Paradise Palace

The restaurant itself is unspectacular, looking like it was thrown together with a few cheap Southeast Asian souvenirs and tablecloths that need a wash. A cheap menu with bad photography did not help their cause. But of course, it is not always the swankiest places that serve the best food and doubts were quickly cast aside when the food began to arrive.

We were coaxed into trying the chicken padamyar (RM12), the Burmese version of the chicken curry but made with lots of onions and tomatoes in the sauce to give it a sweet and tart flavour. It was only medium spicy but packed full of flavour. The chunky pieces of chicken were succulent, like a good ayam masak merah. This was easily the best dish ordered on the day.

The unusual roselle soup (RM7) is also worth mentioning. The roselle leaf is a close cousin of the assam leaf, giving the soup a distinctive sourness that is balanced wonderfully with prawn and meat flavours. It begs comparison with our own nyonya soup made with salted, preserved mustard greens. But roselle soup is milder and less pungent, making it good to the last drop.

The stewed beef (RM15) resembled rendang without the spiciness but the meat had the same tenderness, brought about by hours of cooking. The generous use of spices imparted plenty of flavour to each chunky piece of beef, going excellently with the rice served.

Even the kangkung with mushrooms (RM10) was of an unexpectedly high standard. Fresh kangkung stems still firm to the bite were topped with oyster mushrooms and the addition of a little stock to the sauce made for a very tasty vegetable dish.

Paradise Palace surprised us with the quality of cooking. It warrants a second visit, if for anything else, to educate oneself on Burmese cuisine.


Contact:
6.1, 6th floor,
Sogo Shopping Complex,
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman,
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2694 2175/ 03-2694 2040

Website:
N/A

Operating Hours:
10am – 9.30pm (Sun – Thurs)
10am – 10pm (Fri – Sat)

Cuisine:
Southeast