By Bryle B. Suralta
As part of Hilton’s centennial celebration, Hilton Manila brings us Hua Yuan’s “Four Hands Culinary Series: Flavors of China,” a specially indulgent eight-course menu that combines authentic “Shanghainese” and Cantonese dishes, with help from Chef Lam Hock Hin, the executive Chinese chef at Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
Chef Lam, together with resident Chinese Sous Chef Kevin Xu, showcased some of their signature dishes in the menu. The Malaysian-born chef is at the helm of Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s acclaimed restaurant, “Chynna”, which has reaped multiple awards in the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival.
Chef Lam is a well-known personality in the Asian fine dining scene with a high-profile clientele ranging from royalty to top businessmen and has a loyal following from the hotel’s regular guests.
The menu has some of Chef Lam’s well-loved dishes in Hilton Kuala Lumpur, which include the Mix Salad With Kaori Bako, Golden Scallops and Anchovies and Double-Boiled Black and White Garlic Soup with Sea Cucumber and Spare Ribs. Meanwhile, the main course is the Butter Milk Prawn With Egg Flakes and Scented Curry Leaves, which the chef says has been a staple meal for customers overseas.
Other items on the specialty menu are the Grilled Slice Pork with Leeks, Hua Yuan’s Fragrant Tea-Smoked Duck and Deep-Fried Grouper Sweet and Sour Style With Pine Nuts (complemented by Fried Rice with X.O. Sauce) and, for dessert, the Coconut Cream Jelly with Taro Balls and Peach Gum.
For Chef Lam, one of the factors that were most challenging to him when he was preparing a menu was striking the balance between spicy and sour. He finds Filipino flavor to be rather sweeter, but says that Malaysian and Filipino cuisine aren’t too different, after all.
“One or two percent is about the palette and the taste. Here, you like it sour. Malaysia, they like sour, too. People like it sweeter here. I like it, too,” he claims. “The most difficult things are spicy and sour. These two things are always challenging. As a chef, you have to moderate it. Here, we do a little bit more. We change based on the culture.”
He notes that most people who came to Hua Yuan came out satisfied and happy. The famed chef points out that, today, more people “know how to eat.” He even received some feedback from them that made him change a few dishes. “I found out people here, they eat less spicy. There were two people who told me they don’t like spicy—too spicy for her!” he tells PeopleAsia with a chuckle.
Located on the second level of Hilton Manila, Hua Yuan is known for its complex preparation and unique cooking styles. It is one of the few restaurants in Metro Manila to offer authentic, modernized “Shanghainese” cuisine. Hua Yuan also features private dining rooms for meetings and celebrations.
The eight-course Exquisite Collaborative Dinner Menu is set P2,888 net per person (minimum of six diners) and is available until tomorrow, June 8. For bookings and inquiries, please call +632 239 7788 or email to mnlph_f&binquiry@hilton.com.
