Satisfy Your Dim Sum Cravings at YEN at W Kuala Lumpur: Classic Cantonese Cuisine with a Modern Twist

But this is definitely not the case with the offerings served at YEN, which offers tasty traditional Chinese dishes with a modern twist that not only tastes good but looks good as well. This is all thanks to Head Chef Tan Kim Weng’s innovativeness, backed by over 30 years of experience.

With a menu of over 30 dishes to select from ranging from fried, baked and steamed dim sum as well as varieties of desserts, soups and vegetables, here’s what we tried at YEN’s Unlimited Dim Sum Delights:

Time to get this par-TEA started

What’s a dim sum session without some tea? YEN offers four different types of teas. These include Pu Er, Jasmine, Chrysanthemum and Fruits, all of which are available hot or cold.

We opted for cold Jasmine tea, which was the perfect palate cleanser to start us off and for in between each dish. Jasmine tea not only helps detoxify your body but also aids digestion and helps to unclog your stomach.

If you’re not a fan of tea, YEN also offers a range of other beverages, such as beer and red, white and sparkling wine, and cocktails. However, note that this comes with added costs.

Only thing better than dim sum is more dim sum

Once you have dim sum at YEN, you’ll never want to have it anywhere else. The dim sum section of the menu is separated into two main sections: steamed dim sum and fried/baked dim sum.

Although it may be easy to be overwhelmed by choice as the two sections consist of 14 different dishes, the handy markings of Y for signature dishes, a carrot for vegetarian dishes, and chilli for spicy items helped us filter out what were must-tries. We ended up trying seven out of the 14.

We started with the Prawn & Chicken Siew Mai, Crystal Prawn Dumplings, and Honey Barbeque Chicken Mushroom-Shaped Bun. The portions were generous, and all three were packed and bursting with flavour.

The Honey Barbeque Chicken Mushroom-Shaped Buns were tasty and adorable as the buns are shaped cutely like mushrooms.

Next up were the Crispy Yam Dumpling, Crispy Cod Filet Roll, and Wok Fried Radish Cake. The Crispy Yam Dumpling and Crispy Cod Filet Roll were packed with flavour and very filling. Although we loved the flavours and contents inside the fried bits, they felt quite heavy, and we struggled to finish off even one piece.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed the Wok Fried Radish Cake, which was made with bean sprouts, supreme chilli sauce, and Sakura shrimp. As it was pretty deconstructed, we could taste each component clearly, and it had that beautiful wok-hei flavour.

Although we initially hesitated to order the Braised Phoenix Claws, one of the servers convinced us to do so. As we were not huge fans of chicken feet, to begin with, we didn’t enjoy this dish, as it was slightly soggy and bland-tasting.

Rice and more rice

If you’re like us and simply can’t get by a meal without rice, you’d be delighted to know that YEN offers a variety of rice-based dishes.

There's something for every preference, from steamed rice rolls and congee to fried rice. We decided on the Crystal Prawn Cheong Fun and Wok Fried Organic Egg Red Rice.

Thanks to the crystal prawns, the steamed rice roll was gently sweet in the middle, while the home-cooked sambal paste offered a savoury, spiced finish that was not overly spicy.

This was honestly one of our favourite dishes of the day. The steamed rice roll paired with the prawns and sambal paste perfectly combines light, smooth, sweet, and savoury.

On the other hand, the Wok-Fried Organic Egg Red Rice is another must-order, especially when paired with the various vegetable-based dishes on offer, such as the Stewed Assorted Vegetables and Wok Fried Cameron Highland Organic Vegetables.

Sweet ending

In terms of desserts, there’s quite a range of both hot and cold desserts on offer at YEN. As we were pretty stuffed at this point, we decided to only go for YEN’s signature dessert, the Milk Pudding.

The milk pudding with truffles, aloe vera and honeycomb was a creamy and heavenly ending to the meal.

The solid-ish milky pudding with truffles provides the ideal mix of sweetness and umami, while the honeycomb and aloe vera help create more textured layers of complexity.

We loved it, and if we hadn’t been so full, we would’ve probably ordered another one or two more milk puddings!

Spectacular service and ambience

YEN’s commitment to combining oriental elements with a modern twist can also be seen in its decor, which features Asian-inspired decor with a more avant-garde and contemporary mix.

The restaurant on the 11th floor of W Hotel KL has a bar, an art space, and private rooms around it. Unlike most Chinese-themed eateries, it has opted for a more contemporary style, as evident in the rest of the building's interiors.

In terms of service, a quick hand raise prompts one of the many servers to come by your table swiftly. We appreciated the quick and friendly servers, who attended to our every request without hesitation and were also good guides in helping us navigate through the menu.

Overall verdict

You may wince when you hear of dim sum being fused with more modern and unique ingredients. However, we’d say that YEN and Chef Tan’s decision to innovate and fuse modern flavours into traditional Cantonese cuisine is a big hit.

Although the price may be a little on the high side at RM188nett per pax, especially in comparison to other dim sum spots, the dishes at YEN promise great value in terms of quality and freshness.

For more information, visit W KL’s Instagram or website.