Lavish Lunar New Year banquets at Trove

It’s the first year of Lunar New Year celebrations at Trove Johor Baru and I’m happy to accept their invitation to a preview of the delectable dishes in their festive set menu.

At Trove, the Salmon Yee Sang is topped by
fresh slivers of salmon and caviar or Japanese fish roe

I like how traditional (round!) banquet tables are arranged in a secluded section of the cool and contemporary ambiance of the Lada & Clove, for our dining pleasure.

A quick look at the Auspicious Set menu tells me that the Salmon Yee Sang is part of the set and here, the raw fish is topped with caviar or Japanese fish roe, tobiko.

Long wooden chopsticks are provided for the salad toss and we stand together to toss the colourful ingredients with (loud!) wishes for greater prosperity in the coming year!

With tobiko tossed into this salad, I’m not surprised at the distinct Japanese umami and to anticipate the experience of small “explosions” happening in my mouth…

Tossing Yee Sang together with wishes of greater prosperity

While enjoying this taste, I’m pleasantly surprised to discover an interesting lemongrass flavour in the salad – rather unique to the Salmon Yee Sang served here!

I lick my lips for a final taste of the interesting Yee Sang as I allow the piping hot Double-Boiled Fish Soup with Ginseng and Snow Pear to cool to a more palatable temperature.

A tiny sip and I like the natural sweetness of Snow Pear slices and the not-so-herby flavour of the fortifying Ginseng in the Fish Soup.

It’s a refreshing change and as I scoop deep into my bowl, I discover that the chunks of fish are lightly fried before being brewed in the soup.

Piping hot Double-boiled Fish Soup with
Ginseng and Snow Pear

The fish is toman or giant snakehead and it’s a generous chunk of this meaty fish in my warm and tasty soup.

In the tradition of the Lunar New Year, a whole fish is served and here the fish dish is Hong Kong-style live Tiger Garoupa steamed in superior soy sauce.

The wait staff skillfully carves the fish and politely offers us the choice of our favourite parts of the fish. Some aim for its belly while another goes for its “cheeks”…

From my first taste of a tender morsel of flesh, I must compliment the chef for his competence in timing the steaming just right and its tender meat perfectly pairs with the soy sauce!

Over interesting conversation, we help ourselves to Roasted Crispy Chicken topped with strips of dried shredded fish, and as the lazy-susan goes round and around, the platter ends up neatly polished!

Roasted Crispy Chicken topped with
strips of shredded fish

The Lunar New Year is also traditionally the time to enjoy high-value food ingredients with auspicious meanings and the next dish is Braised Abalone with Black Mushroom and Broccoli.

In this serving, a ring of broccoli florets is surrounded by whole abalone – one each for every diner – and topped with whole mushrooms and slices of glistening fish maw.

Prawns are another auspicious item to enjoy in Lunar New Year banquets and the pan-fried prawns are presented in three flavours: sweet, sour and spicy.

The menu rounds off with steamed Treasure Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf and when the platter is unveiled, I can see that the “treasures” are slices of Chinese sausages and waxed meat.

Braised Abalone with Black Mushroom and Broccoli

Two desserts end our set meal sweetly: Chilled Longan with Sea Coconut and deep-fried Sesame Seed balls stuffed with red bean paste.

I tear apart a Sesame Seed ball to let the stuffing cool down before tasting and I must say the wait is definitely worth it because it’s crispy outside and the not-too-sweet filling, tastes just right. Mmm…

Three-day advance orders are required for Chef Wong Chee Foong and his culinary team to prepare and serve the set menus.

They are the Golden Dragon Set (RM988 nett) and the Crimson Phoenix Set (RM1,188 nett) for tables of 10 and the Auspicious Set for tables of six (RM828 nett) or 10 (RM1,388 nett), presented from now till Feb 19.

Two desserts: Chilled Longan with Sea
Coconut and Sesame Seed balls

Reunion Dinner orders for the Auspicious Set on Feb 4, the eve of the Lunar New Year, also stand to win a free room-stay with the hotel in a Lucky Draw!

For a leisurely gathering, the traditional Reunion Dinner will be served at 7pm.

Upon request, Trove may arrange banquets to be held in private function rooms or in a private section of the Lada & Clove.

Lada & Clove is on Level 8 of Trove Johor Baru, located at Jalan Abdullah Tahir, 80300 Johor Baru, Johor. [No pork products are used in the kitchen.] Tel: +607 – 272 8888.

For reservations, email: info.trovejb@careluxuryhotels.com or Tel: +6017 818 8036 and +6017 – 818 8043.

Visit website: www.careluxuryhotels.com/trove-johor-bahru