Yishensu | A vegetarian connoisseur

June 15, 2009 by thejessicat

Hmm.. I was never inclined to vegetarian food but this is just to die for. Call me nuts, but I reckon real men (and women wtf) eat meat. Any form of meat, be it beef, chicken, lamb and the like.

I’m that girl you know whose momma had to force veggies down her throat. Popeye never had much of an impact on me… pfft, bloody propaganda!

It was all until I was invited to a food tasting session in Yishensu, a vegetarion connoisseur located in Klang.

This is the kinda place you’d go to for family meals or occasions. Chinese banquet food never tasted this good. Especially if it’s vegetarian! That, coming from me – the carnivorous author of yours.

Stereotypes aside, vegetarian food ain’t what you thought it would be.

Those oily and deep fried artificial meat infused with fake flavourings/preservatives to have it resemble and taste like genuine meat? The ones that comes in abundance during the Chinese 9th Emperor God Festival?

This one’s 10 notches above any of those.


One table fits a group of 10

The setting of the place itself was very well organized, with neat ivory-white tableclothes and upholstery for each table. Upon entering Yishensu, you’ll be spasmodically nodding in approval.


Chris, Myself & Andrew

We got there early and was chatting with Ken and his friends prior to our gluttony. I do remember making a tactful remark that vegetarian food wasn’t my cup of tea. That was of course, before I had a bite of what was in store for us.


Chinese Tea being one of the most traditional form
of drinks served in any Chinese cuisine

Yippee for more selection of drinks!

We had a 2nd option, for those who didn’t find Chinese Tea up their alley. Exhibit A, being yours truly, of course. I loved this rose water drink called the Roselle. Those crunchy rose buds sure got me going!


Red and juicy

To start off any other Chinese course meal, the (wiki it!) Poon Choi was being served to us. There was a whopping 12 ingredients in that wholesome dish itself! To name a few, abalones, shark’s fin, mushrooms, prawns, yams, monkey mushrooms were aplenty. I reckon it’s recommended as an 8 pax meal.


When I say delicious, I mean it with a capital D

And randomly, I cannot believe I had a phobia for prawns when I was a child. It all began when I saw Uncle Mike’s pet prawns suffocating for oxygen when it jumped out of the aquarium. The way it squirmed on the floor and eventually dying made me swear not to touch another prawn again.


But I did. Heh.

When the next meal came, I was taken on a ride down memory lane once again. The Curry Chicken Bread Bowl made me reminisce the times during my BRATs days, organized by The Star Newspaper.


Glistening in utmost glory

The Chef came to tear it apart for us to dig in later. Watch as he deftly makes incisions into that huge bread that bore gastronomic wonder.


In the making

Watch closer, would you?


Little by little

Before we knew it, heaven’s gates were opened… soaked in curry!


Ready.. set.. GO!

Tocky and I couldn’t have enough of that. The ‘chicken’ was so tender and tasted almost like the real deal. Andrew and Ken was also eating as though the sky was falling.


Have a bite?

Then came the most sinful dish of all – Nestum Prawns. I used to have it quite often back in Penang. I will make an exemption for this dish in particular.
I don’t give a rat’s ass on how much calories this contains
I will consume it.
Period.


Honestly, my tastebuds were itching for more.
If there was a way to a man’s heart (and stomach), make this.

I will punish myself for eating so much of the curry chicken + potato bread bowl and nestum prawns with downing pure veggies.


Go ahead!

There was thankfully, something else that would not instigate my guilty conscience. It was the bean curd. I like how it’s named – the Golden Brick Beancurd.

But trust me, once you sink your teeth in it, the word ‘brick’ has completely no relevance.


Tiny, but yummy nonetheless

Anything glazed with honey perks my senses. When this dish came, I rubbed my hands together with glee. Whoooopeedoooo!


So much flavour, goes best with a fluffy plain bun

I caught Tocky by surprise as he was ravenously chomping down the Pan Fried Prawn Noodles. Check out his ‘oh-no-she’s-gonna-take-my-picture-how’s-my-hair?’ expression.


Gotcha!

This was the meal he was having. I noticed that the Chinese have a knack of cooking their stuff either pan/stir fried or boiled. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s just my two cents.


Dig in!

With an excellent alternative to our meat-laden everyday diets, today’s lunch was fabulous without a doubt. We then went home with our happy tummies, grinning as we anticipate more.

Eat, drink and be merry!

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