Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel Blog

Are you irritated or oblivious to the noise of the fireworks outside your home? Or are you burning one yourself? Have you been so engrossed with your phone or tablet that you failed to remember what dish was served during the Reunion dinner? Or were you involved in the cooking process … or at least, the decision-making portion of it?

It’s the last day of the Dragon year. When the clock strikes 12, in 3 hours’ time from the moment I am typing this, we will be joyously ushering in the year of the Snake; the slithering, cunning and venomous reptile with forked tongue; hissing its way to golden fortune in the year beyond ….

As tradition goes, Motormouth has always made it a point to share his reunion dinner story almost immediately after the session. Firstly, the depleting grey matter in this ageing brain might lead to erosion of essential memories; and secondly, I really wish to capture the essence of the Reunion in all its glory.

Where did we go this year? Canton Palace in Ipoh Garden East.

Unlike the previous years, where we picked traditional Chinese diners for our reunion dinners, this year we tried something different. No, not that we opted for Western, Indian or Malay cuisine, but Canton Palace serves atypical, modern Chinese fares (read the previous review on the relatively new restaurant HERE) plus some Western dishes if you’re keen.

The RM488 nett set consists of 8 items; including the quintessential “Yee Sang”, a fried rice dish and a dessert in the form of Longan in Syrup.

Unlike the previous years whereby we had to literally bulldoze our way through dinner within the very limiting 1.5 hours session (at times, even lesser than that), at Canton Palace we took our time catching up on lost grounds, reconnecting the blurred lines between family members and relished in the accompanying feast.

Yes, the restaurant was packed but not to the extent of being left without space to maneuver around, or the next batch of diners (Chinese restaurants commonly cater to two or sometimes three slots for reunion dinners) breathing down your neck!

Nonetheless, the set came with 8 items; pretty conventional stuff aside from their signature Crispy Aromatic Duck complemented by baskets of steamed ‘popiah’ skin and beautifully-julienned cucumber and spring onions, plus bowls of ‘hoi sin’ sauce. The Salted ‘kampung’ Chicken was served with a condiment of mashed ginger, while the filleted grouper was deep fried and served in a sweetish XO sauce; with the skeletal remains also deep fried to crispy perfection.

The Pan-fried Prawns in a slightly creamy and spicy sauce; with chopped bits of cashew nuts were fresh and delicious, yet the portion was smaller than expected. The fried rich Chinese sausage did not register any interest amongst the family members; being rather bland and a definite lack of ‘wok hei’ (breath/fire from the wok), while the dessert of longan in syrup was a pretty lazy option.

However, the other dishes were above average; especially the crispy duck, the fish and the mixed vegetable dish with abundance of mushrooms and broccoli. Service was attentive, pleasant (I daresay this is one of the BEST in terms of customer service in Ipoh) and the dining environment was more comfortable than most diners.

“So, how was your Reunion dinner with your loved ones?“

For more info on Canton Palace Restaurant, please jump to THIS POST.
Tel No : +605-546 0050
They are opened throughout Chinese New Year.