Shanghai at its best

Chinese cooking has always been associated with plenty of stir-fry on fiery wok and dishes that pack extra punch of flavours that will leave the gastronomy soul appeased. However, not all Chinese food are made stir-fried to bring out the flavours. Each region has its own unique taste and do.

For example, the Sichuan province in China usually incorporates plenty of fiery chilies in their dishes to whip up somethig that is both tasty and exquisite. But for the Shanghainese, their food is more subtle in taste that doesn't leave strong after-taste.

A recent gastronomy ad­venture at the Zuan Yuan Restaurant in One World Hotel, Bandar Utama, which is in conjunction with the 'Flavours of Shanghai' promotion with the support of The Eton Hotel, Shanghai; left a pro­founding mark to anyone who has and has not tried out Shanghainese fare.

But what can be truly said about Shanghainese food is that the natives uses a lot of preserved veg­etables, sugar and soy sauce in their cooking, and the way they cleverly blend these items to create a dish is simply one of the best.

The cooking process might look as simple as it sounds, but the thing that truly defines the Bund-style cooking is the amount of time spent by just preparing one simple stir-fry meat in vegetables.

Having dreamt of flying off to Shanghai one day to try out their local delicacies, Ifind myself seated at the corner of Zuan Yuan Restaurant, absorb­ing all the authenticity of the Chinese restaurant, while wait­ing for the first course to arrive.

To get the palate starting, we had the Three Shanghai Style Appetiser, which is made up of three small dishes of golden needle mushrooms (pre-cooked) tossed with fine slices of cucumber; steamed prawns and wood ear mush­rooms stir-fried in preserved beancurd and peanuts.

These three appetisers certainly get things going, especially when they're served chilled. It almost refreshes your mouth just a little bit before the next one comes in.

Done with the appetisers, coming up next we had the Braised Fish Head Soup with Preserved Vegetables in Clay­pot. The soup is cloudy-white but not chocking as a result of being boiled to perfection by someone who clearly knows what he is doing.

The Chinese love their soup just like the French love their wine. The Chinese community has always associated the body and mind in the Yin and Yang philosophy, and eating or drinking different food will help to balance the energy or Qi. And what other best way to attain the balance Qi than to slurp on the fish soup? It's amazing how the soup doesn't have any fishy smell to it, and anyone would have loved the sweetness of the soup. The preserved vegetables that go with it, only further bring out the freshness of the fish.

Another Bund-style delicacy that we tried out was the Sau­teed Shrimp with Egg White. It looks bland and ordinary with heaps of de-shelled shrimps laid out on a plate.

From the look of it, it's nothing special - almost ordinary if you ask me. But lo and behold, the prawns are succulent and juicy even if you pick a smaller one. The egg white coated the prawns well and as a result, it was soft and smooth. The chef uses minimal seasoning to retain its original flavours that even the most-health conscious fitness buff wouldn't mind tucking in.

Next out came the Deep-Fried Mandarin Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Now, this is one dish that shouldn't be taken lightly. Biting into the fish is like sinking your teeth in soft butter. It has that crunchi­ness texture and the fish meat is flaky as well. The sweet and sour sauce with diced capsi­cums further enhances the flavour of the fish.

However, there are small bones inside the fish as well, so extra care should be taken before tucking in, especially for children.

Our gastronomy ad­venture continued with the next dish, Sauteed Mushroom with Chicken and Shrimp. Note that most of the dishes here use a lot of seafood. For the Shanghainese, seafood has been part of their cooking companion that truly defines what Shanghainese food is all about.

First, the chicken and shrimp are pounded and then stuffed into the mushroom. There are a lot of flavours going on in the chicken and shrimp stuff­ings and the mushrooms that act as the mini cup, retain all the flavours.

If you're a beef lover, simply try out the Sauteed Shredded Beef with Honey Bean. The beef is smooth and is almost powdery to the taste. The meat is so tender that requires great amount of skill from the way it is prepared to how long it takes to complete this dish. The chef's skills in slicing meat is tested here and so far, he passes with flying colours.

The Fried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables is worth mentioning as well. The noodles are fried to perfection, without being mushy. Though it looks dry on the outside, rest assured as the noodles are springy and contain all the stocks and seasoning put into the cooking process.

For dessert, if you like something sweet to cleanse the salty taste in your mouth, do try the Sweet Scented Os­manthus Rice Cake. It's sticky, sweet and aromatic as well.

Once enjoyed by only the rich, the dessert is now eas­ily available in restaurants and even as street food. The texture is almost like eating Japanese mochi minus the stuffing, of course. But what truly place the price on this dessert is the aromatic flowers that are scattered throughout the rice cake. This is the sort of dessert that brings memories and transports you back to the times of dynasties, impe­rial courts and concubines.

Patrons to the 10-day promotion which runs from June 23 to July 2, can choose from set menus which are priced from RM380 for a table of four. Ala carte menus are also available for lunch and dinner. For reservations, call 03-76811159.