MALAY FLAVOURS LEND SHINE AT MADAM LEE

Chef de Cuisine Rizal Sobry has joined hands with Executive Chef Irwan Sutan Chairul to extend the Peranakan palette at Madam Lee Nyonya Private Dining — incorporating timeless Malay recipes with depth, fire and fragrance intact.

The introduction of Malay culinary classics feels more like a homecoming, bringing quiet comfort to the menu. Nestled amidst the grounds of Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya, the restaurant's recessed shelves decked with Peranakan ceramics segue to a soaring high ceiling space and a grand staircase leading to an airy dining space.

Warm and welcoming, we dip and sip on Singgang Seafood Soup (RM30), a coconut milk-based broth cradling prawns, squid, clams, fish and tender vegetables. Modest in appearance but rich in spirit, the creamy and subtly tangy soup leans in with whispers of lemongrass and sweet brine of the sea.

 

Pie Tie (RM28), those crisp little top hats of jicama, mushroom, egg and prawn; Loh Bak (RM25), deep-fried beancurd sheet rolls of meat, vegetables and spices; and Otak-otak (RM25), spiced fish mousse served chilled are ubiquitous mainstays to tickle the tastebuds.

Soft and yielding smoked beef in a golden pool of turmeric and coconut milk—thick, perfumed and almost pastoral in its richness makes the Daging Salai Masak Lemak (RM48) notable. You taste the smokiness first, then the heat of chilli and spices followed by the grassy-citrusy scent of turmeric leaf. It clings to the beef, then lingers long after you’ve set your spoon down.

If that was a murmur, the Paru Sambal Cili Api (RM45) was a roar. Slightly chewy beef lung slices, swimming in a biting-hot bird’s eye chilli sambal, is not a dish for the faint-hearted. But die-hard fans will love it for its fierce honesty.

Take the edge off with Ikan Masak Kicap (RM58), trad fried red snapper doused in a bewitchingly dark sweet-savoury soy glaze. You’d delight in the mellow, gently spiced sauce; sweet at the edges—perfect to go with plain white rice.

 
More amicable options, easy on the tastebuds include golden-skinned Ayam Goreng Berempah (RM32), its spice coating adding appeal to the chook; Chap Chye (RM28), the homey mixed vegetable milieu that tastes like something your Nyonya grandmother might dish up; and a robust, deeply comforting Nyonya Fried Rice.

 
Dessert is whimsical and tropical—Sago Cha Cha with Taro Ice Cream (RM18), creamy and cool on the tongue; and rich yet sticky Pineapple Pulut Hitam Crème Brûlée (RM26), with just the right crackle of burnt sugar on top.

 

At Madam Lee, the spices may flare, the sauces may cling, but there’s always grace in the telling and old flavours bloom anew.
 
For reservations, call Madam Lee Nyonya Private Dining, tel:03-8943 2233 or visit https://www.madamleenyonya.com/
Address: Palm Garden Hotel, Putrajaya, IOI Resort City, Putrajaya