Reunion

The dining experience at Reunion, the classy Chinese restaurant at Bangsar Village II, very refined, with much thought and detail put into the food and ambiance. Nothing is left to chance, from the contemporary Oriental décor, to its thoughtfully partitioned dining area, down to the paper-sheathed silver chopsticks and beautifully embroidered menu cover.

Service was very attentive, but too much of a good thing can be a tad overwhelming. When there are three to four waiters watching over two small tables of diners, the attention can be unnerving. We ordered a pot of Handcrafted Flower Tea to share. Aside from the novelty of seeing blooming flowers in the pot, this tea does not taste dramatically different from other more common light Chinese tea varieties like Tie Guan Yin or heong phin.

For starters, we had Double-Boiled Winter Melon, Dried Scallops and Ham Soup (RM28.80). We were pleased to find a sweet fresh scallop in the soup but overall, the taste of the ham somewhat overpowered the soup. Plus, we found it quite pricey for the small serving. Apparently, barbequed meat is a must-try here, so we ordered a Roast Meat Combo of char siew and roast pork (RM18.80). We were immediately transported to porcine heaven. The roast pork, which came with a mustard dip, had an amazingly crispy crackling with just the right amount of fat rendering it juicy and tender. The char siew was equally good, with a glossy, sticky sweet coating that’s so good, we didn’t bother dipping it into the chili sauce it was served with.

Another signature item which we tried was the Fragrant Vegetable Tofu (RM16.80) topped with minced pork. The house-made tofu had a green layer of mashed Chinese spinach which made it look very appealing but don’t expect to taste much of the vegetables. However, it was delicious and we could see why it is one of the most popular items on the menu. On the other hand, we were a little let down by the Salted Egg Yolk Prawn (RM28.80). Expecting the pungent salty aroma of preserved egg yolks to envelop the prawns, we were surprised to find only a hint of it, perhaps in the name of health. Nevertheless, it deserved a thumbs-up for coming shelled for our convenience. The cute-sounding Japanese Mushrooms with Wah Wah Vegetables (RM22.80) was a definite winner. The vegetables resembled baby Chinese cabbage, braised in a clear stock together with shimeji mushrooms. We could not get enough of the sweet gravy.

To round off the meal, we had Coconut Jelly in Pumpkin Sauce and Grass Jelly with Vanilla Cake Cream & Espresso (RM8.80 each) for dessert. We were turned off by a cocktail of foreign smells that clung to the coconut jelly’s aftertaste, which we suspect came from chilling the jelly in a refrigerator that stored other food. Also, the jelly would have tasted much better had it been made using fresh coconut milk instead of the artificial version. We liked the ingenious combination of grass jelly with cream and coffee, an unusual dessert for a Chinese restaurant.

There are several sizes of servings here, making it a wonderfully considerate place for couples and small families. Prices do not come cheap, but you’ll be guaranteed to have a memorable Chinese fine-dining experience (yes, it is healthy too!) that would compensate for that thinner wallet.

Order This Barbequed meats Skip This Coconut Jelly in Pumpkin Sauce

Text Chin Chern Yen Photo Euhau