Meet Diani Lee, our December cover girl who has beauty, brawn and brains as she talks about her food cravings and adventures.
She looks gentle and homely but she's a passionate and active horse rider. She is family-oriented but also a top entrepreneur. She is the youngest daughter of Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, and she is getting engaged to a loving fiancé. Meet Diani Lee, General Manager of Corporate Marketing and Communications for Country Heights Holdings Bhd, – and our December 2013 cover story – the lady who has it all - beauty, brawn and brains.
We sat down with the bride-to-be to talk about her wedding preparations, exotic bugs she's eaten during her travels and the best place to eat in Bangkok.
In preparation of married life, you are taking some cooking lessons. What is the best dish you can cook and who is your cooking mentor?
I can make good pasta, turkey Bolognese seems to be a dish that I am sometimes asked to prepare. My sisters are both great cooks, Dian for her vongole and Dianna for her special skills in tossing a perfectly delicious salad. I am also learning to make good herbal soups from my mother and future mother-in-law.
Favourite restaurant/café to...
- Showcase the best of Malaysian food
Hawker stalls along Jalan Alor, great variety with a strong city vibe. - Celebrate a special occasion with a loved one
We have been celebrating many brithdays at my sister’s restaurant called Ploy. They make good cocktails too. - For a lazy Sunday brunch
Dim sum at Chuai Heng. They have the best portugese egg tarts and vinegar pork leg stew (chu geok cho).
Your favourite restaurant for a date night?
Strato at The Troika. The food is good, the view is nice and the service is always very friendly.
Food that reminds you of your childhood and what made it memorable?
Mee Sua. Thin Chinese broth noodles that is usually cooked in delicious soups. We eat it at home very regularly, but during special occasions like birthdays and first day of school/exams, the soup is extra special.
Most exciting and unusual dish you have tasted when you travel?
Dragonflies in SzeChuan, China. It’s got a crunchy taste but I wouldn’t crave to eat it again.
Regular dining spot in Malaysia with your family.
Kim Ma Private Dining at the Palace of the Golden Horses. The Canto-fusion menu surprises us every time we visit. Food that you would never dream of putting together taste delicious from the chef’s careful care. My favourite is the soup which the Chef has learned from Diao Yu Tai in Beijing, China’s main hospitality centre for State guests. I will also be holding my registration of marriage there.
If you can only eat from one cuisine for the rest of your life, you would eat...
Mexican food! I used to eat Chipotle (in the US) very often. But now the closest that I can find is in Singapore, a Burrito bar called MuChaChos in Chinatown.
Which country have you been to recently and three restaurant recommendations from that city.
Recently travelled to Bangkok, and a friend brought us to some authentic Thai eateries: Nuer Koo, Paragon Mall (Soup noodles eatery); Suppaniga (Grandmother cooking style kitchen); Waterlibrary (Private dining).
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