Seafood for the soul
Classical Cantonese restaurant Ah Yat Abalone opens its second branch in Bangkok
Ah Yat Abalone has long been a household name among aficionados of prime seafood prepared in classical Cantonese recipes and time-honoured cooking techniques signature to the restaurant.
Ah Yat is a nickname for its founder Yeung Koon Yat, the first Chinese chef to be awarded a Michelin star in Hong Kong.
Since it first launched in 1977, the brand has expanded to 19 restaurants in Asia. Up until nine months ago, there was only one Ah Yat outlet in Thailand on Charoen Krung Road. It has taken 10 years for the second venue to come about.
Taking over the second-floor space of Arnoma Hotel on Ratchadamri Road is Ah Yat’s 1,000m² new home, that can seat up to 125 diners in its bustling dining hall and private rooms.
To guarantee the same culinary standard, the kitchen is manned by a team of master chefs from Hong Kong and China.
Mind-numbing is probably the word to define the 500-item menu that consists of a number of dishes prepared with any prime seafood you can thing of. Abalone, shark’s fin and sea cucumber are listed under their own categories. Whereas live red garoupa, French turbot, sand goby, pomfret, Canadian geoduck, Taiwanese snail and various types of lobsters, to name a few, are available from the display aquarium at the back of the dining hall.
There’s also a comprehensive collection of traditional Hong Kong fare. It i ncludes Cantonese-styled hors d’oeuvres, dim sum, barbecued meat items, stir-fried and casseroles entrées, as well as noodle dishes.
That is not to mention an astounding variety of original creations, such as baked pork tendon with supreme XO sauce, braised frog and eggplant casserole and smoked duck meat with wagyu beef in wasabi sauce.
Fortunately, I had five dining companions join me for lunch at Ah Yat. Otherwise, it would take me a few more trips to cover just half of the culinary genres the restaurant had on offer.
In fact, just the dim sum delicacies alone could build up a satisfying lunch session.
From three dozens options, the absolute must-haves are deep-fried prawn and chive dumplings (97 baht); steamed prawn dumplings in translucent rice flour sheet, aka ha-gao (140 baht); minced pork and prawn dumplings, aka siew mai (140 baht); and steamed fresh noodle rolls with shrimp filling and soy sauce (180 baht). The egg tart was rather bland.
Your trip to Ah Yat, however, wouldn’t be legitimate without seafood.
Its best-selling bamboo clams with garlic and glass noodles (280 baht), featuring chewy Scottish razor clams steamed in their bamboo-like shells, was a scrumptious introduction to the restaurant’s high acclaim.
While braised sea cucumber with fresh abalone and shiitake mushroom (2,550 baht), showcasing the gelatinous and translucent flesh of the sea cucumber, is on par with Ah Yat’s top-quality South African fresh abalone. An abalone epicure may want to settle on the Yoshihama abalone set (4,680 baht). The set is designed to indulge one hungry diner with a full course of seven dishes. They are namely braised superior shark’s fin soup, stewed whole abalones from Hokkaido — dried and fresh — stewed goose web and fish maw with abalone sauce, baked shark’s fin and seafood stuffed in crab shell, sautéed vegetable with abalone sauce, Ah Yatstyle fried rice and double-boiled bird’s nest in coconut.
Treasured f or its subtlety and health-boosting properties, Ah Yat’s superior soup, a key flavour enhancer for the braised shark’s fin, is prepared with a number of precisely sought-after ingredients. They are simmered for more than seven hours until the broth thickens and develops flavour intensity and nuance.
Ah Yat highlights both dried and fresh abalone for their different mouthfeel. As the dried counterparts offer a gummier texture and more intense taste, they fetch a higher market price compared to the fresh ones, which are more tender.
Another of the restaurant’s highlights is the rainbow lobster fruit salad (12,000 baht). Surprisingly, the monumental, imported crustacean that arrived at our table looked as much boastful as it was defenceless.
The 1.3kg lobster, which possessed a firm and naturally flavoursome meat, came brutally subdued by heaps of mayonnaise with morsels of local fruit encircling it as if to mourn the loss. The overall impression was refreshing and enjoyable all right, but its five-digit price tag should have offered more than just humble solace.
Ah Yat is also known for its barbecue. Whether it’s a whole Peking duck, roasted suckling pig, roasted duck, barbecued pork or roasted pork belly, you won’t regret trying any of them.
The roasted pork belly (400 baht), in particular, was among the stars of the meal thanks to its extra thin crackling that came with a layer of tender meat and fat that retained a pleasant degree of chewiness. Barbecue items can also be ordered in a duo platter (480 baht).
Dessert selection is dominated by the bird’s nest. Those with a compassionate mind might want to opt for sweet red bean soup (120 baht), steamed salapao bun with milk cream (105 baht) or fresh almond juice (120 baht).