LE SENSE Modern Chinese Restaurant in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, takes the uncommon path in serving dim sum for dinner, not for breakfast or lunch.

It is a delightful, satiating experience as you take time to savour each dim sum or small plate of fine food, skilfully executed in this restaurant, paired with champagne or wine.

It is all about premium ingredients, expressing Chinese flavours with Japanese techniques.

Our first course of Hokkaido Sea Scallop (Tai Chi Mai) and Sea Prawn Dumplings (Har Kau) served in a bamboo basket may be classic Cantonese dim sum, but the almost paper-thin translucent wrappers for both, and the freshest prawns and luscious scallops made them a standout.

I loved the mouthfeel of the hand chopped Kurobuta Pork Ball sitting on a radish slice in a dashi stock. Topped with tobiko, it had bounce and sweetness, and was sublime with the radish drenched in the smoky, light dashi. It’s in the nimono style or simmered dish in a Japanese course meal.

Swallow’s Nest, a light, airy deep-fried treat was next, encased within were crabmeat, cheese and prawn. The crispy nest crumbled and released sweet crab and prawns in a melty, cheesy flow on to the palate.

Next, it was the Mozzarella Prawn Ball, shaped with chopped blue tail prawns (a hard-to-find local species of sea prawns) crusted with tiny bread cubes and deep-fried. So, we bit into the crispy bread bits, descended into sweet and delicious prawns and caught the spill of melted mozzarella.

The Japanese Daikon Cake with Dried Scallops had the perfect texture, soft without being mushy, textured with radish strips and flavoured with bits of Chinese sausage. I enjoyed also its pan-fried crust, and the sweet, deep-fried shredded dried scallop on top.

A dim sum dinner at Le Sense would not be complete without Loh Mai Kai or steamed glutinous rice with chicken. Every grain of the sticky rice was infused with the combined flavours and aromas of the marinated chicken, Chinese sausage, tender Iberico pork jowl and mushroom. It was a luscious, perfectly steamed Lo Mai Kai.

The Szechuan Gyoza had the most delicate and smoothest skin, wrapping a ball of Japanese wagyu beef. There was some heat from the chilli oil and a little tartness in the sauce drizzled over this exquisite dumpling.

We just had to try the Gourmet Fishball made with three types of fish paste: Sai To (ikan parang or wolf herring), Taufu Yue (Red Belly Yellowtail Fusilier) and Kau Yue (tenggiri or mackerel). Each contributed to the natural bounce and sweetness of this excellent fish ball.

The Twice Cooked Rice Vermicelli with La La had the noodles pan-fried, then braised with la la (local mussels), cabbage and scallions. The noodles stayed firm, moist and a little sticky in the skilful braising, with the la la tumbling out its sweetness and embracing them. They tasted so good!

Chilled, slithery smooth Lemongrass Jelly topped with mango and fragrant Osmanthus Cake completed our superb dim sum dinner.

You could take your pick of dim sum and other dishes from the a la carte menu: Kurobuta Pork Ball (RM32), Loh Mai Kai (RM20), Sea Prawn Cheese Ball (RM18) pan-fried Daikon Cake with Japanese dried scallops (RM18), Hokkaido Sea Scallop and Sea Prawn Dumplings (RM24), Sang Har Fresh Prawn Noodles (RM69), among others.

*Le Sense is at No 8, Jalan SS20/10, Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7731 8311, 018-268 2333. It opens at 6pm daily except Monday.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.