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04 February, 2012

Esquire Kitchen @ Sri Petaling

Esquire Kitchen is one of most visited dining places during my childhood. Being part of a traditional family, my parents always bring us to the eatery of oriental style. In fact, I have neither watched a movie in a cinema nor dine at a Japanese restaurant until my sister is big enough to bring me there. 

Ever since I'm no longer a kid, I rarely visit this place anymore. Recently during my revisit, I'm surprised that the concept of the restaurant remains unchanged just like few years back. I remember the home-style Shanghainese and Sze Chuan dishes vividly despite of the new flavours and localization taking place in this restaurant. 

Esquire Kitchen comes with the Prosperous Reunion New Year Set Meal @ RM138++, recommended for 6 to 8 pax. Since the Chinese New Year mood is still on, the set meal is a good choice for a small gathering. 

#1 Prosperous Yee Sang @ RM38++ (Regular)

Such a symbolic dish is not included in the set meal, but I don't mind putting additional ringgits for the luck and happiness from this prosperity toss. The platter of salmon comes in a fairly generous amount but thanks to seasonings which veil the flaws of the salmon slices in terms of freshness.

#2 鸿图大展 Sweet Corn Soup with Vegetarian Shark Fin 

Honestly, I didn't expect a set of RM138 meal would come with a savory broth of shark fins. Despite of being vegetarian, the fragrance of the sweet corn blends in the thick soup base very well. 

#3 年年高升 Shanghai Fried Rice Cake 

The white-colored, tasteless Nian Gao reminds me of the kimchi rice cake I had at Daorae Korean Restaurant. Although it does not have the sweet and sour kimchi flavours, the rice cake tastes perfectly good in the homemade Shanghai sauce with minced meat, chopping onions and chillis.

#4 金龙迎春 Sweet and Sour Garoupa

The deep fried fish fails to retain its original flavour after being covered by the sweet and sour sauce. It's still my favourite because the sweet and sour tastes is well-balanced along with the crunchy skin and flaky flesh. 

#5 凤凰吉祥 Golden Fried Chicken with Herb Based Sauce

The fried chicken looks very appealing with its golden brown skin. The thigh and wing are especially fresh with the firm yet tender meat. Despite of lacking the taste of herbs, I still love this plate of crispy chicken.

#6 五彩缤纷 Crunchy Vegetables

Indeed this dish goes along very well with its name. With the Chinese wood ear fungus and cashew nuts, I'm delighted with the crunchiness of the dish. I then happily munch away the fat-burning vegetables--- celery and carrots!

#7 老少平安 Japanese Beancurd with Pumpkin Sauce 

Another gastronomic dish is served to complete the prosperous meal. Surprisingly, the Japanese beancurd is exceptionally soft in texture. Apart from the minced meat and mushroom, this dish becomes very flavourful when served in thick, creamy pumpkin sauce. 

#8 甜甜蜜蜜 Lo Han Guo with White Fungus  

Putting an endnote to this scrumptious dinner, the monk's fruit dessert is a good one but quite common in most of the Chinese restaurants. After taking the first seep, I realise it's really unsweetened, unlike other restaurants around KL. 

Verdict:
#1 Value for money? Yes. Definitely.
#2 Perfect for a simple family meal.
#3 Despite of the good family-styled ambiance, the service is so-so because most waiters cannot communicate well in English or Chinese.

Esquire Kitchen 
G003, Ground Floor, Endah Parade,
1, Jalan 1/149E,
Bandar Baru Seri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 603-9056 5033

 


38 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. hi Nikel, i haven't try any chicken rice before there before, perhaps during my next visit then :)

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  2. Looks so good! :D I've never tried white Nian Gao before! Is the texture the same? :)

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    Replies
    1. hi Daphne, the texture is very different from the usual brown one. As you chew, the texture is more like the squid or some other seafood. try it out someday ya :)

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  3. Happy Chinese New Year to you and family.
    Usually I will go to EK when I want to eat their pork dish. Cant remember the name, but its 3 layer pork + Shanghai wanton.

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    Replies
    1. hi LittleLamb, their pork is Tung Po meat you mean? it's the house specialty as well :) recommended for meat lovers.

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  4. its actually quite a good buy. the idea not to have yee sang is a good one coz not everyone wants to eat it. its easier to add on...and i supposed in the absence of yee sang the menu has a longer lifespan i.e. they can extend to post cny too.

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    Replies
    1. hi Missyblurkit, that's a good idea from EK, but too bad this set menu is only available for 2 weeks during CNY. hope they'll come up with more similar ideas in future!

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  5. I used to go Esquire Kitchen with my family every week when I was small XD

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    Replies
    1. hi Charmaine, glad to hear that you have similar childhood experience like me :P

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  6. You can always rely on EK for good food. Every time when I'm there, I'll order the pork shredded noodles with snow vegetables.

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    Replies
    1. hi Ms Smit'n, the pork noodle is one of their signature dishes too, suitable for personal dining :) i'd opt for that during individual dinings.

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  7. Never knew there is vegetarian sharkfin :O btw, those fried chicken looks very good *drool*

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  8. There are lots of food here that I haven't seen yet but they look yummy and healthy. Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  9. Esquire. It's been a norms to have dinner there when I visit KL.

    mt
    Meitzeu @ Blog

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  10. My dad also used to love to bring us to eat at Esquire Kitchen was I was younger! :D Love the 'ma bo tofu' and flower roll buns. <3

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  11. yeah, it has come as a tradition for us to "lou sang" during CNY period huh?? i would love to do that also, it's actually something very happy to do, haha~~ :)

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  12. ooo, i managed to try this esquire kitchen CNY menu too! at ioi mall puchong. ya, the price was nice & affordable :D

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  13. I like Esquire. Used to frequent the one at Sg Wang...and later at Mid Valley.

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  14. RM138 for 6 to 8 people, it sounds worth.

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  15. I tried the one at Sg Wang years ago.. I think the food so-so only =_=
    May be they have improved over the years...

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  16. RM138 is definitely value for money

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  17. I agree the Shanghai fried rice cake looks alot like the korean dobokki !

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  18. It has been quite a while since I last visited Esquire Kitchen. Time to check out this offer....

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  19. Lovely spread of food you have checked out at Esquire and I too like this eatery and have been here a couple of times. I also think the price is affordable and the taste is not too bad either.

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  20. d only food that i tasted is the "char cheung mee"...
    i think it is still good....
    actually RM138 is good deal during CNY season..
    All my friends complaint that they had been rip off due to CNY's price hike....

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  21. Wish that restaurant were closer to me!

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  22. looks like a very traditional nice chinese restaurant! wow, the food looks really good! doesn't look too oily either! most chinese restaurants i go to tend to be too oily for me :( and value for the money is definitely really good!

    alex @ carouselstreet.com

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  23. Esquire Kitchen has been in the market for umpteen years! There were a season where their quality of food has gone down hill so I have not been back for a while. After reading your post, I think I should give them another shot! Thanks.

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  24. The Yu Sheng looks very different. Gosh, love the chix dish! Looks really crispy :)

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  25. HAha Esquire Kitchen is also my most visited dining places with my family during my childhood time. Hehe =P

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  26. hm, well, I'm envying you for still having that body even after eating that much.. now cutting my food a lot, due to weighing.. Ha ha ha.. But everybody is saying, I'm good in my current look.. deng.. they just want to see me look phatty aren't they?? :D

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  27. I love the Lo Han Guo with White Fungus dessert. I will try to cook it myself.

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  28. real yummy! OMG! *Drools*

    http://c-a-m-y.blogspot.com
    http://heryuan.blogspot.com

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  29. The fried nian gao sounds & looks good!

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  30. so long din go thre oredy ooo~
    mybe will find time to visit soon^^

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