KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — In the past year or so, there’s been an uptick of places offering roast goose, converting a rare find into a common item.
Opened last week, Roast & Grill Master enters the feather-strewn boxing ring with their Tangerine Peel Roast Goose, a contender that may take down the rest with its Guangdong roots and its knockout usage of famed Xinhui dried tangerine peel or chen pi.
It’s not a one-hit wonder place as its line-up includes exceptional barbecued meats, like the supremely juicy Charcoal Roast Chicken, sticky tender BBQ Pork and Crispy Roasted Pork Belly with a twist.
All the barbecued meats are executed by a chef from Guangdong who also operates a string of restaurants there, flown in specially to impart his know-how to others here.
In the high stakes game of winning over diners, their strategy seems to be calculated to offer something to suit different palates.
As the restaurant is still in its soft opening stage, patience is required as some hiccups may be experienced, like running out of popular items, as word is slowly getting around about its food.
Our benchmark for roast goose tends to be tuned towards the Hong Kong style where they pride themselves for shatteringly crispy, deep mahogany coloured skin but this Guangdong style Tangerine Peel Roast Goose goes beyond crispy skin as the meat is juicy and tender, as seen in their Half Roast Goose (RM198) to a single portion of Roast Goose Rice (RM26), which uses a 90-day-old bird.
As the chen pi is in the marinade stuffed inside the cavity, this diminishes the gaminess in the meat.
The subtle flavour of chen pi is also found in the rendered goose oil mingling with the juices from the roasting process, which is used as a sauce to keep the bird moist and also as a dip.
Lastly, thin slices of chen pi top the roast goose, giving you a stronger pop of the sweetness and aged flavour, as you nibble on it.
Solo diners will be happy to hear the Roast Goose Rice doesn’t just come with random cuts but they do try to fulfil your preferred cut except for the coveted drumstick that can be ordered separately with rice for RM51.
Served in a large bowl topped with a generous mound of rice, the same juices from roasting are drizzled over to infuse each fluffy grain with the subtle fragrance of chen pi and the goose, driving you to finish every grain at the peril of your low carbohydrate diet.
On the menu, other choices include the Whole Roast Goose for RM380, Lower Roast Goose for RM118, and Upper Roast Goose for RM95.
One tends to ignore chicken when you have a goose in the house but in this case, their Charcoal Roast Chicken was supreme perfection with its juicy, smooth flesh and golden skin, making it finger licking good to borrow a tired but completely appropriate phrase.
The whole bird is roasted upright on a pole with a bowl underneath to capture the all-important pure liquid gold packed with the chicken fat.
A thick chilli sauce is offered to pair with the chicken, unleashing its spiciness on the tongue with a hint of tanginess that can be rather addictive.
Out of all their barbecued meats, the BBQ Pork (Char Siew) is one that resonates with us as the sticky charred crust and tender fatty and lean meat inside, is similar to what we usually have in local stalls.
The BBQ Pork is priced at RM48 for a whole portion while the half portion is RM22.
Crispy Roasted Pork Belly (Whole portion is RM48, half portion is RM22) is sliced thinner and comes with a light, fine crunchy crackling that is paired with a one-of-the-kind orange coloured seasoning.
Apparently it’s the chef’s secret recipe but what we can spy is crunchy sesame seeds and that fragrant scent tickling the nose could be dried tangerine peel combined with five spice powder.
Whether we got the flavours correct or not, the orange seasoning definitely brightens your typical roast pork belly.
Variety is offered with their Pork Trotter Noodles (RM16), a hefty bowl heaped with thin, crunchy egg noodles and large pieces of succulent well cooked trotters with meat that slides off the bones easily.
Even the Shrimp Wonton Soup (six pieces for RM10) are plump bites filled with prawn and minced fatty pork laced with dried flounder fish powder, paired with a rich broth.
The theme of dried aged tangerine peel also extends to dessert with a more subtle Tangerine Red Bean Soup (RM8) and their Tangerine Pu-Er (RM2).
Roast & Grill Master 鼎味轩,
38, Lorong Yap Hing,
Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily: 8am to 5pm. Days off not fixed.
Tel: 016-3021684/03-92260840.
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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