After nearly two years of the pandemic wreaking havoc on a lot of plans, wedding events are picking up again! One of my cousins had his wedding dinner recently at Copper Mansion, Petaling Jaya – which the fam and I were privileged to attend.

With several halls capable of hosting hundreds of guests and complete facilities such as stage, large projector screens, and PA systems, Copper Mansion offers a high-end jao lao (Chinese restaurant) experience – ideal for get togethers, banquets, company events, and the like. They also offer a daily dimsum buffet breakfast.

Valet parking is limited, so we parked at the open air carpark next door and walked to the resto. The main area hosts three halls – during our visit, all three were running weddings!

The hall we were in was very spacious, so there was plenty of room to move around. The interior felt upscale and elegant, with carpeted floors and sparkling chandelier-style lights. Unlike your typical Chinese jao lao, there was very little red decor – but it’s a good thing imo as too much red can make the place seem gaudy.

Stage + large screen projector. My cousin invited a live band as well that serenaded us with tunes while we dined.

Chinese wedding dinners typically involve course meals – one appetiser and a soup, followed by a bunch of meat / seafood dishes. The meal usually finishes off strong with a rice or noodle dish, then dessert.

Our appetisers! The top was my favourite – smoked duck with stir fried vegetables in a vermicelli basket. Not so much a fan of the peppers, but the duck was excellent – it was not gamey, and had a nice, chewy texture. The second tier had deep fried sesame chicken, while the bottom plate consisted of chicken and almond balls and a cold jellyfish starter.

Next came Braised Crab Meat Soup with Fish Maw. I enjoy having egg drop-style soups at jao laos. Back in the day, it always used to be sharks fin soup, but since people are much more environmentally conscious these days, shark’s fin is no longer a popular menu item. The serving portion here was generous, with loads of mushrooms and crab meat. It was also slightly thicker than clear soups, with a starchy, gravy-like consistency.

The opening main: Steamed snapper with fried sea prawn in soy sauce.

Seafood and meat are considered luxury dishes for the Chinese community. As such, wedding dinners tend to be meat/seafood heavy, as it denotes wealth and the ability to feed your guests a satisfying meal. Ingredients such as fish are also considered auspicious: the word ‘yu’ (fish) is a homonym for prosperity and abundance; while ‘ha’ (shrimp) is similar to the sound of laughter, thus denoting happiness.

The snapper was pretty good. There’s something about the soy sauce/sesame oil ratio and deep fried garlic that only jao laos can get right – it’s very difficult to get the same taste when you’re steaming fish at home. The texture was a little tough though, but it could be because it’s a snapper and not an oily fish like Chilean seabass (in Cantonese, ‘snow fish’).

Next, roast chicken and roast duck. The duck was okay, with crisp skin and a nice layer of fat underneath. The chicken was a miss, as it was extremely tough and chewy.

After all the meaty dishes, the next course comprised something lighter, ie braised assorted vegetables. As mentioned earlier, not a big fan of vegetables, and they spruce it up by loading it with oyster sauce – so essentially that’s all you’re tasting.

Our final main was the fried rice with seafood roe, but I wasn’t able to take a picture before someone at my table destroyed it lol. It was decent, but lacked wok hei. It seemed like the food quality was tapering out after a strong start.

Dessert redeemed the meal with Chinese pancakes. The Hubs loved this, because it had a red bean filling, making it sweet on the outside, and crispy on the outside. Chinese-style pancakes, unlike Western pancakes, tend to be thin and crispy – more like a pastry than a cake. The mochi was great as well; it was defrosted to just the right temperature, so it was chewy and soft but not overly so. It had lots of filling too, and was not too sweet.

The night rounded off with toasting and photo sessions. Having been through such a ceremony myself, I can only imagine how tired the bride and groom must have felt – but I also know I was happy at my own wedding despite how exhausted I felt. Wishing them a sweet married life ahead!

On another note – how was our Copper Mansion experience?

There were some good dishes, but ordinary/meh dishes as well. Service wise, I think there is massive room for improvement. Most of the wait staff serving us that night were extremely young (they looked like they were still in high school) and obviously inexperienced; the server at our table (who looked like he was 14) actually asked me whether I wanted water or tea in such a rude manner that rather than being offended, I laughed because it was so absurd lmao. Even my brother, who is a saint and never says a bad word about anyone, giggled.

That being said, the emcee from the restaurant was excellent – she hyped up the crowd, was skillful at coordinating everyone on stage, and even sang some traditional songs and wished the couple good tidings with Chinese poetry.

You can check out Copper Mansion’s wedding packages here. They also have branches in Geno Hotel and USJ. Ala carte menu items are available if you’re looking to dine in a small group or solo, but note that prices are on the higher side.

COPPER MANSION (PETALING JAYA)

18B, Jalan 51a/223, Seksyen 51a Petaling Jaya, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Opening hours: 11.30AM – 2.30PM, 6PM – 10.30PM.

Phone: 03-7932 7777

Reservations: coppermansion.co

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