Ruyi Sushi is a sampler of Hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak and Thai mango rice. – The Malaysian Insider pic, July 16, 2015.They were the daintiest nasi lemak, Hainanese chicken rice and Thai mango sticky rice I had ever seen.
But the essence of each was amazingly complete and satisfying in the platter of Ruyi Sushi at the newly opened Ruyi and Lyn at Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
All you ever wanted in nasi lemak was captured in this sushi encased in a ribbon of cucumber.
The fragrant coconut rice, the punchy ikan bilis sambal, crispy fried ikan bilis and peanuts and the tiniest fried eggs.
The Hainanese chicken rice just burst with flavour upon the palate, with the fragrant chicken rice in the bottom layer, a slice of smooth boiled chicken with skin on top, finished with a blob of the incredible ginger garlic chilli sauce.
The Thai mango sticky rice stood out with the aromatic and juicy mango on top of blue sticky rice in a neat sweet ending.
The Ruyi Sushi (RM43) is a great sampler and introduction to a menu that’s modern Chinese with an Asian bent, infused with exciting flavours from the different cuisines in this region.
Unicorn's Bait is a dish of fresh abalone served with clear spicy soup.Ruyi and Lyn encompasses both lounge and restaurant. Lyn is the lounge, named after the young owner (Lyn Siew), while Ruyi is the Pan-Asian, modern Chinese restaurant, taking its cue from Hakkasan in London and Tao in New York.
I was there for dinner, and I felt like a celebrity walking the red carpeted runway into the carvenous restaurant that seats 450 people. A giant screen playing the music video of Beyonce was the vibrant backdrop to a very pleasant dining experience.
We had the Smoked Little Duck Cones (RM33), with the crispy filo pastry cones studded with black sesame, filled with smoked duck meat, sweet corn, pine nuts and edamame.
A Star in Winter is wintermelon noodles in chicken and seafood soup.They were a textural delight: the cone crackled and tumbled out the tasty smoky duck blending with the creamy pine nuts, sweet water chestnut, beans and corn.
Unicorn Bait (RM68) had the most delicate balance of flavours. A clear spicy soup was poured over fresh sliced abalone and scallop, with enoki mushrooms and yau char kway (Chinese cruellers) underneath them.
A subtle sourness hit the palate first, then the heat of chilli which was soothed by the natural sweetness in the soup.
It was simply lovely, the way everything came together, especially the unusual addition of crispy yau char kway. Later I found out that the sourness came from cucumber vinegar.
Champagne Snowfish Flower (RM148) is cod intricately cut and fried to perfection, and drizzled with a Moet & Chandon champagne sauce.
It made fine, luxurious bites, the crispy outside giving way to a smooth, creamy centre. There was a hint of champagne in the sauce which tasted light, tangy and citrusy.
A Star in Winter (RM38), a soupy “noodle” dish, was certainly worth waiting for.
The noodles were made from wintermelon and coated with sang fun (a kind of flour), giving them a slithery texture.
A chicken and seafood soup with carrot blended in it was poured over the noodles that were topped with squid, crabmeat, scallops and vegetables.
Presented beautifully, the Champagne Snowfish Flower is deepfried cod with Moet champagne sauce.All the flavours in the soup were tuned up to complement the noodles. We got the subtle heat of peppercorns and Tabasco, then the sweetness of crabmeat and other seafood took over. It tasted wonderful.
I was intrigued by the Evil Queen’s Apple which were slices of apple laced with caramel on a crepe with a dollop of cream.
But the Queen lost out to Summer Breeze, a cucumber sorbet resting on yoghurt and a biscuity tart base with coconut crumble. It was delightful and refreshing and the perfect ending to dinner.
Lastly, you can finish with Summer Breeze, a refreshing yoghurt in cucumber sorbet.You could also dine off a six-course set menu at Ruyi & Lyn for lunch and dinner, at RM88+, RM128+ and RM168+ per person. Some of the dishes from the a la carte menu appear in these menus too. Or you could let the chef surprise you in the Chef’s Omakase Menu at RM218+ per person.
The restaurant turns into a club after 10.30pm when the lights are dimmed and “dance” around on the dark ceiling. You can dance to music from a DJ at the console.
Chef James Ho is from Tampin but has honed his culinary skills in restaurants and hotels of repute in Singapore, Thailand and India.
He is so at home playing around with flavours, layering them and tweaking them to perfection in his dishes at Ruyi and Lyn. – July 16, 2015.
Ruyi and Lyn | 4th floor Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof 59100 Kuala Lumpur | Tel: 03-2083 0288 | Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 2am (restaurant), 6pm to 2am (lounge)| GPS Coordinates: GPS 3.8.34, 101.40.02 l Pork-free
*All of The Malaysian Insider food reviews are incognito and represent the personal opinions of our merry band of foodies. If you know of any restaurant serving awesome grub and you’d like to share it with the rest of the world, drop us a line with details at [email protected].
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