Li Bai - A Restaurant Review Lunch Date

I got invited for a restaurant review. To set the record right, not by the restaurant nor by any publication. My friend invited me and 2 other friends to make up a party of 4 to complete her assignment of restaurant reviews. You see, my friend is an etiquette coach and writer and she has a long working relationship with Tatler on writing articles for the publication.

So it was my first while the rest were veterans. We went and ordered our lunch as it was any normal gathering with friends. However, we ordered the mandatory dishes to try. I won't comment much on the dishes we tried but blogging about this experience instead.

table placement

My friend did some explanation that the plate and the ring holder for the napkin are made of real jade. The chopsticks are with silver, precious metal and the restaurant charges if you would like to take home as souvenirs.

Fried Cod Rolls

Crystal Dumplings

Li Bai is well known for their dim sums so we had 2 varieties to try. We had the fried cod rolls and crystal dumplings. The fried cod rolls were impressive but could be better if the oil was drained. Crystal dumplings were crunchy with bite side vegetables and the dumpling skin was chewy.

Grilled Lamb Chop

Diced Chicken with Cashews

Asparagus with yellow fungus

Crispy Seafood Noodles

Personally I would not have gone for these if the lunch was hosted by me. I did not know how to come out for the lamb chop which was quite western. The asparagus with yellow fungus and crispy seafood noodles were of standard restaurant's dishes. My favourite would have to be the diced chicken though it was spicy.

Aloe Vera with Grass Jelly

Traditional Red Bean Paste

My friend got the aloe vera with grass jelly as it was a popular dessert of the restaurant while I went for the traditional red bean paste. I was delighted with the red bean paste with its duel texture. It offered the beans and the paste, flavoured with orange peel and lily buds were added.


At the end of our meal, my friend asked to speak to the manager and identified herself. Each guest would comment on a dish that was tried. We also clarified with the manager on their practice of changing our teas towards the end. Then we had to fill in a questionnaire.


My personal feel on Li Bai was that it is a small and intimate restaurant. Located at Sheraton Towers, fringe of CBD area, it offers executive set lunch which I think is a good selling point. Businessmen could come for lunch and talk shop. I peeped at the business lunch menu and noted that the dishes were "easy to bite" type, nothing messy, nothing fanciful.

I liked the cosy setting and I thought this would be a good meeting place if you need to bring both sets parents together for a meal. The price range is still affordable despite being in a town area.


For a complete review on Li Bai, do look out for Tatler's best 2016 restaurants, estimated to be out end of the year.