IN MULTICULTURAL Malaysia, people enjoy eating together and tasting the food of other communities.

Peony By Canton Boy in Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, is one place where everyone can enjoy halal and authentic Chinese food, especially dim sum.

Its siu mai and har gow – dim sum staples – are recommended.

The siu mai stands out with its strong mushroom flavour enhancing the umami of the chicken and shrimp filling.

The shrimp-filled har gow meanwhile has the necessary springy texture.

The Scallop Dumplings are comparable and further enhanced by coriander.

Another good pick is the Shanghai Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling).

One small bite is enough for the diner to enjoy the taste of the savoury, slightly sweetish soup encased within.

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao also comes with ginger vinegar sauce (ginger strips in black rice vinegar), a classic accompaniment.

One of the chefs making ‘siu mai’.

Next, enjoy the fluffy bun with tender minced chicken.

Also worth trying is the Barbecue Chicken Bun filled with tender chicken thigh meat infused with a sweet barbecue sauce.

In the fried dim sum menu there’s the innovative Beancurd Roll with Wasabi.

Under the crispy beancurd is a combination of savoury and springy prawn meat and soft shrimp paste providing a textural sensation.

What truly makes the dish stand out is the wasabi mayonnaise.

The creamy mayonnaise balances out the wasabi’s sharpness.

Another creative dish is the Crispy Prawn Rice Roll, an “improvised” version of the traditional zha liang (char koi wrapped in rice roll) according to Peak Kitchen Sdn Bhd managing director Gentry Loh.

“Instead of using char koi, we wrap the crispy deep-fried prawn in a rice roll.

A delicious spread of ‘dim sum’ perfect for sharing. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star

“It is one of our best selling dishes,” he said.

Diners need not worry about the filling falling out as the deep-fried prawn is firmly packed while the softness of the rice roll is preserved.

Drizzled with soy sauce, it melts in your mouth.

The black pepper chicken feet is a firm favourite with diners here.

For a main dish, there’s the Roasted Chicken Rice with black soy sauce, chilli sauce and grated ginger.

The roasted chicken rice is a cherished family recipe.

The roast chicken comes with crispy skin and tender meat.

Loh said pairing chicken rice with black soy sauce was traditional in Johor, where he is from.

“The family recipe is more than 30 years old.

“We started as hawkers in Johor and have now grown into a big brand.”

Canton Boy is one of the brands managed by Peak Kitchen.

Loh aspires to make Peony equal to conventional Chinese restaurants for authentic food.

“Some people think that halal Chinese food is substandard to non-halal.

“We are working on breaking down this prejudice.”

Black pepper chicken feet, a crowd favourite.

Besides halal dim sum and chicken rice, Peony also offers a wide range of meat, vegetable, tofu and seafood dishes.

PEONY BY CANTON BOY, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 018-970 8999. Business hours: 10am-10pm.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.