Canton Kitchen @ Sunway Velocity

My spouse had dined in this place before at another branch with his colleagues and since he found the food to be alright, he suggested we have dinner there one evening.  I wanted to try Canton Kitchen @ Sunway Velocity when I read about it on mimi's dining room back in 2017 (ya, I know, that's quite a while back but I never gotten round to it until now).

The restaurant (founded in 1988) hails from Bukit Tinggi in Pahang and specialises in Bentong ginger cuisine and hand-planted vegetables (which you can purchase at the restaurant as well).  The restaurant was running full when we were there for dinner over the weekend but our wait for a table took no more than 5 minutes and food arrived pretty fast too (photo was taken on another day when it was not so hectic).  

Being a ginger specialist, you're bound to find lots of steam fish with ginger paste on the menu with choices of tapah, tilapia, garoupa and patin (of course other styles are also available like sweet & sour, curry and deep-fried).

We started with the Stir-Fried Crispy Pork Belly @ RM22.90 (for small, RM45.80 big) with onions in a savoury-sticky-sweet sauce and some shredded purple cabbage and carrot on the side.  The thinly sliced pork belly was fried till lightly crisp and the sauce was on the sweet side.  There were as much onions as there were pork belly. :P

The Fried Prawn with Salted Egg Yolk @ RM28.90 (for small, RM57.80 big, there's also a version with squid) besides boasting of a robust salted egg yolk flavour, with fragrant undertones from the fried curry leaves, also had a lot of inherent sweetness in it.  The prawns, though few in numbers, were of a decent size...and were tasty enough, just wished the sauce wasn't as sweet.

Next, we ordered the Thai-Style Fried Fish Cake @ RM16.90 served with a fiery minced bird's eye chilli dip. You can probably skip this and order it at a proper Thai restaurant instead for a better rendition.

We also had their Signature Homemade Beancurd @ RM18.90 (for small, RM37.80 big) that featured a piece of fried taufu topped with chopped long beans and salted pickled radish.  Loved the silky-smooth fried taufu but the soy sauce underneath was too salty for my taste buds.  It could do without another dimension of saltiness because of the presence of the salted pickled radish already.

The fragrant, crunchy French Beans with Dried Shrimps @ RM15.90 (for small, RM31.80 big) is a vegetable dish we have loved since Esquire Kitchen and Din Tai Fung days though the one by Esquire Kitchen is made with minced pork and cha choy for a tastier result.

Rice is reasonably priced at RM2 a bowl (I have to say the blue serving plates and bowls are rather lovely).

I had the zesty Ambarella Juice with Sour Plum @ RM7.90 but there are plenty of hot teas to choose from to sooth your body from Chinese teas to flower teas, kumquat to lemongrass, Bentong ginger to herbal teas.  Water is chargeable at RM1 a glass.

My Personal Opinion

Many view the prices here as on the pricey side and I can certainly relate to that coz they come in really small portions.  I think one person (with an average appetite) can easily handle two dishes, so you'll need to allocate at least two dishes per person when having a meal here.

But if price is an issue, there are plenty of other cheaper options such as their signature set meals at around RM25 per set which comes with a main, 3 side dishes, soup and rice.  Otherwise be prepared to spend in the region of RM50 per person if you go a la carte.

Some of the dishes I've tried seems to have either too salty or too sweet nuances, perhaps a bit too one-dimensional (but those liking robust flavours will find them suitable to their palate).

The food is decent enough to warrant a revisit at times when I want to eat something different from our usual haunts but probably won't go actively seeking it and make it a regular haunt.

I know, I know...I should have tried some of their dishes with Bentong ginger (like their best seller, Mihun with Ginger Wine Chicken, or at least a steam fish dish with ginger).  After all, it's their speciality but since my family dislikes (bordering on hate) ginger, rice wine and steam fish...no chance.  If I want to eat this, I need to come here with a ginger and rice wine kaki...kekeke! ^_~

Canton Kitchen
2-04 & 2-05 2nd Floor
Sunway Velocity Mall

Lingkaran SV Sunway Velocity

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2712 3066