Li @ Damansara Jaya
We Malaysian are truly a food fanatic bunch of people that always have food a strong place in our hearts, minds and tummy!
We are always heavily inspired by the families especially mothers, our rich mixed pot of diverse cultures and heritage alongside the western influences that help to shape our rich and austere palate and the elegance of the french or the british modern cooking..
Nestled in the Damansara Jaya district, there was an adventurous group of people that is always a step forward in terms of their food and are always up to the challenge to delight yet challenge the minds and outlook of fellow Malaysians!
Li is the place that has managed to meld together the grandeur of the Old Malaya with a touch of western influences yet you can feel you are in one of those Nyonya inspired homes..
The vibes of this restaurant is really casual and relaxed with a rather minimalist interior design and a minimal fuss of a menu that doesn't have an extremely lengthy description for you to comprehend and wonder what on earth are they creating!
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| Lemongrass |
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| Calamansi |
We didn't want to miss out that opportunity to try out their Sourdough and the Sous Vide Kaya spread for ourselves..
It was our appetizer to start the dinner with and it doesn't take very long to try out their House Made Sourdough & the Sous Vide Kaya spread that was being presented in a minimalist way that was the way they are for!
After much documentation, we finally tried the toast that has a beautiful yeasty aroma with that color to match and it was being spread thinly with it's thick yet slight green color of a kaya that was wafting with an aromatic and familiar aroma which is the Pandan that is synomious with the Malaysian cooking!
The interval between the humble toasty sourdough to the arrival of the Braised pork belly wasn't lengthy as it come to greet us with a warm smile with a tantalizing yet robust aroma which made our mouth water!
We promptly moved forward to our next conquest to try out this plate of beautiful yet minimalist plate of food!
Appearance wise, this dish is really monotonous with the earthy brown tones that was a contrasting partner with the greenness of the herbs garnish..
Among the brown tone elements emerges a bright yellow and runny poached egg that is one of the accompaniments with the pork belly..
The pork belly was really a sinful meat for every individual on a non-meat diet as it was really juicy, fatty and melt in your mouth goodness! As the pork belly was generously coated with a thick yet rich layer of pork glaze that hugs the pork belly like a second skin..
The pork glaze was really robust yet elegant that didn't overcome the pork belly but meld together with the pork belly like how a harmonious orchestra with a single conductor directing it! The poached egg brought out the creamy texture to the potatoes that was baked with the pork belly fat and it was really moist yet hearty alongside with the egg that brought a creamy mouthfeel.. It was an amazing plate of protein that really reflects the ingenuity of the chef to meld both Malaysian and western influences to create such an amazing dish that brought delight to our hearts in every bite of that decandent pork belly dish!
With that decadent pork belly, we decided to give ourselves a sense of tranquility while we slowly come back to earth from that heavenly pork dish with one of their selection of the Bowls!
And that lucky bowl of rice to help us come back to earth is the House Rice Bowl..
Highlight of every chef is always featured in the menu with great sense of pride which attracts people like bees is to honey!
We have always heard about their amazing Bowls from many sources and we decided to give the chef signature a run for our money!
Hence, the decision of House Rice Bowl..
This bowl of rice consists of a succulent chicken thigh that was poached with their soy like poaching liquid that retains its supple and succulent taste and texture of the protein yet infusing chinese flavours into it and it was being accompanied by the alluring poached egg with a promise of a bright yet runny yolk and it has a drizzled of it's home made spicy sauce and a side of pickled green chili..
After much photo taking, we slowly dissect and discover the elements of this rice bowl and it was really a complex and well thought after constructions that combines both tastes and textures that the chef wants the diners to experience!
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| House made Sourdough (RM3) + Sous Vide Kaya (RM2) |
After much documentation, we finally tried the toast that has a beautiful yeasty aroma with that color to match and it was being spread thinly with it's thick yet slight green color of a kaya that was wafting with an aromatic and familiar aroma which is the Pandan that is synomious with the Malaysian cooking!
From the warm and homey sourdough and kaya spread, then comes the Braised Pork Belly dish which can be found in the Plates and Vegetables section of the menu..
Their menu is really non-halal but they truly reflect the various Malaysian cultural food influences in their dishes with a touch of western influences as well while maintaining the malaysian flare to their humble yet home made food!The interval between the humble toasty sourdough to the arrival of the Braised pork belly wasn't lengthy as it come to greet us with a warm smile with a tantalizing yet robust aroma which made our mouth water!
We promptly moved forward to our next conquest to try out this plate of beautiful yet minimalist plate of food!
Appearance wise, this dish is really monotonous with the earthy brown tones that was a contrasting partner with the greenness of the herbs garnish..
Among the brown tone elements emerges a bright yellow and runny poached egg that is one of the accompaniments with the pork belly..
The pork belly was really a sinful meat for every individual on a non-meat diet as it was really juicy, fatty and melt in your mouth goodness! As the pork belly was generously coated with a thick yet rich layer of pork glaze that hugs the pork belly like a second skin..
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| Braised Pork Belly (RM30) |
With that decadent pork belly, we decided to give ourselves a sense of tranquility while we slowly come back to earth from that heavenly pork dish with one of their selection of the Bowls!
And that lucky bowl of rice to help us come back to earth is the House Rice Bowl..
Highlight of every chef is always featured in the menu with great sense of pride which attracts people like bees is to honey!
We have always heard about their amazing Bowls from many sources and we decided to give the chef signature a run for our money!
Hence, the decision of House Rice Bowl..
This bowl of rice consists of a succulent chicken thigh that was poached with their soy like poaching liquid that retains its supple and succulent taste and texture of the protein yet infusing chinese flavours into it and it was being accompanied by the alluring poached egg with a promise of a bright yet runny yolk and it has a drizzled of it's home made spicy sauce and a side of pickled green chili..
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| House Rice Bowl(RM17.90) |
We discovered that the rice was some sort of the Nasi Kandar rice type that was on the harder and drier side in comparison to the creamy and fluffy Nasi Lemak kind of rice.. It was thankful to have that spicy kick of a drizzle from it's house made rice bowl sauce that has a similar color of a thousand island sauce.. Then we tried the succulent chicken thigh that has a tinge of pink but it was cooked perfectly and the spicy sauce and rice able to compliment well with the bland chicken and the pickled chili.. The bright yolk of that poached egg also lends itself a role to the chicken to retain it's succulent texture and to calm the tastebud down from that firey sauce
The 3rd main to pop in the table after the rich pork belly and the spicy yet hearty House Rice Bowl that was packed with varying texture and taste that delight the senses and that 3rd member to join the dinner was the Charred Spiced Cauliflower.. It was one of the most eye catching dish in the menu as we never expected such a dish to be made with dukkah..
What is a dukkah you might ask?
Dukkah is actually an Egyptian condiment that consist mainly a mixture of herb, nuts and spices.
Now let's get our attention back to the desserts!
First, we had was the Soy Milk Panna Cotta..
Considering the fact that they only had 2 dessert options to choose from and we did asked the recommendation from the server.. In the end we just decided try both of it!
What the server told us about the soy milk panna cotta is that the kitchen are going for a dessert that has a texture similar towards our favourite and most loved soy dessert which is the Tau Foo Fah!
So they have borrowed the concept of panna cotta just giving a Malaysian spin to it with the addition of soy milk to replace with milk and the addition of gula melaka sago instead of having the thin brulee sheet of sugar!
What we can say is that it is a really bold yet creative move taken by them as panna cotta is something we look forward to in an Italian restaurant for it's smooth and silky texture with a wobbly centre..
As it was a massive feat to achieve such a delicate texture and balance yet the chef with it's an enchanting hands to work they managed to construct an elegant balances between the flavours without sacrificing the texture..
Appearance wise may seem very simple with a malaysian touch of the Gula Melaka syrup that was enveloping the transparent pearls of Sago and finally with a dollop of pineapple jam.. But never judge a book by it's cover as that simple facade hides away a luscious and creamy soy panna cotta that can rival the roadside stalls of Tau Foo Fah in terms of it's sweetness and smooth and silky texture!
It was really enjoyable yet surprising for us as the moment we pierced this dessert to reveal it's inner sanctum,we realized that it was going to be stunning as it has that creamy, silky smooth cloud like texture!
In terms of taste, the soy milk panna cotta was really an incredible treat for us as the soy milk wasn't really overly creamy and sweet as the sweetness was taken care off from the addition of the Gula Melaka sago of the top layer and it complements really well with the sourish yet slight grainy texture of the pineapple jam without being too overpowering!
The 2nd dessert to grace us with it's presence is the Lychee Bowl..
This is a unique approach by the Li team of combining both malaysian and french influences in terms of preparation and ingredients to create a refreshing, light yet fruity and not overly sweet..
Basically this is a coolant minus the huge amount of liquid on the bowl..
The lychee bowl is made with the malaysian favourite fruit the fresh and sweet lychee that was surrounded with a refreshing and fine icy textures of the lime granita to complete it with a final drizzle of a thin layer of creamy coconut milk and then it was covered like the icy mountains which guard the most precious of treasures and in this case is the lychee hidden within!
What is a dukkah you might ask?
Dukkah is actually an Egyptian condiment that consist mainly a mixture of herb, nuts and spices.
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| Charred Spiced Cauliflower(RM17) |
Seldom do we witness a cauliflower that is featured on the menu alone as it will always being paired with some element such as another greens or another protein!
Ya we Malaysian are really big fan with our greens and also not exactly an adventurous type of people that would agree to have a green to be a stand alone dish..
Well with that inquisitive nature to explore and venture into the taste of the unknown, we decided to just go ahead with the choice of ours to find out what is really interesting for this plate of food!
We don't have to wait for long to unearth the answers to our questions as the Cauliflower arrives with the name sake on the menu appearance of certain sections of the Cauliflower being coated with a certain degree of charred appearance! It was served quite simply with a side of yogurt and a wedge of lemon to bring out the acidity to the yogurt that was dusted with a side of toasted sesame seeds..
In terms of taste, the cauliflower had a robust taste of the spicy from the dukkah that had coated with the cauliflower and it was lingering for a long time but thankfully there was the tangy yogurt that help to diffuse the fire and meld with the spice of the dukkah!
From a spicy, crispy and mouth watering mains, we then welcomed with open arms towards their desserts!
And by the way Li restaurant currently have only 2 desserts featured in their menu! Hoping and praying they would include more in the future!
Now let's get our attention back to the desserts!
First, we had was the Soy Milk Panna Cotta..
Considering the fact that they only had 2 dessert options to choose from and we did asked the recommendation from the server.. In the end we just decided try both of it!
What the server told us about the soy milk panna cotta is that the kitchen are going for a dessert that has a texture similar towards our favourite and most loved soy dessert which is the Tau Foo Fah!
So they have borrowed the concept of panna cotta just giving a Malaysian spin to it with the addition of soy milk to replace with milk and the addition of gula melaka sago instead of having the thin brulee sheet of sugar!
 |
| Soy Milk Panna Cotta (RM10) |
As it was a massive feat to achieve such a delicate texture and balance yet the chef with it's an enchanting hands to work they managed to construct an elegant balances between the flavours without sacrificing the texture..
Appearance wise may seem very simple with a malaysian touch of the Gula Melaka syrup that was enveloping the transparent pearls of Sago and finally with a dollop of pineapple jam.. But never judge a book by it's cover as that simple facade hides away a luscious and creamy soy panna cotta that can rival the roadside stalls of Tau Foo Fah in terms of it's sweetness and smooth and silky texture!
It was really enjoyable yet surprising for us as the moment we pierced this dessert to reveal it's inner sanctum,we realized that it was going to be stunning as it has that creamy, silky smooth cloud like texture!
In terms of taste, the soy milk panna cotta was really an incredible treat for us as the soy milk wasn't really overly creamy and sweet as the sweetness was taken care off from the addition of the Gula Melaka sago of the top layer and it complements really well with the sourish yet slight grainy texture of the pineapple jam without being too overpowering!
 |
| Lychee Bowl (RM15) |
This is a unique approach by the Li team of combining both malaysian and french influences in terms of preparation and ingredients to create a refreshing, light yet fruity and not overly sweet..
The lychee bowl is made with the malaysian favourite fruit the fresh and sweet lychee that was surrounded with a refreshing and fine icy textures of the lime granita to complete it with a final drizzle of a thin layer of creamy coconut milk and then it was covered like the icy mountains which guard the most precious of treasures and in this case is the lychee hidden within!
Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and to the phone!
After much documentation of it's beauty inside and out, we decided to break open the fortress to reveal the treasures within it..
We were delighted to be greeted with a simplistic presentation that just features the lychee with it's icy granita!
In terms of taste, the icy lime granita was really well made as it does emphasize the zesty aspect of the lime in the granita and it was really smooth which complements quite well with the crunchy and sweet lychee and it gives a lift to the sweetness of the lychee and help with the crunchy and marshmallow texture of the meringue!
The taste and texture combination was really playful yet it was enjoyable with abit of zing notes from the lime granita together with the crispy yet marshmallow from the meringue and the sweetness from the lychee!
Verdict:
An interesting combination of flavours and influences!
Ambience: 4/5
Food:4/5
Price:3/5
Service:3.5/5
Must Try:
Braised Pork Belly
Homemade Sourdough bread with Sous Vide Kaya
Soy Milk Panna Cotta
Li Contemporary Malaysian
47, Jalan SS22/23
Damansara Jaya
Petaling Jaya
47400
Selangor
Opening Hours:
Tues-Friday
11:30am-9:30pm
Saturday
10:30am-9:30pm
Sunday
10:30am-5pm
Closed on Monday
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