Beluga, Boston & Matzusaka @ Chef Choi

I always look forward to dining at Chef Choi, because the experience will inevitably be a luxurious one. And this time, it would be adding Beluga Caviar, to its array of gourmet delicacies.

There’s nothing like caviar to excite the tired tastebuds.. and though this exotic and extravagant culinary treat is simply salted fish eggs, it can fetch a hefty prize that some may deem over the top. Talking to the Chef, Mr Chan, he tells us that the most famous is black caviar and comes from the sturgeon fish harvested from the Caspian Sea. And caviar connoisseurs know that Beluga caviar is highly esteemed for its purity and distinctive flavor. In my lifetime, I have tried a couple of types of caviar, but none as unctuous as the Beluga. Because although caviar can come from a variety of fish, most caviar aficionados say that that true caviar comes from the Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga sturgeons. Beluga, the most desirable (and most expensive), has a delicate and buttery flavor. Osetra, a little less expensive, is nuttier in flavor. And Sevruga, the least expensive of the three, has a briny taste.

As with supply and demand, Beluga caviar is super expensive due to its scarcity with over fishing, so we were bloody luck to get a taste of this shiny black glistening roe, prepared in this meal at Chef Choi. And believe me, there’s no better way to eat eggs, than with eggs, so Beluga Caviar served on Fried Scrambled eggs… ah.. be still my beating heart! This was the bomb. The only thing missing was possibly champagne;)

caviar and fried scrambled egg (per person RM180)

And in a deliberate fashion, I eat this dish with a tiny spoon and in tiny tastes, as if quietly deliberating my indulgence. So, my conclusion was that while caviar, is great unadorned, as the main feature, it is also terrific as a supporting player, served chilled on top of scrambled fried eggs.

loh bak (per portion RM18)

Thick, pork stuffed crispy lobak – well marinated in 5 spice powder.. hard to resist!

double boiled shark bone soup with bamboo pith (per person RM25)

Double boiled, shark bone soup – full of collagen and since it was not fin, I finished mine.

pan-fried Matzusaka beef (per 100gm RM250)

The most amazing marbling on this slice of meat. Matzusaka would definitely melt in your mouth, faster than butter on a hot pan.

check out the marbling on this baby!

just a couple of seconds on the super hot pan, and it’s good to go.. it would be sacrilegious to overcook Matzusaka!

perfectly rare and perfectly marbled!

baked Boston Lobster with Superior broth (per 100gm RM35)

These Boston lobsters are cooked in a special, reduced, superior stock, that only the Chef knows how to execute. It is a sort of “siong tong”, and as the chef cooks it every so quickly (less than 2 minutes) with the chopped up lobster, the flavour of the superior sauce as well as the natural juices from the lobster flesh will just merge together in the wok, to give this intense sweetness that’s like nothing on earth.

apparently Boston Lobster has dropped in price recently.. all the better! More for us! 

And the trick is in not overcooking the lobster, but to get the sauce reduced down to the perfect thickness too.. so, everything has to be extremely precise, if you get what I mean.

traditional roasted crispy goose marinated with chinese herbs (whole bird RM320)

You know what they say.. once you go Goose, you never go back! This beauty from Hong Kong is perfection on a plate. If I could you eat all the skin I would.. but then my dinner companions would probably hang me out to dry and flay me like a goose, so I thought better of it:P

steamed brown marbled grouper with light soya sauce (per 100gm RM38)

fried sliced lotus root with water chestnut and celery (small RM23, medium RM33, large RM48)

fried rice with mini abalone (RM18)

Every good Chinese meal should end with rice, and here, you have a rather luxurious version fried rice topped with a mini abalone and soaking in it’s own sweet sauces. Divine!

sweet red bean paste with 18 years mandarin peel (per person RM20)

I don’t like gritty red bean paste, so this one is perfect. Love the strong aroma of orange peel that just permeates every mouthful.

And since the Mooncake season is upon us, don’t forget to order some silken snow skin mooncake from Chef Choi. Its amazing almond aroma as well as melt in your mouth texture is to die for. Or if you like the traditional mooncake, they have that too.