Shang Palace: Shangri-La's Cantonese Jewel

It's perfectly understandable that Shangri-la Hotel is one of the best luxurious hotels world wide. Trying their best to always portray the existence of heaven on earth, the hotel itself brings their utmost professionalism and hospitality to satisfy their customers.

Numerous visits have I paid to the hotel, but that night was meant for a different purpose and destination. And talking about the fictional dreamy paradise of the orient exoticism, it was one of those fortunate fates that brought me to Shang Palace, the Chinese restaurant of Shangri-La. Specializing in Cantonese cuisines, I was invited to taste their Tea-infused menu.

Hanging on to the original luxurious concept of the hotel, this restaurant depicts elegance at its oriental finest. Talking about a couple of jade color imperial guardian lion and lioness at the front entrance, resembling a mythical protection and also keeping the balance of yin and yang. The iconic color red, denoting the lucky shade for the Chinese (and also the one color that unconsciously can increase your appetite, aha!), dominates most of the interior.

Subtle ornaments synchronizing the red dominance

It wasn't long for the food to start flowing on the table. It was a well-organized set courses from appetizer to dessert. 

A very hearty and warming bowl of Corn and Crab Soup (not included in the tea menu promo)

Steamed Bai Ling Mushroom and Seafood with Rain Flower Tea Sauce (78k)

At first glance, I thought the mushroom was minced and combined with the shrimp and chopped scallop filling, finished with a wonton skin in the bottom to create the look of lotus leaf. Well, I was wrong. The bai ling mushroom, which has almost the same texture and taste of a braised abalone, was in fact the "lotus leaf". The rain flower tea, which is a type of green tea harvested from Nanjing, gave a mild aroma, complimenting the sweetness of the prawns without overpowering the natural taste of the seafood.

Braised Bo Lei Duck (68k)

The word umami was the first thing that popped in my head after taking my first bite of this beautiful braised duck. The sweet savory sauce was well infused to the duck meat. Bo lei is basically the Cantonese pronunciation for pu-erh tea. It has a slight depth of earthiness to its after taste. However the natural fat from the duck was a bit dominant and might cloud the infused tea without careful attention.

Glutinous Rice and Fish cooked with Yellow Treasure Flower (58k)

Frankly, I was in confusion defining the tea aroma for this dish. The fact that they used lotus leaf and a bamboo bowl to cook this rice dish, the tea aroma seemed to get lost in between. I couldn't decide whether the fragrant of each bite was coming from the tea or the previous elements. However, it was a hearty lo mai gai like dish, with a twist of fish on top.

It's not just plain glutinous rice. The chef also added extremely soft strands of crab and shallots to the rice. Hence, it has that soft seafood aroma, a much milder version of what usually released from dried shrimps.

Lamb Chop with Golden Phoenix Tea (88k)

 Medium-cooked juicy tender lamb chop, barely has that distinctive musty smell, paired with scrambled egg white. Savory gravy with a blend of golden phoenix tea infusion on the side was just another mark up for the additional idealism of each element. PURE CARNIVORE PERFECTION! Enough said..

On another hand, the plating of this dish also resembles yin and yang symbol. Looking at the position of the lamb chop and the shape of the sauce itself, oh, just one genius way to swoop in an oriental element in a fusion dish.

Chef's Special Stewed Pork Rib, served with Chinese buns (88k)

Not included in the tea promo menu, but I must say that this is one of the must order dishes in Shang Palace. Caramelized thick sauce glazing the tender pork. Kind of reminded me of my Mom's version of stewed pork belly, but this one has a slighter thicker consistency. The smell itself was very intoxicating so I hereby warn you for future drooling...

Chilled Red Tea Jelly with Chinese Pear and Pipa (58k)

A great set of meals won't be complete without dessert. This chilled red tea jelly was light enough to put the right amount of sweet ending for the whole experience. Both additional pipa syrup (usually used for a Chinese cough syrup) and pear have the ability to reduce sore throat, therefore it became a healthy obligation to finish this particular dessert!

Tea-Infused Menu Promo will be available till the end of this month. Also visit Shang Palace for their all you can eat dimsum. Better make prior call for further confirmation.

SHANG PALACE
Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
021-2939 9580
@ShangrilaJKT