Season for festive luxury
THESE days, most Chinese New Year menus feature variations of yee sang, a communal dish that gets everyone at the table involved in the tossing of ingredients for prosperity.

Yee sang platters typically contain raw fish or seafood and a variety of vegetables and textures.

To take the dish up a notch, Oriental Group of Restaurants, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, adds lobster and halibut to the mix along with its lip-smacking plum sauce.

The refreshing Lobster Luxe Traditional Yee Sang kicks off the festive seven-course meal at Noble Mansion with its balance of sweet, tangy, succulent and crunchy elements.

Bite-sized pieces of lobster and fish make their presence felt among the dish’s many complementary components such as crispy cracker and snow pear.

The addition of lobster costs RM88, with a medium-sized platter of yee sang starting from RM98 and large version from RM138.

Among the yee sang variations available are Golden Enoki Mushrooms (RM98), Crispy Fish Skin (RM118), and Salmon (RM128).

No stranger to the Cantonese cuisine scene, the group’s line-up of festive creations includes a modern take on several classics.

Priced at RM168 per portion, the Braised Shajing Sun-dried Oyster with Fatt Choy features a rich, dark gravy that complements the plump, premium oysters and braised pork slices.

For something more subtle but no less essential this season, try the Steamed Coral Trout with Shanghai-style Chilli Sauce (RM398 each).

The delicate, natural sweetness of the fish is enhanced by its accompanying sauce, which contains black beans and silky potato starch noodles.

Pagoda Pork belly stacks up meat slices to form a pagoda. — Photos: yaP CHee HONG/The star

A dish that definitely catches the eye as it makes its entrance is the Pagoda Pork Belly (RM118 per portion).

Constructed to look like a pagoda, the “steps” leading up the tower symbolise a person or business rising to success, said Oriental Group marketing and ecommerce manager SK Foo.

The glistening layers of stacked pork belly invite diners to dive in for a taste and will impress with its melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Another show-stopper visually and taste-wise is the Grilled Canadian Scallop on Meat Cake (RM38 per person).

Braised Shajing Sun-dried Oyster with Fatt Choy at Noble Mansion.

A large shell, holding a beautifully seared scallop stuffed with prawn paste atop a pork patty, balances delicately on a candle-holder shaped from salt.

Of course, serving it this way also allows the meaty scallop to be eaten warm at the table.

The penultimate course, Charcoal-flamed Claypot Rice with Waxed Meat and Hong Kong Goose Liver Sausage (RM128 for small, RM218 for large) is designed for those with big appetites.

The substantial dish has the waxed meats and sausage adding intense flavour to the fragrant rice.

Steamed Coral Trout with Shanghai-style Chilli Sauce.

Bringing the meal to a close with a flourish soon after is a serving of Deep-fried Nian Gao (RM8 per piece).

Its airy, crispy batter provides the perfect contrast to the soft, chewy glutinous rice cake it encases.

These stunning selections are available until Feb 29, but dishes may vary across the group’s 14 restaurants.

Special Chinese New Year individual set menus are also available from RM198 per person for six courses.

Grilled Canadian Scallop on Meat Cake.

For those keen on having the restaurant’s Shunde-style Poon Choi (RM988nett for six diners, inclusive of a pot and an insulated bag for takeaway), time is of the essence as it needs to be pre-ordered three days in advance. It is available until Feb 29 too.

The restaurant also has a handy gift package – Oriental’s Prosperity Set (RM258nett inclusive of an insulated bag) that you can get for loved ones this new lunar year.

It comprises a medium-sized Crispy Fish Skin Traditional Yee Sang, Radish Cake with Dried Scallops and Chinese Waxed Meat, Premium Chinese Sausage and a bottle of Teochew Spicy Sauce.

NOBLE MANSION, P1-01, Level 1 Podium, Plaza 33, No.1 Jalan Kemajuan, Section 13, Petaling Jaya. (Tel: 03-7932 3288).

Business hours: 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm (Monday to Saturday); 10am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm (Sunday and public holiday).

Non-halal.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
noble mansion,oriental group,pj,cny,cantonese cuisine
THESE days, most Chinese New Year menus feature variations of yee sang, a communal dish that gets everyone at the table involved in the tossing of ingredients for prosperity.