THE Signature Dragon Brinjal is a standout at Great Wall Cuisine, a Henan restaurant in Kota Damansara.

The vegetable, skilfully cut to look like a chain, is battered and deep-fried, then drenched with a sweet and sour sauce.

Each bite is sublime, the sauce of minced pork, black fungus, chilli and tomato coating the light, crispy eggplant.

Henan, a province in central China, is known for its fare that draws influences from the north and south, striking a harmonious balance of flavours.

The dishes we tried out at Great Wall Cuisine illustrate this well.

Here, you get a refined version of the classic sour vegetable fish soup featured on most Sichuan menus.

The Oriental Loong Tan with Salted Vegetables, as it is called at Great Wall Cuisine, oozes a subtle heat from chillies and fragrant green peppercorns from Henan, leaving a mild tingling effect on the tongue.

The slices of loong tan, or giant garoupa, are smooth with a nice bite in this tangy soup with salted cabbage and crunchy big head bean sprouts.

The savoury pancakes are excellent, especially the Egg and Chives Pancake, as well as the one with turnip.

The former is thin and crispy, with a moist centre of chopped chives. Its flaky texture reminds me of paratha. The turnip pancake, meanwhile, tastes like fried popiah.

These pancakes are great for breakfast or tea, paired with a hot bowl of savoury soy milk (if only they served it here!).

The Oriental Dumplings, or jiao zi, simply burst with their juicy filling of minced pork, leek, onion and sweet bean sauce.

These flavourful pockets are served with ginger in black vinegar, just like Shanghai dumplings.

Scrumptious is the word to describe the Deep-fried Chicken with Dried Chillies.

The well-marinated meat is fried till the skin is crispy, and fried dried chillies and Sichuan peppers give a spicy kick.

Mutton is a popular choice of protein in Henan, so we ordered the Stewed Mutton with Radish Soup. The soup, made with radish, ginger and chilli, is the clear kind.

The meat’s distinctive smell doesn’t sit well with me, however. I should’ve asked instead for the Signature Herbal Mutton Soup, which would mask the strong aroma. Apparently, an 80-year-old man who is a regular customer comes in every day for this!

On to the Hong Sau Rou, which has chunks of pork belly marinated in red yeast, soy sauce and rock sugar, and double-boiled.

The cooking technique didn’t yield soft, creamy meat, but pork with a good bite, slathered in a tasty sauce.

Also good is the Stir-fried Beef with Chilli and Celery. The sweet, tender meat pairs well with the Chinese celery stalks, which are crunchy and have a mild flavour.

If you need a palate cleanser at the end of your meal, the chilled Fresh Cucumber with Special Sauce comes recommended.

The prices are reasonable, with the Signature Dragon Brinjal at RM22, Oriental Loong Tan with Salted Vegetables (RM68), Hong Sau Rou (RM28), Deep-fried Chicken with Dried Chillies (RM30), Stewed Mutton with Radish Soup (RM58), and Stir-fried Beef with Chilli and Celery (RM22). The dumplings are RM10 for eight pieces, while the pancakes are RM3 each.

Great Wall Cuisine is the new kid on the block, having opened just about two months ago. The restaurant is open daily, from 10am to 11.30pm.

It is located at 7-1, Jalan PJU 5/3 in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya (next to 7-Eleven and Ambank), and can be reached at +603-6143-9169. – March 7, 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.