Whye Whye (left) and Kelly have been working together for over 10 years (All photos: Sam Fong/ The Edge)
Tucked above an unassuming flight of stairs in Bukit Damansara, Jie is a beautiful den of classical aesthetics conveyed with elegant refinement. Upon our arrival, about an hour before service, there is a wonderful smoky smell in the air and plates waiting to receive their contents, as chefs Foong Hew Whye and Chan Min See (better known as Whye Whye and Kelly) attend to the preparations with silent, trained focus. They have exactly the same sense of trusting synchronicity that you would expect from partners in crime for over 10 years. Whye Whye explains, “We both studied French cooking and worked at Nobu KL, and also the Michelin three-starred Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.” They then returned to Malaysia, where they now work with Wong Yin-How, founder of the Tinkermen Collective, which owns Jie.
Although their education was rooted in food from halfway across the globe, there was no denying the power of the nostalgia they felt from their own heritage. “We actually don’t have any background in Chinese cooking,” Whye Whye admits. “But we love the food because our blood is Chinese. We try to infuse some French techniques or ingredients into whatever we make to enhance traditional flavours and come up with something to surprise our guests.”
The duo state that their creations not only incorporate international cuisines, but also draw on the breadth of Chinese culinary genres from the provinces in mainland China and the diaspora beyond. From Yunnan cured meats to aromatic Nyonya curries, the masterminds’ works are a carefully curated exploration of cosmopolitanism that presents an exceptionally holistic and harmonious take on food, never once feeling muddled. Of course, given the establishment’s name, this should come as no surprise: Jie, from the Mandarin shì jiè (world).
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Even the two menus available at the moment are dubbed Shi and Jie for this reason. Currently its pioneering line-ups, they were conceived back in November, with the Lunar New Year in mind. “We thought of making something for single diners or couples to still be able to enjoy the feeling of a reunion dinner. When we both worked abroad, we couldn’t go home during the holiday period, and we couldn’t order too much for the celebration meals since we wouldn’t be able to finish it. This is a good chance for smaller groups to experience a complete menu.”
The dishes evoke all the essentials, from yee sang to lap mei fan and even chang shou mian, using elevated components to deliver the best versions of the flavours most familiar to us. Committed to using only the best ingredients, the chefs diligently head for Selayang market every Monday night to acquire fresh produce for the week. Their two-day advance booking policy also helps minimise waste.
With 10 courses each, the twin lists are identical excepting the fourth and ninth entries: Japanese oyster and scallion noodles for Shi, Australian abalone and braised Filipino sea cucumber for Jie. While the restaurant is tentatively planning to rotate menus every three months, with these scheduled for retirement in mid-March, the resounding praise received since its December debut may be enough to keep them around for a while longer.
Guests can opt for a seven-glass wine supplement, with pairings expertly coordinated by Wong. “The wines are quite elegant. [With Chinese food,] you cannot pick high-alcohol varieties and they can’t be too intense. They need to be very balanced. Even the reds we’ve chosen are more light to medium bodied, in order to blend with the food without overpowering it,” he enlightens us. Inspired by the wine pairings he had tried in Japan, which tend to open with saké, Wong selected the Kid Daiginjyo from Wakayama for a clean, fruity and low-acid accompaniment to the opening dish.
The six drinks that follow are equally international (and niche, being exclusively imported by Vintry), including the Muchada Leclapart de Univers 2021 from Spain, a biodynamic Palamino with a leathery funk from the Jerez sherry region; the crowd favourite Cristom Louise Vineyard Viognier 2021 from Oregon, a refreshingly juicy tipple with predominantly peachy notes; and for dessert, the Domaine Joh. Jos. Prüm Auslese Bernkasteler Lay 2019, a German Riesling bursting with sweet elderflower and blossoms.
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Each plate explores a different and exciting take on the restaurant’s “boundless” concept, but a few key courses truly blew us away with their ingenuity. The first, a deceptively humble bowl of clam congee, is the perfect introduction to Jie’s philosophy of purity: comforting and homey, the silkiness from the Sarawakian heritage adan rice meshes beautifully with the decadent briny quality (which also compensates for the lack of added salt) of the broth used, with an extra warmth from the dash of Chinese wine.
Likewise, the chicken consommé, one of the evening’s highlights, uses 10 thoughtfully chosen ingredients, including cordyceps flowers, Japanese conch head and red dates, yielding a vivid amber colour and equally intense taste. Asked if there was a particular dish they felt had to appear on the menu, Whye Whye and Kelly nod in unison, “Double-boiled soup is a must.”
If you are debating which fourth course would be more enticing, unfortunately we are not able to make the decision any easier. The green-lipped abalone braised for 24 hours in Jie’s superior stock, infused with huadiao wine and goji berries, is tantalisingly tender and pleasantly unctuous. Meanwhile, the plump Hyogo oyster carefully poached in chicken oil and served with Sichuan-style sour spicy sauce made from fermented tomatoes forms an incredibly invigorating bite.
For those who feel lap mei fan has always been too daunting to order in small groups, Jie’s bite-sized solution is brilliant, and a favourite of both chefs as well as guests: A charcoal-barbecued chicken wing stuffed with Thai glutinous rice, pork liver sausage and foie gras emulates the original meat-packed dish to a tee, down to the satisfying pop of the taut, sweet-glazed skin that evokes the casing of waxed sausage.
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The penultimate course is an ode to the rice or noodles that come at the end of a customary reunion dinner, told with a Taiwanese twist. But rather than the lu rou fan-like sea cucumber with leek and shiitake served with sea buckthorn juice-pickled yacon, we felt the bold plate of noodles with black vinegar, deep fried sakura ebi and dried scallops was an unmissable version of a simple meal taken one step above — especially when enjoyed with the hand-ground chilli oil.
As dinner comes to a close, dessert draws on a variety of inspirations, comprising a bottom layer of ginger-infused panna cotta reminiscent of ginger milk curd, topped with lemongrass jelly, bittersweet pomelo and salted starfruit juice for a complex yet refreshing conclusion. To ease you out of the evening, a small platter with tangerine-peel ang ku kueh and a mildly peppery Buddha’s hand citrus candy, washed down with soothing cups of Teochew-style tea that use an oolong and tie guan yin blend, rounds out the meal with grace.
What can we look forward to next round? Well, it seems that Whye Whye and Kelly already have ideas bubbling. “We definitely want to come up with another congee and rice — maybe using a soup inspired by kai si hor fun and elevated with something we may not see in our normal lives, like an almond infusion to give it creaminess,” says the former, adding they hope to explore and study more Chinese food so they may represent the cuisine in their own way.
73-M Jalan Setiabakti, Bukit Damansara. Tues-Sat, 6-11pm. For reservations, contact 012 325 0885.
This article first appeared on Feb 24, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
