Sunde also pronounced as Shunde (顺德), is a district in the city of Foshan in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong Province, China. Shunde was recently awarded the title “City of Gastronomic” by UNESCO. Many famous Cantonese chefs hailed from Shunde. In fact, Shunde may have well been the precursor of Cantonese or “Yue (粤)” cuisine, as suggested in the Chinese saying ‘eat in Guangzhou from a Shunde kitchen’. Shunde traditional cuisine is known for employing diversified and complicated cooking techniques. In the hands of the frugal Shunde people, these skills and techniques transform mundane ingredients into dishes fit for the Emperor.
Cantonese dishes are very common and available at almost every corner in Malaysia. On the other hand, Shunde Cuisine is a rare cuisine compared to the regular Cantonese dishes. The complexity and the precision of cooking technique make Shunde Chefs precious and difficult to get.
If you would like to try Shunde cuisine, you don’t need to go far. Restaurant YouMiQi at Old Klang Road is serving the great taste of Shunde, Foshan. The Food Creation Director of YouMiQi is one of the famous chefs in Shunde and is now stationed in YouMiQi to provide innovation and creation from time to time to ensure customers get a fresh new taste.
It is not hard to locate YouMiQi Restaurant. If you are driving via Salak Highway from Maju Expressway, turn out at the exit of Seputeh. Once exit you will see YouMiQi is across the road. In order to reach the restaurant you need to drive for another 400 meters down the road for a ‘U’ turn back to the restaurant.
YouMiQi Restaurant is able to cater up to 138 pax, with free of charge valet parking service. The restaurant is a 2-storey bungalow and is fully air-conditioned.
There are many varieties of Shunde dishes in this restaurant. Among the few famous and popular dishes are listed as below:
Claypot with Chinese Sausage – RM38 /portion. The rice was cooked in a claypot until nearly dried and served with Chinese sausages, garlic and spring onions.
The rice was a bit hard in texture. However, the hardness of the rice was also packed with the aroma of its own fragrance and together with the tendered Chinese Sausage, it made a well-balanced combination. Along with the fragrance of garlic and some home-mixed soy sauce, this dish is the signature of this restaurant. For me, I would come back for this rice.
Chicken feet, cooked with angelica (dong gui), wolfberries and red dates were served side by side with pickled zucchini. These 2 dishes are the appetizers here and they are usually served along with all the dishes without additional charges.
Steamed Traditional Chee Cheong Fun with Preserved Veggie – RM10/portion. Rice noodle mixed with preserved veggie(梅菜), home-mixed soy sauce, sesame seeds and spring onions.
The taste of the rice slices made me feel like I had been surrounded by paddy field. In between the field there were some green field. It was a nice green starter with a great combination.
Braised Lamb Belly Slices – RM48/ portion – The lamb belly slices were marinated and braised for long hours with water chestnut, bean curd, carrots and spring onions.
The lamb belly slices were tender but slightly gamy. For those who don’t mind the minor stench of the lamb this is the dish you would love.
Pan Fried and Baked Chicken – RM40/ portion – The chicken pieces were marinated with salt and pepper then baked/pan-fried with spring onions, ginger and carrot slices.
Usually in a normal restaurant, the chicken will either be baked or fried. The specialty about this dish is it uses the combination of both techniques, hence making the inner part of the chicken soft while the outer part of the skin crispy.
Steamed Sponge Gourd with Vermicelli & Katsuuri – RM38/ portion. The sponge gourd was cut into slices and cooked with vermicelli and katsuuri (a type of shell). It was then completed with homemade soy sauce, chopped onions, garlic and spring onions.
The mixture of chewiness of the katsuuri with the softness of sponge gourd and the smoothness of vermicelli provided three distinctive texture and taste. The combination blended really well with each other. This is the essence of Shunde cooking technique.
Pan Fried Chives with Siew Yoke Slices – RM28/ portion. Chives were cut into standard length and then pan fried with siew yoke (roasted pork) slices, carrots and garlic.
The green and fresh feel of chives had been added with the seductive siew yoke. It was simple but a great pleasure to have this dish.
Salted Steamed Turbot with Jade Perch Fish – RM88/ kg (follow market price), the fresh jade perch was marinated and placed together with ginger, onions, garlic and carrots. It was then heated up in a steamed turbot.
This is one of the signatures here. In Shunde, if they were able to present the fish in front of you, it means that this fish is very fresh. The best way to prepare fresh fish is by steaming as it will preserve the sweetness and freshness of the fish while the taste of the other ingredients such as mixed vege were able to lock together with the fish.
Fried Spiced Frog With Salt and Pepper – RM48/ kg, the frog was cut into cube-sized and battered with pepper and salt. It was then pan fried with chopped chili and spring onions.
The hotness level of this dish is high. This is specially dedicated to those who love hot and spicy food.
If the hotness level is not enough, add in some Jingba (wasabi essence). To use it, mixed a few drops of it with homemade dipping sauce (garlic, onion, chili and soy sauce) and this will spice up your day.
Milk Custard – RM8/ portion, The milk custard was made from the layer of milk formation and it was steamed to perfection.
The texture was soft and smooth and not too sweet. The selling point is the time to prepare this dessert is longer than the rest of the desserts.
Red bean Pan Cake – RM16/ 6 pieces, The red bean paste was stuffed inside the pan cake and framed with sesame seeds then baked till golden brown.
It had the mixture of crispy and soft feeling. It was packed with red bean and sesame aroma.
Overall, the food at YouMiQi is cooked with strong dedication. Shunde cooking is more about the matter of techniques and skills that will make simple dishes become complex in terms of taste. The single word to define the food here – delightful. It is also easy to find parking. Once arrived at the door, you will just need to pass the key to valet and they will do their job. As for the price, with this kind of food quality, ambience and service it is no doubt to be on the higher side.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
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| Price (more stars, more reasonable) |  |
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Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking | |
| Pork Free |  |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room (Private Area) | |
| WIFI Available | |
Contact: 03-7980 0855
Address: No 57, Batu 3, Old Klang Road, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
GPS: 3.113097,101.678274
I need to reserve a table for 4 pax by tonight, pls reply me if got any table for me or contact me 012-2016664, tq
Alan, please call the restaurant number directly, 03-7980 0855. Very sorry, I don’t own the restaurant.