September 24th, 2016. There’s a new restaurant in Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It’s serving authentic, lavish Cantonese cuisine in an ethereal, classic and culturally rich space. The restaurant offers exquisite culinary delights where every dish is masterfully crafted to bring guests warm and visually stunning delicacies with a surprising modern twist. Li Feng.
Enjoy exquisite culinary delicacies beautifully presented with a surprising modern twist at Li Feng, our traditional Cantonese restaurant. Helmed by a talented culinary team, the tempting menu presents a scrumptious blend of traditional Cantonese dishes offered alongside creative contemporary renditions of classic favourites. With interiors inspired by the history of the spices trade between China and the old Jakarta, Batavia, the restaurant offers three elegant and distinctive private dining rooms, all ideally suited to intimate gatherings and private celebrations.
I just found out that Li Feng replaced Xin Hwa Restaurant. I’ve never been to Xin Hwa but I heard about the place a lot. And they’ve already replaced it before I visit Xin Hwa LOL. Li Feng means “beauty in abundance.” It’s such a beautiful name with alluring meaning. I love how they decorate the restaurant with arts and paintings. By the way, I came alone to this restaurant, and met some foodies there. We had so much fun with those delicious food.
Designed by Hong Kong-based LRF Designers Limited, the restaurant’s interior is inspired by the voyage history and spices trade between China and the old Jakarta, Batavia – when ocean-going junks plied between the South China coast and the Spice Islands, as well as Jakarta and onwards to Arabia. The junk connection has been incorporated into the glass art, paintings and the ceiling lights sculpture, which is a stylized ‘sea’ of hand-made crystal glass, with amber crystal junk sails plying their route across the sea. The contemporary ceiling light sculpture and three chandeliers are developed and fabricated by the much-vaunted Czech crystal sculptors, Lasvit.
Helmed by two talented chefs, Chef Fei and Chef Loy, Li Feng’s menu presents a scrumptious blend of traditional dishes and a creative rendition of classics. Chef Fei, one of China’s most notable young chefs is also the man behind the celebrated Jiang at Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou. Having established his culinary career in Singapore, Chef Loy – Executive Chinese Chef at Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta – brings more than 12 years of experience in fine dining restaurants in various destinations, such as Bali and Dubai, to the refined atmosphere of Li Feng.
Crispy Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk 68k
I didn’t really like this one because it’s too spicy for me. But my friends found it was addicting. The fish skin was crispy and the salted egg yolk was very strong in flavour. Actually this menu was something new to me. But if they could make it less spicy, I think my hubby will love it so much. As Brian said, “If they put it in a jar, I will bring it home right away, and I will eat it nonstop.” Oh yeah, I asked Brian to accompanying me. Thank you Bri. 🙂
Deep-Fried Swan Dumpling with Black Pepper Duck Meat 89k
I found this dish was very elegant. And I saw this menu many times in every Instagram’s account. What a popular dish. And, I finally could try this one. First they pour hot water and smoke will come out. It’s like the swans are swimming in fluffy cloud. 🙂 The filling of the swan is black pepper duck meat. My opinion about this one? Well, I love the presentation, but the taste wasn’t that special for me. Maybe because it was very very beautiful. And I was too stunned. Look. It’s delicious, but it’s not in accordance with my taste bud.
Spicy XO Scallop Dumpling 32k
Squid Ink, Seafood and Fish Roe Dumpling 32k
Time for dim sum. It’s not chinese restaurant if they don’t serve dim sum. LOL. Just kidding!!! Well, I love dimsum. It’s kinda food that makes me very comfortable. Li Feng has many kind of dim sum and it’s not pricey. For the dim sum menu that were served on the lunch, I prefer the spicy XO scallop dumpling than the squid ink, seafood and fish roe dumpling. The skin of the dumpling was very soft. Tender and moist. The scallop filling was juicy and delicious. I bet everybody will agree with me.
Imperial Kung Fu Soup 148k
Stewed Chicken and Quail with Matsutake, Cordyceps Flower and Dried Longan
The name was very ear-catching. The presentation was very eye-catching. I instantly visualized Shaolin movies that I used to watch with my beloved Dad. LOL. I told Aline, “After drink this soup, we will have a talent of Kung Fu martial arts.” Hahaha.. I surely will become Kung Fu Panda. *biggest grin* The soup was hot and delicious. It made my body warmer and it’s really what I need nowadays with silly weather around me. For the filling inside the soup, my favourite was the dried longan. Surprisingly delicious!
Sauteed Beef with Szechuan Pepper and Chili 378k
Juicy and tender beef. It’s so tender, I didn’t have to chew. Melt-in-your-mouth. How about the taste? Spicy, hot and flavourful at the same time. It’s almost perfect. If only they served it with warm white rice. OMG. It’s so delicious, we fought each other for the last piece. LOL.
Did you know Szechuan pepper isn’t really a pepper? It is actually the dried outer husks of the ash shrub and has a slight floral aroma scent. Eating Szechuan pepper causes a slight numbing sensation around the mouth, and when combined with chili peppers, the numbing effect helps reduce the chili pepper’s heat and is essential to this dish. Do not substitute it for regular black peppercorns. It is not the same.
Sweet & Sour Chicken with Pineapple and Bell Pepper 98k
Beautifully served. Love the presentation. It’s artfully decorated with wooden pegs and a cloud of gossamer-thin strands of sugar are artfully spun and woven into the pegs. So alluring, I didn’t have the courage to eat it. The chicken is juicy and tender. The pineapple and bell peppers gave so much crisp texture and flavour to the dish. The sweet and sour sauce is perfectly marinades the chicken. Recommended!
Wok-Fried String Beans with Dried Shrimps and Garlic 68k
Braised Hele Crab with Japanese Rice in Hoisin Sauce 218k
Wow. The texture of this japanese rice was delicate. At first, I thought it’s just an ordinary fried rice. Turned out it was different. It had rich character with the sweetness of the crab meat. The hoisin sauce enhanced the flavour. The presentation was just okay. Not very special. Only the hele crab on top of the rice. It was quite cute. 🙂 And it was a big portion. You can share it with your friends.
One of the four most famous dishes in Hainan cuisine, Hele crab originated from Hele Town, near Wanning, located on the southeastern shores of Hainan. The yellow meat of the crab has an oily texture, and a strong aroma. It is usually served with ginger and garlic in vinegar, after being steamed
Three Desserts Platter 118k
Deep-Fried Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Frog Jelly and Coconut Milk
Blueberry Snow Skin Dumpling 40k
Chilled Mango with Pomelo Sago Cream 48k
According to the chef, we should eat the platter from left to right. The hot dessert to the cold dessert. So, yeah, I followed the chef, of course. The little duck, then the mochi, and finished it with the chilled mango. I love them all, especially the blueberry snow skin dumpling. It was indeed very similar to the taste of the snow in my imagination. And it wasn’t for sharing! Trust me.
Thank you Li Feng, Chef Fei and Chef Loy. Thank you Mandarin Oriental. Definitely a new experience since I rarely ate Cantonese cuisine.
Li Feng
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Level 2
Jl M.H Thamrin
Jakarta
Phone: 021-29938825
IG: @lifengjakarta
IG: @mo_jakarta
