Silent Fireworks

Suckling Pig with Jellyfish

Then one enters Hyatt's legendary Li Li restaurant, one gets the feeling that it is more like a jet setting tai tai’s house than a restaurant. That’s because it was modeled after that. From the private rooms that echo their inspirations’ charms (the library, the drawing room, etc.) to the whimsical flatware, nothing is left to chance. It is a place that simultaneously inspires silence-inducing awe and sumptuous comfort.

Today, it feels as if we have been invited to attend a Chinese New Year lunch by this tai tai. Obviously, Chinese New Year is one of the most important events in the lunar calendar, which makes it a bit intimidating. At Li Li, it feels like a very relaxing dining experience. 

We start off with the Suckling Pig with Jellyfish, which is a dish that is usually served like some sculptor had been let loose in the kitchen. Li Li's version is far simpler, with the tender pork and glistening pork skin lying gently atop a bed of jellyfish. Jellyfish is jellyfish, but the suckling pig is something we have never tried in other places. The pork skin is crisp, but it does not possess a bark-like quality. It is blistered all over from the heat, and it feels like we are biting into a crunch piece of wonton wrapper that just happens to sing with the richness of the pork.

When the Japanese Conpoy Soup with Assorted Seafood and Bamboo Pith arrives, it feels as if it had come from a recipe that Li Li happened to unearth from her library. The soup is redolent with the flavors and textures of the fruits of the sea, and the conpoy adds a unique salty and sour dimension to the hearty soup.

If the soup was one of Li Li's family heirlooms, the Wok-baked King Prawn in Chili Tomato Sauce was surely a souvenir from one of her travels. The fat prawns are good enough to serve as a main dish, and the flavor is more Singaporean than Chinese. The chili tomato sauce stands in for the more familiar sweet and sour sauce that has come to be associated with typical Chinese cuisine. It is inventive, but familiar and comforting at the same time.

The Wok-baked French Duck Breast with Sea Cucumber Fillet in XO Sauce arrives to the sound of gasps. At first, we are not sure what the meat is. Liver? Beef?  Ah, duck! Of course, for Chinese New Year, only the finest will serve for Madam Li Li. And a fine duck it is. The meat is rare on the inside, but it is cooked enough to bring out its rich, gamey flavor. The texture of the sea cucumber is a nice contrast, and the XO sauce... Well, XO sauce makes everything taste good. With the duck, though, Chef Andy Chan shows restraint and does not overpower the taste of the other ingredients.

Of course, Li Li would never serve a Chinese New Year lunch without the all-important fish. Her version is a Steamed Cod Fish with Crispy Minced Bean. The minced bean is, again, a playful addition. It feels and tastes like toasted garlic, but when you let it stay on your tongue, you'll know that it's something special. The fish is cooked to perfection, with the flesh being firm enough to stand the weight and texture of the other ingredients, but still remains fork tender and moist.

The next dish is again, a surprise, mainly because we were not aware that oysters could have such a taste or such a texture. Li Li works her magic on the Braised Dried Oysters with Hair Moss and Sea Cucumber. On paper, it sounds like a simple dish, but the oysters have a texture similar to liver pate, with a complex, smoky flavor. The hair moss and sea cucumber add texture and balance out the strong flavor of the oysters, which makes for a well-rounded dish.

Dessert is a simple affair. After all, it is lunch at “home”. The Chilled Mango Cream is a staple in most Chinese restaurants, but it's lovely how the pomelo chunks in Li Li's version can cut the richness of the mango cream and add some bite, along with the tapioca pearls. Of course, Li Li must serve tikoy and buchi, too. The tikoy has a sweet potato flavor, but it is not greasy and not as eggy as most. 

This Sunday, Hyatt will have special Chinese New Year activities all throughout the hotel, like a dragon dance and activities for children. If you ask us, though, we'd love to have another quiet lunch with Auntie Li Li and partake of another of her culinary adventures.

Li Li is located on the fifth floor of the Hyatt Hotel, 1588 Pedro Gil Corner MH Del Pilar, Malate, Manila. Call 245 1234 for inquiries and reservations.