MELAKA, Feb 1 — Chinese New Year is all about balik kampung and spending time with loved ones.
A lot of that treasured time revolves around feasting, be it coming together for the family’s reunion meal or innumerable loh sang sessions with friends and old schoolmates.
When I am back in my hometown of Melaka, my go-to Chinese restaurant for reinvented classics such as Fruity Prawns with Homemade Yuzu Sauce or a filled-to-the-gills Abalone Poon Choi has to be Modern World Restaurant in Taman Kota Syahbandar.
It’s a bit of a distance away from Melaka Raya, the bustling town centre which many of the old-school Chinese restaurants still call home, but parking here is dramatically easier. (An absolute necessity when you have dining companions coming from all directions, each in their own vehicle.)
Be it family or friends, we all begin with the restaurant’s signature yee sang. This year’s version is called Prosperity Toss, or Lou Sang with Crispy Salmon Skin. What this means, inevitably, is a large platter of colourful ingredients waiting to be tossed together.
Cue the shouting of auspicious sayings — “Long ma jing shen! Hong yun dang tou!” (and so on) — to keep health, wealth and good fortune pouring in.
Is this an homage to our Singaporean relatives? The Chilli Crab Meat with Soft Tofu employs fresh crab meat with the wobbliest of fresh tofu, the spiciness of the sauce less fiery than it first appears. This feels like an amuse-bouche, something to tantalise our taste buds and imagination.
Modern World Restaurant in Melaka (left). Chilli Crab Meat with Soft Tofu (right) — Picture by CK Lim
My father would be the first to grumble if there is no fish course, and being Cantonese, it has to be steamed fish to pass muster.
Basic is the way to go here: the Steamed Canadian Cod with Deep Fried Garlic and Homemade Soy Sauce has all the natural sweetness of the deep sea we relish.
Steamed Canadian Cod with Deep Fried Garlic and Homemade Soy Sauce — Picture by CK Lim
No Chinese New Year feast is complete without roasted suckling pig. Modern World presents their signature charcoal roasted suckling pig to patrons every year.
For the Year of the Snake, they have changed things up a little, offering a Mixed Pork Platter — which is a Half Charcoal Roasted Suckling Pig paired with Grilled Iberico Pork Ribs.
Mixed Pork Platter — Half Charcoal Roasted Suckling Pig and Grilled Iberico Pork Ribs — Picture by CK Lim
The former remains exquisite, each slice of roasted skin akin to a flat wafer of crackling with a hidden layer of delicate fat. The latter is something more contemporary, a welcome touch of Spanish cuisine.
Who could resist a chilled Chinese style salad? The Australian Abalone & Jellyfish Cold Salad is far more luxurious than a simple salade niçoise, the crunchy jellyfish making a marvellous match for the firm yet tender mini abalones.
Australian Abalone & Jellyfish Cold Salad — Picture by CK Lim
A prawn dish is an absolute requirement every Chinese New Year; their name in Cantonese ha mimics the sound of laughter, bringing an abundance of joy to the twelve months to come.
The Mixed Prawn Platter will delight young and old alike: Black Truffle Sauce for the more sophisticated palate and traditional Prawn Rolls with Bean Curd Skin for those who prefer something familiar.
Mixed Prawn Platter (left). Fragrant Rice with Hong Kong Preserved Meats (right) — Picture by CK Lim
As a Cantonese family, one dish we cannot do without every Chinese New Year is a decent lap mei fan. Modern World’s Fragrant Rice with Hong Kong Preserved Meats fulfills this craving nicely.1
Every grain of rice is infused with the flavour of the various waxed meats, particularly the duck liver sausage with its deeply aromatic oils. How could something so decadent be so sublime in its appeal?
Another bowl, please!
For a sweet ending, we opt for something cold rather than a hot tong sui. The Chilled Lemongrass Syrup with Peppermint & Lychee fits the bill nicely, partly reminding me of an old family recipe with canned fruits in syrup perfumed with some fresh mint leaves from our garden.
Here the addition of lemongrass gives it almost a Thai accent; one can imagine the cooling breeze from faraway islands like Phuket or Koh Samui.
Some days it does feel like we are that far away from each other. Siblings and parents in different towns, friends in different countries or continents.
Chinese New Year is a time to share a meal together and to celebrate everyone’s well-being — and never to forget what a blessing this is.
Eat well, everyone. Keep feasting!
Modern World Restaurant 華苑食坊
No. 12, Jalan KSB 1, Taman Kota Syahbandar, Melaka
Modern World Restaurant 華苑食坊
Open Wed-Mon 11am-3pm & 5-10pm; Tue closed
(Note: Open throughout CNY period)
Phone: 06-288 0764
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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