Unexpected taste combos at Gu Yue Tien
Giant clam with spicy kumquat sauce is a great starter
By Eu Hooi Khaw
NOV 8 — Frankie Woo’s brain must be always ticking overtime as he invents and mulls over new flavours and textures in his food at Gu Yue Tien.
Maybe that’s why this chef/owner is so thin — all his energy is consumed doing this.
It’s amazing what he can turn out. Take the Freshwater Eel with Avocado Mousse, for instance.
The grilled eel was rich and creamy, and he paired this perfectly with a slightly tart and hot avocado mousse. Guess what’s in the mousse?
Avocado and green pickled chilli blended together! The creaminess was on two fronts – ”It’s like kaya,” he said of the avocado.
The guessing had started with the Giant Clam with Spicy Kamquat Sauce. After being thrilled by the citrusy, hot and fragrant sauce with the thin slices of clam, we had to ask him. Ginger flower and cili padi, besides kumquat of course!
A seafood combination plate
The smoky, salty, fruity and sweet came together in the Iberico ham rolled with Rock Melon with Avruga Caviar. I also liked the Smoked Salmon and Onion Crabmeat Roll with the sweet basil sauce.
You could choose any of these three cold dishes in his RM99++ per person menu of seven courses. The same kind of option continues with each course. Go with two other people and you might just be able to share some of these.
But I am betting you would say ”it’s all mine!” when it comes to the Gu Yue Tien Soft Boiled Egg with Foie Gras. We all love that this has stayed on the menu all these years. It’s a master stroke to put foie gras into the soft boiled egg and you would want to slurp up this delicious combination.
The Mo Mo Duck that has pressed smoked duck rolled in a pancake with hoisin sauce, mustard, mango and spring onion makes tasty bites: I like the mustard in it, and the mango.
The Crispy Oyster was a delightful mouthful; it was skilfully fried in the lightest batter, then heaped with a chilli sweet potato, salsa and vinegar glaze. Then we asked Frankie about the vinegar glaze. ”It’s Teochew ’loh sooi’ (braising sauce). I added black vinegar to it.” Now who would have thought of that.
The Hainan noodles may look plain but the taste is far from bland
The egg with foie gras, Mo Mo Duck and the oyster are under the Hot Combination in this RM99 per person menu.
You could again choose any of the three Shark’s Fin Soup – Double-boiled Pig’s Stomach with Golden Coin Shark’s Fin, Double-boiled Golden Coin Shark’s Fin with Chin Hua Ham and Cabbage and the Braised Golden Coin Shark’s Fin Soup.
I would happily have the Double-boiled Pig’s Stomach Soup at Gu Yue Tien without the shark’s fin. I love it that it’s peppery hot, with a touch of sourness from salted vegetables, and generous with slices of pig’s stomach.
The soup with Chin Hua ham and cabbage has sweetness and a lovely aroma; it bears witness to the four hours of double-boiling. Drink every drop!
Apart from the oomph of the Freshwater Eel with Avocado Mousse that comes under the seafood section, there’s the Wokfried Pineapple Cake. It’s pineapple with prawn and bacon, in a delicious assembly with shredded red cabbage, chopped nangka (yes!) and strawberry. Part of the fun in eating this is guessing the ingredients in it.
Black pig is seldom found on Chinese restaurant menus, but Frankie has the meat panfried with Wasabi and Butter Shoyu Sauce (in the Pork,Lamb and Beef section of this menu). The meat is superb, the sauce too, with the punch of wasabi in it.
The Wok Seared Sirloin with Marinated Oriental Spice is very good, so is the Wok Charred Rack of Lamb which is one of Frankie’s signature dishes. It emanates fragrant spices and chilli,with a touch of sweetness. The meat almost falls off the bone.
Mo Mo Duck Roll is delightful... you'll be guessing what went into it
Under Rice/Noodles, go for the Hainan Noodles. I have not had one since Kam Ying closed down in Bangsar. At Gu Yue Tien it’s exceptional. These saucy ”fat” noodles has sweet and sour notes from pickled onion and cucumber and pineapple and hotness from chilli. I enjoyed these noodles.
I was wowed too by the Braised Abalone Rice with assorted meat. It’s cooked with an abalone sauce, topped with a small abalone, and has delicious aromas from tea-smoked duck.
After all this, the Chilled Bittergourd Pudding is the best dessert: the light bitterness wraps round your palate; I like the gelatinous bits of it.
A similar menu but with a starter dish of Fresh Oysters, Tiger Prawns and Cold Crab Platter, Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Crabmeat, Panfried Prawn Cake with Pineapple, Bacon and Honey Sauce, Wok Charred Rack of Lamb, Braised Abalone Rice and Dessert of the day go for only RM268 for four people.
Gu Yue Tien is at Lot B5-A Chulan Square, 92 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2148 0808, email: guyuetien@yahoo.com
