Words and Photos Kevindra P. Soemantri

MANDARIN ORIENTAL REVEALS ITS NEW CHINESE RESTAURANT

The Mandarin Oriental Jakarta on Aug. 8 opened Li Feng, a signature Chinese restaurant, replacing its legendary establishment Xin Hwa, which closed late last year. The restaurant’s name and launch date both have meaning: Li Feng translates as “abundant beauty”, while the eighth day of the eight month is propitious for Chinese.

Li Feng offers exquisite culinary delights, featuring dishes masterfully crafted to give guests warm and visually stunning delicacies with surprising modern twists.

The restaurant’s design breaks from tradition: Li Feng uses the color red but once for its decor, as a motif for the carpet. Otherwise, the palette are dominated by golds and jades, symbolizing endlessness and prosperity, respectively.

Conceived by Hong Kong-based LRF Designers Limited, the restaurant’s interior was inspired by the time when ocean-going junks traveled between China and the Spice Islands. The “junk” motif appears in the paintings hanging at Li Feng, as well in crystal ceiling lights, which take the form of amber crystal junks plying a sea of hand-made crystal glass. The ceiling lights, as well as three sublime golden chandeliers, are the handiwork of Lasvit, the famed sculptors from the Czech Republic.

Li Feng is helmed by chefs Hunag Jing Hui, known as Fei, and Chang See Loy.

Fei, one of China’s most notable young chefs, is also behind the celebrated restaurant Jiang at the Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou.

Hailing from Chaozhou in Guangdong; Fei, who began his career at 16, won the title of Best Chef in China 2016–as well as a loyal following of food connoisseurs and celebrities.

We began with an assortment of dim sum, specifically a pillowy, soft bun of chicken and truffles full of subtle yet elegant flavors, followed by crystal vegetable dumplings that are perhaps the finest in the city, with a soft, translucent skin holding string beans and earthy mushrooms.

The masterpiece, however, was the “Black Swan Dumpling”, presented by servers who pour hot water on the plate to generate clouds of steam from the dry ice underneath. The dumpling has a taste that is as captivating as it looks, with a skin that’s crispy yet soft, and flaky but not crumbly. Inside was finely cubed duck meat coated by a pristine black pepper sauce.

For patrons favoring non-spicy fare, start with an entree of Sichuan beef, with tender and juicy cubes of meat glistening in a soy-based sauce and topped by strings of fried and julienned Dutch red chilies offering just a hint of spiciness.

Or try a classic sweet-and-sour chicken with cubed pineapple and bell peppers, presented in a regal way, with a chicken that’s tender and has just the right amount of coating of crispy skin.

We ended our meal with one of the most expensive dishes on the menu: A deep fried glutinous rice dumpling with frog jelly–offering a yin to the yang of the dark-swan dim sum. The dumpling features glutinous rice that’s been deep fried until golden brown with a perfect fine crust.

Biting in, I could taste the sweet white syrup covering a jelly made of hasma, a Central Asian dessert ingredient made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of the Asiatic grass frog. A bizarre food in its cutest and most flawless form.

Li Feng presents a unique take on contemporary Chinese cuisine, offering dishes that are beautifully crafted by artisans. The restaurant lives up to name of abundant beauty–and abundant taste.

Side Dish

Brief interviews with chefs Huang Jing Hui (Fei) and Chang See Loy, edited for length and clarity.

Chef Fei

Are you bringing a little bit of Jiang to the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta?

Yes. What we are trying to do here is to introduce Jakarta’s people to an authentic flavor of China–this time, from Guangdong. Jiang is a restaurant that promotes heartening Chinese cuisine, where artful presentation and wellness are the main focus.

What’s the concept behind Li Feng?

Our focus is to make people happy, both spiritually and physically. We want to show people that Chinese cuisine is not just something oily or full of MSG-but [can] be executed in a fine and beautiful way.

Are local diners ready for such a concept?

People are now more open to many kinds of culinary culture. No one can resist good food. What Li Feng is doing is not just good food, but food that makes you happy. Everything that we do with our heart will always have a beautiful outcome. Jakarta has its own Chinese cuisine–Jakarta-Chinese cuisine. This city is a melting pot of many cultures, so its Chinese food is influenced by it.

Chef Loy

What’s the difference between Li Feng and Xin Hwa?

The menu concept. At Xin Hwa, we afforded guests classic Cantonese cuisine. Here at the newly opened Li Feng, our approach is more of a fine and artisanal Chinese cuisine.

What’s been the biggest challenge?

To cook one of our signature new menu dishes, abalone and sea cucumber-or haisom, in Chinese. The process of cooking it does challenge your patience and focus. You cannot mess around with delicate and fragile ingredients like haisom.

What ‘s not-to-be-missed?

Of course, the haisom and abalone. They are both beautiful to look at and delicious–art on a plate. Our collection of dim sum is mandatory.

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