It’s quite a feat, pulling together 18 restaurants, bakeries and street food vendors in Chinatown to contribute their best to a Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner. And it’s happening in Seong Ying Chai, off Jalan Sultan.
CNY vibes at Seong Ying Chai
Seong Ying Chai started in 1935 as a Cantonese restaurant and morphed into a leading artisanal bakery in Chinatown, turning out traditional Chinese pastries (its mooncakes are sought after) and desserts.
The Jom Celebrate Reunion Dinner, Chinatown KL 2025, is on from 25 Jan to 16 Feb (except Jan 29 to 31). It’s RM1,388 per table of 10, Call 3 days in advance: 011-1179 9082, 016-3810 810.
Goodies for tea, a selection of the best in Chinatown in the 8 Treasure Box
At a preview in a celebratory lunch in this small iconic space, we had a taste of what Chinatown had to offer. First the 8 Treasure Box presenting: Seong Ying Chai’s Lion Head Gong Zai Bing, TK Lim’s sliced beef jerky, fried peanut dumplings from Sweet Potato Ball, Ho Yoke Kee’s Lucky Candy, Washington’s Golden Grill Sponge Cake (my favourite), Chai Huat Hin’s dried persimmons (awesome!), Machi Popo’s black sesame puffs and Fung Wong’s mini walnut cookies (yums).
Westlake’s Golden Pear Yee Sang
The Golden Pear Yu Sheng from Westlake set the Chinese New Year mood, a traditional Yee Sang with all the crispies, abalones, jellyfish and sauces. This was followed by the Hainanese Steamed Kampung Chicken, complete with ginger and chilli dips. Good and flavourful bites from this Ma Cho Kai..
Hainanese Steamed Kampung Chicken from Kam Kee
Fish Paste & Malabar Spinach Soup from Sai Kee
I enjoyed Sai Kee’s Fish Paste and Malabar Spinach Soup. The fish paste had the right springy texture; there was salted egg in the soup and I had a second helping. It reminded me of home.
Sze Ngan Chye’s Signature Salted Duck
Sze Ngan Chye’s Signature Salted Duck brought back memories of how it used to be a much sought after roast duck stall in Petaling Street. I was told other roast duck stall owners started wearing glasses too! Secret of the duck? It’s been brined before roasting hence the moist and more tender meat.
Prosperity Pork Trotter from Hong Ngek
Then it was the Steamed Patin from Han Kee Restaurant, done well. The Prosperity Pork Trotters braised in a claypot. It was Heng Hua Hokkien dish from Hong Ngek.
Steamed Patin from Han Kee
A surprising dish was the Vegetarian Kottu Roti that came from The Lankan in Chinatown – shredded roti canai fried with cabbage and turmeric. It was a break from all the meat we had.
Vegetarian Kottu Roti from The Lankan
Stirfried Lotus Root & Celery from Voila
Perfect was the Stir-fried Lotus Root and Celery from Voila, a meat-free restaurant. Lots of wok hei in the fried celery, carrot, lotus root, asparagus, water chestnut, peppers and cashew nuts.
Cured meat claypot rice from Kiew Yee Baru
Lap Mei Fan or Cured Meat Claypot Rice from Kiew Yee Baru wrapped up lunch. Dessert was Almond Tofu Pudding with Luo Han Guo and longan from Seong Ying Chai.
Almond Tofu Pudding and Luo Hon Guo Longan Dessert from Seong Ying Chai
Even the tea we drank – Liu Bao Aged Tea was from Kean Chun in Chinatown. Workers in the old days used to drink it to keep illnesses at bay.
Leonard Lee, of Seong Ying Chai, co-organiser of the Jom Celebrate Reunion Dinners
The Jom Celebrate Reunion Dinner, Chinatown KL 2025, is an initiative by Persatuan Rakan Budaya dan Pelancong Kuala Lumpur & Selangor, with the support of Fong Kui Lun, MP for Bukit Bintang. Seong Ying Chai is co-organiser. Said its manager Leonard Lee: “ Many of us are multi-generational food businesses and we want to share our love of Chinese New Year delicacies with both Malaysians and visitors.”