Royal Flush, by the Guys From Tom Dick & Harry

The invite read as follows:

Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bruce Wong, I am one of the partners of the Tom, Dick & Harry's pub chain, Hoofed and also Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock Kopitiam. I am writing you this e-mail to cordially invite you for a first hand view and experience of our latest and most ambitious project yet, a chinese dining restaurant named The Royal Flush.

 

I honestly thought the guy was being funny, about the Ali Muthu & Ah Hock kopitiam, but guess what, it's REAL.  And in keeping with their funny memorable names, the latest in the portfolio of these guys' chain of restaurants, is ROYAL FLUSH.  

 

For this media pre-launch, we were treated to the SPOT ON menu....consisting ...

Dim Sum Combination...a xiu mai, fish ball and xiu long bao, ...okay, nothing very mind blowing here, but it was good quality dim sum, and I believe dim sum will be one of the lunch staples.


Twin Cold Combination...basically an oyster shot kinda thing, and some abalone like clam with two cherry tomatoes on top.  I liked the idea of the oyster shot, and that lovely slimy feeling of it slithering down your throat. 


Grilled Cod Fish...okay, the names are very straight to the point...spot on, I guess.  No complaints with the cod.


Grilled Scallop Bacon, kinda like pigs in the blanket concept.  You can't really go wrong with anything that has bacon, if you ask me. 


My favourite for the night, grilled pork ribs, with some slight hint of sweetness, but a lovely cut of the rib that was tender and moist, and some slight fat.  Which is important.  Eating lean pork is like eating vegetables.


Asparagus.  Love the fact that on the menu, its says, "ASPARAGUS".  Must be lost in translation somewhat, because the chinese menu has at least 5 characters, which I am SURE doesnt say just "ASPARAGUS". 


Abalone Fried Rice ...these baby abalones are all the rage these days.  There must be an Air Asia equivalent of abalone farming, where everyone can fly, now everyone can eat abalone. 


One of the owners, Ernest, giving his welcome speech. 


Double boiled bird's nest, but I am not sure if it really was that.  It tasted more like honey sea cucumber with snow fungus, so maybe that was substituted.  A refreshing dessert for a rather heavy meal.


Note the little labels... all through the night, thanks to Moet Hennessy Diaego, there was free flow Cloudy Bay, one of my all time favourite Savignon Blanc.  The other dessert was Crystal Peanut Dumpling.   The SPOT ON Menu is RM1200 nett...they also have the CNY Reunion Menu priced at RM1388 net, which sounds quite value for money, considering it has suckling pig, abalone, superior soup and yee sang. 


The interior of ROYAL FLUSH








Located in Oasis Square Ara Damansara, the facade of the building is pretty outstanding, you really cannot miss it. 

It should be fully operational by now, in time for all the Chinese New Year feasting. 

THE ROYAL FLUSH
Lot R01 Central Piazza
Oasis Square Ara Damansara
2 Jln PJU1A/7A
47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel : Tommy 012-2117 810 /Jonas 016 2912 737

Ti Chen At Saujana Golf and Country Club

If you google maps it, you might be confused, and think TI CHEN is located in Saujana Hotel, and of course, to compound my confusion, the google map attachment on the "events" page showed Saujana Hotel.  It's a good thing I am old and slow, (in this case), because as I approached the road leading to the hotel, I drove at SNAIL's pace, (after being STUCK for an hour and a half on the SPRINT highway, which really should be renamed SNAIL Highway especially at peak hours) and lo and behold, caught a sign showing TI CHEN to the right, where the Saujana Golf & Country Club was located.  Hmm, strange, I thought to myself, but decided to go by faith, and follow the signs.  Further huge banners advertising dim sum lunches and chinese food reinforced my confidence that I was headed in the right direction. 

As I was hopelessly late, I had already missed the communal Yee Sang toss, though my fellow diners did leave a portion for me to partake, and toss myself.  Actually, food guru and empress of the floggers, Masak Masak, told me that individually tossed yee sang's are good because then you can toss according to your own wishes, and not have to share the communal wishes of good health, dragon horse energy, good business etc.  One could PERSONALLY wish for other things closer to one's heart. 



Our menu for the night was the "Pearl Set" Menu, priced at RM1,146.10 nett for a table of 10.  The un-nett figure is of course the more beautiful RM988.00.  Actually it comes with two bottles of Misterio Cabernet Savignon Red Wine.  Sea Bird Nest and Jelly Fish Yee Sang.  Hmm, I am not sure what Sea Bird Nest is. 


Double boiled herbal soup with fish maw.  Can't go wrong with this combination.  Kei Chee, (Chinese Wolfberry), red dates, angelica, ...


Oven Roasted Chicken with Homemade BBQ Dressing.  I love the giant onion rings. 


I've given up trying to take a decent picture of steamed fish, because they all look so ....dead, so this one is giving us the evil eye.  I generally prefer my fish steamed with a lighter sauce, or no sauce at all, especially if fresh, because it seems a waste to overpower the purity of the fish.  Fish was fresh, and well steamed. 


The interior of Ti Chen....which incidentally means Emperor's Palace. 




It's not Kitchen spelt by someone dyslexic.


Stir Fried Tiger prawns with Fragrant Soya Sauce, very har lok style, which I love.  I could just suck on these babies...





Braised Seasonal Vegetable with Dried Oyster and Sea Moss, (Fatt Choy).  Seems to be a compulsory dish in every CNY Menu, but since it's the token vegetable dish, I guess it's always welcomed. 


Wok Fried Rice With Seafood and Crispy Bean Curd skin.  According to food afficianado Pure Glutton, the bean curd skin was not crispy enough, compared to the previous times they've been.  Being my first time, I have no yardstick, so I wouldn't know.  But the rice is fluffy and well fried. 


Warm Nien Kow with Grated Coconut.  Yummy, love this take on nien kow which marries the traditional chinese with the Malay kuehs that are usually covered in grated coconut.  Great combo.  Must try it at home.


Honeydew Sago infused with Calamansi Juice.  A brilliant idea, which makes this a most refreshing dessert after such a heavy meal.  My only grouse would be that it's a bit too sweet, the sugar syrup almost overpowering the tartness of the calamansi.  But then again, my tolerance and love for sourness and bitterness is above that of the average Malaysian.

Other menus range from RM1,180.00++ to RM2,288.00++ for a table of 10.  (they all come with some form of booze thrown in). 

For reservations, please call
Tel: 7843 1234
www.thesaujanahotel.com