The Lunar New Year feasting is in full swing; BSC's Grand Imperial seems swamped with diners, with few empty tables even on weeknights (this photo was taken early in the evening).
Grand Imperial's 'lap mei fan' costs RM40++ for the smallest portion, which feeds two or three. The rice is well-prepared, but in comparison, the Oriental Group offers more richly flavored waxed meat & sausages. Beware: at peak hours, this can take nearly 60 minutes to serve.
We ordered 'lamian,' expecting to savor the thinnest of handmade noodles. What emerged was this thick version, reminiscent of 'pan mee' instead of the fine threads that outlets like Dragon-I & Crystal Jade offer. Still tasty though, especially with the excellent 'sui kow.'
Grand Imperial has a great wine list, but we'd deduct points since there's nothing by the glass.
This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.
A more wallet-friendly eatery for this season is the venerable Esquire Kitchen, which has branches scattered in malls across the Klang Valley.
Salmon yee sang, a midsize serving for about RM40.
Esquire Kitchen features one of the cheapest CNY sets around, about RM150 for six people, kicking off with Shanghai-style fried rice cakes.
Sweet corn soup with vegetarian "shark fin" soup, the conscience-friendly choice.
Fried chicken with herb sauce. Everything on the set is OK; not incredible, but not inedible.
Sweet-sour garoupa.
Bean curd with pumpkin sauce.
Crunchy veggies.
'Luo han gao' with white fungus. Perhaps the least sugary version ever.
Grand Imperial Restaurant @ Bangsar Shopping Center, Kuala Lumpur.
Esquire Kitchen @ IOI Mall, Puchong.
