Su Lai Xiang

The bustling neighbourhood of Desa Sri Hartamas is best known for its Korean and Japanese eateries, but tucked away in the back streets, Su Lai Xiang serves fantastic vegetarian Chinese cuisine that has secured it the loyal patronage of regulars since it opened its doors more than five years ago. The family-run restaurant is sleek, but the matriarch (who is also the chef), has a clutch of grand-daughters who take pleasure in catering to diners, which adds to the homey quality of the restaurant. Their signature dish—the fried mushrooms—is a testament to their quality of food: the lightly coated oyster mushrooms fried with tiny pearls of chilli padi, curry leaves and an ephemerally creamy sauce make for an unforgettable dish. Another house speciality is the soya chicken, which comprises of hundreds of fine layers of soya perfectly highlighted by minced ginger and served with a side of olive fried rice. It’s hard to find a dish that isn’t extremely competent, and even harder to not return for more.