Fine Cantonese Cooking

First published in Options, The Edge Malaysia, July 23, 2016

The KL outlet of a one-starred Michelin Restaurant in Hong Kong serves fine Cantonese cooking

It’s not often that a one-starred Michelin Restaurant opens an outlet in Kuala Lumpur, but Hong Kong’s Pang’s Kitchen has done exactly that, to full houses every weekend, so that reservations are required, and at fixed dining slots, from 6-8pm, and from 8pm onwards.

Tucked away in an inner square in Taman Desa, the restaurant is quite small, housing less than 20 tables. It is high-ceilinged, with funky purple circular lights and regular globe lamps lighting up the pastel coloured walls. A small strip garden of bamboo and a little running water, behind a glass wall, adds a simple, elegant touch to the place.

The menu is encyclopedic, and kitchen management must be something of a logistics balancing act. Our waitress recommended the specialties, but these were still only a fraction of what was on offer.  The cooking is Cantonese, and the dishes are neither exotic nor banquet-style, just what you would expect to find in a middle-of-the-road Chinese restaurant, executed with the style and flourish that has earned it a Michelin star in the Hong Kong outlet.

Paired with good Pu-erh tea, we prepared ourselves for dinner.

In Chinese dining style, all the dishes arrived at the same time.  The Scrambled Milk with Scallop (Rm38) is an original of milk and scrambled egg white with fresh scallops.  Frankly, it looked pallid and tofu-like. It was unusual, with a delicate milky flavor, well matched with fresh, smooth scallops. A little black vinegar gave it some bite, and it quickly won us over.  It was easy to see why it was a restaurant specialty.

The much stronger Sweet Sour Pork Ribs with Strawberry (Rm33) gave an original twist to the standard Sweet-sour pork dish. This version was crunchy and crusty with an even texture throughout, with firm meat, the coating being more sweet than sour. The strawberries, besides adding an unusual touch, added an intensity to the flavor.

The ‘nest’ in the Mixed Vegetables in Nest (Rm25) was mere decoration, being too thick and hard to eat, but the mix of julienned celery, capsicum, mushroom and tofu was another well thought-out combination, with a fresh, crunchy texture. There was none of that fibrousness, sogginess or oiliness you sometimes encounter with stir-fried vegetable dishes.

Moving on, we had the Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk (Rm38), with big prawns coated in a thick golden crust.  The salted egg coating was moist and intense, the prawns firm and fresh, and cooked so that the outer shell was crunchy enough to be eaten whole, without overcooking the prawn within, a testament to the skill of the kitchen in all-important control of the cooking fire.

Half a Crispy Chicken with Garlic (Rm38) was a bold recommendation, given that this is another standard offering from Chinese restaurants.  The chicken was excellently done, with a crispy, loose skin over firm, moist flesh, neither dry nor overcooked as is often the case, well-salted but not overly so, and sprinkled over with crunchy bits of garlic.  Even those among us who have more than their fill of deep-fried chicken at Chinese restaurants lauded how well done this dish was.

From the many noodle varieties, we tried the Wonton Noodles with Mixed Meat and Seafood in Superior Soup (Rm28), a large bowl brimming with fresh prawns, char-siew, fresh fish chunks, mushroom slices and vegetables in a clear broth.  Chinese soups are notorious for MSG, but not so in Pang’s Kitchen, which claims to be free of the additive.  The seafood was fresh and naturally flavourful, the wonton mee was delicate without being soft or soggy, and the soup was light and sweet, without the ticklish sensation of additive-laced soup. It stood on its own strengths, and was best taken as a standalone dish for its lightness and balance.

There wasn’t much by way of sweets, but we had the hot Six Combination Soup (Rm8 per bowl), another traditional favourite.  The restaurant’s rendition was a light, mild version, with generous amounts of crunchy white fungus, lotus seed, longan, fox nuts and barley. 

As Cantonese restaurants go, Pang’s Kitchen definitely stands out.  The food is executed with a light touch, not always easy in Chinese cooking with fairly intense-flavoured ingredients.  The kitchen is able to execute fairly common dishes in an uncommonly competent manner, with the ease of complete mastery.  Fresh and fine ingredients, balanced flavours and attention to detail make Pang’s Kitchen the place to go for fine Cantonese food.   

Pang’s Kitchen@Voizsup,

Ground Floor, Wisma Miramas,

No 1, Jalan 2/109E,

Taman Desa, Jalan Klang Lama

58100 Kuala Lumpur

Reservations: 03-79712748/0126317971

Business Hours: Noon to 11pm daily (Last orders at 10.30pm)