Asia 49 Asian Cuisine & Lounge Unveils New Menu – Head Chef Adds 30 Signature Dishes

▲ Malaysian-style medicinal bone-in lamb leg stew. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

Asia 49 Asian Cuisine & Lounge opened in July 2016, boasting stunning night views that rival those of renowned overseas establishments. To maintain its competitive edge, the venue has completely revamped its menu and drinks list starting March 1. The culinary team decided to retain its best-selling items while introducing new creations, maintaining a 70-30 ratio between old and new options. The new menu includes 30 dishes such as Nyonya pickles, fresh fish rice noodle soup, Malaysian-style medicinal bone-in lamb leg stew, and others—compared to around 10 dishes previously.

Malaysian-Chinese head chef Marcus Ng said local diners are particularly fond of Southeast Asian cuisine. He also summarized his cooking philosophy as “slightly less salty, but full flavor.” With this menu update, he has added over 30 signature dishes, featuring cuisines from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

One of the dishes, the Malaysian-style medicinal bone-in lamb leg stew, originally hails from a traditional Indian-Malaysian recipe. The broth is first sautéed with scallions, ginger, and garlic, then enhanced with tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, cardamom seeds, and other spices—it can also be used to cook oxtail or horse tendon soup. Noticing Taiwanese diners’ love for hot pot lamb, Chef Ng decided to create his own version. The bone-in, skinless lamb leg is first marinated with salt and pepper for an hour, lightly seared to set the shape, and then simmered in chicken stock. The broth includes garlic, minced ginger, soaked shiitake mushrooms, cinnamon sticks, star anise, dried tangerine peel, dried longan, red dates, goji berries, along with rice wine, dark soy sauce, Lee Kum Kee seafood sauce, sesame oil, and palm sugar. It’s then slow-cooked for over two hours.

▲ Shrimp paste water spinach.


▲ Malaysian-style medicinal bone-in lamb leg stew.


▲ Indonesian-spiced roast chicken.


▲ Crispy quail egg and shrimp wontons.