THE starter of fresh salmon and salmon roe was a textural delight, with chopped bits of preserved radish and shallot giving the fish a little crunch and more flavour.

Beneath the fish was a sweet and tangy blend of the juices of sawi, lime and pineapple. A crispy rice cracker topped the amazing dish.

This gourmet masterpiece was from chef Frankie Woo, who is flexing his culinary muscles at Noble House in Kuala Lumpur on the occasion of Chinese Omakase Fine Dining 2022. It’s an annual event, that has been re-launched by the Oriental Group of Restaurants following the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Woo comes with 45 years of experience in Chinese fine dining, having been head chef in five-star hotels in Malaysia and Singapore and the owner of Gu Yu Tien. His food is iconic and unforgettable.

Frankie is collaborating with Oriental Group senior executive chef Wong Chin Leong in an eight-course menu served at the group’s seven restaurants, including the pork-free Ruyi, until the end of the month.

To start, the set menu offers small dishes of fried garlic chicken wings and rice roll with otak-otak. The plump chicken wings were bursting with flavour; the rice roll reminded me of rempah udang.

After the salmon, a whole abalone was served with an accompanying dish of a big shrimp and chive dumpling. The accompanying dish varies with each restaurant.

The tender abalone was braised in a mellow velvety sauce together with bacon and belly pork. We revelled in the sauce, wiping our plates clean of it. We liked the plump, juicy dumpling too.

The star of the lunch was the roast Spanish baby lamb leg, a cut that’s making its first appearance in Malaysia.

The meat is marinated with lemongrass, shallots, ginger, garlic and mustard before being roasted, resulting in an aromatic and flavourful embrace for the lamb.

Thin crispy poppadom with a cumin inflection and the tart salsa went well with the rich meat although I did wish for a medium roasted lamb to better showcase its texture and flavours.

Freshwater prawn with a special sauce turned out to be a deep-fried crumbed udang galah paired with a rich tomato chilli sauce with prawn roe. The prawn was lovely with a creamy sweet and sour sauce spiced with black pepper.

The chef showed his inimitable touch in the Teochew steamed ocean garoupa with bean paste, chilli, ginger and garlic. His secret ingredient was salted vegetables, making for a zesty, sweet and intense sauce.

Hot white rice would have gone wonderfully with it. The fish – a crossbreed of garoupa with giant garoupa (loong tun) – had a welcome bite to it.

We enjoyed the wild truffle rice and Iberico pork ribs. The lovely aroma from the truffle-infused rice and the rich, meaty ribs, dripping with fat onto the rice, made it hard to resist.

Dessert was a delicate coconut jelly, mango sauce and coconut ice cream served inside a coconut – a yummy end to a splendid meal.

Most of the menu was created by Frankie, who’s still got it despite having been “retired” for the past 10 years.

This Chinese Omakase Fine Dining is available at Oriental Star on August 29 and Noble House on August 30. Call 03-2145 8822, for enquiries. The dishes are also on the a la carte menu in the group’s other restaurants. – August 27, 2022.

* 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.