Oriental Spoon in Sooka Sentral

By Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy

"You brought a bottle of wine? YAY!"

We all know what's important to me. FBB had graciously brought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to go with our dinner at a new place called Oriental Spoon in Sooka Sentral.



Where's that you might ask. We did too. After a few false turns it turned out that Sooka Sentral is right behind Suasana Sentral, next to the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. And Oriental Spoon is in that shopping centre. Parking was easy as well. Right up front.



Ming Lee of Bangsar Seafood, which owns Oriental Spoon, had ordered a parade of dishes and by the time we were halfway through, we were ready to have our lugnuts tightened and our alignment and balancing done.

There were some definite highlights to the evening. Generally, flavour and presentation were above average with some scintillating items on our menu.




The restaurant itself is very contemporary. The design is open with the kitchen all glassed up so you can see the "action" behind the glass.







All tables were decorated with a single anthurium and the ones with lazy susan's had the vase embedded in the centre with the lazy susan turning around it. I thought it was quite clever.



As dish after dish came there were one or two real winners. The Stir Fried Salted Egg crab was divine. Thick, unctuous sauce coating everything there was to coat on the crab. Even the shells had their fill of sauce.



Allan scored big when he picked up his crab claw and the shell literally shucked off leaving him with a huge chunk of claw meat waiting to be savoured.



The presentation of the Two Combination Prawns was innovative and added to the enjoyment of the dishes themselves. The prawns were done to a turn. If there's one thing I can't stand it's overcooked prawns and these were absolutely spot on. Firm, juicy, sweet, with the slightest bit of crunch.



For orientals, the presentation of the Deep Fried Garoupa with Flavoured Meat Sauce would be par for the course. It mimicked a garoupa almost leaping out of the water (and onto my waiting plate). For our caucasian friends (some of you who might be reading this) it might be somewhat horrific to see that gaping maw facing you while you're about to dig some flesh out of it's side. Amazing how aesthetics can influence your appetite isn't it? ;-)



This was my favourite of the evening. Tender, short, buttery, pastry wrapped around Lotus Root and mince chicken meat. I loved the way they tied and twisted it to look like Lotus Root.



The Chee Cheong Fun is one of the de rigeur items on a dimsum list and this one was no exception. It is easily one of the easiest dishes to ruin as well with overcooked seafood or underflavoured meat. But Oriental Spoon did this simple dish proud.



This particular dimsum item was definitely unexpected. In keeping with the Halal Food in this restaurant, we had a Steamed Black Pepper Lamb Short ribs. Practically melting off the bone on a bed of succulent white radish which had sucked up all the flavours of the lamb, this was definitely a must for those who enjoy the gaminess of lamb. Slightly spicy, rich, and sweet, it melted in my mouth.


The carrot cakes fried with bonito flakes was a new twist to what is arguably also a dimsum staple. All these dish items had the decorated, hand carved animals of the zodiac on them.



The "Woo Kok" deserves special mention. The crust was flaky and crisp and you bit into a lovely smooth mash of yam and flavourful chicken mince.

Another innovative plate on their Ala Carte menu was the Oriental Three Combination but served and plated for individuals. The "chook tarn" or Bamboo fungus wrapped roll presented in a chinese soup spoon then "glued" onto the plate with arrowroot starch was particularly fetching. And oh yes, it also tasted good.

The Venison in Birds Nest was also scrumptious. Good sauce flavouring and the birds nest itself should be eaten. Light, crunchy, and without a hint of the oil used to deep fry it.



I included these Black Sesame Steamed buns only because they were the cutest things around. I believe they're hedgehogs. This would be a treat for kids to keep them occupied.

Oriental Spoon closes at 8pm right now but from what I've heard, if you make reservations to come at 730pm they will stay open for you. There are plans to open later when traffic increases.

Dimsum is served only in the afternoons(from 1130am to 5pm) but they have an extensive Ala Carte Menu for those who would like to come for dinner. Prices are reasonable. From RM5 to RM12 for dimsum (and halal dimsum at that) and anything from RM10 to RM48 for the Ala Carte Items.



For dessert, FBB brought his luscious famous, Pear and Ginger Upside Down Cake with thick cream (45% fat which really means we should just break out the butter and slather it on) and Lyrical Lemongrass brought her favourite Durian Puffs. FBB's cake was everything an upside down cake should be. Lovely and puddingy with the warmth of ginger, the sweet slight bitter bite of treacle and luscious sweet poached pears tempered with the cool, flavour transporting, gorgeous, thick cream.

All in all, our little group who attended last night's dinner had a fun filled, snap happy evening. Always the case with our friendly food blogging community. Thanks must go out to Jade, Ming Lee and "Boss," as FBB calls her, for organising this.

Oriental Spoon
First Floor,
Sooka Sentral,
Jalan Stesen Sentral 5,
50470, Kuala Lumpur.

03-2261 3222

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