Back at Hop Sing for a traditional meal

 

It was good to be back at Hop Sing, the Chinese Restaurant in Ponderosa Golf & Country Club and I echoed the sentiments of blogger, Tony of Johor Kaki fame, who said that he had a tradition of having his first Lo Hei celebration at Hop Sing each year.

 

Everyone lending a hand to add in the
auspicious ingredients to top the salad
for our traditional Prosperity Toss 

Tony and I were among friends invited along with other corporate guests to join this preview of their Chinese New Year banquet that will be served from January 10 to February 5, to commemorate this festive season.

 

We are familiar with the restaurant’s menu of wholesome, homecooked-style dishes, and I am partial towards their signature chicken dish – Ginger Chicken – and traditional Cantonese warm dessert of Fah Sung Wu, a tasty ground peanut soup.

 

Hop Sing has earned a reputation for family gatherings like the traditional Reunion Dinner and corporate Hoi-Kong Farn (Cantonese) or corporate Back-to-Work gatherings at the start of the new lunar year, serving set menus that cater to smaller groups for both dine-in and takeaways.

 

Entrance into Hop Sing at
Ponderosa Golf & Country Club

The Chinese usually celebrate with sumptuous meals as they believed that it augurs well for greater prosperity and abundance in the coming year.

 

But as families and friends opt to gather in smaller groups, the set menus at Hop Sing are designed to cater to small groups that aimed to reduce food wastage.

 

To usher in the Year of the Rabbit, the culinary team has created sumptuous set menus dubbed Rabbit of Prosperity 5 for five diners (RM338+) and Rabbit of Wealth 5 also for five diners (RM468+).

 

For groups of eight diners, Hop Sing will serve set menus dubbed Rabbit of Prosperity 8 (RM888+) and Rabbit of Wealth 8 (RM888+).

 

Our first Lo Hei, prosperity salad toss, this year

As businessmen in this part of the world had started the tradition of eating Yee Sang or Raw Fish salad at the dawn of the New Year, each of these festive menus will keep the tradition of starting with a prosperity toss of this salad.

 

At Hop Sing, this auspicious salad was served without fish, where the slivers of fish were replaced by slices of fresh mango in an appetising Noble Prosperity Mango Yee Sang that not only tasted good but was also a great option for vegetarians.

 

Of course, there was also Noble Prosperity Salmon Yee Sang for diners who wished to savour raw fish in their traditional Lo Hei or prosperity salad toss.

 

A whole roasted Chicken

As dish after dish were served to our table, all of us agreed that the food quality and taste of all the dishes highlighted from the menus served in Hop Sing were familiar, comforting and oh, so delicious.

 

Our meal continued with soup of Braised Crabmeat with Shredded Chicken, a rich broth that was traditionally prepared with shark’s fins but now substituted by chicken slivers.

 

When a drop of dark vinegar and a shake of white pepper was added, the familiar taste of this rich soup brought back fond memories of enjoying this when I was a child.

 

Mango Shrimp Salad with Japanese Sesame Sauce

The whole oven-roasted chicken with paper-thin skin was another taste of nostalgia, reminiscent of that traditional specialty of tender chicken, roasted to perfection.

 

The fish dish departed slightly from tradition as it was a whole Grouper steamed in the Chef’s Special Sauce, a light spicy flavour that clearly matches with our Malaysian palate.

 

Whole prawns – not curled but straightened – arranged in an outspread fan was an eye-catching presentation for the next dish, Mango Shrimp Salad with Japanese Sesame Sauce.

 

Braised Broccoli with Black Mushrooms
and Soy Puffs

We were pleasantly surprised to savour its cool, refreshing taste where the plus point was how the prawns were served peeled while its heads were still intact.

 

Mushrooms, an auspicious ingredient for the new year, appeared in the vegetable dish, Braised Broccoli with Black Mushrooms, served on a ring of broccoli florets resting on a bed of Soy Puffs.

 

While Ponderosa’s Signature Fried Noodles may look rather ordinary, we could smell its fragrance and from the first bite, we agreed that there was nothing ordinary about these tasty noodles.

 

Our festive meal at Hop Sing came to a sweet end in a warm dessert with Teochew origins, smooth Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin.

 

Dessert of Yam Paste with
Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin

Hop Sing, the Chinese Restaurant at Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, is on Level One of the main club-house at No. 3 Jalan Ponderosa 1/1, Taman Ponderosa, 81100 Johor Baru, Johor.

 

Open from 11am to 3pm for lunch and from 6pm to 10pm for dinner. Dine-in, takeaway and delivery orders are welcome. A delivery fee of RM8+ applies to destinations within 10km radius from the restaurant.

 

Food from Hop Sing is prepared with No Pork and No Lard as all ingredients used are sourced from Halal food suppliers. More details on the Lunar Year of the Rabbit menus and resort promotions on website: ponderosagolf.com

 

For reservations or to order, Tel: 019 – 728 8464 or 019 – 779 9841 or email: enquiry@ponderosagolf.com.