Almost Paradise

How do you know if a person is a true blue foodie? Chances are, if they read Mao's Last Dancer and their imagination strays not to grand jetes or great ballet, and rest instead on traditional Chinese food, they're about as food-mad as one can get.

Which is why, despite the tale of wrenching poverty, of indigestible dried yams and China-America love connection, the thing that struck a chord most in me reading this gift from my friend May Ying, was the frugal peasant fare which Li Chunxin described his loving mother scrimping for a year to present to the poverty stricken family.

It was, therefore, a bit of a joke to be ordering those very dishes in a restaurant that the Li family would have thought ever so opulent and capitalist. Ever since dining there with my Japanese family, the Katos and my heart sister, Jade, I have harboured a great love for the food at Paradise Dynasty. I like the quasi-Zen interior with the yellow mood lights (horrible for photography though) and big Buddha water feature. I enjoy the service, though all the local staff speak only Mandarin or some Chinese dialect.

Erin  was completely taken with the show window and kitchen. This was live action TV! A cooking show where the chefs waved back! She loved it, and the chefs were very gratified by her attention.

She looked at the menu and promptly ordered the La Mian with sliced pork (RM17.80). She ate with gusto, and I discovered why when I was finishing her leavings (it is a very hearty serving, good for five peasants at least!). The broth is milky with all the goodness and richness of pork bone boiled til every last bit of marrow is extracted. It is hearty, sweet and nourishing - pure comfort food. The egg in the noodle dish was hard boiled in soy sauce so the exterior is brown, while the yolk is still wobbly and liquid and delicious. The goodly amount of seaweed and vegetables make it a complete meal.

My peasant leanings urged me to order a plate of Japanese cucumber in garlic (RM8.80) and marinated jelly fish (RM13.80), both cold appetizers. Such simple fare, but so good to eat! The cucumbers were crisp, with the perfect blend of sesame oil to balance the sharpness of the garlic. The jelly fish was topped with crunchy spring onions and a dash of chilli oil which made the dish sing.

I don't know why I keep doing it, seeing how much vegetables I can buy at the cost of one of these restaurant servings, but I also ordered the sauteed spinach with garlic (RM16). Since you can louse up vegetables that badly, it was a so-so dish whose sole existence was to keep Erin occupied until the food came.

The reason people flock to Paradise Dynasty, however, is the dumplings or siew loong pau. The restaurant does mini versions of this soup-filled dumpling, and offer an exclusive selection of flavoured dumplings. The eight-piece steamer offers one each of the original, pink peppercorn (amazing, if you like and understand the sensation of this Szechuan spice), crab roe, cheese, garlic, ginseng, foie gras and black truffle. All of them have culinary value and will have their own following. This is attested to in the menu which allows diners the opportunity to order multiples of a single variant. At RM25.80, the eight-piece sampler is one of the must-haves when dining at this strictly non-halal restaurant. 

Another nod to Mao's Last Dancer was the pork dumplings with chili oil. This dish is evilly good. It's so bad because it swims in chili oil infused with Szechuan pepper, but the marrying to the down to earth minced pork, and the tingly, sweet-hot oil infusion makes this so difficult to resist at RM12.80 a plate. I ended up dragging the noodles from the La Mian into the sauce just so I could savour it again!

I can safely say this was my best meal of 2013 so far! The bill came up to RM112.75 (RM2 per head for tea and 50 sen for wet towels). Certainly better value and freshness than Watami!

Paradise Dynasty
1F-15 Level 1 Paradigm Mall
1 Jalan SS7/26A Kelana Jaya, PJ
Tel: 03 7887 5022