Hello Potpourriers,
Long time. Hope all of you are doing well. Since this post is being written on a hot day, I sincerely request you all to keep drinking a lot of water and stay hydrated because the sun is not being kind to us this season. Although this has nothing to do with my post, it’s important you guys don’t have any fainting spells to deal with.
Ok, now back to my post.
I recently had the opportunity to check out an exclusive, limited edition menu that’s part of the Cantonese Spring Festival being celebrated at JW Marriott Sahar.
The pop-up menu featuring Cantonese specialities from Guangzhou has been crafted by 2 very talented visiting chefs – Jack Wu and Bruce Li. One can expect classic Cantonese style of cooking like stir-frying, braising, steaming and red stewing in the preparations that make up this authentic menu.
The pop up table has been set up at JW Cafe and will be available for dinner (between 7 and 11pm) till 30th March, 2018. Ours was a set menu and it consisted of quite a few things. But here are the ones that impressed me the most and are worth checking out…
Amongst the appetisers, the Kung Pao Water Chestnuts and Shiitake Mushrooms is a zestful burst of beautiful flavours and textures that come together in the most synchronised manner. Although it has cashew nuts in it, which personally aren’t my favourite, the end result is pretty damn good.
Next, the Deep Fried Fish with Cantonese Brown Sauce was the bomb! Such a simple looking preparation but tasted like a dream. I’d go back for more if I could.
Then, the Fried Chicken with Sweet Chilli Sauce was another instant favourite. The sweet chilli sauce on it did it for me. Since I am not that big on fried chicken, this was a lovely exception to fall in love with…
Amongst the mains (from the buffet)…
The Wok Fried Asparagus Mushrooms is definitely worth every bite for the vegetarians out there. The art of wok frying an array of vegetables is not an easy one in my opinion especially since each vegetable has its own way of reacting to the act. This one ended up tasting like sheer perfection!
A breath of fresh air from the usual fried rice or wok tossed noodles, the Olive Vegetable Fried Rice certainly managed to garner a lot of attention. Although my cousin thought it has seaweed flavour undertones (which isn’t something he digs), I personally loved it and thought it’s an unusual way of savouring rice.
For those wondering why I haven’t mentioned any non-vegetarian options, it’s because it’s coming up next, but you’ll should know that places like China can be vegetarian-friendly too. Having recently visited, I can vouch for it.
Coming back to this menu… The Braised Grouper with Red Onion was my favourite of the night. Being the seafood enthusiast I am, it was an absolute treat for my taste buds. For those who haven’t tried this interesting looking fish prepared in an even more interesting effervescent style, it’s worth a shot!
Special mention: The Braised Duck in Zhuhou Sauce tasted amazing but I was quite put off by the amount of bones that came in every bite. Just one of those evenings I guess… but I was hoping to have seamless eating experience with it which unfortunately didn’t happen.
Just when I thought I’m at the end of the counter, some steaming dumplings took over my senses… Have the super juicy Prawn Hargao with a couple of sauces (the sweet chilli being my favourite), and I could have probably made a wholesome meal out of just this… So addictive to say the least!
Last but not the least, they have a LIVE counter with some mean Seafood Pancakes at your disposal. You can pick and choose your toppings and get it freshly made and served to your table. Savour it with some hot Cantonese sauces and you’ve got yourself a unique preparation to dig into… PS. have it while it’s still warm so as to enjoy it at its best!
The Cantonese Spring Festival is on till 30th March, 2018.
Go check it out!
Until next time…
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