Sunday 19 December 2010

Dim Sum buffet at Toh Yuen

Dim Sum. Who doesn't love dim sum? I love it!

Too bad dim sum is not widely available in Kuching. Unless you count those at kopitiams. The only dim sum places I know of are: the one at Lok Thian, the Shanghai something on the top floor. Sorry I am not being very informative. I'm lousy at remembering names, especially when it is in Chinese.

Then there is the new place at 101. Don't know the name too. And er where else? Siang Siang and Expert kopitiams don't count ok.

But fear not! We have a new dim sum place in Kuching. Dim Sum buffet some more. At Toh Yuen restaurant at Hilton hotel.

You know how dim sums can be quite pricey when you eat outside. Try the Shanghai place at Lok Thian and order to your heart's content and guess how much would that cost you.



So its better if its a dim sum buffet where you don't have to worry about the price. Just eat eat eat nonstop.

The price is RM 45 ++ on weekends only. Available 1130am to 230pm.

This is the dining hall where all the selections are:



Another view..



Without further ado, let us go to the fooooddd:



Char Siew Pao is a must. Char Siew Pao in English is pork buns. BTW, Toh Yuen is a halal restaurant meaning no pork. Therefore, the pork must be chicken or something else. So fear not.

Btw, if char siew pao is a must, so is xiao long bao. Where are you?? Xiaolongbao in English is ermm..steamed buns. Smaller and filled with meat, vege and soup inside the buns. But it is more popular in Shanghai, China and Taiwan, I suppose.

Moving on. Steamed Squid Ball with Snow Fungus

Squid..mmm..

Chicken dumpling with crab roe


This needs no further introduction. Siew mai is basically pork (or chicken in this case) or prawn dumplings. Served at every dim sum. No dim sum is complete without this.



This was part of the salad bar with salads, cold pasta and..



Salad prawns. This was good. Big juicy prawns. Nice..



Another section filled with pastries and dumplings mmm..


This is where your sesame balls, spring rolls, real authentic chicken and chive dumplings, yam balls, yam cake etc etc can be found..

There was also duck. Roast duck. Or to be more precise: PEKING ROAST DUCK!





Who serves Peking duck at dim sums? No one!!

Peking duck can get quite pricey at restaurants. No shit. Ask Li Garden Oops. No lar. Seriously. It can't be cheap, just knowing how much work, time and effort it takes to prepare this dish.

I don't know exactly but if you must, google it peeps. I just know how to eat.



First, prepare some pancakes. Spread it out like so and add on that awesome crispy roasted duck. Mostly the skin and a little meat and add on some spring onions and what not. Also not forgetting the sauce. Plum sauce and something else to add that zest.

And voila.



The sauce is what adds the zest to this dish. When I asked, what sauce is this? The chef smiled and said Peking duck sauce. Okay. Obviously that is the closest I can get. Oh well. It is good!

A break from all that food.



Speaking of sauces, these were the sauces available:



I didn't notice the names but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. Tomato and chili sauce. Mayonnaise and something that looks suspiciously like sambal. Heh. Just saying btw. I am just guessing. No way to vouch for the truth now..

Anyway, if you are still not full after all that food, they also have mee hoon..



I thought it was spicy enough. John and Yien both said it was not spicy enough. Oh well. I always knew that I am a spicy food noob. That aside, the mee hoon was gooooood!

Chicken feet.



I don't eat chicken feet. Yea, this is the part where you roll ur eyes and go: whaaat? You went for dim sum and didn't try chicken feet? Are u even Chinese? I assure u that I am not. Iban to be exact. Heh heh.

Porridge in case you were looking for it.


Hong Kong style congee with century egg and chicken to be exact. Even the name sounds good. HK style don't play play. Hehe.

Something else I must have at dim sums is:


Chee Cheong Fan!

It is basically rolls of flat rice noodles filled with either pork (or chicken in this case) or prawn, eaten with shrimp paste, belacan and chili with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. At Toh Yuen, the cheong fan I had was filled with chicken bits. I prefer prawn though..

Last but not least, its dessert time.

When Amelie said please remember to leave room for the mango pudding ok, I thought ok. *Shrugs* I always leave room for dessert anyway. No biggie.



Then someone said that the last time she was here, she had 5 bowls of this mango pudding, and someone else said she had three. I was VERY SKEPTICAL and somewhat wtf?!



BUT!!! THEY (OR THE MANGO PUDDING) PROVED ME WRONG!

Ehh no seriously. I am a dessert freak. Ask anyone in my family or my friends!

This is good! Good stuff!!! It was rich without being too overpowering. Sweet but not over the top. Yummmy and makes me wanna have a second bowl. But ahhh calories! Woe is me..

Err yea. Down to earth Amy.

Right where was I? Dim sums are quite rich though and after all that you need a good cup of tea to wash it down..



Time to exercise more and forget about calories count today bimbo! Heh.

Do try out the buffet lunch though. It is only available on weekends! Perfect cos all the more time to nom nom nom from 1130 to 230. If I had the stomach, I would clean out the peking duck.

If I was a guy and don't need to worry about my figure or waist line, I would have MORE THAN 5 bowls of mango pudding. WTF! Hahha. No lar kidding.

OK Bye!

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