FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

The emperor never went broke

The emperor never went broke

Yuan at the Millennium Hilton indulges palates and shrinks wallets with an imperial banquet

ONE OF the best ways to celebrate the festive season is to dine like a Chinese emperor, but of course you’re going to pay through the snout for it. And it’s perhaps no accident that Yuan, the riverside Chinese restaurant at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, shares its name with that of the coin of the emperor’s realm. 
Just keep in mind that cuisine of this kind is believed to ultimately boost fortunes. The depletion is merely temporary – an investment, if you will.
Hong Kong chef Cheung Chin Choi – renowned for his fusion of authentic Cantonese specialities and the formidable dishes eaten in bygone times – is serving eight pricey platters with all due imperial grandeur.
The whole set, good for a table of 10, costs Bt62,000, and thankfully that’s net. Each dish can also be ordered individually.
The restaurant itself is minimalist and thus “contemporary” in decor, with chocolate brown the predominant tone and large windows with views of the Chao Phraya River. Fish leap to mind, so it’s fitting that the feast begins with Whitebait Fish with Spiced Salt (Bt490 to Bt1,050 by itself, according to the size). 
It’s wonderfully crispy, lightly floured and fried until golden brown, then sauteed with garlic, red chillies and the spiced salt. 
Each of the dishes carries its own symbolism, and the fish is meant to augur prosperity, fertility and strength.
One of China’s great soups is next, Monk Jumps over the Wall (Bt1,600 to Bt2,600), rightfully admired for the great skill required in the preparation. The ingredients – baby abalone, black chicken, sea cucumber, shiitake, fish maw and bamboo mushrooms – all command their own time and effort before simmering slowly together for at least six hours at just the right heat. The broth is enhanced with goi berry, ginseng and caterpillar fungus. 
The Monk normally does his Jumping in the company of shark’s fin, but Yuan earns our respect for leaving that benighted fish alone. The soup certainly has a wonderful aroma without it. It is simply irresistible, as the curious name implies – not even a stoic monk could resist its allure, sneaking out of the monastery to get a taste.
A pig then trots onto the scene, but no ordinary porker. It’s Barbecued Suckling Pig Hong Kong-style (Bt2,200), so often the centrepiece of oriental banquets. The whole animal is glazed and grilled slowly over open fire until the skin is crisp and the meat is tender. 
It’s served with mantou, the Chinese steamed bun, with slices of scallion, red chilli and cucumber and plum sauce on the side. Similar to eating Peking duck, you spread some sauce on the bun, add the veggies and a slice or two of pork, fold together and commence munching.
The Abalone Steak with Oyster Sauce (Bt8,500) is just as amazing, steamed for six hours and simmered another six hours with pork, chicken and Yunan ham. It is delicate and luscious. Only the nobility got to eat this delicacy in the old days, the shellfish’s curved edge symbolically embracing abundance, so stop counting the cost and count yourself lucky instead.
The Alaskan Crab Legs with Spiced Salt (Bt1,250 to Bt2,400) arrive in manageable pieces. The legs have been dressed in Hong Kong tapioca flour and deep-fried, then sauteed with more of that garlic, red chillies and seasoned salt. 
Sauteed Lobster with XO Sauce (Bt560 for 100 grams) is supposed to bring blessings of its own. The shellfish is floured, fried and sauteed in the sauce.
Braised Liao Sea Cucumber in Brown Sauce (Bt550) is actually nutritious – not that the emperors cared. It’s low in cholesterol and evidently boosts your strength. The sea cucumber, all thorns and crisp flesh, is soaked in cold water for three days to soften the skin and then braised in the sauce to give it a jelly-like texture. 
Dessert is a deep-fried Chinese pancake stuffed with red-date paste and served with vanilla ice cream (Bt190). You are now also officially stuffed, even as your wallet is about to be drained.
Have some tea first. Yuan’s nut-flavoured white tea, Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle), is made with leaves handpicked in Fujian or dark and smoke-flavoured oolong leaves from Taiwan’s Ali Shan mountains. A long-necked copper teapot is brought to the table, hinting that the pouring of a humble cup of tea is about to be demonstrated as an entertaining feat of mastery.
 
 
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
>>Yuan is on the second floor of the Millennium Hilton Bangkok on Charoen Nakhon Road. 
>>It is open daily for lunch from 11.30 to 2.30 and dinner from 6 to 10.30. 
>>Book a table at (02) 442 2000.
 
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