Reunion dinner @ Restoran Kitchen Damansara Kim, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

We were in Malaysia last month, to join my extended family's reunion dinner held annually on the eve of the lunar new year. It is a big affair every year, because my relatives get together to also celebrate my grandmother's birthday at the same time. This year we celebrated her 94th birthday! We last joined the Chinese new year/birthday festivities six years ago when our eldest kid was around the age of our youngest, and his younger sisters were not born yet. I felt it was important for my girls to have this cultural experience, especially since their great-grandmother is not getting any younger! Our reunion dinner was held at Restoran Kitchen, and almost all of us in Australia flew over to Malaysia for this reunion. The last bit of the Aussie summer school holidays coincided with the lunar new year this year, so my Aussie cousins and half my siblings took the opportunity to join in the reunion. We needed 4 tables for our family's reunion dinner at the restaurant! This is perhaps our largest reunion yet, thanks to the next generation that's ever-increasing. My grandmother had six of her seven children present as well as most of her grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren to celebrate her birthday!

We had the outside tables at Restoran Kitchen for the 6pm seating, which was great for the 10 children in our company who could be as loud and rowdy as they can without bothering other patrons (although I reckon the adults were equally loud and rowdy as the kids!). There were several sets offered by Restoran Kitchen for dinner on the eve Chinese New Year, and my cousin had to pay a hefty deposit to secure four tables for the night. The elders decided on Set A, which costed RM968 per table (of typically 10 people). The food served was enjoyable, and each course were served at a reasonable pace to each table. The two dessert courses were hit-and-miss with our relatives. I personally loved the mochi but found the bird's nest soup too milky for my liking, whereas many others found the mochi combo a bit difficult to take but enjoyed the bird's nest. To each their own!

The ingredients for yee sang aka yusheng, prosperity toss. Yee sang literally translates to "raw fish", and the Chinese term is also a homophone for "increase in abundance". The diners at the table toss the ingredients while saying auspicious wishes, and they are expected to do both with plenty of enthusiasm:

Ready for tossing!:

Chopsticks on the ready:

A short video clip to show the fun. The higher the toss, the better:

Double-boiled village chicken soup with dried scallop, fish maw and shark bone:

Steamed Patin with beancurd sheet in soy sauce:

Five spices roasted chicken:

Steamed tiger prawns with Chinese wine:

Braised dried oyster with mushroom and gluten:

Glutinous rice with waxed meat:

Butterfly pea flower mochi:

Chilled bird's nest with coconut milk:

We all had a fabulous reunion, and I certainly hope that it will not be another six years before we join the next reunion!

Restaurant Kitchen Damansara Kim
48B, Jalan SS 20/10, Damansara Kim
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel. +60 3-7732 1329