Famous Hot Pot: Simmer Huang (黄记皇) @ Pavilion ELITE, KL

If you remember my previous teaser post about Simmer Huang (黄记皇), now it's time for the most anticipated food review post! Simmer Huang, the No.1 Hot Pot brand from China is internationally recognized as one of the most traditional, imperial simmer style Chinese cuisines from Qing Dynasty.

With over 600 outlets spread around the world, finally Simmer Huang opens its first outlet in Malaysia at Pavilion Elite (Level 8) and I'm glad to be one of the first to try it out!

At Pavilion ELITE, I am sure you can expect a very posh dining ambiance in the restaurant here. True indeed, Simmer Huang's interior boasts an oriental touch injected with flairs of modernity.

Plus, it is air-conditioned and kept clean at all times, so that we can truly enjoy our hot pot without feeling stuffy / sweaty.

MAIN POT (百年焖锅)

You must be wondering what exactly are the "treasures" in this huge pot!

How To Order?

Step 1: Choose your main ingredients for the hot pot –

Fresh fish, chicken, frog, assorted seafood, pork and Australian beef – ranging from RM90 to RM150 per pot.

Step 2: Choose 1 from the 5 types of sauces for each pot –

Classic (招牌咸鲜汁), Seafood (海鲜汁), Spicy (微麻辣汁), Hot and Spicy (特麻辣汁), and Soy (豉皇汁).

*For instance, fish pot should pair with seafood sauce.

Next, what's so unique about the "simmering" cooking technique?

Simmer Huang "three sauce simmer pot" features the art of simmering using a hundred years old imperial recipe since the glorious Qing Dynasty days. By simmering, the natural goodness of traditional Chinese therapeutic herbs, vitamins and proteins from the nutritious ingredients can be retained within the pot itself.

Plus, it is generally healthier in a way as it is not deep-fried. The secret of success of the simmer pot? It is the perfect ratio of ingredients to the herbs and spices that brings out the overall flavours.

Step 1: Basically, when you first order your hot pot, the waitstaff will heat up the pot with a slab of buttery oil in it.

Step 2: Then ten types of vegetables are added into the pot as base, such as carrots, onion, garlic, capsicum and more. Under high heat and pressure, the vegetable base will soften and burst into juicy goodness without having to add a single drop of water!

Step 3: It is then topped with a generous layer of the main ingredients, which is my favourite seafood.

Step 4: And finally the secret Classic Sauce (招牌咸鲜汁) is drizzled over the pot to add flavours to the dish. This traditional method locks in the nutritional values in the food while allowing the herbs to be fully absorbed into the ingredients.

The hot pot preparation time takes only 10 – 15 minutes, and voila! The simmering hot delicacy is boiling and ready to eat!

Assorted Seafood Pot with Classic Sauce (四鲜焖锅 配 招牌咸鲜汁)

My favourite classic pot of fish, prawn, oyster and cuttlefish served in thick, savoury sauce is ready to serve!

So flavourful and rich in oceanic goodness. Recommended for seafood lovers.

Similarly, for our spicy porky pot (Signature item!), the pot is filled with assorted vegetables as the base, but with more spices and chilli oil to give the dish an instant kick.

Pork & Fungus Pot with Spicy Sauce (猪菌焖锅 配 微麻辣汁)

Then the combination of pork belly, black fungus. oyster mushroom and king oyster mushroom balances up the juiciness of the dish. If I were to have any complaints at all, it’d be about having not enough pork for me because the meat is simply tender and juicy!

I love how the spicy, numbing sensation is well-suffused into the meat and mushrooms,

exuding strong aroma that lingers around the space.

For those who want to go adventurous with flavours, you can self-customize your very own 

Four Treasure Pot (自选4宝焖锅) or Five Comby Pot (自选5福焖锅).

If you prefer something with soup, you can choose to add soup (Clear Chicken Soup)

to create a different taste profile and dining experience.

ADD-ON (配菜)

To increase the variety of ingredients in one pot, you can add-on items such as pork belly, red snapper fillet, flower prawn, pig stomach, pig intestines and more. As for our dinner, we complete our sumptuous hot pot with some of the chef specialty items.

Potato Vermicelli (红薯粉); Chef Special Mushroom Ball (特创冬菇丸); Fried Beancurd Crust (炸响铃)

My favourite is this mushroom ball with chewy texture of mushroom blended into the tender meat.

Highly recommended!

Frozen Tofu (冻豆腐)

Chef Special Cuttlefish Paste (特创墨鱼滑)

APPETIZER (凉菜)

Well, Simmer Huang is not just about hot pot and steamboat! It also serves a wide variety of Chinese appetizers to whet the appetite, each and every dish is unique on its own. To be honest, I hardly see these items being served in other restaurants!

Simmer Huang Octopus (招牌八爪鱼)

Cool, tangy and crunchy! Best paired with the sweet savoury sauce that balances up the raw flavour of the octopus.

Signature Vinegar Peanut (老醋花生)

Nice roasty flavour of peanuts combines well with the sweet sour vinegar.

Mushroom Bites (爽口杏鲍菇)

Another cold appetizer that leaves pleasant biting pleasure in the mouth.

Prosperity Yee Sang (许留山鲜果捞生)

They even have Lou Sang from Hui Lau Shan (许留山) throughout this Chinese New Year to spice up the festive mood.

DESSERT (甜品)

At Simmer Huang, the desserts here are sourced from Hui Lau Shan (许留山), 

meaning you can enjoy all sorts of sensational mango desserts here!

To satisfy your mango cravings, you can read about my review for Hui Lau Shan HERE.

Mango Feast (芒果盛宴)

A trio mango dessert platter comprising of:

Mango Ice Cream Sandwich: Melt-in-the-mouth vanilla mango soft serve sandwiched between crushed biscuits

Mango Icy Sweetie Balls: Rich, compact scoop of mango sorbet with chewy mango

Icy Mango with Coconut Flesh: Aromatic sweet sorbet with loads of coconut flesh

Ganoderma Herbal Jelly (龟苓膏)

Both modern mango dessert and traditional herbal jelly are

simply delicious and perfect to cool the body after the simmering hot meal.

Verdict:
1. This traditional “simmer” delicacy is rich in flavours, healthy and culturally appealing. It feels like reliving the ancient Chinese royal feasting moments.
2. Great variety of meats and sauces for diners to mix and match to best suit their palates.
3. Recommended: Seafood Pot in Classic Sauce

Simmer Huang

Lot 8.101.00, Level 8,

Pavillion Kuala Lumpur,

168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Facebook: fb.com/simmerhuangmalaysia
Instagram: instagram.com/simmerhuangmalaysia