ronnycakes reviews: Steam Room, 1 Mon’t Kiara

1 Mon’t Kiara is still relatively new in the area and there are hardly any restaurants located inside it. So when Steam Room was set to open, we were a little skeptical on whether it was just going to be a run-of-the-mill, average Chinese restaurant with the likes of Dragon-I and Canton-I (which have considerably dropped in standard over the years).
We were surprised to see on one of our visits to Sushi Zanmai, that a line had formed outside Steam Room during a weekday! So a gastronomical trip to Steam Room was promptly on the cards.

Steam Room as the name suggests, mainly focuses on steamed cuisine: think steamed dim sum, steam rice (akin to those you get in Char Chan Tengs), steam fish, etc etc. But don’t be put off though, they still serve deep-fried and stir-fried food lest you think everything here is steamed and bland.

The deco of the place is very comfortable, wooden tables and sturdy cushioned chairs, with bamboo trees lining the brick walls and a front partition of bamboo dim sum baskets to complement the whole steamed food theme.

The best Siew Mai I’ve tried so far is at Room Eighteen and I was pleasantly surprised that Steam Room’s version is as good as, if not better than the siew mai at Room Eighteen. And for only RM7.80!

Of course we had to try the classic Steamed Rice with Minced Pork and Preserved Vegetables (RM12.80) which I grew up having. Tender minced pork that was a combination of fatty and lean meat, seasoned well on a bed of green vegetables and rice makes a balanced meal.

Steamed Rice with Chicken and Lily Flowers (RM12.80) was delicious as well. A mixture of black fungus, lily flowers and well marinated chicken drumstick coated in gravy made of soya sauce.

A plate of Steamed HK Kailan with Garlic Oil sets you back RM13.80, but portion is quite large and most importantly, the vegetables are fresh.

Double Steamed Soup with Pork Ribs and Yellow Cucumber (RM12.80) reminded me of the soup my mum used to make for me as a kid, except the flavours were much stronger (since they double boil the soup, and boil it for countless hours). Yummy!
Even their other soups are really good as I’ve tried the Chicken and Herbs soup and can vouch for it.

We decided to splurge and ordered their Steamed Rice with Abalone and Exotic Seafood (RM46.80) which was one of their signature dishes; and boy, no regrets at all!

Every single ingredient (scallops, prawns, fish maw, mushrooms, sea cucumber and abalone) was fresh. The prawns were juicy in a refreshingly non-tenderized way and scallops didn’t have that freezer taste to them. All of it was coated in a light abalone sauce which complemented the seafood.

The tiny little abalone.

For dessert we had the Lemongrass Infused Soft Jelly with Exotic Mixed Fruits (RM7.80) which is similar to Ai Yu Bing that you get in pasar malams, except a more fancy version with cubes of mango and strips of pomelo. I personally found this a little too sweet for my liking because lemongrass jelly should be tangy instead of overtly sweet.

Head down here if you’re up for reasonably priced good ol’ fashioned traditional Chinese food, and Steam Room will definitely not disappoint because almost everything I’ve tried here is delicious.

Address:
L1-3A, 1 Mon’t Kiara Mall,
No 1, Jln Kiara Mon’t Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Map *here*