Thanks to invitation from Shirley and BBO, we had the chance to be one of the first fews to get a taste of the exquisite menu at this multiple-award-winnings restaurant.

Before stepping into Tai Zi Heen, we had the privilege of browsing through Carven Ong’s collection of bridal/evening gowns. I was really amazed by the selections and designs! I wish I could have one custom-made for myself too.

Carven Ong and his beautiful models.

The neon-lights with the Hong Kong Encounter menu upon the entrance, it gives a very 60′s feel right?

What’s better than beautiful girls welcoming you to a restaurant with mega-watts smile?

Fast forward to stepping into the restaurant, oh boy, I felt like being at some grand wedding dinner! Look at the table settings, aren’t they just lovely?

The appetizer selection:

Wok-fried prawn with Asian Tomato and black sesame dressing, Crispy yam puff with foie gras and minced chicken, Steamed cod dumpling with crabmeat glaze and Shredded beef with dried tangerine peel.

Can you spot the foie gras?  Well I couldn’t

I love the crispy yam and asian tomato the most! YUMMY!!!

And ohhh the crab roe..It was an excellent combo with huge fresh cod!

The bummer is, I wish I could have more pieces though.

The starter:

A duo of duckling and organic yin choy broths with sun-dried seafood, prawn and hairy gourd.

The soup was amazing as the broth was so thick with seafood aroma, and the huge prawn sitting on the island! Gosh! I dived into the plate and literally licked the plate clean!

The maincourse:

You can have a choice of salmon or lamb.

Honey and soya baked salmon with fragrant crab roe, soya beans, broad beans, honshimeji mushrooms and wolfberry sauce.

Ahh the juicy and flavorful salmon! I truly enjoyed every bite of the fish.

Citrus marinated lamb rack roasted with white sesame seeds, wok-fried baby cabbage, fresh lily bulbs and a spicy minted plum sauce.

The lamb was really well done as you can see from the picture. Juicy and tender meat. I just wish it could be much bigger though! *glutton*

Since I was served lamb by random, I exchanged a piece of lamb for salmon with Sunny. Gosh, I could not decide which I liked better since both were equally good.

After polishing off the meat, we were served Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz and boy, it was good! It was not overly sweet nor bitter, just right to the taste. I had a bit too much to drink and forgotten to take a picture of the wine.

And all the great wines are coming from Pernod Ricard Malaysia.

Next up, we were served noodles.

Dan mee with soy-braised beef, carrots, radish and leek topped with a splash of red wine.  The instruction was to pour the red wine over the noodle and mix them.

And surprise! Pieces of beef are like the hidden treasures!

Finally the desserts:

Chocolate Whiskey Siew Mai, Vanilla Ice Cream With Fresh Mango Puree, Sago and Pomelo and Crispy water chestnut spring roll.

From 1st October 2009 till 30th October 2009, the Festival Menu is available for public @ RM180++/pax with wines, or RM120++/pax without wines.

The other Light Festival Menu RM120++/pax with wines, or RM80++/pax without wines.  : 3 items on the appetizers, salmon or lamb, and the desserts.

Off the menu: Still bring greedy, I had a kwai-leng-kou to cool myself down. It was a bouncy jelly, and I could get the strong herbal taste within every single cell of the jelly. You must order this if you happen to be in Tai-Zi-Heen one day.

We had a wonderful night. Thank you chef and Prince Hotel!

From L > R: Model, Chef DJ (Exec Chef of Prince Hotel), Carven Ong, Chinese Master Chef Ricky Thein, Model.

Bye Tai Zi Heen, I shall be back.

The Promotions: 

For every full Festival Menu with wine ordered, receive a RM50 voucher for the Mandara Spa and a RM50 food voucher for either Tai Zi Heen, ENJU or Eccuino, redeemable with a minimum spend of RM150 in a single receipt. T&C apply. 

Festival diners receive a 30% discount on food at Tai Zi Heen when they produce their Festival lunch or dinner receipt. Valid for dining in from 1 to 30 November 2009.

For more info, log on to Prince Hotel website. 

If you are a frequent of SS2, you will definitely pass and see this catchy signboard too.

P/S: I have painfully typed out chinese name of the dishes too, hope it helps some of you!

In fact, it is a hidden gem that I wish I have discovered earlier. But, thanks to BigBoysOven and RedTomato,a bunch of us had the chance to discover this place.

You know why?

They actually have quite many ‘new age’ dishes in the menu!

Meet the menu from Dragon One.

One of the must-have items in chinese place – Ice “Ying Yang” in Hong Kong Style (冰镇港式鸳鸯） @RM5.40.

I am a big fan of yin yang! The best thing about tea being soaked in ice is, when the ice melts, your tea still will not be diluted!

Passion Fruit Snow @ RM6.80.

Do you know of anyone who is able to resist very fine, smooth, and tasty shaved ice?

Chilled Mango Sago with Jelly ( 文头杨枝金露) @ RM5.90. 

Refreshing, and not overly sweet.

Dragon Fruit Ice Blended (火龙果冰沙) @RM5.90.

Do you know I am a great fan of dragon fruit?

I was having some terrible flu on that day, and the lady boss was very sweet to offer me a cup of Boiled Coke with Ginger (生姜煲可乐) @ RM3.50.  It really works like magic to rid flu!

The boss brought us a plate of mango pickles as appetizer.  Even the guys like it too!!!!

Stir-fried Rice Flour Roll with Spicy Sauce (辣香酱炒肠粉)  @ RM4.50.

This is like carrot cake….but A LOT better! As you can see, it is loaded with egg, and I usually ask for additional egg in my fried carrot cake!

Stir-Fried Bean Sheet with Preserved Vegetables (上海雪菜炒分皮) @ RM4.50.

This again is something very new to me. Is it just me being ‘suaku’?

It is like…crystal kuay-teow, without the slimy feeling. I LOVE THIS!

Steamed Shanghainese Meat Dumpling with Superior Soup (上海灌汤小龙包) @ RM6.00.

I was surprised that xiu-long-bao here is great too!

Steamed Rice Flour Roll with Duck Meat in Crab Sauce (香菇蚝汁肠粉卷) @ RM3.20.

I highly recommend this because this is really tasty and very affordable too! And the crab meat sauce is not some dodgy crab meat, it is the REAL thing.

There is also Ice Blended Japanese Matcha with Red Bean (草原之夜) RM5.90.

I am sure witchy enjoyed this a lot!

Shanghai Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling (传统上海水煎锅贴) RM4.60.

I am going to bring my family to this shop when they are here, fried dumpling is my daddy’s favorite!

Avacado with Kataifi (牛油果龙须卷 ) @ RM5.00.

I love the crispy, crunchy skin and it is not oily at all!  I wish they have it in mango too.

Shanghainese Style La Mian with Crab Roe (上海蟹皇拌面) @ RM8.80.

I love the thick broth with the hint of crab roes. Perfect combination!

Shanghai Layer Cake with Custard (上海奶皇马来糕) @ RM4.20.

It is soft, lightly sweetened, and fluffy! Perfect for the kuih-lovers out there.

Shanghai Pan-Fried Meat Buns (传统上海水煎锅贴) @ RM5.00.

It is like eating the pork-bun, but this is pan-fried, tastier, and juicier, and smaller in size too!

Deep Fried Spring Roll with Unagi and Yoghurt (鳗鱼乳酪长春卷) @ RM5.20.

Creativity of chef #1.

Creativity of chef #2.

Deep-Fried Prawn Roll with Orange Sauce (橙花鲜虾升龙卷) @ RM4.80.

Now, can you see the creativity of chef, and the passion for his business?

Love the fresh and juicy prawn wrapped by the crispy skin and tangy sauce!

Deep-Fried Prawn Roll with Squid Paste and Cheese (芝士墨鱼鲜虾卷) @ RM4.80.

I am sorry that I can’t find this dish in the menu, but this is another new-age stuff. It is the traditional chee-cheong fun stuffed with fried dough and sausage. I love the idea of stuffing stuff into the cheong-fun.

Steamed Fish Skin Dumpling with Oyster Sauce ( 蚝皇汁烩鱼皮角) @ RM4.80.

I took a bit of this, and immediately reminded me of the juicy 福州鱼圆.

And….meet the legendary durian pancake!!!!  RM4.60/2 pcs.

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of the day!!!

In fact, everyone was awed by this dish! Look how thin the skin is and how creamy the durian filling is?

I even packed this home for others to try!  YUMMY!!!! A MUST-ORDER food I say.

At this point of time, all of us were stuffed. But…behold…

The sexy macarons from Sunny!

And very high-quality chocolate-moist cake.

Make sure you order cake/pastries from them for ALL your important ocassions!

And…we were lucky to get a piece of mooncake baked by Wilson’s mom.  Homemade and heart-warming.

What could be better than this?

This pretty much sums up our scrumptious dinner for the day.

If you are in SS2 hunting for food next time, be sure to drop by Dragon One.

Add: 59 Ground Floor, Jalan SS2/75, 47300 Petaling Jay, Selangor. (Same row as Murni & Public Bank)
Tel: 016-2539899/012-3989803)

It is located opposite Cold Storage at the LG.

The appetizers are now available on the menu.

Spicy Jelly Fish @ RM6.80. I love the crunchy and sourish jelly fish! This portion is definitely more than what you can get on the sushi toppings.

And also my favorite is the Japanese Cucumber @ RM3.80. If you see carefully, all the slices are cut into the about the same size. This is to make sure that every piece is well marinated evenly.

My favorite of the day: The Taiwan century egg @ RM3.80.

On the right it is our local century egg. The Taiwan century egg is imported from Taiwan and it is actually duck egg. The yolk just melts in the mouth! It is smooth and creamy, unlike the local century eggs, hard and full of amnonia smell.  Highly recommended!

Another dish that I personally like is this: Din Tai Fung Special Appetizer @ RM3.80.

It is a combination of chili, seaweed, vermicelli, beansprout and something else I think. It tasted even better when Lim added extra vinegar. I love sourish stuff!

Stewed beancurd with honey sauce @ RM6.80.

It is a vegetarian dish but it tastes good too! It is more to sweetness.

Photo taken from foodpoi.com. 

Meet the owner, the lovely lady, Lim. I really admire her passion, dedication and drive for her business. She even hosted us herself! And her attention of detail to every little small matter. This must be the keys to success I guess?

We took some time to tour the open kitchen and was explained about the process of making the buns.

Every piece of flour is weighed before being filled with ingredients to make sure the quality is consistent.

Check out the concentration of the chefs! They were making the sesame xiu long bao.

And the state-of-the-art steamer. We were also told that the xiu long bao must be steamed for 4 mins and 20 secs, nothing more and nothing less. And it is all managed by the senior chef alone! I am not sure if I could even take care of 10 baskets myself concurrently.

Ah! The freshly steamed xiu long bao from the steamer! There are all together 18 folds on top of the bao to seal the opening. The base of the bao is made slightly thicker to hold the soup in the bao.

Look at the over-flowing juice!

Another favorite of mine: Spicy shrimp pork wantan @ RM8.80 for 6 pcs.

You have to mix the shrimp paste with the wantan to flavor it.

Yum! I ate 3 pcs of this!!! How could I miss this during my last 3 visits to the restaurant?

New: The fish dumping @RM10.80 for 6 pcs orRM19.80 for 12 pcs. It is made of garoupa fish and celery. I like this fish but not the celery in it.

New: Dry Mustard Green Lamien @ RM12.00.

The dry mustard is actually preserved vege (ham choy), and the vege must be soaked/cleaned thoroughly to make sure that it is not over salty.

New: Cong You La Mien @ RM12.80. My favorite of the lot.

After mixing the noodles well, you can taste the fragrance from the shallot and chicken oil. Lovely!

New: Glass Noodle Soup with Beancurd @ RM12.80.

I highly recommend this for the health-concious and dieters. *cough* I am supposed to be on a diet.

See? It is light and clear! The glass noodle is also imported from Taiwan, with a combination of spongy beancurd and firm pork roll, cooked in chicken-pork-bone soup, it can’t go wrong.

The Mini Sesame Bun @ RM5.50 for 3pcs! Timothy has some really artsy shots of it, can’t wait to see them!

And oh, even the sesame paste is also imported from Taiwan. The filling is just right, I am no fan of sesame, but I ate the whole bun! See how easily the paper at the bottom is peeled?

Last but not least, the red bean paste xiu long bao. Did you notice that the bao is firmer with red bean filling?

Smooth and rich! Love it! Although I dont’t quite like red bean either.

With that, we ended our brunch. It was also my first time meeting Timothy from 3-meals.com, Super Wilson from Places & Food, and Brian & WaiChing from bestfoodjunction.com . And thanks to Ken who took the time to organize this. Too bad for Jasonmumbles who could not make it for being stuck in the horrible jam.

If you have not been there, it is time to visit there already. I have marked my next dish to try there!

Also read from:

FoodPoi

Le Bouchon, a neat little place along Changkat Bukit Bintang. It is actually a few shops before Baan26.

Upon entering the door, you can see the wine rack, look at the collection!

And some bottles are placed on the table as part of the deco.

Carre d’agneau à la croute de fromage de chèvre, courgettes à la fleur de thym, Pommes dauphines épicées, sauce au Cabernet sauvignon
Rack of lamb with goat’s cheese crust, roasted zucchinis with thyme flowers,spiced dauphine potatoes, Cabernet Sauvignon sauce
RM82++

Before food was served, chef has prepared few dishes for photography purpose.

Don’t you just have to love the way the dishes are served?

FINE DINING = quality counts.

After some waiting, finally, the long awaited dinner is served!

Introducing the new menu:

APPETIZERS
Terrine de Foie Gras maison
Homemade Goose liver terrine served with fig jam and grilled sour dough bread
RM50++

My first time having foie  gras which i had been dreaming about!

Comes with sour dough bread.

And the way to eat it! It tastes something like extra rich and smooth peanut butter without the peanut taste.  It is quite different from what I imagined. It didn’t feel like liver at all! It is best to go with the fig jam to counter the buttery feeling.

Soupe de moules noires au safran et légumes aromatiques
Black mussels and saffron soup with aromatique vegetables
RM20++

The soup was heavenly! It is not as rich as the liver, so it really clears the throat and the stomach to be prepared for the next dish.

After the soup, I decided to walk around to help to digest my food.

Wonder why is the statue looking like the Angels & Demons poster.

There is a fish pond too!

If you have a lot of cash to spare, or desperately want to impress your date, you can book this cozy little room, best for dinner for 2. So romantic! But be prepared with your credit card though.

If a guy brings me to dine there, i would probably faint on the spot.

SEAFOOD
Filet de morue rôti au sirop d’érable et piment, asperges vertes à l’ail, beurre blanc de betterave
Roasted cod fillet with chilli-maple glaze, green asparagus with garlic, beetroot beurre blanc sauce
RM62++

YUM! See the texture of the cod? It is SO fresh! And springy, crunchy, thick and very Q. And the sauce goes really well with the fish. Gosh!

And on top of that, wine is served too! Heavenly. Life seriously couldn’t be better.

MEAT
Pavé de bœuf rôti , sauce Bordelaise, ratatouille et pommes sautées
aux lardons de canard fumé
Roasted beef tenderloin, Bordeaux wine sauce, ratatouille vegetables and sautéed potatoes with smoked duck bacon
RM98++

Yeah you read the price right, it’s RM98++. (FINE DINING).

The texture was the beef was just so so right. It is so tender yet NOT bloody at all! No blood oozing out. It was just done so perfectly. All the food is prepared by the chef himself. YUM! I so feel like having it again.*checks purse*

DESSERT
Crème brulée aux framboises
Crème brulée with raspberries
RM18++

Notice how soft the egg custard is? YUMMY!

And finally, the great man behind the scene – Chef Jerome Carrouee.

And of course he is a French too! And he is humorous!  He said If i were to become a chef – I can call myself SloppyChef.

With the dessert, the dinner ended. It was truly an unforgettable night. And thank you chef for such a wonderful dinner!

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Big Boys Oven

The ENJU Japanese Restaurant on the first floor of Prince Hotel.

Once you step in, you can see the nice decor at the entrance.

And some origami on the table. I think i can never make an origami on my own. Before i could finish a head or a wing, I would have probably die of frustration.

Oh look! Our food is being decorated! I was really hungry when looking them preparing.

It is quite a neat arrangement for the tables and chairs.

Finally! The appetizer arrived! It was already 8pm and my stomach was drumming like crazy. ( I usually try to have my dinner at 6 or 7pm). The deep fried potato is crispy on the outside, soft and hot on the inside. Gosh, wish I could have more of this!!!

Introducing: The ladies’ set meal, with Gindara Terriyaki  as main, the other supporting roles such as Hiyashi Somen (the noodles), Chawan Mushi (the steamed egg), Sushi Moriawase (the sushi palette), and Oshinko Moriwase (the pickles).

Price of the meal to be updated later.

The star:  Gindara Terriyaki.

It is Alaskan black cod grilled with terriyaki sauce. The fish was fresh and juicy. And the meat was tender yet springy. Ahh! I love fish!!!!

Hiyashi Somen:  You should dip the noodles in the shoyu sauce given.

Like this! yum! simple, and it is not fat! (at least i think). And oh, best to SLURRRP! The noodles will just glide down your throat smoothly.

Sushi Moriawase : Love the fresh sashimi! Usually, I like to soak my sushi in wasabi, and get the rush of wasabi filling up my nose and throat.

Look! The perky chef Thomas. Isn’t he cute?

It’s handroll time! Look at all the ingredients!! and gosh, the roes! <3

I DIY a handroll myself, it has to be the best handroll i have ever eaten so far. <3

At this point, all of us were really full already.

Look! Pretty lady serving desserts! Can you say no?

My orange sorbet. It is sorbet in orange skin. Very refreshing!! Love this!! But orange is the sour-est compared to the rest.

Lemon! I a ma big fan of lemon!!!

Apple sorbet! The best part of apple sorbet is: You can eat the skin together. No waste.

Last but not least, another humongous portion of sushi! We barely touched it, and best part is, i tapao-ed some home and had them for breakfast. Awesome!

Last last but not least, we had a surprise birthday for Sunny from BigBoysOven too!  Look at the glow on his face! I wonder if he has been using flour or baking soda for facials. Why is it silky smooth?

After the cake cutting, it pretty much concluded our big night out. I went home….bloated.

Read other reviews from:

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IvyAiwei

CK Lam

Jess

P/S: there were like 10 of us there for the food tasting.

Destination: The Wok Cafe @ The Strand Kota Damansara.

I was charmed by the homely deco. How not to enjoy lunch in places like this? Thumbs up for the ambiance.

First dish served was the the must-have Penang food: Prawn Mee Soup @ RM7.

Love the soup!

Char Kuay Teow @ RM8.

Ahhhh can you see the big fresh prawns? Yum! I love CKT, wish they could add some cockles though. I would definitely go back for this the next time.

The Lor Bak @ RM8.

It is actually crispy pork roll marinated with the 5-spice-powder. My mom always makes this for chinese new year it is like once-a-year thing for me.

And and… Hokkien Char @ RM8.

I always love Hokkien noodles!  But I think this is abit different from the usual one I have, this has more gravy.

Hmmm I think this is Curry Mee @ RM7. I don’t really like this as I prefer the piping hot and spicy one! And I am not so good with coconut milk in my food. ( I always have stomach upset after eating coconut milk)

Fried chicken! It is actually called Inche Kabin. The chicken is marinated with lemon grass, tumeric and local spices. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

Btw, for poultry, the dishes come in 3 sizes. > S (RM14) M (RM20) and L (RM26).

The doorway to the kitchen. Very classic right?

This is Kiam chay duck soup. I always love soup with tomato and salted vege. Very appetizing.

The soup also comes in 3 sizes. > S (RM9) M (RM14) and L (RM19).

This is something new to me:  Perut Ikan. It tastes exactly the same as asam laksa without noodles, I can’t really taste the fish stomach though. Price starting from RM9.

Pan fried asam prawns. I don’t know about the price though. If you are a prawn-shell-hater, this is for easy peasy for you. The shell has been peeled, so it is absolutely trouble-free, and it is delicious! Ahhh I am missing the prawns now!

We also had chee cheong fun. I am not a big fan of this dish, so, it didn’t strike me as much as other dishes.

This is something special, called the Hong Bak. It is actually 3-layer-pork if you see carefully. I can’t tell what’s in the gravy, but the gravy goes really well with rice! And the fat layer doesn’t feel fatty at all!!!

Price starting from RM14.

What’s a wholesome meal without vegetables right?

Introucing Jiu Hoo Char. It is actually turnips fried with carrots, cabbage, mushroom and dried cuttlefish. You should eat the dish wrapped with the lettuce and sambal. I love this dish! It is usually one of the ingredients for popiah too.

And finally, the long awaited dessert.

Cendol @ RM3.50. Very refreshing after some very taste-rich meal.

Penang Ice Kacang @ RM5.50. Love the ice cream on top! And quite some ‘atapchi’ found in the dessert.

My most-favorite among all: Sago nangka @ RM3.50.

It is very very refreshing, and filled with the nangka aroma. If you are a nangka lover, you MUST order this.

After a really satisfying lunch, I am tempted to go back again.

Are you? If you are, here is a discount voucher for you!

Just click on the image, print this out and bring this coupon along with you when you visit there.

Don’t worry, the voucher is absolutely valid. 

P/S: The Strand Kota Damansara is actually near the Kota Damansara Giant.

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CK Lam

Calving Kong