What if your favorite Chinese food elevated to the next level? You’ll be surprised like me when we had a lovely lunch at Li Feng Restaurant. Just a week ago, we visited Li Feng Restaurant, a new Chinese food restaurant located in Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jakarta. Li Feng Restaurant replaces Xin Hwa Restaurant, and since it opened on August 8, 2016, they received a good response from diners who have tried their food. Li Feng offers Cantonese cuisine with a modern and comfortable atmosphere which is entirely different from Xin Hwa.
Not only the concept but the food that they offer is also entirely different. The totality in its interior design appears from the glass artwork that’s hanging above the restaurant, with a beautiful reflection of a boat trip created by the famous artist Helen Pun from Hong Kong. They also have 3 VIP rooms with different capacities, for 8, 10, and 14 persons. We started our lunch by sharing the Crispy Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk (IDR 68K) as appetizers. The fish skin was so crispy, and the salted egg yolk was so delicious, it gave a new level of experience. I love crispy fish skin so much, and I must say, this was one of the best I’ve ever eaten, it’s highly addictive! And you know what? Then the waiter came to our VIP room,
and she presents the next menu, Black Swan Dumpling (IDR 89K). We eat with our eyes, too, and these Black Swan Dumpling were too gorgeous! It’s like an icon at Li Feng Restaurant because no other restaurants that has the same menu like this. They also have the Golden Swan Dumpling which is available only in Guangzhou and made by the same chef. The dim sum served is handcrafted, and premium. It took about 20 minutes to make each of the swan dumplings, excellently prepared and stuffed with delicious black pepper duck meat on the inside. You shouldn’t miss this when you are dining at Li Feng Restaurant. In addition to Black Swan Dumpling, they also serve an interesting and wide selection of Dim Sum as well. We enjoyed two of their favorite dim sum; Spicy XO Scallop Dumpling (IDR 32K), and Squid Ink, Seafood and Fish Roe Dumpling (IDR 32K), both are worth the price according to its quality.
From the soup category, we tried the Imperial Kung Fu Soup (IDR 148K). The soup was also presented nicely and served in a classic pot made of clay so the heat can last longer. I liked the goodness of this soup which consisted of stewed chicken and quail with Matsutake, Cordyceps Flower, and Dried Longan where all of the combination reminded me of the herbal chicken soup that my mom usually made at home. It was indeed a clear, soothing and refreshing soup to promote good health and prevention sickness! You should try it!
The surprise didn’t stop there. A big old dish of Chinese comfort food that we usually eat at other Chinese food restaurants are also available at Li Feng Restaurant, but they elevated the taste, the ingredients, and unique presentation as well. All were well prepared, and very flavorful, from the Sauteed Beef with Szechuan Pepper and Chili (IDR 378K) which was so juicy and tender, Sweet & Sour Chicken with pineapple and bell pepper (IDR 98K), Wok-Fried String Beans with Dried Shrimps and Garlic (IDR 68K), and Braised Hele Crab with Japanese rice in Hoisin sauce (IDR 218K). There’s nothing like any sweet & sour sauce I’ve had before. The chicken was lightly floured, so tender, and the dish has a balanced combination of sweet and sour flavors. It was simple, yet so delicious, as well as the string beans too.
We were impressed by almost every dish. Rather than ordering the same classic fried rice, I would suggest you try the Braised Hele Crab with Japanese rice. It was like fried rice, but a bit sticky because they use Japanese rice with crab meat which turned out to be another favorite as well. The portion was big, and can be shared for 2-3 persons.
While the Three Dessert Platter was unique and delicious, consisting of the super cute little chick (deep-fried glutinous rice dumpling with frog jelly and coconut milk), oh-so-yummy Blueberry Snow Skin Dumpling, and the refreshing Chilled Mango with Pomelo Sago Cream. It’s a dessert that you don’t often find in Jakarta. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience altogether. For those of you craving for Cantonese cuisine, you should try Li Feng Restaurant. Some tips: this Cantonese restaurant is usually packed, we recommend you make reservations in advance to avoid the queues. Thank you Mandarin Oriental Jakarta for having us!
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September 13, 2016
FYI chef Fei is a head chef at Jiang by chef Fei Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou, so the golden swan dumpling only available at Guangzhou not Hong Kong.
September 17, 2016
Thank you for the comment, that’s true. I’ve revised that part ☺️