Li Yen @ Ritz Carlton, KL

I was 1/2 hour late for lunch appointment with my ex-client, JC and was panting when I stepped into Li Yen. He could still put on his smiling face, and said 'aiyo, you so late, and I need to rush le'. Despite my 'lateness', JC was gentleman enough, and waited for me to do the ordering.

Having used to get his approval for media planning job previously, I had my pick, and upon getting his nod, proceeded with the order. ^-^

After the quick order, only then I admired the ambiance within Li Yen, which in Chinese signifies 'Beautiful Garden'. Yes, I agree that Li Yen is indeed beautiful, with elegant interiors that offers touch of contemporary design. In addition, I also liked the fact that Li Yen also offers 'privateness' as it wasn't too packed with customers, and not too noisy, unlike some hotel restaurants.

Inside Li Yen

The first served was the deep fried prawn ball paste filled with cheese, coated with almond flakes. The almond gave the crunchiness, the melting cheese inside gave the strong aromatic cheese smell whilst the fresh prawn paste gave the bounciness texture. And me being a prawn lover, this was an instant hit for me.

Deep Fried Prawn Paste Ball with Almond Flakes. Price-RM12

The chunks of prawn with melted cheese inside

Luckily we did not order 2 bowls of the porridge as the portion was big enough for sharing. The porridge must have been cooked for a long time, as the texture was real smooth, just the way I like porridge to be done. The frog used was absolutely fresh. .

Porridge with Frog

The sharksfin dumpling was also very good. Filled with chunks of meat, and topped with thin cut of sharksfin, and crabroe, yummy!

Sharksfin Dumpling

JC doesn't fancy siu mai, and the staff was kind enough to customize this order, from 4 to 2 dumplings, for my consumption. This is what we called flexible enough to cater to customers' needs!! ^-^
I of course liked the siew mai. Compact with chuncks of meat, topped with crab roe, this siu mai was tasty, and filled with freshness.

Siu Mai. Price-RM10 for 4 dumplings

Being a char siu pau lover, this is 1 order ought to be missed. The skin was soft and fluffy, and filled with juicy char siu meat. I loved this tooo...

Char Siu Pau

The baked egg tart needless to say, also tasted good. The outer pastry crust was fluffy, filled with fresh egg custard. Love the golden yellow color of the egg custard.

Baked Egg Tart. Price-RM9

It was years back that I had lunch at Li Yen, and after this recent visit, it is no wonder Li Yen is a favorite of JC, and I couldn't agree more. With the beyond satisfactory service rendered by their staff, the relaxing ambiance and top quality food, why wouldn't Li Yen be ones's favorite. Thanks to JC for lunch, and his suggestion to come to Li Yen, as this would be a much better option than my earlier suggested hotel restaurant. :p

Li Yen
The Ritz Carlton
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2142 8000

Business Hours :
12pm-2.30pm, 6.30-10.30pm (Mon-Sat),
10.30am - 2.30pm, 6.30-10.30pm (Sun & Public Hols)