It
was good to be back at the Renaissance Johor Bahru again where I was warmly
welcomed and ushered into a private dining room in Wan Li Chinese Restaurant.
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| Ingredients for the Yee Sang salad, also served with a topping of Crispy Fish Skin |
Among
the media friends seated at the same table for the preview was a family with
two young daughters, whom I dubbed The Princesses when we were
introduced.
Keeping
the tradition of family reunions and festive feasting, Wan Li continues to
delight diners with set menus designed for six to 10 persons, served from the
eve of Lunar New Year, January 28, right up to February 12, 2025.
 |
| Yee Sang ingredients are added along with the recitation of traditional auspicious phrases |
The
Lunar New is the time of year where the Chinese traditionally indulge in
feasting on high-value ingredients and food that has shapes or names that sound
auspicious.
Tables
were adorned in auspicious colours of deep Red with settings for a traditional
banquet that will kick off with a prosperity toss of Yee Sang (Cantonese),
a phrase which literally means raw fish.
Yee Sang is a salad dish created by four local
chefs in Singapore as a symbol of prosperity and good health for the lunar new
year back in 1964 when Malaysia and Singapore were then, still one country –
Malaya.
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| A serving of warm and comforting Double-Boiled Village Chicken Soup |
Originally, Yee Sang was eaten on the seventh day
of the first month in the new lunar year but due to its popularity, many
restaurants like Wan Li Chinese Restaurant in Renaissance Johor Baru, will serve
this dish throughout the festive season and is even available for takeaways.
 |
| The poultry dish comprised of Cantonese Roasted Duck [Right] and Lemongrass marinated Roasted Crispy Chicken [Left] |
This prosperity toss is dubbed Lo Hei (Cantonese) simply translated as ‘Tossing for Greater Wealth' in an activity that can be quite boisterous when diners participate with great gusto while chanting phrases like, “Huat-ah!” “Heng-ah!” the Teochew or Hokkien words for ‘prosperity’ as they tossed the salad higher and higher.
At the next table, their chanting while tossing Yee
Sang was so “lively” that the younger of the two Princesses was rather
alarmed by the loud yells.
She was curious and uncomfortable about the uproar
that I overheard her asking her mother, “Why did they yell like that?” and
mimicked that “roar” we heard from the next table… 
This menu includes an auspicious vegetable
dish with high-value ingredients like abalone
As the serving staff recited traditional,
auspicious sayings while she added each of the ingredients to the salad, I was pleased
that the Yee Sang platter was topped with generous toppings of Crispy Fish Skin,
a delightfully different ingredient that added extra texture and crunch to this
dish.
The
warm and comforting Double-Boiled Village Chicken Soup brewed with American
Ginseng served in individual bowls, was so palatable that – I observed – everyone
finished the soup to the very last drop.
The
poultry dish was served in a two-compartment platter for a portion of Cantonese
Roasted Duck along with a portion of Lemongrass marinated Roasted Crispy
Chicken served with a side of Thai chili dip sauce.
A whole Silver Pomfret poached with tasty
pickled radish and coriander in soya sauce
As
whole fish is an auspicious dish for this festive season, Silver Pomfret from
Pontian, poached with pickled radish and coriander in soya sauce, was served.
The
taste of pickled radish and coriander flavour was such a hit among our friends
who decided to keep the generous serving aside (after eating all the fish!) to
savour with other dishes.
Another
auspicious item for the new year must be whole prawns so the mount of King Sea
Prawns, wok-fried with Crispy Garlic and Dried Chili, simply evoked wide smiles
around the table. 
King Sea Prawns wok-fried with
Crispy Garlic and Dried Chili for a hint of spice
This
is because the Cantonese word for prawn, Har, when repeated sounds like,
Ha! Ha! Ha! … the sound of laughter and happiness.
The
auspicious vegetable dish comprised 10 head of abalone, sea cucumber, Chinese
mushrooms, dried scallops, black moss and seasonal vegetables, braised in a
tasty sauce.
Finally,
there was fragrant Fried Rice dotted with bits of Chinese Sausage, dried
oysters and chestnuts, served wrapped in Lotus Leaves. While dried oysters may be
an acquired taste, this auspicious combination of flavours tasted just right.
The
meal came to a sweet end with double desserts of Chilled Lemon Jelly with Peach
Gum in Osmanthus Sweet Soup, and Deep-Fried Nian Gao Balls. Nian Gao is
a traditional sticky rice cake made with glutinous rice also known as Kueh
Bakul.
Fragrant Fried Rice served wrapped
in Lotus Leaves
Another dish by Wan Li which is popular this
festive season is Cantonese Poon Choy or Choi, a dish best described as a
Banquet-in-a-Basin.
This elaborate dish is said to have originated in
Hong Kong during the late Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) when Mongol troops invaded
China and the young Emperors, brothers Zhao Shi and Zhao Bing, fled to the area
around Guangdong and Hong Kong.
The brothers and their imperial entourage were
welcomed by the local people and to feed them, they collected and cooked a
variety of their best ingredients. 
Double Desserts of Chilled Lemon Jelly with
Peach Gum in Osmanthus Sweet Soup [Left]
and deep-fried Nian Gao Balls [Right]
But they did not have a bowl large enough to serve
all the food. The only large receptacle was a big wooden basin, traditionally
used to wash clothes. And this was how the big basin banquet or Poon Choi
was invented.
Poon Choi soon became associated with events that
involved the whole community, usually held in a courtyard or open space in the
village.
In traditional village celebrations like religious
festivals, rituals and weddings, Poon Choi was served in metal wash basins
simmering over stoves, large enough to feed 10 to 12 persons.
Eating from a common bowl is a symbol of village
cohesion that removed class and status differences as everyone was considered
equal.
At
Wan Li, the Wan Li Abundant Treasure Pot is served in a large clay-pot with its
top layer attractively arranged with heads of abalone, whole prawns from the
sea and broccoli florets topped with black moss.
The Wan Li Abundant Treasure Pot
served in a large clay-pot
Among
the auspicious ingredients in the treasure pot are slices of sea cucumber,
Chinese mushrooms, fish maw, dried scallops, dried oysters, village chicken,
roasted duck, white radish, Chinese Tianjin cabbage and lotus root, stewed in
the rich flavours of golden garlic and abalone sauce.
Like
the Yee Sang, the Poon Choi by Wan Li is served in two sizes, Small and Large,
and are available for dine-in or takeaways.
On Lunar New Year Eve, Jan 28,
the elegant Reunion Set Menus come with one bottle of house Red Wine, served
in two dining sessions at 5pm and 8pm.
Wan Li Auspicious Set Menu
prepared for table of six persons at RM1,488 nett and table
for 10 persons at RM2,288 nett.
Wan Li Prosperity Set Menu
prepared for table of six persons at RM1,788 nett and table
for 10 persons at RM2,788 nett.
Wan Li Happiness Set Menu prepared
for table of six persons at RM1,988 nett and table for 10
persons at RM3,188 nett.
Three choices of Prosperity Yee
Sang are served in two sizes: Abalone Yee Sang, RM148 nett (Small) and
RM238 nett (Large), Fresh Salmon Yee Sang, RM118 nett (Small) and RM168 nett
(Large), Crispy Fish Skin, RM106 nett (Small) and RM158 nett (Large).
Entrance to Wan Li Chinese Restaurant at
the lobby level of Renaissance Johor Bahru
The Abundance Treasure Pot
(Poon Choy) is also served in two sizes at RM688 nett (Small) and RM1,188 nett
(Large).
Wan
Li Chinese Restaurant is on the lobby level of Renaissance Johor Baru, at No. 2
Jalan Permas 11, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 81750 Johor Baru, Johor.
For
reservations to dine-in or for takeaways, Tel: +607 – 381 3388 or send WhatsApp
to: +6012 – 771 9056. Email: henry.lee@renaissancehotels.com
