Review: Summer Palace, Putrajaya

IOI Resort City ,
Marriott putrajaya
Sepang
Tel# 03-8949 8888
https://www.putrajayamarriott.com/summer-palace.html

The most more prestigious Chinese dining cuisine in Cyberjaya is actually in Putrajaya. Marriott is one of the pioneer hotels to cater to weary business travelers, given its close proximity to the airport. With Le Meridien opened not too long ago, I wonder how much Marriott has suffered.

A work colleague stayed here twice, both for longer than 2weeks and commented that the rooms are old. It's no wonder that they underwent a renovation late last year. Maybe it's better now? Lets see how their Chinese restaurant fares instead.

While it wasn't my first time to the hotel, it was to this restaurant. It was a lunch courtesy of our vendor, thanking us for landing them a massive contract. I doubt the bill for this meal is barely 1% of the value of the contract.  So maybe that's why they booked a private room for us.

The ambience there is certainly a far cry from the casual dining options of Cyberjaya. There were few other tables of office folks. Saw quite a few cute guys too. Sadly, I couldn't make a any move because I was there with my colleagues.
Not like I got the balls either if I was there on my own.

They currently have a special menu for the lunar new year. More information can be found on their site. But I think your money is better spent else where.

Prosperity salmon yee sang. It was mediocre, quite a disappointing start for a fancy restaurant.

Braised dried seafood soup with scallop. After a lackluster appetizer, this was a nice twist to the tone. It had the standard seafood flavors with actual crab meat.  However, some found that this was a bit fishy. Oh well, nothing a touch of vinegar can't help.

Roasted crispy chicken with Mongolian sauce.
What's the deal with the influx of Mongolian influence in Chinese cuisine? The chicken or skin to be precise wasn't crispy at all but the meat itself was not bad. Different from the usual boring chicken platter.The sauce is slightly sweet.

Steamed Mandarin fish with Taiwanese bean and ginger.
Unfamiliar with this breed, my search for enlightenment brought me to its Wiki page but not before it brought me to images of bright (like neon bright) blue and yellow fish. Suddenly, I feel nauseous.
On the plus side, it tasted quite fresh with the beans giving it some sweetness. However, rest assured Mandarin fish is not going to be on my order list.

 Baked tiger prawns with shrimp roe and superior stock.
The flavors were quite good, thanks to the hint of soy sauce and pepper. Sadly, that was all marred by the sub-standard seafood. The prawn wasn't very fresh.

Braised fish maw with black mushroom, dried oyster and garden green.
The fish maw and oyster were OK. The broccoli could have used a bit more time to simmer it away.

Homemade dessert combination. How's this homemade? Did they outsource it to some local home baker? Yea, I don't think so too.
The fish is a red bean cold dessert which stuck to the teeth. The flower is a fried lotus paste pastry. Slightly better than the fish but neither of which are good. Not bad, but also not good.

Chilled mango cream with ice cream and sago. After so many disappointing dishes, this turned out to be the light at the end of the tunnel. For someone who don't like or even take mango, I happily finished this, thanks to the ice cream.

If you are looking to impress your client or gf or wife or (potential) in-law, this isn't the place. Unless they don't care much about the taste of their food. And you got too much money to splash.