Planning the 'Lou Sang' session between me and my colleagues turned out to be quite a difficult one since practically all of us come from different departments and divisions, it was hard to coordinate a time which fits all.
Finally, on the last working day of CNY (It has to be now or none), we did managed to get together for a mini Hakka affair.
Hakka Restaurant 客家飯店
Just beside the pedestrain bridge leading into Pavillion KL, Hakka is isolated on its own at a prime landmark in the Golden Triangle, mere minutes away from KLCC and Pavillion.
There is two sections to this restaurant, indoor and outdoor. The indoor section is air conditioned whereas the outdoor section is open-air but shaded. The restaurant has a capacity of about 250 people and with ample parking bays.
There is a À la carte menu available but we decided to opt for Chinese New Year set instead.
Our 'Prosperity Toss' came within 5-10 minutes upon ordering.
For the past couple of sessions, My 'Standard Operating Lou-Sang Procedure' would always be, "Sorry guys, wait yah, needa take pictures first." 10-15 seconds later, "Okay done, Ladies and Gentleman, Please go ahead."
"Prosperous" Yee Sang.
Followed by "Stick your chopsticks in but don't lou yet, one last picture first!" Then everyone would 'give face' and pose with their chopsticks before the 'lou'. Gosh, I'm so lame like that. I will surely miss doing that when CNY is over.
Hakka Special Dried Scallops with Crab Meat Soup
Notwithstanding the resemblance to shark fin's soup, the Hakka un-fin version was creamier in texture and there were adequate helpings of scallops and crab meat in it.
Hong Kong Style BBQ Crispy Skin Chicken.
This dish was quite a let down for me. The chicken was a little dry and there weren't much flavor to it. I would be fine if the dish came with sauce nonetheless. I would not recommend.
Village Style Steam Golden Talapia Fish.
The fish was slightly firm, juicy and and cooked just right. The soy sauce and assortment of condiments in this added more flavor to this dish.
Hakka Special Braised Yam Abacus with Black Fungus.
At first sight, I didn't really know what this was and I thought it looked crunchy and a bit salty. I actually had to recheck the set menu to see if they delivered the wrong dish to the table. Only then I found out that this is actually Yam Abacus (suan pan zi), a distintly popular and traditional Hakka dish.
The texture of the yam balls was soft and chewy and reminded me of tong yuen. Typically served with dried prawns, minced pork, mushrooms, black fungus and shallots, I have to say that I was quitte delighted with this dish. I would highly recommend.
Stuffed Dried Oysters Braised with Vegetables.
The deep fried spoon of stuffed oyster was quite chunky and generous. It was crispy on the outside yet pipping hot on the inside. Though slightly on the saltier side, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.
Fragrance Rice with assorted Chinese Dried Sausages and Salted Duck.
This dish was a tad too salty and dry for me. The fragrance rice was dry and the combination of chinese sausages and salted duck was quite overwhelming. I only took a piece of each and a portion of rice for tasting and yet found it too salty for my liking.
I still prefer the chinese version in which glutinous rice is used and all the toppings diced into the rice and stir fried in soy sauce. Thus, I find the chinese version more flavorful and zesty compared to the hakka version.
Shanghai Pancake with Lotus Seed Paste.
The pancakes was decent, not too sweet and just nice.
Chilled Sea Coconut.
The chilled sea coconut was really refreshing towards the end of the meal and on a scorching afternoon. The drink was indeed blissful but the sea coconut was just too sweet.
The P-Gang.
My lovely ladies.
The bill came up to about Rm57 per person.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10 for the food, environment and service. I would highly recommend the special yam abacus, stuffed dried oysters and the village style steam fish. Service wise, I was quite satisfied with the customer service and the timing of the dishes served though I must note that the dishes did not come in order according to the menu listed.
On a separate note, I can't really tell the authenticity of the dishes since I don't regularly eat Hakka cuisine though what I can deduce is that generally, the dishes are not as flavorful as the typical cantonese/chinese dishes. Perhaps I'm not that accustomed to the flavours.
Hakka Restaurant is located at:
No. 90 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 KL
03-21431908 / 03-21443275
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