Siu Mai here are also humongous. Lots of filling with a sweet taste to it due to the pork juices.

     

Braised Chicken Feet

     
The chicken feet here are not intact =.= The sauce is also much thicker which wasn't really my preference.

    

Yam Puff

    
Yam Puff was good with crunchy outer layer and creamy yam within. The char siu filling was sweet and it complemented the taste of the yam on the outer later.

   

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling in Cheese

    
This was the most expensive item on the menu =.= The fried wantans were very crispy and the prawns inside were huge. My bro loved the cheese topping.

   

Egg Tart

    
The egg tarts were flaky and eggy. JS thought that they were not too bad although he had tasted better ones elsewhere.

  

Cha Siu Bao

    

The char siu pau here had lots of filling although the pau skin was a bit too thick for my liking.

In conclusion, do come to Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum for a variety of relatively cheap dim sum. If you're looking for something refined, I'd suggest Grand Palace at Pavilion.

     

PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Onion

     
Restoran Jin Xuan Hong Kong 

59, 61 and 63, Jln SS22/19
Damansara Jaya
Tel: 03 7729 6866
Daily: 7am - 11.30pm

TEMPTationS @ Renaissance Hotel, KL

At Renaissance Hotel, TEMPTationS is the Asian brother of Vogue Cafe =P It largely serves local fare with lots of curries, salad station, a small dim sum station, congee, Indian vegetarian dishes, local desserts, ice-cream and Western cakes. If you ever see a lunch deal for buffet at this hotel, make sure you go for the one at Vogue Cafe. That's not to say that the food here isn't nice, just that it is not too...worth it =P However I recently found out that the dinner menu for TEMPTationS looks quite different than the lunch one so have a look at the menu and decide for yourself =P

      

Reception

     
Buffet breakfast goes for RM 45, buffet lunch RM 79 and buffet dinner RM 109.

I was there for a training course and since lunch was only for 45 minutes, I did not take pictures of all the dishes...just the general ones and ones that I like.

       

Cold Cuts

      

Salad Bar

      

My 1st round =P

       
As you can see (in a clockwise direction), there's Biryani rice, chicken and beef satay, grilled prawns, salmon cooked in cream sauce, deep-fried calamari and assam fish. The salmon tasted a little odd with a very rich cream sauce - not my favourite. The assam fish was good but not spectacular. The Biryani rice was fluffy and aromatic. You can probably see my favourites in the next picture...

    

My 2nd round O.O

       
I spied Yong Chow fried rice!! And as you can probably tell by now, I'm a sucker for carbs =D So here are all my favourites - chicken and beef satay, grilled prawns and deep-fried calamari. I also took a cold seafood salad which was not too nice in my opinion.

The fried rice was really good with lots of wok hei, fluffy egg, french beans and mini shrimps. Do take the chicken and beef satay if you're there as they were so succulent and flavourful with the rich peanut sauce. Each piece detaches easily when you pull on it and the meat is never tough. The grilled prawns were average but fresh and big so I took seconds =D The deep-fried calamari with curry leaves were crispy and fresh and not chewy...very addictive.

      

There were a lot of other curries such as chicken, beef, mutton, and lentil as well as a variety of chutneys. I did not take those as I already had my fill, lunching at a mamak shack adjacent to my office EVERY SINGLE DAY =.= But I'm sure the curries at TEMPTationS taste nice =)

     

Mini cakes and pastries

      
I did not take too many pictures of the cakes as I was late in getting to the dessert section and most of the cakes were already smashed or overturned and did not look appetising at all =.=
      

Cake slices and buns

     

Cendol and Ais Kacang Station

                

So anyway, do give it a try if you plan to let a foreigner sample local delicacies at a hotel buffet and if you absolutely love local food =)
 

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pawket: Salami

    
TEMPTationS @ Renaissance Hotel

Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2162 2233
Daily: 6am - 11am, 12pm - 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Dim Sum @ Maxim's Palace, Hong Kong

What a posh place! It was a ballroom full of hanging crystal chandeliers and elegant tableware. The dim sum were more daintily made than usual but not to the extent of fine dining daintiness. Taste-wise, it was good but not extraordinarily outstanding. I wish we had gone to sample Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, for comparison =(
    

Char Siu Bao

     

Scallop Cheong Fun

   

Prawn Cheong Fun

     

Steamed Vegetarian Dumpling

     

Beef Cheong Fun

      

Steamed Beef Balls

  

Har Gau aka Prawn Dumpling

  

Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

  

Wu Kok aka Yam Puff

    

Char Siu Sou aka Char Siu in Chinese Puff Pastry

    

Fried Custard Dumpling

    
A few blogs have commented on the confusing directions in getting to City Hall where Maxim's Palace is located at and I have to agree too. Also note that the ballroom is located on the upper levels of City Hall so do not mistake the cafe bearing a similar name on the ground floor as serving dim sum =)

  

PawPoints: 3 Paws

  

Maxim's Palace

Central MTR Exit J / Hong Kong MTR Exit A
2nd Floor, Low Block
City Hall
5-7 Edinburgh Place
Central
Hong Kong
Tel: 2521 1303
Mon - Sat: 11am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Sun: 9.30am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm