Video
Read full review
2013-10-05
1291 views
The original Imbi Palace restaurant was set up on Jalan Imbi in 2003 by KMN Mr. Lum Tuck Loy, Yap Yook Wah, renowned HK chef Mr. Chin Hon Yin, a few other partners, their executive chef Jason Tong and their General Manager Annie Chang. It specializes in Cantonese food with a wide range of seafood, dim sum, roast meats, Lanzhou ‘la mien’ and Cantonese porridge and noodles.Although the original outlet has stopped operating, we still have a few other branches available, one of them being the Grand
Although the original outlet has stopped operating, we still have a few other branches available, one of them being the Grand Palace at Level 6 Pavilion. And it is indeed quite grand. A while ago during an event, I got to sample some of their signature dishes and must say I was suitably impressed!
We started our dinner with a healthy and nutritious soup made with cordyceps flower and fish maw. Cordyceps flower (冬虫草花) literally translated to “worm grass flower” in English, though it is neither flower nor grass, nor does it resemble a worm. It is actually a cultured mushroom fungus and boasts similar medicinal value and chemical composition as Cordyceps Sinensis (冬虫夏草). It claims to help improve skin complexion, nourishes our Yin, and cleanses our kidney.The soup has the distinct and unique taste of the delicate herb, it’s a delightful tango of tender meat, chewy fish maw and fragrant broth. Very hearty.
Next the Peking duck. Typically, the Peking duck is sliced in front of the diners, and the authentic versions serve mostly the skin and just a bit of meat. The meat is eaten with “Momo”, the house-made thin pancakes, scallion, cucumber and specially prepared Hoisin sauce. Take a bit of everything, and wrap it up.You are supposed to use your hands for this too, and when you do it right, the juices should trickle down your finger tips. Mmmm.
Our third course was Pan fried Canadian Scallop, stuffed with Banana Prawns from the Gulf of Carpenteria.
Generally I’m not a huge seafood fan, but I applaud the freshness and simplicity of this dish. The doneness was just right, both seafood were tender and juicy.But the next course, 8 Treasures Truffles Chicken definitely won my heart. Not only it was stuffed with 8 types of Mushrooms, the mushrooms were infused with Truffle sauce.
Admittedly it is not the prettiest of dish exteriorly (especially for the semi-vegetarians, I think Frank’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets), but once the content was revealed, we were instantly wowed. The flesh remained juicy and rich, and the stuffing was decadent. I just wish I had a bigger tummy so I could pack more of these in.
The Chinese loves Abalone because it looks like a Golden ingot which signifies wealth and prosperity. These one came from the unpolluted seas off the coast of Hermanus. Presented simply in aromatic broth and accompanying wombok, the abalone was chewy, sticky and quite flavourful. If you are into abalones, you’d love this dish.By this time I was suitably full, but I can never say no to handmade noodles. These Knife Shaved Noodles (刀削面) was served in a Pickled Vegetable Soup. The Ramen is shaved off a bowl of dough so none of them look identical.
I love the texture of the noodles. The soup was tasty too, even better with addition of chili. I guess you can’t go wrong pairing pickled vegetables with noodles. Very comforting. Something that I shall replicate in my Kitchen soon!
Coconut Pudding is one of my favourite desserts and we used to order it all the time at one particular restaurant in Bintulu. Their version was supremely smooth and soft and it was love at first sight. This version is slightly firmer, but I’m still glad that I finally found somewhere that serves this.It was definitely one of the most memorable Chinese banquet for me and hopefully I will get to visit again soon!
Post
