Paradise Dynasty (乐天皇朝) is an upscale Chinese restaurant in Bangsar Village II. This eatery specializes in Shanghainese cuisine, such as xiaolongbao (小笼包) and lamian (拉面).
The upscale dining place commands a respectable degree of prestige. It also has an open kitchen so that customers may view how xiaolongbao and lamian are prepared. Overall, Paradise Dynasty is quite similar in style to Dragon-i (笼的传人).
The first dish is La Mian With Braised Pork Belly (红烧扣肉拉面, RM20.90). This bowl of noodles includes several slices of roasted pork belly (红烧扣肉), a piece of bamboo fungus (竹笙) and a spring-boiled egg (卤水温泉蛋).
The pork bone soup (猪骨汤) has been simmered for 12 hours until it reduces to 25% of its original volume, making it very thick and savory.
The noodles are very long (about an arm’s span) due to the way they are stretched in the kitchen. Upon request, the noodles can be cut into halves to make them more manageable. In terms of springiness and palatability, I feel that the lamian at Paradise Dynasty is slightly inferior compared to Dragon-i’s.
Meanwhile, I must commend that the pork belly slices are very succulent. The lovely combination of fatty and lean meat gives an unparalleled sense of gratification. In addition, the portion of pork belly is quite generous too.
The next noodle dish is La Mian With Poached Marbled Beef In Szechuan-Style (水煮肥牛肉拉面, RM24.90). The broth is made from fiery Sichuan pepper (花椒), which is way spicier than my tolerance range. In addition, the spiciness has a numbing effect which I do not really enjoy. Perhaps I just do not know how to appreciate Sichuan pepper.
The amount of beef slices in this dish is pitifully far from sufficient. As for the noodles, I feel that lamian is not as compatible with the broth as the previous dish. The reason is that intense pungency permeates the lamian thoroughly, making each bite an agonizing ordeal. In conclusion, order this dish at your own peril.
As for pickled ginger, I feel that they somewhat lack pungency. Therefore, ginger plays negligible role during the meal.
Paradise Dynasty serves a number of savory xiaolongbao choices, with flavors ranging from Original (原味) to Ginseng (人参), Cheesy (芝士) to Foie Gras (鹅肝). However, our visit today is to taste the Royal Flavour (皇者之风, RM18.90). The filling used in the six pieces of xiaolongbao is kept a secret from the regular menu!
So what is the filling used in this mysterious xiaolongbao? Durian paste! Initially, I felt that the marriage between durian paste and flour dough seems unthinkable. However, it turns out that durian works pretty well indeed! I highly recommend this dessert should it ever appear on the mainstream menu.
Overall, I think Paradise Dynasty has its strength in xiaolongbao, but its lamian still requires further improvement in terms of springiness and flavor.
Address: 2F-17, Bangsar Village II, Jalan Telawi 1, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-2201-7022
Business hours: 11:00am-10:00pm (Monday-Friday), 10:30am-10:00pm (Saturday-Sunday)
