Maju Palace Restaurant

Working at my new workplace makes me a frustrated being because I can’t get access to pork. Even char kuay teow here is halal. And lard is the key to my temporary happiness. I kid you not. I used to kid myself into thinking I could live without pork. #denial

However, I can live (happily) with the halal dim sum at Maju Palace Restaurant. In fact, the dim sum here is tastier than many non halal dim sum places in Klang Valley. And there’s a 30% discount on food items during weekends. All the more reason for me to visit.

Deep Fried Eggplant with Chicken Floss

We ate so much, it’s easier for me to tell you which items I didn’t like. But I have more common sense than to get labelled as a “catalogue-r” so here goes:

Deep Fried White Bait Fish with Salt & Pepper

‘Siew Mai’ Yunan Style

Chives Dumpling with XO Sauce

The ‘Siew Mai’ Yunan Style (RM 7) and Chives Dumpling with XO Sauce (RM 7) were good. Very nicely shaped with a generous amount of filling.

Imperial ‘Har Kau’

The Imperial ‘Har Kau’ (RM 8) however, was inconsistent. rif had a good one, while mine broke when I lifted it with my chopstick. I blame this partly on my terrible chopstick skills.

Deep Fried Prawns Dumpling

Steamed ‘Cheong Fun’ with Crispy Prawn

Deep Fried Shredded Duck & Chives with Beancurd Skin

Large ‘Bao’

Chris and I shared an inside joke on “pau” earlier that morning, so when the Large ‘Bao’ (RM 8) and Char Siew Bao (RM 6) arrived, I burst out laughing. Pau jokes aside, the big pau was tasty. I’ve always liked big pau because to me, the bigger the pau casing, the more things you can put in it.

Char Siew Bao

Braised Egg Noodles Village Style

Fish Ball

Cod Fish Roll with Salted Egg Yolk (RM8) was wicked stuff. As was the Deep Fried Eggplant with Chicken Floss (RM12). A beer would be perfect with these two. Deep Fried White Bait Fish with Salt & Pepper (RM16) tasted like fried ikan bilis, but meatier.

Poached River Carp Medallion

Water Chestnut Cake

Crispy Vegetarian Roll

Stir Fried Radish Cake

Stir Fried Radish Cake (RM6) was yummy despite the absence of pork lard. I’m biased against pork free dishes, but this radish cake had a good wok hei and boasted charred tasty edges.

Cod Fish Roll with Salted Egg Yolk

Shredded Chicken & Snow Creek Vegetable Porridge

Porridge is a must-try here, especially the Shredded Chicken & Snow Creek Vegetable Porridge (RM8). As an anti-porridge person, this had me cleaning my bowl. Also good was the Red Crab Porridge (RM15); sweet in flavour with a silken rich texture.

Red Crab Porridge

Fresh Water Prawn with ‘Hor Fun’ in Superior Prawn Soup

I’m a huge fan of the Fresh Water Prawn with ‘Hor Fun’ in Superior Prawn Soup (RM25). This is my regular order whenever I dine at the any Oriental Group restaurant. The broth is richly flavoured and sweet from the prawn stock. There is also the sang mee version, but I like the hor fun better.

Sang Mee version

The Fresh Water Prawns in Clay Pot Indonesian Style (RM25) was a knockout for me. Spicy, creamy and robust in flavour, every sip of the broth was a mouthwatering experience. Some might find this too rich for their liking.

Fresh Water Prawns in Clay Pot Indonesian Style

Double Boiled Superior Soup with Beef & Enoki Mushroom in Japanese Paper Wok

A light alternative is the Double Boiled Superior Soup with Beef & Enoki Mushroom in Japanese Paper Wok (RM28). It’s never fun to ear dim sum alone as the more, the merrier. I dined with a group of 10 so it was a meal filled with laughter and friendly jabbers.

Salted Egg Custard Buns

Lemon Grass Jelly

Who would have thought … a glutton like me was too full to eat dessert. I sneaked a bite of Ken’s Lemon Grass Jelly (RM8) and shared a Steamed Egg with Bird’s Nest (RM15) with rif. And a nibble of Maju Palace’s very lovely durian mooncakes.

Egg Tarts

Aloe Vera Tart

Durian Mooncake

Steamed Egg with Bird’s Nest

Glutinous Rice Dumpling in Soya Bean

Thank you Chris, for extending the invitation to me. I really enjoyed the pau talk. 😀 For more information about Maju Palace Restaurant and Oriental Group of Restaurants, visit the official website here.

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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 6.5/10 (30% discount on weekends)
Food: 6.5/10 (halal)
Verdict: Good halal dim sum, reasonable prices. You MUST try the fresh water prawn hor fun!

Maju Palace Restaurant
Level 5 Maju Junction Mall
1001 Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03- 2691 8822

Win cash vouchers to dine at Maju Palace Restaurant by joining the Bangsar Babe Blog Giveaway 2012.