Lili – The Millen Penang, Modern Malaysian Restaurant
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
There are not many hotel all-day dining restaurants about which we’d write separate articles. However, Lili in The Millen Penang is a different story. While they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, so much effort has gone into curating the finer details, from the setting to the menu, that it feels like an independent restaurant experience and a tale well worth telling.
Serving modern Malaysian cuisine, the menu is exciting. There are so many local ingredients worthy of international recognition that every dish is guaranteed to be a taste explosion for anyone new to the country’s bounty. We want to try everything! Our biggest problem is choosing what we don’t wish to order because, in reality, we want it all.
Lili Menu – The Millen Penang
While we toss coins to decide on our order, a basket of emping (from the seed of the melinjo tree) and fish crackers with four types of sambal – hijau (green chilli), ikan masin (salted fish), udang curry (dried shrimp) and belacan (fermented shrimp paste) – is placed on our table. It’s a complimentary bite for all diners, giving some fun crunch and diverse flavours to explore. My fave combo is the emping crackers with the ikan masin featuring pickled ambarella.
Bites
Lili’s menu has plenty of plant-based options, like Daun Kaduk (RM 22). It’s a local twist on the Thai starter, miang kham. An array of local produce – pomelo, jicama marinated in soy sauce, coriander, green chilli, red onion, lemongrass, lime, crispy coconut and wild pepper leaves (resembling betel) – is swirled around the plate, centred with a spicy lime dressing. You eat this dish by taking a leaf, piling on a little bit of each ingredient, topping it with a splash of dressing, wrapping it into a parcel and popping it in your mouth. It’s wonderfully fresh and full-flavoured – sure to be a firm favourite.
We quickly learn that everything at Lili is beautifully presented. Snapper Otak Otak Toast (RM 24) features a thick, turmeric-coloured fish mousse laid across a thin piece of white toast. Coconut foam, kaffir lime, sambal gel, pegaga relish, and microgreens serve not only as delicious condiments but also as pretty adornments.
We could easily order all of the bites, but acknowledge our stomach capabilities and stop at three. Our third, sees two wafer-thin pastry cups of Scallop Tartar Pai Tee (RM26) attractively plated on a wooden tray surrounded by cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. The tubs are filled with tender scallops and dressed with a tasty peanut sauce, coconut foam, cucumber acar, and crispy shallots.
Small Plates
Another vegan dish, Heirloom Tomatoes & Silken Tofu (RM 30), is stunning on the designer ceramic plate. Halved red and yellow tomatoes are blanketed with squares of tomato water jelly, drops of cashew puree, dried chrysanthemum blooms and ulam in a mildly sweet and tangy lemon chutney dressing.
The Ocean Trout & Jeruk Kedondong (RM 38) is bound to be another hit – it certainly is at our table. Vibrant pink strips of the fish and pickled ambarella lay across a plate adorned with white radish, thin apple slices, sago chips and salmon roe seasoned with a fantastically tangy and subtly sweet calamansi dressing and kulim (jungle garlic) oil.
Large Plates
You’ll never want to eat steak another way again after trying the Smoky Angus Flank Steak (RM 138). It’s charred around the edges and pink in the middle, but the expert grilling is not the only secret. It’s the mouthwatering Malaysian ingredients that accompany it. Masak lemak cili padi (coconut chilli turmeric sauce), kerabu pakis (fiddlehead fern salad), yam, and fried ulam elevate the dish to supreme deliciousness.
Lili’s Signature Plates
Just as I think it impossible for the flavours to get better, we try one of Lili’s signature plates, Atlantic Cod Fish (RM 128). The moist, mild, sweetness and firm, flaky texture of the cod contrasts the addictive tang of the assam pedas (spicy tamarind) risotto. The key ingredients of torch ginger, tamarind, chilli and confit tomato supply floral, tart, heat and sweet notes. What a combo!
Something Sweet
For the sweet tooth, the Chocolate Tian (RM 32) is a beautiful block of brown and deep red layers. Pahang single origin 70% dark chocolate alternates with glacage and hibiscus gel. It’s a bittersweet finale,
Lili Drinks Menu
Kombucha is a perfect companion to a warm afternoon, and Lili proudly serves some island-brewed bevvies by Grower’s Home (RM 20): Summer Daisy with oolong tea, and snow chrysanthemum, and Citrus Glow with oolong tea, orange peel, ginger and turmeric. They’re on the sweeter side for kombucha, so if you’re new to the beverage, it’s an easy introduction to what can sometimes be a powerfully astringent and fermented profile.
Tea Story
If you enjoy sweet, fruity and floral, just like a spring garden, Lili’s Tea Story cocktails are for you. The Chelsea Garden (RM 48) is served in a voluptuous bowl glass, a mix of Whittard Chelsea Garden tea topped up with Prosecco. The G & Tea (RM 48) comes in a coupe with a Himalayan salt rim. English Rose tea marries London Dry Gin with a tropical twist of torch ginger and lime.
Reasons to visit Lili Penang: chic, casual setting with abundant greenery; vibrant, modern Malaysian menu; must order the Ocean Trout & Jeruk Kedondong, Smoky Angus Flank Steak, and Atlantic Cod Fish.
Lili
1st Floor, The Millen Penang, Autograph Collection – Marriott
55 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 George Town
Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Link to Lili on Google Maps
+6 04-565 8888
@themillenpenang
Lili Opening Hours
Daily: 6:30 am – 10 pm
Find more recommendations for gourmet travel to Penang here and stay updated with the latest gourmet happenings around Malaysia via The Yum List on Instagram here and The Yum List on Facebook here.