For Christmas a normal meal would mean turkey and lots of Christmas goodies, but this is Malaysia and tasting Le Sense’ tasting menu came as an absolute delight. Away from the traditional minced pies and dry turkey with dry stuffing, Le Sense offered us an 8-course tasting menu which takes Japanese and European ingredients and combines them with Cantonese elements.
The results?
An amalgamation of flavours bursting through each bite as we journeyed along the meal.
We started our meal with a lotus root sunomono which was a great teaser of what is to come. A sunomono in Japanese is a side dish that has elements of vinegar to it. This dish incorporates lotus root, an ingredient more common in Chinese cooking in Malaysia to start us off on a culinary adventure.
Next up was the ebi tempura, ebi meaning shrimp, wrapped around in bean curd and with some apricot to give a well rounded balance of both flavours and textures. As the meal gets a little more savoury, this follows up nicely after the initial amuse bouche.
One of my favourites of the night is the Hokkaido Scallop, which was extremely fresh and cooked perfectly. Topped with a porcini truffle pate, and an accompanying flat green bean for an added crunch, the dish screams luxurious and tasty as well.
Up next was a fish maw quenelle covered in a clear consommé bouillon served with a side of broccoli. The fish maw is one of the more unique textured part of the fish which I love. It is usually a piece exalted in Chinese cooking and if you haven’t tried it before, I would recommend this.
I have always been a fan of Spanish Iberian Jowl, whether it is grilled or barbecued. This time it was an interesting ingredient to be used in a typical Cantonese styled dish where it sits on top of a bed of stir fried vegetables. The combination of the jowl and vegetable was amazing and everyone really loved this dish. Probably the star of the night.
I really wished that I could have more of these Wonton, it was plump and filled to the brim. Once you take a bite of them, the juices just explodes in your mouth, bursting with flavours. Together with the broth, it was an amazing combination, one that gets me thinking why does it bring a sense of familiarity but yet excitement.
This fragrant rice brings all sorts of memories of the typical “Lap Mei Fan” or known as claypot rice with cured meat. This has an interesting twist to it adding in additional ingredients and scallops from Aomori, a city in the Tohoku region of Japan. As a guy who loves his carbs, this was the best ending to the savoury part of the meal. Every grain of rice was nicely coated and the balance between the cured meat and the fresh green onions was just right.
There is always room for dessert, I always say. And this combination of a chocolate fudge and Yuzu Panna cotta was just heavenly. You get a nice chunk of chocolaty goodness from the fudge, which was absolutely divine, paired with the citrus-sy flavour of the Yuzu to balance out the richness. It was so so satisfying.
Conclusion
I would recommend you to experience the food and the tasting menu here at Le Sense. I give it 5/5 stars as it is rare for you to find a place which serves food this delicious with a variety and mix of cooking styles and ingredients. I can’t wait to return back and try out their Dim Sum offerings which I heard was really good as well according to this article here.
Where is it?
Located in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, Le Sense Tasting Menu and Dim Sum can be found at
No.8, Jalan SS 20/10, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Reservations – 018-2682333
