DINING at Elegant Inn HK Cuisine, which has a fine array of dim sum and appetisers, lush double-boiled soups, and delectable main courses and desserts, is always a treat.

This Kuala Lumpur restaurant has reopened its doors to dine-in patrons, with various lunch and dinner set menus for two, four or six.

Social distancing is strictly observed here. Our party of four was seated at a large round table, 1.8m in diameter, in a spacious, airy room.

We went with the skilfully curated Blissful Set, which starts off with a trio of appetisers: the Crunchy Japanese Eel Roll, Salt & Pepper Fried Homemade Tofu, and Crispy Soft-Shell Crab with a Light Spicy Sauce. All three are the establishment’s signature dishes.

The tofu is fried in a thin batter, and the crispy exterior makes way to a soft, silky centre. Salt and pepper, together with bits of garlic, both raw and fried, provide a boost to the bean curd.

Served in a glass, the tasty eel roll is also on the dim sum menu. The soft-shell crab, topped with onion crisps, crackle at the bite. A soy-based sauce, both tart and sweet, douses this creation.

Soups are a mainstay of Hong Kong Cantonese fare, and I always look forward to them at Elegant Inn.

The Braised Fish Maw and Dried Seafood with Sakura Ebi Soup bursts with flavours of the ocean, courtesy of Japanese dried scallops, dried conch and crabmeat. Each spoonful turns up strips of fried and dried fish maw, and the sakura ebi, or tiny pink shrimp, imparts lots of umami.

We tucked into four main courses of fish, chicken, vegetables and fried rice.

Stirring aromas rise from the Steamed Sea Garoupa Slices with Fresh Orange and Black Bean Sauce. Each slice sits on a piece of eggplant that soaks up the sweet, salty and tangy sauce, which is so delicious you’d want to slurp it up.

The Golden Boneless Stuffed Chicken with Chicken Tomato Salad has delightful pieces of roasted chicken skin stuffed with hand-chopped prawns. Sink your teeth into the crunchy skin to reveal the springy filling.

Wedges of grilled tomato heaped with shredded roasted chicken and drizzled with an orange balsamic dressing complete the ensemble.

A pleasing mix of textures awaits in the Wok-Fried Spanish Iberico Pork with Cordyceps Flowers and Bitter Melon. Stir-frying melts the fat in the juicy pork, letting it permeate the bitter gourd and subtly sweet cordyceps buds.

The eatery is known for its Dancing Fried Rice, so named as the grains bounce around in the wok while cooking.

The Australian Scallop and Japanese Dried Scallop Fried Rice is most likely prepared in a similar style. There’s the welcome whiff of wok heat in the scrumptious rice, studded with fresh scallops, dried scallop shreds, dried prawns and chopped kai lan stems, and finished off with a sprinkling of dried scallop.

Three desserts completed our splendid lunch: the Nutty Sesame Balls, Homemade Banana Red Bean Pancake, and Icy Lemon Longan Sea Coconut.

The sesame balls are a standout; the crunchy sesame-coated shells explode with a peanut filling. The pancake has a delicate pastry layered with red bean paste and banana, making for a sweet and tart combo.

The Blissful Set is RM688+ for four people and RM988+ for six.

There is also the Joy for 2 Set at RM178+ per person, while the Lavish Set for 2 is RM368+ per head. The latter features the Pan-Seared Goose Liver with Pickles as one of the three appetisers, Fish Maw with Dried Conch and Village Chicken Soup, Braised Whole Abalone with Chu Por Sea Cucumber, and Organic Buckwheat Noodles with Spanish Iberico Pork, as well as desserts such as the Bird’s Nest Tartlet, Golden Custard Cake and Double-boiled Hasma with Bentong Ginger.

The set menus are ideal for celebrations like Father’s Day on June 21. Dim sum is available for lunch, and dishes can be ordered from the a la carte menu, too. Takeaways and deliveries are offered.

With the Dumpling Festival to fall on June 25, the restaurant is rolling out a hearty dumpling made of Taiwanese organic pearl glutinous rice, Spanish olive pork, mung beans, flower mushroom, chestnuts and salted egg yolk. Only 10 pieces – each weighing a hefty 500g – are available each day, starting Monday.

Elegant Inn is located on the second floor of Menara Hap Seng in Jalan P. Ramlee, KL. It can be reached at 03-2070-9399 or 03-6737-9399. – May 30, 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.