Weissbräu, Pavilion, KL. A Quick Lesson In Vulgar Slangs.

(non-halal)

Wiener! It's not very pleasant when somebody calls you that. It is actually the shortened form for Wienerwurst sausage and since the Wiener resembles a certain male organ, it is also used as a vulgar slang. I don't know why out of the 1500 different varieties of German sausages, the Wienerwurst has been given the honour.

Germans are also avid pork lovers. The average German consumes 72kg of meat per year. And pig in German is Schwein. The German's love affair with Pork can be illustrated by one commonly used phrase in the German Language, Schwein Haben, which literally means to have a pig. But the expressions means to get lucky!

With these two sang words/expressions. I begin this post on a restaurant that has generated s much interest among food bloggers. A cathedral to worship the Schwein in all it's glory, 9am till 12midnight, in every cooking style imaginable, right in the centre of town.


Breakfast is served all day long, which is godsend for me. Had Egg Benedict and the German word for egg is Ei or Eier (plural). One of the ways to insult another person in German would be to call them Land Ei (Country egg) or Village idiot. That's another insult to learn, another way to call your Bos when he is not around. The eggs were not poached, but fried and the Hollandaise Sauce was not tangy, but the Bacon was crispy and nice.


Country Farmer Sausage, very old world, chunky and contains Marjoram and Caraway, not unlike the not unlike the Nürnberger Rostbratwurst from Franconia. It cam served with Roesti (made from fried sliced potato wedges) and Sauerkraut. The Sausage was beautifully flavoured and fresh and erved with some deliciously lardy red wine reduction sauce. You will have to agree that German Sausages are better endowed than the wrinkled and hard Chinese Lap Cheong. There are a lot of beautiful expressions in the German language using the word Bratwurst, but in order to mantain the PG13 rating of this blog, I'll have to omit them.


Nothing much to look at, but the Sausage was served with some Sauerkraut as well. Wonder why Germans are called "Krauts" (usually derisive, don't use that term) by Americans? Sauerkrauts are rather popular n Germany and it is actually Cabbage that has undergone some fermentation and hence is slightly sour and pungent. I happen to be a big fan of pickles, and I loved it.


Well, in keeping with the General Theme in the Menu, the only seafood dish here is also served with Pork. Grilled humongous Alaskan Scallops, wrapped with Bacon and served with Grilled Mushroom, Onions and Tomatoes. The Scallops were mist , juicy and seared just right. It is served with another very traditional German side dish, the Spaetzle which was wonderfully milky and smooth.


Remember Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music singing "My Favourite Things"? One of the lines goes "Crisp Apple Strudel and Warm Woolen Mittens....". Well, the Apple Strudel here was not crisp, but leathery. But the filling was nice and tangy with a hint of Cinnamon. And the Vulgar meal with lots of Oinky Porky Dishes ended with the Strudel.

I have to say that Weissbräu is a very welcome addition to Pavilion. The food served is beautiful, rustic German Pub Grub and there is a huge variety of German Beers for the jaded Alcoholic. Items to look out for will be the German Pork Knuckle and the smoked pork loin and bacon. My LX3 after the firmware upgrade has been better in preforming under low light conditions (pics above ISO200 and 400) and the white balance has been a little bit more accurate as well.

Weissbräu
Level 3, Pavilion
Tel: 03-2142 0288

Tai Zi Heen. Prince Hotel, KL. Another Recessive Phase Dining Alternative.

(no pork served)

All you can eat for RM45++. You gotta be kidding right? Swanky Chinese Restaurant in a Five Star Hotel. Table service, mind you. Not queueing up like you are in some Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. I could hardly believe it when I called up Tai Zi Heen to make a reservation for breakfast and was told that they were having this promotion. Saturdays and Sundays only, 11.30am to 2pm.


The interior is lovely, with lots of wood. Posh Spice would have felt right at home here. Unfortunately when I was there, there was only one other table occupied. The Marketing Team may not have promoted it well enough.

For Starters I had Cold Marinated Mexican Raw Clams with Szechuan Paste. This came with celery, sliced red chilli, white and black sesame seeds and some sliced scallions. The Szechuan Paste was salty and had a touch of spiciness. I found the clams a bit bland tasting. I had expected it to taste something like Pacific Clams or Sea Asparagus. It only shared the consistency, but tasted much blander.


The Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Har Kow) was good. The consistency of the skin was correct. Not too thick or doughy and not sticky, nor too thin and flimsy. They lifted easily from the paper and were filled with big, succulent prawns. This is probably my "Control" dish for any restaurants serving Dim Sum. Any mistakes here and it usually means a bad meal, but the ones I had at Tai Zi Heen were good.


Pan Fried Pancake with Prawns and Chives came in a thin crispy batter that was very very light with almost no trace of greasiness. Lovely skin, but unfortunately the filling was very salty and obscured the taste of prawns.


Deep Fried Crispy Chicken Dumpling with Dried Shrimps was also fried to perfection. This restaurant's frying technique is superb. Again light and crunchy skin, with minimal trace of oiliness, it was not heavy at all. The skin is probably made from glutinous rice flour and the filling was good here. Minced chicken bathed in savoury sauce with bits of deep fried dried shrimps inside. Very enjoyable and satisfying.


The Braised Shark's Fin Soup was not too watered down despite it being offered at an "All You Can Eat Menu". I shall not discuss about the political correctness and controversies of indulging in this delicacy here. The version at Tai Zi Heen came in a rich stock with the right consistency.

The Mini Egg Tarts will probably disappoint foodies who like their egg tarts rich and oily. This version is probably for the more health conscious. Very light skin and not bogged with oil, the filling was also not very sweet, but richly flavoured with egg and custard. I liked this version. And finally, the Aloe Vera Jelly with Lime Sorbet was also a welcome relief as the tangy sourish sorbet took away the heaviness in the tummy after being loaded with Dim Sums.

The service here was very good and the dining ambiance was also good. The menu is quite extensive for this promotion. They had rice fried noodles, simple dishes and dim sum plus desserts. Excellent value for money at RM 45.

Tai Zi Heen
Prince Hotel and Residence
No: 4, Jalan Conlay
50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6.03.21.70.88.88