Recently I got to sample some of Zi Zai Restaurants new and upcoming menu and its really a fresh change and heart warming experience as it shows that chef Hock Chai is still striving to come up with homely yet creative dishes to whet our appetite. The sampling today included the ever popular Poon Choy or Basin Dish which is now like a staple or house specialty of Zi Zai. And as with all time favorites, the chef continues to refine it to perfection though on this day, I think we were all too excited and forgotten to truly let the broth in the basin come to a boil before devouring it, thus the vegetables at the bottom were abit under cooked.
Anyway, chef definitely took note of that and one of the biggest surprise and highlight was the Budai Jjigae or Korean Army Hat dish! I will save more details about it along with the pictures!
Do enjoy this posting and contact them if you would like to sample these new items. Advise to call in advance to check on the availability. Contact Hock Chai @ +604-826-5713
Yum Yum Poon Choy! Full version @ RM418 which is good for 12 pax. My advice, go for the half portion, and then order more side dishes! This way, you get to sample more different items as the full portion is just huge!
Preview of how the Army Hat dish looks like!
This is the Zi Zai Pork Knuckle (RM20) and it is cooked with a mixture of bean paste and potatoes. I find this a very appetizing dish and the potatoes were just so yummy having soaked the flavors and of course using pork knuckles, you really get all those juiciness from the pork mixing with the sauce. Nice.
Uhaha @ RM12 is another of Zi Zai's mainstay dish. Now the chef has tweaked the sauce abit and you can really taste the sweetness of the shellfish. I guess I still prefer the bigger La La's but this one works as well.
A yet to be named prawn dish. This is a combination of asam and bean paste and using peeled prawns instead of those with shells. Well this certainly makes eating the prawns much easier but I feel it still lacks some oomph to it. Maybe its more targeted at the overall family platter where kids would dig in too for not being too spicy, but without the prawn shell, it just needs that extra spicy kick I feel.
This is the Sauteed Bacon with Preserved Egg Yolk and Bean Sprouts is another new take to bean sprouts fried with salted fish. The chef has creatively found new ingredients to replace the salted fish and thus this new flavor is born. The fragrance from the bacon coupled with the silky texture of the egg yolk makes for a very unique bean sprout dish which I have never had before. Well worth a try
Stir Fried Romain Lettuce with Chinese Cheese Sauce @ RM10 is a very safe dish not deviating too far from the standard stir fry. Can't go wrong with the flavors for this one
Here comes another new item which is the Mantis Shrimp Thermidor with Yaki Udon which is really another first for me. Now, the chef did try to outdo himself when he attempted to cook an oversize portion of this dish, and ended up with the cheese not being able to get fully bake and crispy. But the taste wise, its like a mixture of cabonara with a baked cheese combo with mantis shrimp to boot. Definitely an East meet West combination and again, do try it if available. Pasta lovers will find it interesting
And of course the Budai Jjigae and this is the shot after the noodle and cheese got melted and the noodles got cooked! The soup is made from a mixture of Kimchi and secret sauces and according to chef Hock Chai, he has still not perfected this dish yet but it should be ready soon around June or July! He plans of making his own Kimchi as well as sourcing for fresh local ingredients to go into this Army Hat stew! Even if its not up to the chefs standard, I find this dish awesome and a must try! Try calling to ask if its ready to be served.
An overview of all the dishes for the night
And how the Poon Choy looks like after we gobbled up half of it! Yes, its huge
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