THE Organic Cherry Tomatoes with Sour Plum and Pickled Radish in Traditional Shanghai Vinaigrette is a delightfully perky start to dinner at Ruyi.

The tomatoes burst with sour plum-tinged juice, while the crunchy pickled radish, sliced up and stunningly arranged, has hints of spices. This is one of the five appetisers on the grand dinner menu curated by master chefs from Macau Yap Poh Weng and Chung Kuy Fai.

Each with 30 years’ culinary experience under his belt, the Malaysian-born duo have worked in countries including Malaysia, China and Japan. Chung also honed his craft in the Napa Valley, California, and has one of his establishments listed in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide – China’s very own Michelin Guide – while Yap is among the mainland’s top 50 celebrity chefs.

At Ruyi, we munched on the sticky-sweet Suzhou-Style Crispy Eel, followed by the hot and tangy Pineapple, Mango, Pomelo and Crabmeat Tartare with Spicy Dressing and Caviar.

The Japanese Scallop with Sesame Dressing and Organic Baby Spinach makes for lush, sweet bites, with the sauce giving an aromatic lift.

A departure from the usual sesame chicken is the BBQ Flaxseed Crispy Chicken, which has superbly flavourful and crunchy skin thanks to the seeds.

The menu emphasises healthy eating, hence the use of flaxseed, as well as a wealth of Chinese herbs and nutritious ingredients in the other dishes.

I always look forward to the soup course, and the Double-Boiled Roxburgh Anoectochilus and Black Garlic with Fresh Fish Maw Soup doesn’t disappoint.

What exactly is roxburgh, you ask? It’s the terminal bud of the lapsang souchong black tea, and has anti-ageing, immunity-boosting properties. Black garlic, meanwhile, is good for the heart and immune system.

The creamy fish maw in the soup, made by steeping chicken and dried scallops, and the sweet, plump garlic are marvellous.

Aged Shaoxing wine, heady and herbal, shines in the Poached Lobster with Chef’s Special Sauce. The delectable crustacean is undeniably fresh, and the goji berries on top provide a nice pop of contrast.

Another star main-course dish is the Steamed Ocean Garoupa, Guangxi-Style Stuffed Japanese Bean Curd Puffs and Luffa Melon with Supreme Soy Sauce. The fish is perfectly prepared, resulting in smooth, flaky flesh that pairs beautifully with the sauce, which is poured tableside. This is simply fantastic.

Playing a solid supporting role are the delicious tofu puffs, which are stuffed with chives and chicken meat, juicy luffa melon and crunchy black ear fungus – overall a wonderful mix of tastes and textures.

Braising is the usual cooking style for sea cucumber, making the Crispy Stuffed Sea Cucumber with Hot and Sour Sauce a unique offering.

The firm, bouncy sea cucumber is wrapped with flavour-boosting shrimp paste, dipped in a light batter and deep-fried. It’s finished off with a light, piquant sauce.

A skirt of shark’s fin and bits of chicken crackling lay atop noodles in the Shark’s Fin and Braised Chicken Meat Noodles, the last main-course dish that’s certainly not the least. The shark’s fin soaks up the noodles’ tasty braising sauce, and what better way to complete this than with a showering of crackling?

Musang king may rule many a foodie’s heart, but at this dinner, the crown goes to the Black Thorn Durian Glutinous Dumpling, hands down the evening’s most sublime dessert. The gorgeous durian filling spurts out of the oh-so-velvety dumpling at the bite. I definitely wanted more!

Satisfyingly sticky without being tooth-achingly sugary is the Shanxi Red Dates Sweet Cake, where the fruit’s smoky aroma is unmissable.

No doubt the healthiest dessert in the line-up is the Double-Boiled Snow Lotus, Lotus Seeds and Pearl Seaweed with Osmanthus Sweet Soup. Transparent discs of snow lotus seeds and the seaweed appear like gems in this tong sui.

The dinner of five appetisers, five main-course dishes and three desserts is RM2,288++ for a table of eight or RM288++ per pax, for a minimum of two pax. Individual dishes are also available a la carte until September 8.

The pork-free Ruyi at Bangsar Shopping Centre is one of seven Oriental Group restaurants to host grand dinners by the two chefs. The dates still available are today at Noble Banquet (03-7956-9288), September 3 at Oriental Star (03-9134-8488), September 4 at Oriental Pavilion (03-7956-9288) and September 5 at Oriental Treasure (03-2242-2382). – August 29, 2020.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.