YTL Hotels rebrands the Vistana Hotels in Malaysia – Vistana Hotel KUALA LUMPUR TITIWANGSA

The Vistana Hotels brands were relaunched in the theme of “Time Change, So Do We” earlier this week.
It was a timely and apt theme, for Vistana Hotel KL was opened in 1995 and 2014 marked its 19th year in business. After nearly 2 decades, any hotel would benefit from a refurbishment!

vistana hotel kl
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Halal Dim Sum – Ti Chen @ The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur

*Guest post by Kevin who was my dining partner that day.

The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur celebrates not only once but twice this time around reintroducing their newly refurbished Chinese restaurant, Ti Chen back into the market. With its rich red and black tones adorning the walls and furniture of this oriental eatery, Ti Chen has a lot more to offer.

Assisting Ti Chen in retaining its stature and reputation are two new chefs, Chef Lai Chong Seng and Dim Sum Chef Yau Kim Yew.

For this review, I had the opportunity to sample some of dishes created by the two chefs for Ti Chen.

Dishes by Chef Lai.

About the chef:
At 39 years of age, Chef Lai Chong Seng brings to the table 19 years of experience in the kitchen starting from the bottom with overseas stints in Seychelles and UAE. Overtime, Chef Lai built his portfolio comprising local and foreign experiences establishing his skills in Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine alongside magnificent fruit and vegetable carving. A member of the Penang Chef Association and the Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chef “Ho Yu” Association, Chef Lai is currently the Chinese Chef for Ti Chen of The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Some of his signature dishes include Deep Fried Seafood Roll with Mango, Stewed Baby Spinach with Dried Scallop and Wolfberry, Steam Cod Fish with Green Ginger Sauce and Ice Mint Lychees with Melon.

Roasted Duck Salad and Mandarin Orange and Wafu Dressing.
This dish had my attention the moment it was presented, as the distinctive aroma of sesame oil wafted from the dressing (and a bit due to hunger). Usually I would just dismiss salads as just token greens on the menu, but this dish deserves some praise thanks to some of the components which brought up the standards of this salad. The mandarin/tamarind used was sweet, with little of the usual sharp citric acidity making this a noteworthy dish. The slices of duck had some weight to their taste, as it managed to stand up to the dressing of the salad. A good start to the tasting so far.

dim sum - ti chen The saujana hotel KL-001

dim sum - ti chen The saujana hotel KL
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Rice Dumplings Festival @ Zuan Yuan Restaurant, One World Hotel + AWESOME DESSERTS!

In celebration of Duan Wu Jie or Rice Dumplings Festival which falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (CHINESE CALENDAR), the imaginative chefs at Zuan Yuan added a new twist to the traditional recipe by offering enticing flavours such as Five Grain Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Sliced Australian Abalone, Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling Hong Kong Style & Steamed Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Red Date Paste.

dumplings promo Zuan yuan One World hotel

Five Grain Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Sliced Australian Abalone.
RM58++ per dumpling.

Rice Dumplings Festival @ Zuan Yuan Restaurant, One World Hotel-01

Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling Hong Kong Style.
RM 25++ Each.

Rice Dumplings Festival @ Zuan Yuan Restaurant, One World Hotel-04
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Chinese New Year 2011 & Buffet Lunch at Essence in Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur

Chinese New Year is a whole 15 days affair.
Many traditions and customs take place during this period, most of which feature much merry making. One such tradition is Yan Yat, which translate into Everybody’s Birthday (in Cantonese).
Celebrated on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, Yan Yat is traditionally known as renri, the common man’s birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.

Traditionally, it is on this very day that the tossed raw fish salad (yee sang), is eaten. This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

Below: The cute yee sang with the motifs of rabbits at Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial.

celestial court sheraton imperial-4

Hence, what better day than the 7th day to hold a lion dance’s performance at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel.
Although there are many stories on how lion dancing came about, most will agree that the dance is said to bring good luck and prosperity.

Check out the video below; I was mesmerized by the acrobatic prowess of the lions as they pranced, leaped over pillars & performed various precarious jumps on pillars measuring 1.2 metres to 2.4 metres. The lion was also playful and mischievous, causing much laughter amongst the audience.


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