Chynna, Hilton Hotel, Sentral, Kuala Lumpur. Some Magical Dim Sum.

Dim Sum. Dainty, delectable bites that literally means "touch the heart". I was in Chynna recently to get some mooncakes and couldn't stop admiring how the place looks. Already had my breakfast at 6.30am, and felt a tad hungry. I arrived at about noon, still wearing my trademark 'just went to Imbi Market' casual fisherman's pants and t-shirt, as I only meant only to do a quickie stop there.

I saw the waiters and waitresses hurrying around with dim sum steaming baskets and my stomach began to rumble at the thought of biting into delectable, steamed dim sum. Feeling a little bit under dressed for that place, I bashfully asked the waitress if there was a dress code at the restaurant. She said, what I am wearing was fine and proceeded to seat me.


The service was oh, so very polite. Filled with small talk like "How was your day, Sir?", "Is your table fine?". The waiters were at your beck and call without being too intrusive. Brilliant restaurant service. I felt like a spoiled, only child in Chynna. The moment I sat down, a Beijing Long Spout Tea specialist poured me a cup of welcome tea. Amazing.

The resaurant is opulent. Sinfully opulent. The lights were muted, making photography a nightmare. Furthermore, the blue coloured dome in the centre gave a bluish highlight to the photos. The China and Cutlery was exquisite. Clumsy old me was on the point of breaking out in cold sweat, lest I do something stupid like breaking a plate or pot!

The Har Gao came in shiny, tranluscent skin. Two brawny prawns were stuffed in this mini dumpling. The prawns were very springy and fresh, but slightly too dry. If it were a tad moistier, it would have been absolutely perfect.

The Goose Roll with Vegetables was the next Dim Sum I sampled. Filled with still 'al dente' crunchy vegetables in the centre, it was succulent, with the broth oozing out at every bite.

The Glutinous Rice was wonderfully packed with dried scallops and clams, mushrooms and chicken meat. The fragrance was wonderful. Too bad, the rice was wet and sticky, instead of discrete, chewy grains.

There are some 'Fusion' Dim Sums available too. The one I tried was Scallops and Prawns with Squid Ink Dim Sum Skin. Just like the squid ink pasta. The tiny mouthfuls were topped with crab roe. Delectable morsels. If this is the new generation fusion chinese food, then I am in love with it.


Durian Custard Stuffed Pau. OMG! This was the dessert that sent me to heaven and back. Came in still pipping hot. I just had to break one open to photograph it. Thick, creamy custard with durians, with a some salted egg yolks to lend it extra richness and saltiness. Mama Mia!

Each mouthful gave me shudders of pleasure as the thick, warm creamy filling blended with the soft and fluffy pau skin. This was the biggest bang that I have had from a dessert in a long long time!

The grande finale was Lemongrass and Aloe Vera Jelly with Fresh Lime Sorbet. Harmonious blend of the slightly citrusy and aromatic lemongrass jelly, some sweet aloe vera confit and fresh, tangy and slightly sourish lime sorbet. Refreshing.

Wonderful service (which is a rarity in a chinese restaurant, at least for me), rich and opulent ambiance. Beautiful and imaginatively created tasty morsels. I found the fusion Dim Sum to be a refreshing change from the same old, same old. They seem to be very good at fusion. A taste of the mooncakes will reveal this. Desserts are exceptionally good.

The dining experience was exquisite. What can I fault, except for Hilton's exorbitant parking charges?

The Dim Sums costs about 11.00 to 17.90 per plate. The parking costs 10.00 for 2 hours.

Chynna
Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Tel: + 60 3 2264 2515