Taiwanese fine dining has come to town, with the brand-new Zhen Shan Mei offering a multitude of creatively conceived, painstakingly prepared recipes.
Foie gras in mochi skin roulades and mullet roe rolls. Just when we thought there could be no novel way of serving foie gras, this knocked our socks off; the cold foie terrine was a melt-in-the-mouth treat that combined perfectly with the slightly sweet, chewy mochi. Next to that, the fish egg rolls paled in comparison, though mullet roe is always a pleasure.
Succulent smoked goose & scallops with salmon roe helped to whet our appetites.
Fresh abalone complemented by an aromatic, subtly sour five-flavour sauce.
Scallop & prawn dumplings topped with truffles. This had all the attributes of superlative dim sum; plump, piping-hot, moist morsels stuffed with sensationally fresh ingredients.
Cold Hefeng-style stewed matsuzaka pork shoulder. A hearty serving of tender meat, though not particularly memorable. A bit bland, though that might have been intentional.
Supposedly a popular Taiwanese treat called "Keelung Miaokou," this deep-fried pork roll was like a version of lor bak, without any trace of excess oil.
Crispy "pomegranate" stuffed with scallop, prawn, squid & chicken. Expertly executed, but not exactly exceptional. Still, like nearly everything else here, it proved to be fun to eat.
Pork liver pan-fried with Taiwanese soya sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I've loved pig's liver ever since I was a kid, so it's something I still order whenever it's on the menu. This version was wonderfully juicy, with the strong liver flavour somehow toned down.
Silver cod steamed with Taiwanese cordia seeds. The fish was fresh and tasty, but the seeds seemed like an unnecessary distraction, since they were too hard and had to be spat out.
Placido Chianti DOCG, ordered over from their nearby affiliate, Michelangelo's.
Zhen Shan Mei,
SohoKL, Mont Kiara.
