The Prince Restaurant at 1 Mont Kiara: Restaurant review

A thriving bonsai tree framed in a circle of balance and harmony welcomes customers to this oasis of Chinese comfort fare, which showcases intriguing sparkles of imagination in its choice of produce and preparations. This is one of the hidden gems of 1 Mont Kiara Mall, serving up a distinctive diversity of delicacies at surprisingly reasonable prices for this neighbourhood.

Relax along The Prince’s comfortable long sofas as the kitchen whips up signatures like the Szechuan-inspired pork belly, dexterously sliced into slim, juicy strips, torched at the table in a memorably striking presentation, accompanied by a robust dip of minced garlic in soy sauce for appetite-rousing meaty flavours and textures. RM23.

The Prince is anchored on principles of clear, fresh cooking, yielding pure, natural nuances in the food. Quality ingredients are evident in the double-boiled chicken soups (in a richly flavoursome version for RM18 or with cordyceps for RM16), which taste comfortingly nourishing in a manner that evokes the sweet, tender loving care of traditional home cooking.

Seasoning and execution prove satisfying across the spectrum of fish and meat dishes, from the smooth, succulent fish fillets drenched in a fiery house-made sauce of black bean paste, bird’s eye chillies nd ginger (RM22) to soft, fluffy pork belly balls in lip-smacking sweet-sour gravy (RM23) and a crowd-pleasing crispy chicken chop in a creamy, savoury butter sauce (RM22).

We love the salted egg yolk shimeji mushrooms, lightly battered and beautifully delicate in its flavours – we could gleefully gobble up the entire plate on our own (RM13). Those luscious shimeji mushrooms also play a starring role in The Prince’s super-silky steamed egg custard, a pleasure for the palate (RM13).

For vegetables, The Prince offers the unconventional option of Brussel sprouts sauteed in olive oil, not often spotted at Chinese eateries, a nutrition-packed plate of wholesomeness (RM26). Round out the meal with fuss-free fried rice, cooked with kam heong and dried shrimp for familiar Malaysian dimensions, studded with prawns  sliced fish (RM18).

Chinese tea is ideal accompaniment for the fare here, but it’s nice that this venue also offers a well-chosen selection of wines – Italian Valpolicella proves a pleasant partner for the protein components of this dinner.

Our thanks to The Prince for having us.

Location & Details

The Prince Restaurant

L1-03A & 1-05A, Level 1, 1MK Mall, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.