KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — The Steamed Fish with Egg White Sauce and Truffle was to die for at a dinner in Chef Choi recently. Ikan kurau fillets were bathed in a sublime egg sauce, with a shower of black truffle shavings. It was an ingenious, delectable combination. 

Chef/owner Chan Thye Seng had encountered some scepticism initially, but it vanished at the first taste. Now if only he could put this on the menu each truffle season! It was something he was trying out with a small supply of French truffles, and hit the spot with us. 

The black truffles appeared again on the fettucine with crab and garlic, perfectly al dente, with all the flavours in tune. Such a dish would surely perk up a jaded palate, even in a Chinese restaurant. 

Since we were almost into Chinese New Year then, we tossed a Yee Sang with Ocean Trout, after which we were surprised with a Grilled Sardine with a slice of lemon. It was a very fresh, sweet fish that didn’t need any embellishment apart from a little lemon juice. 

Where Chinese celebratory dishes are concerned, the Braised Pork Shoulder with Mushroom, Black Moss and Scallop is praiseworthy. The skin glistens with the dark braising sauce, and as it is cut up, the right balance of tender meat and creamy fat makes this so wonderful to eat. Then you go on to savour the chunks of fresh, sweet white scallops, the plump dried oysters and black mushrooms. 

Braised Wa Wa Choy with Dried Scallop is one of my favourite vegetable dishes here. The cabbage is rendered silky smooth, with the subtly sweet sauce clinging to each juicy leaf. 

Which would you like better — the Special Fried Glutinous Rice with Hong Kong Liver Sausage, or the Steamed Rice with Sausage and Waxed Meat in Claypot (Lap Mei Fan)?

It’s a hard decision when you eat at this restaurant. The gooseliver sausages are from the famed Yung Kee restaurant in Hong Kong, that are exquisite in its rose wine aroma, texture and flavour. The other Chinese pork sausages were local but surprisingly good. 

It’s quite difficult to get the Fried Glutinous Rice in Kuala Lumpur, as it takes some high wok skills to get it right, without the sticky rice turning out oily or soggy.  We gave a high score to the Chef Choi version which burst with flavour from the bits of sausages and dried prawns in it. 

I have always liked the Lap Mei Fan here. It’s cooked with the healthy long grain basmati rice, that has a low glycaemic index, but it tastes just as good. The rice is stirred up in the claypot with the lovely sauce, then you eat it with the array of steamed liver and pork sausages and waxed meat. 

Even the Nin Ko fried with Yam is hard to resist here, so forget about watching your weight. 

You could also try ordering in advance the very yummy Tiramisu here. 

For the Chinese New Year season, Chef Choi has set menus for 10 at RM788+, RM988+, RM1,288+, RM1,588+, RM1,888+ and RM3,388+. The more expensive menus have BBQ Crispy Suckling Pig, Yee Sang with Abalone, Steamed Live Star Garoupa and/or Mini Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. 

Chef Choi is located at 159 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2163-5866, website www.chefchoi.com.