by Đình Nhi

If you’re eager to impress family and friends with a fancy Cantonese-style meal this weekend but lack the cooking skills, Li Bai is the place to go to.

Named after one of China’s greatest poets, the restaurant recently underwent a full-scale renovation, from interior design and food concept to service delivery.

Its new ambience has contemporary aesthetics inspired by Li Bai’s creations and imagination in his poetry.

A tranquil landscape with mountain, moon and cherry blossoms creates a pleasing atmosphere right at the entrance, whilst the images of koi fish and stars present a wish for prosperity and happiness when you walk through the entrance.

Li Bai stands out among other Cantonese dining establishments for its fine Chinese decor and the artistry that goes into each dish. VNS Photos Thành Chương

Located in HCM City’s busy downtown area, the restaurant stands out among many other Cantonese dining establishments for its unique Chinese decor that tells guests stories about Li Bai, his life and creations but, more importantly, the artistry that goes into each dish.

With its motto of “Go local,” Li Bai only uses ingredients thoughtfully sourced and sustainably harvested from local farms.

The restaurant’s new menu features Cantonese classics with innovative twists and decadent presentations that spotlight traditional cooking techniques from a variety of Chinese regional cuisines.

Food lovers visiting the newly renovated restaurant should not miss the Mekong Delta roasted duck of Peking style or the Peking duck pancake with crispy skin, one of the most exciting and signature dishes at Li Bai.

The highlight, and the pride of the restaurant, is the meticulous way the duck is prepared.

The 10-day cage-free Mekong Delta roasted duck made Peking style is one of the most exciting dishes at Li Bai.

The ducks are of Mekong Delta origin and cage-free for 10 days before they can be used to make the dish.

The origin of the duck and its extraordinary way of cooking make the dish especially aromatic and unique.

The roasted duck featured three courses with pancake with crispy duck skin, baby cucumber and spring onions the favourite one.

Since we are crazy about dim sum, we could not pass up the tantalising array on offer including some speciality varieties on offer like superior abalone dumplings and superior prawn dumplings with Sacha sauce. Both were standout dishes.

Skilfully prepared from the freshest local ingredients, the two dumplings were surprisingly impressive from their look to their natural colours.

My first impression of the stunning dim sums was that they were artworks rather than food.

And after finishing two portions of three dim sums each, I could say they were the best I ever had from presentation to taste and flavour. The prawn and the abalone were as fresh as they could be.

Li Bai’s new signature dim sum dishes include black pepper wagyu beef buns and wagyu char siu.

We however chose black pepper wagyu beef buns in claypot. We really wanted to try both items, but saved room for some other new fascinating spicy delicacies.

The wagyu beef bun was fantastic both in the way it was prepared and served, and its flavour was quite different and irresistibly delicious.

Black pepper wagyu beef buns in claypot are among the new signature dim sum dishes at Li Bai.

We next came to some spicy dishes, also our favourites. There was a long list of new sumptuous dishes including black grouper cooked in clay pot with garlic, ginger and Sichuan green pepper, bean curd with Nha Trang lobster made Sichuan style and mixed seafood fried rice with XO sauce.

We finished the tasty and spicy lobster with bean curd and left the rest for the next visit. I had never imagined bean curd could be so perfectly married with lobster.

It was a truly fascinating dish and one I enjoyed very much. The lobster was very fresh and the bean curd was silken smooth and melted in my mouth.

When it comes to desserts, fresh fruits are always my first choice, but this time it was different though I was confused between a recommended trio of egg tarts that had a chocolate flavour, bird’s nest and pineapple jam.

My vote went to the one with pineapple jam, a truly magic treat.

Other signature desserts included double-boiled bird’s nest with red dates and lotus, and silken tofu pudding with homemade pineapple jam and pineapple carpaccio.

There were also traditional ones like chilled mango cream with pomelo and sago and sweetened red bean and lotus seed soup that are a must-try for sweet lovers when they visit Li Bai. - VNS

Li Bai Cantonese restaurant

Address: 2nd floor, Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera

88 Đồng Khởi Street, District 1, HCM City

Phone: 28 38272828

Price: Dim sum dishes from VNĐ149,000/ three-piece basket

Comment: Cantonese classics with an innovative twist, outstanding presentations, unique interiors