De Hunan Restaurant

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Item: De Hunan Restaurant
Rating: 4
Author: Catherinesee

湖南湘菜館

8 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

Kuchai Lama

RM21 - RM40

Chinese Seafood Restaurant

Catherinesee

Level4

579

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This is the third celebratution of dad's birthday. Since we have eaten sushi for lunch and thai cuisine last night and I had Italian on Friday night, I decided to try something totally new tonight. Since yesterday I chanced upon this place which was teeming with people at dinner time, I thought of trying this for dinner today and find out for myself what is the big fuss is about. Apparently, this place totally has the hunanese feel with every table ordering super spicy food and I even thought that only Szechuan food is super spicy. Ok back to business.

The first appetizer that came was some seaweed laden with a lot of red cili padi and chopped garlic and chilli oil. One small little taste and we ended up with our entire body being fired up. Oh did I mention if costs RM 3.50 for that cili padi?

The first main course is the (RM 18). I have requested that they changed the original Japanese beancurd to normal Chinese natural tofu as Japanese tofu has too much chemicals. Even me who never eat oily part of pork actually ate so many pieces of oily fatty parts of pork that were thinly sliced and used to cook this dish to make it more fragrant. There was so much green and red chillies inside that we had to pick every single one out in order not to end up like the red tomato. Unfortunately, dad forgot to pick the cili padi out so he ended up like a red tomato or apple and was sweating profusely till the end of the meal and had to literally douse himself in Pu Er Tea.

The next dish is the Sizzling Skewered Lamb in Hunan Local Style (RM 25). If we were in a cold weather, like in China or Nepal or Tibet, this is perfect. The meat is superb, juicy and thinly sliced and rid of the fats. The chopped onions liberally placed on top were a great accompaniment. The weird thing was that the waitress actually took our plate of lamb skewers away and brought it to another table, while I kept shouting to her that we have already touched the food. I mean, if she dared to do that to us, then she would have done this to some other customers. A bit scary in terms of hygiene and fancy them getting A for Cleanliness. I guess the officer did not notice this.

The finale main dish is the Hunan Yuen and Yang Style Song Fish Head (RM 48) which has red and green cili padi generously placed to on top, so much that it would have been better for us if the chef were a little less generous. Sometimes, too much of something causes a little harm for the taster? This is the ultimate dish for those who love spicy food. My dad was sweating so much his sweat was raining down his face at this time whereas I was enjoying it a lot as I am a big fan of all things spicy. In fact, I did not sweat at all. I guess I am not called the Spice Queen for nothing though I am not big on cili padi and prefer spice in terms of paste instead. To my parents, the spiciness is overbearing but to my dad and I, the fish head is so fresh, juicy, soft and succulent. I love flooding the chinese ramen or homemade white noodles in the fish sauce, something like super spicy laksa, perhaps towards the thai style. Surprisingly, I did not even scream for water or tea and the only time I felt this way was when I are the spiciest appetizer in the world. We finished every morsel of fish and kept fishing for more fish. The fish head did not have any smell at all. I guess the China Chinese Chef is most skilful in preparing this.

I noticed that a couple could not even finish 1 dish of only the Hunan Yuen and Yang Style Song Fish Head, probably because the portion is too big. So I highly recommend that you order the small portion at RM 48 and just another vegetable dish will do. Because even our 3 dishes for 3 pax is too much. There were people ordering the Fried Orange Potatoes as dessert but we think it is way too oily for our health conscious palate. Perhaps if I were to come with some youth or colleagues, then we can try this, but then again,I never have so many YOUNG people to come with me. Does that make me old? Maybe.

A lot of other patrons order the spicy brinjal and also the many claypot and sizzling dishes that this place seems to be popular for. Perhaps Hunan is a very cold place hence the requirement for claypot dishes and a lot of ostrich, lamb, beef and oily pork.

The rice is also cooked in a special way that is steamed in small claypot plates that look like Japanese plates or dare I say, Flower Pot filter plates? The grains are long.

My dad like the place so much that he says he wanted to come here again this week but surely we will opt for the less spicy options.

The food and drinks are very pricey, as with all other restaurants opened by China Chinese nationals in Kuchai Lama wherein the tea alone would cost RM 10 per pot.

There were 10% Sales Tax and also 6% GST. So the entire meal came up to RM 129.20 after the taxes, appetizer (RM 3.50), cold towel (RM 0.90) and also expensive tea (RM 10).