Dim sum is an old Chinese tradition of family togetherness.
“It’s like breakfast,” said Ken Choy Chong Hung, executive Chinese chef of the Gran Melia Jakarta Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta. “It starts the day. It’s usually taken in the morning with the whole family.”
Unfortunately, people have become very busy in the modern days. No one really has the time to sit down, have breakfast and enjoy a conversation with their family members in the morning.
But the ancient tradition does not die. These days, Chinese families enjoy dim sum on weekends. Instead of their homes, they now prefer to have it in restaurants.
“Every Saturday and Sunday, when people have a day off, all the traditional Chinese restaurants [in Malaysia, Hongkong and China] would be full,” the Malaysian chef said, speaking from personal experience. “People are dressed in their best [clothes] and have dim sum [at the restaurants] with their whole families.”
“It’s a very warm family moment,” said Ken, who has now brought the tradition to the Gran Melia Jakarta.
Every Sunday, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Tien Chao, offers dim sum and live cooking at around lunchtime.
“Tien Chao” means the “blissful palace,” and the name suits the restaurant.
It has classic Oriental interiors with carved wooden doors, antique sideboards and large, rounded dining tables. At the center of each table sits a figurine of the famous Terracotta Warriors.
The ambience of the restaurant is enhanced with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hotel’s Zen garden.
When we visited the restaurant last Sunday, we were greeted by a line-up of chefs standing by their cooking stations. An array of half-prepared ingredients was displayed at the stations.
Guests are invited to make their selection at the cooking stations, or fill out a form in a menu presented by the wait staff.
Dishes are prepared by the chefs at the cooking stations in front the guests.
“At Tien Chao, you’ll not only watch a cooking demo, but you’ll also get to taste the dishes,” said Yohana Elizabeth, Gran Melia Jakarta director of marketing and communications.
A caramelized Peking duck sitting at the carving table looked very appetizing, and seemed a good place to start.
Its crisp skin was folded into a thin pancake, together with slices of cucumber, chilies and leek. A dollop of Chinese barbecue sauce was added.
The Peking duck pancake was a perfect combination of taste and appetizing flavors. The pancake was warm and chewy, while the sweet barbecue sauce married the buttery flavor of the duck’s skin and the fresh vegetables inside.
Another tempting dish that must be tried is the pan-fried shrimp on a stick.
Shrimp is chopped, dipped in egg whites and breaded. The batter is then made into small balls and put around fresh sugarcane shoots. The whole thing is then deep-fried in a wok.
Deep-frying infuses the sweet flavors of the sugarcane into the shrimp and the result is a unique combination of sweet and savory flavors.
Sichuan soup is another must. Originally from the province in southern China, it boasts bold flavors.
When presented to our table, the aroma of black soup invaded our nostrils. On tasting it, everybody at the table protested that it was too spicy, yet nobody stopped eating it.
Chef Suyanto noted that there were more than nine Chinese herbs and spices in the soup.
“They’re all very healthful and help your body keep warm during the cold season,” he said.
The chefs were very generous with their secrets. When asked, they gladly shared their recipes and even the addresses of the shops where they bought their exotic ingredients.
Afterwards, according to the ancient custom of the meal, we proceeded to the steamed dim sum dishes.
Their scallop dumplings are worth a try. The dumplings contain diced scallops mixed with chopped shrimp, Chinese parsley and coriander.
A thin slice of scallop sits at the top of the dumpling, crowned with bright orange salmon roe.
The soft dumpling melts in the mouth and fills it with its warm and juicy flavors.
My dining companion chose the steamed chicken feet for her next course.
“For me, a dim sum is never complete without chicken feet,” she said.
Although some may cringe at the inclusion of chicken feet in the menu, they are actually a prized delicacy in authentic dim sum menus.
“It’s a must-have item in dim sum,” chef Markus Tarwadi said. “But it takes such a long and complicated process to prepare them.”
The process includes boiling the chicken feet in water and vinegar to eliminate its odors, frying them in 150-degree-Celcius oil and steaming them for one hour before smearing them in a traditional Chinese sweet sauce called Pao Hin.
The chicken feet are then steamed for another 10 minutes to allow the sauce to seep into the meat.
The result is a sweet and spicy dish that one can nibble while enjoying a conversation with companions. The meat was juicy and succulent and it fell off the bone.
My dininig companion enjoyed it so much she ordered seconds.
Baked dim sum was our next course and I chose their king prawn and had no regrets in so doing.
The crustacean arrived in a large oblong platter. Its curved body was covered in warm molten cheese. Diced dragonfruit, carrots and potatoes, doused in mayonnaise, accompanied the savory dish.
A wide array of desserts featured in the menu. Chinese rare delicacy, Guilinggao, immediately caught my attention.
“It’s like [Indonesian] Jamu [herbal concoction],” Markus said. “It’s a combination of 11 Chinese herbs and spices.”
When the dessert arrived in a platter, it looked like black pudding and smelled a bit like Jamu.
The Guilinggao was served with white fungus, red dates and dried longans. As the pudding is rather bitter, its best taken with honey, which is served on the side.
The dessert is said to aid digestion and help the body to cool off after a heavy meal. It was definitely a memorable meal from start to finish.
Dim Sum and Live Cooking Every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Price range per item Rp 22,000++ — Rp 398,000++
Tien Chao Restaurant Gran Melia Jakarta
Jl. HR. Rasuna Said Kav. X-0
Kuningan, South Jakarta
Tel. 021 526 8080
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