Post by Chiefeater Chili-padi

“Babe, pick you up in 20 minutes. Richard is buying dinner at the new Chinese place,” my husband’s voice crackled through the phone. 30 minutes later, we were on our way towards Klang to the mysterious Chinese place (the Grand Palazzo Klang) which my husband had tried 3 weeks ago with a mere mention that the fried rice was good. High praise from someone who only eats to live and whose eyes lights up at the mention of fried rice.

The Good

I was surprised to find myself in a Chinese fine dining restaurant when we arrived. Definitely not my husband’s cup of tea. The first two dishes appeared after a short while; ginger, scallion and juicy clams lightly coated in superior soy sauce and succulent oyster served on a bed of glass noodle in its shell, topped with a perfect ratio of ginger, garlic and brown sauce. We were off to a great start!

My uncle Peter who is a chef, once said the mark of a good Chinese chef lies in how he cooks the simplest Chinese dishes, the classic stir fry vegetable and the humble fried rice.

The Grand Palazzo Klang made the stir fried kailan the hero of the dish with a touch of perfectly seasoned sauce topped with lightly charred garlic. The second vegetable was a surprise, a dish I have never tried before, the stalks of romain lettuce, stripped of its bark, lightly stir fried with garlic and a dash of light soy sauce and vegetable stock.

The Excellent

Their signature fried rice is indeed a dish you will remember. Every single grain perfectly coated with seasoning, steaming with “wok hei” and generously topped with large prawns and scallion. If my Uncle Peter were here, he would agree with me that the chef meets the mark.

The next dish, silken towfoo served on a bed of chawanmushi topped with braised pork and broccoli made my mouth sing. It had the right combination of textures and a joy to eat.

My favourite dish of the day was the “one stick pork rib”. The pork ribs was well marinated, coated in salted egg and then deep fried. It was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. So good that I could not stop eating it.

Other Dishes

We tried 11 dishes all together including a fish soup, fried noodles, braised seafood and mushroom pot, and steamed pork in chilli oil. While the dishes appears like what you will find in most Chinese restaurants, the chef was able to give each dish a distinct and delightful taste unlike the regular restaurants.

The restaurant is not officially open. They are still testing their menu and the new staff. The restaurant manager was apologetic on the less than perfect service but honestly, we were happy with the service. Yes the staff was not as knowledgeable on the menu but they made up for it with the attentive table service. The dinner amounted to roughly RM80 per pax.

My husband on our way to the car, joyfully remarked “ told you the fried rice was good”….yes….I am definitely returning to Grand Palazzo Klang for a second visit… yay!