I was dying to try out Celestial Court because of course I wanted to have dim sum on my trip to KL; and it’s close to impossible to find halal dim sum anywhere outside of a nice hotel. The last time I had great dim sum in KL was at The Ritz Carlton; so I was very excited about this award-winning, 18 year old restaurant at Sheraton Imperial.

Murphey’s Law kicked in, however, and I made dinner reservations at Celestial Court. Once I got there, I realized that dim sum are only served for lunch there. Disappointment could have ensued, but I decided to try some things out anyway and asked the chef to surprise me, and what ensued was easily one of my top 3 Chinese meals ever.

The Salted Egg Yolk fried Prawns were the best fried prawns I’ve ever had; the vegetables with water chestnuts, macadamia nuts and lotus flowers were so minimalistic in seasoning but so beautifully flavorful that my chopsticks kept reaching for more; and last but not the least, the beef medallions with pistachios and vegetables were so phenomenal it was unreal. Never in my life of eating a lot of Chinese food and stir-fries, have I ever had such juicy and flavorful medallions of tenderloin.

I was completely blown away, and just when I thought that it had been a perfect meal (even in the absence of dim sum), we were brought a very non-Chinese but extremely satisfying dessert that comprised of avocado puree and walnut ice-cream. It was an extremely moreish dessert with perfectly balanced sweetness and velvety smoothness. An absolutely wonderful meal that reminded me how street food adventures can only be an occasional thing for me, for I love fine dining way too much.

I believe that there are some flavors that can only be created in a proper kitchen with qualified chefs, and dining at Celestial Court was one of my best decisions on this trip. A special thanks to Anne– the manager– for accommodating us despite us being late.

If you’re luckier than me and happen to be in KL on a Saturday, Sunday or Public holiday, do head over to the Imperial Dim Sum Brunch at Celestial Court sometime and tell me if I missed out or dim sum worth going back for?

You can make a reservation at +603 2717 9900.