Ki Ki Taiwan Cuisine, Suria KLCC

Taiwan has been on my mind recently, a combination of the advertisements lining the tunnel from Suria KLCC to the Convention Centre, and the stunning happy snaps my friends R+L took on their Christmas holiday there.

Here in KL where every day is as hot and humid as the one before, the closest I could get to experiencing Taiwan right now was through food. And so on a quiet Sunday night, The Boy and I paid a visit to Ki Ki Taiwan Cuisine on the fourth floor of Suria KLCC.

The staff were friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived and the place was lively with families and walk-in shoppers. The simple decor of wood with floral print glass panels in hues of pink and brown provided a comfortable setting for our meal.

Most of the menu consisted of set meals starting from 19.80RM and The Boy and I quickly made our choices - the Taiwan minced beef sauce noodle set for me and the Fried chicken with rice wine set for him. The side orders all looked so tempting that we succumbed and ordered fried mushrooms to share and I also added an oolong passion fruit tea to quench my thirst.

Everything was served promptly and the cute decorative crockery added visual appeal to our dishes - even The Boy's water came in an adorable mug with a picture of a dog on it! 

My oolong tea was delightfully refreshing - the taste was initially sweet like fruit cordial but the slightly bitter flavour of tea soon followed, pairing back the sugary passion fruit. 

Oolong passion fruit tea

Our fried mushrooms arrived blisteringly hot, coated in a delicious batter. The Boy managed to burn his mouth trying to eat it too quickly, which goes to show how tasty they were. The mushrooms themselves had an ever-so-slightly chewy, meaty texture and the chilli powder sprinkled on the batter gave it a fantastic spice that really added to the overall flavour.

Fried mushrooms

Fried mushrooms and the sweet decorative serving plate

Our meals arrived looking fantastic, each set coming with a main dish and a selection of three small side dishes. My minced beef noodles took me back to a fond childhood memory I have of some 15 years ago of going to a local restaurant in suburban Sydney with my mother and ordering this same dish. I hoped it would be just as good as I remembered and I wasn't disappointed - the slight spice in the beef was offset by the cool cucumber and spring onion, and mixed all together with the noodles, I was content to sit silently and eat, enjoying every mouthful.

Taiwan minced beef noodle set

After The Boy cleared up a small misunderstanding (he thought his set came with rice wine but the chicken was actually marinated in it!), he pronounced the fried chicken to be perfectly crunchy with a subtle aftertaste of the rice wine marinade, while the cabbage was 'the best (he'd) ever eaten' due to the flavour explosion provided by tiny pieces of fried garlic and baby shrimps.

Fried chicken rice wine set

We both had the same set of side dishes and they provided a pleasant variety of contrasting textures - crunchy fried tempura, soft nuts infused with the delicate heat of chilli, and the subtle flavour of boiled chicken. The chicken broth had a delicate flavour and was a nice accompaniment to our meal.

The portion sizes were generous and we finished feeling pleasantly full. Overall, it was a very enjoyable dining experience and we hope to return soon to try more of their menu.