Stimulating the 5 Senses, at Westin KL

I always love dining at 5 Senses, because I recall most brightly that this restaurant sets itself apart, by their pursuit of new varieties of deliciousness.

signature prawns 

Presentation wise, it definitely stimulates the sense of sight..

red sweet potato with ginger, prunes and peppercorn

And restaurants should do, what they always do when people need comfort.. they cook. And God knows we all need a little comfort, from the perennial plague of bad weather, national tragedies and what have you.

double boiled fish maw with flower mushroom and nai pak vegetables

And to return us to a standard sense of excellence, we had  a delicious fish maw soup to start with. This fish maw, served to us in individual bowls, was actually the softer, more prized fish stomach (from deep-sea, cold water fish) , that the Chinese call, the far-kao. The texture was smooth, creamy and was full of collagen.

The Nai-pak vegetable though slightly bitter, was creatively carved out to resemble a flower.

signature prawns 

Prawns that had been coated and fried, then wrapped round celery, carrot, chinese ham, served with mayo, red wine and spices, garnished with raisins and wolfberries were delicious.

crispy pork belly

And a latest item of crispy pork belly on the menu, was sinfully good as well. Pork seasoned with salt and chinese rice wine, then slow cooked, all the while oil buffing the pork till very crispy, served with honey mustard, and spicy salt.

Honey glazed baked Black Cod, served in Teriyaki sauce

A staple of classic Japanese cooking, teriyaki is wonderful, but this versatile sauce can be quite sweet. I was happy that this version had just a touch of natural sweetness as well as some acidity to temper the sweet sauce – the cod was fatty, flaky and perfectly moist.

Vegetables in Yam basket , served with honey glazed and caramalized walnuts

I probably won’t call myself a big fan of yam, but the crispy yam ring is one that always gets my attention whenever it makes an appearance. And I have to say, the versatility of this dish never ceases to amaze me. The chicken mixtures or main ingredients are serve in a basket made from deep fried yam (taro). You can eat this basket together with the filling. Some chefs add different ingredients to the filling such as carrots or bell pepper. Some add spiciness, by adding red sliced chili into it. This particular one, had a lovely surprise in the form of crunchy, caramelized walnuts. The perfect hit of crispy nuts and soft yam with each mouthful. Bliss.

Mongolian lamb chops

These sweet and tangy grilled lamb chops were marinated in a flavorful sauce base of tomato, black pepper, milk and butter. Addictively yummy.. wish the cuts had been larger!

The chops go best with mantau, especially since the sauce is thick and cloyingly decadent.