Chinese New Year is just in a month's time! Celebrations for Chinese are mostly on feasting. Food has a very important place in Chinese culture, with even the normal greetings among Chinese is this, "Chiak Pa Buay" in Hokkien meaning "have you eaten full already". So as you can see, filling the stomach is one of Chinese way of endearment in communication.
With food and eating being the main topic, therefore, Chinese celebrates Chinese New Year with eating or feasting among friends, relatives, and loved ones. This is also a way of getting together and fostering relationships.
Restaurants are mostly fully booked during this festive period as most families now finds it a hassle to cook for big number of people at home. Therefore, I am going to introduce the new Chinese New Year menu of 2019 of Youmiqi restaurant for your perusal. Youmiqi is located in Old Klang Road, walking distance from MidValley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. In fact, I was attracted by the bright red lanterns hanging outside whenever I was travelling along Old Klang Road.
Bright red and decorated in tuned with Chinese tradition, I was awe by the interior decorations at this Youmiqi the minute I step in.
But the space seems small, maybe because here the importance is more on individual rooms. Youmiqi at Old Klang Road here has 2 floors and there are partitions for a total of 7 rooms.
Comfy seats for relaxing dining...
Most restaurants prepare ready set menus for guests for Chinese New Year Menu for 2019. Here I would like to introduce some of the dishes that are going to be in the set menus in Youmiqi restaurant at Old Klang Road. The set menu and prices will follow up later in this write-up.
Appetizers: Pickled cucumbers and Chicken feet
Appetizers here are very traditional that is the pickled cucumbers and chicken feet. Most old fellas love to eat chicken feet as it is supposed to help in strengthening legs. Hmm...because there are a lot of ligaments and collagen in the chicken feet? Actually some old folks believes that if you eat feet, it will help to strengthen your feet, and same as other organs. Many years back, when I was at a tuition student's house, I saw her eating pig brain! When I asked her, she said her mother said it will help to improve her brain. Will eating pig brain may make you smarter? I don't know. But some Chinese have been eating it in this way: eat liver helps our liver, eat lungs helps our lungs, feet helps our feet, stomach helps stomach, and so on. Ya, now I remember there is this delicacy that was eaten: live monkey brain, where people are seated around a table with a hole in the center and a live monkey tied under it. They were scooping up the brain of the screaming live monkey! Don't worry, no live monkeys here, but only some new special Chinese New Year menus for this 2019 Pig year.
For Chinese New Year, there is always Lou Sang as a first dish to start off to a prosperous new year.
First all the ingredients are served separately in different plates. This is a special Lou Sang at Youmiqi in Old Klang Road here uses fresh colorful ingredients! In the main plate there are freshly shredded vegetables of purple cabbage, celery, cucumber, leeks, onions, turnips, carrots and sprinkled with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. The salmon pieces are then placed on top and the special Youmiqi plum sauce is then pour over it.
Flaming Prawns - Delicious big fresh Grass Shrimps
Cooked right in front of our very eyes! First, the Grass Shrimps were alive, wriggling and place right in the huge pot in front of us. Then it was covered to cook for a while. The lid was opened and they were stirred until they turned into beautiful red color showing that it was cooked just right! What more can I say, of course the meat texture was sweet, done just right with all the freshness!
Looks nice, right?
Roasted Standing Ovation (Chicken)
I was mesmerize by the sight of this Roasted Standing Ovation chicken! Standing proud and tall, this roasted Standing Ovation is a sight to behold indeed! If it can cluck and cackle, (sounds made by chicken) I am sure this will be the loudest, as everyone of us was also giving the oohs and aah around the table. Well only in Youmiqi, Old Klang Road here you can get this pretty roast chicken.
Chinese believe that for chicken, it must be presented 'whole'. Meaning it must have head, tail and feet as this wholeness symbolizes completeness. So, here at Youmiqi, a whole standing chicken awaits you! To eat, the chicken meat will be sliced from the body by a waitress and served onto a plate. The chicken meat is soft, flavorful and roasted just at the right temperature. This is a delectable dish.
Braised Broccoli with Abalone slice
Broccoli braised and seasoned well, topped with abalone slices. Abalone is a must have dish for Chinese New Year as abalone symbolizes good fortune. Abalone (sea snail; 鳆; fù) meaning definite good fortune. (this is the explanation from Food Symbolism). So that's why on Chinese New Year, abalone is one of the must have ingredients!
Mushrooms with Dried Oyster & Black Moss
A traditional Chinese dish, made up of the typical ingredients of dried oyster, mushrooms and black moss. Yes, black moss is another must eat ingredient. Black moss (hair moss, hair weed) is called 'fat choy' in local Cantonese dialect (髮菜; fàcài; a black hair-like cyanobacteria) sounds like 'get wealthy' So let's eat, be happy and become wealthy!
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
I love sweet and sour dishes and this is unique. Why? First the the sweetness and sourness have just the right balance. Secondly, I wouldn't believe that it is pork ribs as it does not look like normal pork ribs. It was so cleverly cooked that there are no bones inside! Well done chef!
Pan Fried Black Fungus with Paste (pork)
From the looks initially, I thought it was aubergine stuff with pork paste. But no, this is another Chinese New Year Festive dish, so traditional chinese ingredient used here again. Black Fungus is also my favourite ingredient as it has many health benefits. It also called in Mandarin "黑木耳" , it helps to lower cholesterol, blood pressure,anti-viral and others (reference here). Another typical Shunde cuisine from Youmiqi.
Salt & Pepper White Bait
This is comes and disappears very fast! Salt & Pepper white Bait is tasty and crispy, thus can be eaten as a snack or appetizer. Initially I didn't know that it was fish inside! A must have dish for those who love snacking away! But of course here it is part of the Chinese New Year menu for 2019.
Spicy Crabs
This spicy crab is spicy as can be seen from the dried chillis in the photo above. This is a typical Shunde Cuisine, (or Cantonese style dish) from South China's Guangdong province.
This spicy crab is spicy as can be seen from the dried chillis in the photo above. This is a typical Shunde Cuisine, (or Cantonese style dish) from South China's Guangdong province.
Shun De Signature Dessert
As the name says, it is Youmiqi's Shun De signature dessert. I like it! A dessert different from other restaurants, exclusive only to Youmiqi. Crispy on the outside and a little guey inside with peanuts, sesame seeds inside, rolled up by thinly panfried batter.
There are five (5) types of set menus to choose from at Youmiqi restaurant. You can choose according to your number of people dining per table.
Seafood Wok
Another Youmiqi's Shunde Speciality for Chinese New Year Menu 2019, this is cooked from copper wok. There are four (4) sets of menu to choose from. The ingredients and the prices are stated as below. Lovely wok of tasty seafood and a real treat for soup lovers as in the end the soup has all the natural sweetness of the seafood!
The opening hours and reservation numbers are as shown below. So, for those interested, do make your bookings quick for this Chinese New Year 2019 dinner at Youmiqi, Old Klang Road!
Here is the google map for directions to Youmiqi at Old Klang Road
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