Celestial Court, Dim Sum Menu, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Cherry red, milky white and deep browns robe the interior of the grand dining hall of Celestial Court. A spot by the window bathing in warm natural light is our favoured location for a lunchtime visit, and our preferred dishes here come from a fabulous array of delicious dim sum.

Chef Ken Liew at Celestial Court has achieved near celebrity status in the taste buds of KL-ites who love the yum cha tradition. Shaping beautiful edible artworks, Chef Ken has enchanted many a fusser eater over the years. Sundays and public holidays are a real treat with an All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum promotion featuring over 70 delicacies from which to sample, and this is exactly what brings us to visit today.

Divided into, special menu items, starters, soup, dim sum, chef’s recommendations, vegetables, rice, noodles and mini dessert buffet, the menu facilitates easier choosing. Easier – because we attempt to try a few plates from each section – not really that easy though as everything looks so good we want to try it all.

My strategy is to start with cute little Ping Pei (snow skinned mooncakes) and Steamed Custard Buns. You have to pass the sweets display as you enter, so already my mind is on the petite colourful bites. The yellow bun oozes a sticky egg custard, and the balls shaped as fruits contain a mildly sweet red bean paste. They’re all so good, even hubby is happy to begin this way.

Special Menu Items are made with prime ingredients and hence only allowed to be ordered once per guest.  It’s difficult to capture the prettiness of the Pan-Seared Stuffed Scallop with Shrimp Mousse in a Bed of Pumpkin Puree. Presented in a blown glass bowl and topped with caviar it’s our waitress’ number one suggestion. The mollusc is perfectly seared and the soft accompaniments provide sweet and savoury contrasts. Yum! Another mouthful of flavour comes with the Sesame Crusted Prawn with Mango Thai Sauce. Shredded green mango and chili tops the deep fried crustaceans adding a cleansing variance.

Steamed Siew Mai with Tobiko are beautiful little yellow parcels capped with shredded seafood and orange roe. These are a fine testimony to the freshness of the rest of the dim sum seeming to scream loud and clear, “We’re fresh from the sea!”

Seafood and Crabmeat Shanghainese Dumplings in Homemade Tom Yum Sauce are cloaked in soft wrappers that fall apart in the mouth. A deliciously more-ish broth, with a powerful zing, has me scooping back in again and again until the last drop is gone.

Deep Fried Bean Curd Roll with Prawns and Cheese rectangles ooze with melted cheese. It’s another plate that gets enthusiastic mmms from both hubby and I.

Also receiving avid approval are the Prawn and Banana Rolls, wrapped in a thin pastry and topped with oats. They’re delicious on their own, but even more awesome with the Wasabi Mayo.

A mini buffet is set up with some starters for those who just can’t wait for their orders to arrive. Fresh oysters and small bowls of goodies are displayed on ice, while roast duck glistens under a heater lamp. Seafood proves fresh, but it’s the roast duck that has hubby oohing. Fat slices of moist meat, are crowned by golden layers of crispy skin.

Brimming with ingredients, the Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Chinese Herbs, is full of herby goodness and feels as though it would cure even the most stubborn cold.

Thin Sautéed Slices of Beef with Black Pepper Sauce are tumbled with red and green capsicum squares and white onion. The sauce provides a thin coating for it all and leaves a lovely pepperiness lingering on the tongue after swallowing.

Stir Fried Trio of Mushrooms with Seasonal Vegetables glimmer in the natural light streaming in from our window seat. Firm meaty mushrooms, and crisp leafy greens and stems, are varnished with a transparent savoury coating and prove both tasty and filling.

Stewed E-fu Noodles with Chicken and Shredded Mushroom are wonderfully springy and flavourful. If this were the only thing I ate today, I’d find it alone a satisfying lunch.

Every single item has been presented uniquely. It astounds us that so much creativity has been injected into each and every one of the seemingly endless number of dishes. Service has been helpful and friendly, and we think the brunch is great value for money.

All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum is priced at RM88++ per person and is available Sundays and public holidays from 10am – 2:30pm. SPG card members reap a fantastic 30% discount, making this weekend indulgence a very affordable one.

*  Effective from January 2015, the deal will be available both Saturdays and Sundays. The menu will be enhanced with additional items and the price will be at RM98++ per person. Reasons to visit: some of the prettiest dim sum you’ll find in the city; pork-free; light bright setting; Stewed E-fu Noodles; Prawn and Banana Rolls; Bean Curd Rolls with Prawns and Cheese; Shanghainese Dumplings in Tom Yum Sauce; Siew Mai.

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Sultan Ismail

Kuala Lumpur, 50250

Malaysia

+6 03 2717 9900

Open:

Monday to Saturday: 12 noon – 2:30pm & 6:30pm – 10:30pm

Sundays and public holidays: 10am – 2:30pm & 6:30pm –
10:30pm