“THREE treasures” served with a “lychee tree” as the centrepiece stood out at our lunch at Noble Mansion in Petaling Jaya.

The red lychees were prawn balls covered with rice puffs, and deep fried till crispy. They hovered above small puri shells filled with scallop salad while dragon beard rolls filled with squid and prawn paste were arranged around the platter.

Altogether they were a visual feast, the “lychees” yielding sweet springy bites of chunky prawns and crackling rice puffs, while the puri shells crumbled at the bite, into fresh scallop in a mango dressing. The dragon beard rolls were crispy strands of kataifi dough wrapped round squid and prawn paste, paired with a mango mayo. It’s an impressive starter dish for a celebration lunch or dinner, especially for the Dumpling Festival on June 22.

Noble Mansion, which is owned by the Oriental Group, also launched its giant Chinese dumpling weighing 1kg.

We had a taste of the pillow-shaped dumpling, bursting with goodies. The premium dumpling is glutinous rice stuffed with Japanese dried scallops, dried oyster, meat, lotus seeds, chestnut, Bailing mushroom, two salted egg yolks, dried shrimps, dried mushrooms and mung beans. It’s a delicious dumpling meant to be shared among four or five people. Oriental Teochew sauce was served to give that spicy lift to the dumpling.

The dumpling is for sale now at RM68 with a 20% discount until May 31 at all Oriental Group restaurants.

We enjoyed the Iberico pork rib marinated in the chef’s special sauce, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. There were slivers of bunga kantan in the marinade which seeped through every fibre of the meat. The tender ribs glistened with the subtly fragrant marinade and had the aroma of banana leaves clinging to them. They were meaty and scrumptious.

Stuffed codfish with prawn paste in golden broth was creamy fish topped with a layer of prawn paste and deep fried. It was served in a broth made with blended carrot and milk and finished with truffle oil. While I liked the combination of cod and prawn paste, it could have done with less of the sweet broth.

The large prawn salad was attractively presented with the prawn on a mound of finely cut mango, strawberry and honeydew, drizzled with mango mayo. Mashed potato was stuffed into the prawn head. It was a luxe version of a prawn cocktail.

Unlike many people who shun rice these days, I almost finished the garlic fried rice topped with foie gras. I thought the chef had fried the rice with skill, infusing it with the aroma of “wok hei”. And I had not eaten pan-fried foie gras for ages so I thoroughly enjoyed its rich bursts of flavour as I bit into it, revelling in its sweet sauce.

Bird’s nest lemongrass Infusion with basil seeds and mixed fruit made for a cool and refreshing dessert, perfect for the hot weather that we’ve been having. Bird’s nest is good for your lungs and skin, too.

All the dishes are from the a la carte menu .Prices start at RM28 per pax (for at least 8 pax). It’s RM234 for the iberico ribs, RM33 per pax for the stuffed cod with prawn, RM38 per pax for the garlic fried rice with foie gras, and and RM28 per pax for the bird’s nest with lemongrass infusion.

Noble Mansion is in Plaza 33 in Petaling Jaya. Call 03-7932 3288, for enquiries. – May 27, 2023.

* 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.