Dao Xiang, one of Bangsar South's most elegant eateries, delves deep into the diversity of Chinese Shunde cuisine, a genre that's not widely seen in KL but is worth hunting out for flavours that customarily channel the robust richness of freshwater fare.
Classic cooking in copper pans is Dao Xiang's distinctive delight - select the bounty of the rivers & the ocean to be braised in a lovely pork broth that's nuanced with sun-dried tangerine peel. The choices prove sumptuously compelling, from fish like grouper, marble goby, tiger grouper, patin or catfish to pomfret, black tilapia, barramundi, sultan fish or salmon, plus everything from eel, squid, stingray, razor clams & sea cucumber to abalone, oysters, geoduck, lobster, mud crabs & tiger prawns.
We mixed & matched four components in our meal - each tasted resolutely fresh & memorably flavoursome, expertly cooked by the restaurant's staff at our table. The serving is massive, sufficient to fully feed at least four people, even before vermicelli is thrown in at the end. The broth starts at RM18, while each selection of seafood carries its own charge. Perfect for fans of steamboat & hotpot-style recipes, but fabulous as well for anyone who's seeking an interesting approach to enjoying seafood.
Dao Xiang's menu is impressively extensive - one ingredient that pops up often is fish lips, which can be prepared with ginger (RM28) for a sweetly fleshy, gelatinous delicacy. Other steamed temptations include lusciously smooth egg with clams (RM20) & luffa that's potently aromatic with garlic (RM18), blending wholesome, home-style traditions with a polished outlet's finesse.
Other creations here range from the imaginative, like crunchy pan-fried lotus roots stuffed with savoury fish paste (RM23), to the comfortingly tried-&-tested, such as terrifically fragrant claypot rice with waxed meat, made with top-flight grains for close-to-certain satisfaction (RM33). And there's still much, much more to sample here, from Shunde-style porridge hotpots with ingredients like chicken giblets & salted pork bones to fish head soup with tofu, salt-&-pepper frog meat to stuffed squid tubes.
From the starters to the desserts, dining here was a pleasure, with fabulous service. Thanks to Dao Xiang for having us here.
Dao Xiang Chinese Cuisine Restaurant
First Floor, Nexus, Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 1130am-230pm, 530pm-10pm. Tel: 03-2242-3318
The Eat Drink KL mobile app is now available, connecting restaurants & customers to promote a positive spirit of community.
Every restaurant on this app rewards users with a 6 percent discount, instantly & conveniently, everyday, all day long.
In return, users share photos of their experiences at these eateries, creating a new community of restaurant lovers.
For every transaction, at least RM0.20 will be channelled to a charity of the month.
Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings, F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link:
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, with 100 recommended restaurants for May-August 2015. This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.cld.bz/2015
Buckle your seatbelts: Eat Drink KL is partnering with Uber to take restaurant lovers on new adventures across KL & Selangor!
If you haven't used Uber yet, it's time to begin! For new users, just follow the steps below to redeem free rides:
1. Download the Uber app from the App Store, Play Store or Windows Store - and register your Uber account.
2. Apply the code EATDRINKKL as your first promotional code & you'll receive 2 Free Rides worth RM30 each.
3. Request a ride through the app and ride for free to any destination (with two ride values of up to RM30 each).
