Ming Palace (Dim Sum) @ Corus Hotel

On our first weekend back from Ipoh (after our "balik kampong" for Chinese New Year), we were invited for brunch at Ming Palace @ Ming Court Hotel by my sister-in-law.  I've eaten at Ming Palace before and remembered it to be a positive experience.  Moreover, the place holds 'special memories' for me as it was also my very first blog post.

The last time I was here, I had dinner but (this time) since it was late morning, we decided to have dim sum.  As my sister-in-law's husband hosted this brunch, I do not know the cost of the dishes we had except for the dim sum (as the menu was left on the table for us to order).

As we were still in the midst of Chinese New Year (it was "Chor 4" or the 4th day of the new year), we started with the a Salmon Fish "Yee Sang" with Snow Pear & Pine Seeds.  A typical yee sang platter would usually consists of strips of raw salmon (the most common) with a variety of shredded vegetables, condiments and sauces.  [#Note: Nowadays, yee sang comes with almost anything...from abalone to jellyfish, butterfish, tuna, snakehead, crab meat, duck meat to crispy enoki mushrooms...and even an all fruits platter.]

This is what the yee sang platter looks like after adding the deep fried flour crisps (my son's favourite condiment), fresh salmon, snow pear, a drizzle of oil and as much (or as little) of the plum sauce you like.

The platter is now ready for tossing!  A Chinese New Year wouldn't be complete without the customary "lou sang" (prosperity toss) to usher in good fortune for the year ahead ;)  I'm not crazy about the tossing or what it symbolises....I just want to eat it...kekeke!! :D  The freshness of the salmon coupled with the sweetness of the snow pear, crunchy flour crisps and the not overly sweet sauce made this yee sang thoroughly refreshing and truly enjoyable. 

After that, we were served the dim sum we ordered.  Let's start with the "Siew Mai" (steamed dumplings) @ RM8.  Traditionally, siew mai is made with minced pork but, since this is a pork-free restaurant, this one had a filling of minced chicken instead with crab roe on top.

Next was the "Har Gow" (steamed shrimp dumplings) @ RM8 which came with fat, juicy prawns inside.

This was the Steamed Spinach Dumpling with Silver Fish @ RM8 with a filling of prawns and spinach topped with silver fish.

The fresh juicy prawns in this one is more visible.  The filling was good but the skin texture can be improved...it was a tad too soft with a slightly gummy consistency.

Then came the Chicken Soup Dumpling @ RM7.  The filling and broth was flavourful and juicy but the skin came up short again.

This was the Braised Chicken Feet in Abalone Sauce @ RM7...can't tell you what it tasted like coz I didn't have any, but it did look good.

We now come to the good stuff...the fried stuff! :D  First up, the Deep Fried Crispy Bean Curd Roll @ RM8.  It tasted really good, with the prawn filling, as it was freshly fried.

We also tried the Crispy Bean Curd Roll with Mackerel Fish @ RM7.  The mackerel fish paste filling was just as good as the one with prawns.

Next was the Deep Fried Crispy Prawn Roll @ RM8 topped with a drizzle of Japanese mayo and tobiko.  This turned out to be my favourite dim sum item.  The roll, which resembled a spun rice noodle wrap, was incredibly light and crispy.

Last of our dim sum orders was the Fried "Lor Bak Gou" (Carrot Cake).  The carrot cake was fried with bits of egg and bean sprouts...and fried to perfection (with a good caramelised exterior).  Only thing missing was some chives...I liked this a lot!

My sister-in-law ordered a simple baby bok choy stir-fry which the wait staff nicely apportioned into individual servings for us.

She also ordered Seafood Noodles to round up our meal.  This was again apportioned for us ensuring each plate of noodles gets a prawn, scallop and a slice of fish.  It was respectably executed =)

Of course, like any auspicious meal, it would be good to end with something sweet...and so we went with the highly recommended Fried "Nin Gou" (or "nian gao").  [#Tip: Nin Gou (or Chinese sticky cake) is a sticky sweet snack made from glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and sugar (brown or cane sugar).]  It turned out to be an excellent choice.  The nin gou was rolled in yam, battered and fried. 

This was how it looked like when cut into two.  It's very much like eating a yam puff except the filling is made with nin gou.  There wasn't too much of it, so the overall taste wasn't too sweet....crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.  It was pure indulgence!  I absolutely loved it...my favourite of the day!

Some of us also had the Chilled Sea Coconut with Longan in a refreshing sweet syrup which is good to relieve heatiness.  I'm not a fan of this as both the components (syrup and sea coconut) are usually on the sweet side.

My Personal Opinion

Overall, I was satisfied with the taste of the food, the excellent service provided and the quiet ambience in which we had our meal.

Although the prices may be a tad higher than some dim sum restaurants, the difference is that all the dim sum are freshly made to order and steamed...and brought to the table piping hot!  Plus, you get to savour them in a quiet ambience with 5-star service to boot...like getting your plates changed with each course, refilling your cup of tea without you having to ask, food gets apportioned and served to you, hot towels before and after your meal, your own private room...these are just some of the extra service you get for the price you pay!  Having said that, I felt that the total bill of RM360 for 7 pax was pretty reasonable (for hotel standard).

So, if you're looking for a relaxed dim sum meal without the maddening crowd and loud environment, this may be just the place for you ;)

Ming Palace
Corus Hotel (1st Floor)
Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2161 8888