Back to the 70s with Chef Ah Soon Kor at Noble Mansion

Back in the 1970s, chef Ah Soon Kor or Wong Ling Soon had already established himself as the “king” of Cantonese cuisine in Malaysia. His first restaurant — Rasa Sayang — in Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, used to draw in the well-heeled who would dine sumptuously on abalone, shark’s fin, lobster and fish like the prized So Mei or humphead wrasse, among other outstanding dishes.

Ah Soon Kor is now 76, and though he has divested himself of all his six restaurants, he is still being sought as consultant in crafting menus, training chefs and helping in the opening of new Chinese restaurants.

Ah Soon Kor’s fine Cantonese dishes are now in special menus he curated and will be featured in exclusive dinners at the restaurants under the Oriental Group, from now till end September. It’s part of the Oriental Group’s Annual Celebrity Chef Event which started 14 years ago. Diners look forward every year to a culinary extravaganza by renowned international and Malaysian chefs in the restaurants under the Oriental Group.

We dined on such a menu that harks back to the 70s at Noble Mansion in Petaling Jaya.

First the appetiser Abalone Roll & Duck Tongues braised in a special sauce was served. We delighted in delicate slices of abalone rolled with snow fungus and tender duck tongues with a garlic chilli dip.

The chef explained how the pork fat had a sugar bath before being rolled with pork and liver in the Fengcheng Style Pork and Liver Roll. It was excellent, and didn’t taste fatty at all.

Crispy King Prawn Roll was all sweet and springy chopped prawn dipped in a light batter and deep fried. The delicious Stuffed Old Style Chicken Wing tumbled out minced pork, water chestnut and carrot at the bite.

Foie Gras in Supreme Soup with Puff Crust was what Ah Soon Kor learnt while at a banquet in Beijing. “A lot of westerners would dine in this restaurant, hence the puff pastry covering the clear double-boiled soup,” he said. With the buttery flaky pastry removed, the soup exuded the aroma of foie gras.

Double-boiled Duck and Tangerine Peel Soup was a richer, tasty broth, scented with the citrus peel. The same puff pastry crust covered this soup too.

The Braised Goose Web with Stuffed Rare Morel Mushroom tasted wonderful. The gelatinous web melted in the mouth, infused with the spices of the braising sauce. The delicate morel mushroom burst with the flavours of the meat stuffing.

The 70s vibe was in the Peacock’s Nest Suckling Pig Skin with Century Egg and Honeydew. A fine vegetable carving of a peacock with its tail fanning out presided over the thin, crispy roasted skin on honeydew and topped with quail century. No sauce was needed as we crunched on the pork skin, touching the sweet honeydew beneath.

A blast from the past was the Deepfried Pomfret and Stirfried Scallops with XO Sauce. Fish fillets were rolled up and deepfried, with the main bone fried till crispy. You could break it up and eat the bones too.

Baked Glutinous Rice in Fragrant Coconut had two kinds of rice fried with waxed meats and baked in the coconut. The essence of the coconut embraced the scrumptious rice too.

The Dang Ying Red Bean Pumpkin Ball with Banana was a crispy and fragile ball that crackled at the bite, tumbling out the yummy banana and red bean filling.  We also had a chilled Bird’s Nest Lemongrass Infusion with basil seeds and mixed fruit.

Two eleven-course set menus are priced at RM260 nett or RM389 nett per pax (minimum 4 pax), or RM2,688 nett and RM3,888 nett for a table of 10. You can dine on these menus at The Ming Room on 28 August (03 2284 8822), The Han Room on 29 August (03 2284 8833), Oriental Sun on 5 September (03 5611 1138) and Noble M on 6 September (03 7931 8633). The menus will be available too till the end of September.

Also check out www.orientalrestaurants.com.my