Restaurant JIE embraces a new season with refreshed menu of Chinese culinary comforts

Teochew orh nee, transformed from a sweet treat into savoury espuma with waxed meat. 

Chicken rice, reimagined with dry-aged, charcoal-grilled meat that hits hard with crackly heat.

Assam laksa, its briny tang refocused into a hawker-turned-haute fish tartare with pomelo.

The seasons have shifted at Bukit Damansara's Restaurant JIE: Its latest multi-course menu swaps the celebratory fireworks of the new year for comforting flavours that fuse familiarity with personality and flair.

Chefs Whye Whye and Kelly turn out tributes to tradition, showing fresh sides to staple favourites. 

Cantonese-style chicken soups straddle their soothing soul with a sensual sheen. 

Kai lan with fermented beancurd is made mellow in taste but muscled-up in texture.

JIE proves it's no flash in the pan, that its chefs have the instincts and insights to tap into intricate facets of international cuisines. They emerge with revelatory perspectives on how the Chinese culinary canon can evolve in an ever-changing world.

Equally impressive is the wine curation of mainly French, Italian and German estates, esteemed for representing the pinnacle of the vintner's craft, impeccably paired with Chinese pleasures by one of Malaysia's leading wine tastemakers.

These offerings will run through mid-June - the JIE degustation menu is now RM388++ and the SHI menu is RM328 (add RM198++ for wine pairings). Reservations are essential.

Congee is a constant in the kitchen's symphony, a heartwarming opening note of gently glutinous Sarawak Adan heirloom rice with oceanic overtures.

This season, it simmers with the delicate depth of dried scallop stock and Chinese wine, with no extra salt needed, threaded with Australian sea cucumber for silken, sea-scented seduction.

Next, a bold ballet of swirling inspirations - Japanese yellowtail sashimi with caviar and Tambun-cultivated pomelo, turned into a tartare tinged with mint leaves, pineapple and bunga kantan, briny, bright and bittersweet beneath a cracker canopy, evoking the essence of Penang assam laksa with its dynamic fan dance of fish, fruits and flora.

Alcohol pairings blossom with the Midorikawa Junmai Ginjo, brewed from Yamada Nishiki rice in the cool climes of Niigata. Low in acidity, light on the palate, the sake provides poise instead of punch, with a restrained roundness to harmonise with the raw fish.

Orh nee, but not as we know it: The third course of taro espuma makes for a creamy, earthy cloud over a mosaic of Chinese waxed meats, including lap cheong and lap yuk, laced with slivers of Italian pancetta, Spanish Espelette peppers and mushrooms, trading the candied sugariness of a Teochew dessert for sophisticated sweet-savouriness, balancing home-cooked charm with a chef's refined finesse.

The Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec 2019, a Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley, reflects the reverence of wine lovers worldwide to the virtuosity of vintage-signer Philippe Foreau.

This wine, now six years in, is starting to reveal its secondary layers, under a framework of pure, precise acidity. Its razor-sharp minerality and breadth of structure yields a yin-and-yang counterpoint that pierces cleanly through the richness of the taro and waxed meats.

Two choices of soup supply a study in subtlety, promising thoughtful nourishment in Cantonese-style free-range chicken consommé with Chinese baby cabbage.

In the JIE menu, this restorative soup is enriched with the luminous luxury of silken Norwegian cod fish maw; in the SHI menu, it crunches with the lacy bite of wild bamboo fungus. Both come with shavings of jamón serrano and a secret infusion of almonds, each contributing its own uniquely nutty undertones.

Sabah coral grouper, coveted for its firm flesh and fresh flavour, is pan-seared, then finished on the flames of a Tansho fire-brick charcoal grill, for smoke that whispers without overwhelming. The fish rests on broth built with grouper bones and superior stock, unseasoned to conserve its clarity, punctuated with the pop of sweet peas. Drops of Fino Sherry are folded in for a lift of aromatic elegance, again with accents of almond. 

The pairing of David Moreau Santenay Beaurepaire 1er Cru Blanc 2021, a rising star from the Côte de Beaune, points to the potential of Santenay, a commune long overshadowed by its flashier Burgundy neighbours, now reaping recognition for its remarkable whites.

This character-driven Chardonnay is calm but confident, mirroring the fish it accompanies. Flinty on the nose, it opens into a chalkier core that channels limestone soils, with fleetingly supple hints of pears and cherries.

The centrepiece of this season is roasted chicken rice, reimagined with flames and flair.

Free-range chicken thigh is dry-aged for a day to deepen its taste and tenderness, then grilled over charcoal for bolder oomph, convincingly crisp-skinned with a smooth, satisfying chew. The entire ensemble is carefully considered - Japanese pearl rice with the caramelised gloss of scallion oil; textured ginger sauce with vibrant sharpness; and house-blended chilli sauce that synergises Vietnamese and Thai heat, with even a little touch packing a big punch.

Guests will finally turn red with this pairing, the Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 2018, a generous Pinot Noir that also harks to Côte de Beaune.

Leaner and fresher than the typical Pinot while nonetheless signalling a signature earthy Burgundy undercurrent, its saline, smoky edge echoes the char of the chicken. It's one of the evening's most approachable pairings, a testament to how regional French vineyards that traditionally focus on white wine are adapting to a new era of reds because of climate change.

Hong Kong kai lan might seem overfamiliar, but JIE jazzes up this household perennial with top-tier techniques. The greens are gorgeously poached before reaching the grill, their natural juiciness preserved, overlaid with a pleasant sultriness.

The sauce - fermented bean curd with soy milk to soften the funk - strikes surprising chords of umami, crackly with sakura ebi and breadcrumbs, polished with lemon zest and garlic flowers for zip and zing. Chinese broccoli might be a humble vegetable, but JIE can take pride in this.

The JIE and SHI menus part ways for the penultimate course, each a soulful expression in its own right.

For JIE, a preparation that draws deeply from sea and land - amaebi, plumply plopped over broth that's crafted completely with cold-water shrimp, cushioned with crispy puffed Japanese rice and asparagus lettuce, for a tide pool of playful flavours and textures.

For SHI, slender strands of somen in morel broth, the gastronomic equivalent of a walk in the woods, brightened with sparks of yuzu, white pepper, spring onions and Amontillado sherry for toasty, leathery notes.

Versatile enough to dialogue with both those dishes, the G.B. Burlotto Langhe Nebbiolo 2022 hails from the highest and coolest of Barolo's villages in mountainous northern Italy's Piedmont. It remains gracefully grounded in younger vines for early enjoyment with a supple silhouette; while its relatively pale hue might suggest slightness, its tannins possess power to enhance its essential elegance.

Dessert invites discovery with each scoop, layered at its base with a jelly of black-skinned winter melon, slow-cooked before being set beneath calamansi granita for icy, citrusy contrast. Above them all, coconut milk caresses with classic peach gum, resonating with memories of a multitude of Chinese banquets.

The closing wine - J.J. Prüm Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Auslese 2019 - is a crown jewel of the Mosel, an icon of one of Germany’s most revered estates. With just around 90 grams of residual sugar per litre, its sweetness is never weighty, effortlessly drinkable with the buoyancy of crystalline acidity. It might be a trophy bottle but it's a thoughtful finale, with a nectarous backbone that lushly uplifts us through the winter melon dessert.

End with mignardises that take JIE's themes to triumphant completion - a sweet potato ball with an indulgent personality, lusciously stuffed with custard, and a sticky gummy of loquat and strawberries with peachy tartness.

Tea is the alpha and omega for every encounter with Restaurant JIE.

To welcome us, the latest seasonal blend of dried longans and sprouted barley with red dates, chrysanthemum and goji berries, calmingly mild enough for some patrons to sip an entire pot.

 

To usher us out, a Teochew-rooted tea ceremony of fresh-brewed Fujian oolong and tie guan yin, clear and fragrant with long-lasting aromatics, meticulously poured for us to relish the moment, encouraging warm thoughts before leaving.

JIE (界)
73-M, Jalan Setiabakti, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, from 6pm. 
Tel: 012-325-0885