Sy Ly’s great-grandfather worked as a cook for a large bourgeois family before leaving for Malaysia, Singapore and then Cambodia, where he acquired some Kampot pepper plantations.
His grandfather, then his father, were also born in Cambodia and also learned the profession of cook before the family left the country in 1975 to take refuge in Hong Kong. It was there that Madame Ly was born, introduced to great Asian cuisine by her father and grandmother, who was adamant about the quality and origin of the products. With the benefit of this education and her father’s supply networks, Madame Ly decided to leave Asia for the West and finally settled in Paris where she opened her first restaurant with her husband Alain Ly in 1988 in the 8th arrondissement.
The food I serve in my Parisian restaurants is unique. First and foremost, it is the result of my upbringing, as I am heir to a long culinary tradition that developed between China and Cambodia over several generations. My passion for this high-quality gastronomy is therefore steeped in a wide range of traditions learnt by my family over a vast geographical journey rich in lessons and inspirations. And what has constantly guided the work of my forebears, and what I absolutely want to be the guardian and defender of, is the quality of the cuisine I serve to my customers. It would be unimaginable for me to give up what has always driven my love of good food: the freshness and quality of the products with which I and the chefs who accompany me on my adventure work. My recipes reflect this demand for the raw materials we use: I choose products from the sea and the land with care, and above all I strive for excellence. In the kitchen, the pleasure I get from working with such exceptional products is reflected in my recipes. I also make sure that the spices we use – because Asian cuisine is often spicy – do not betray the quality of a product. The reason my black pepper beef is so popular with my customers is that I prepare it with the best fillet of beef available on the market. The tenderness of the meat combined with the subtlety of the sauce we prepare always appeals to the most delicate and demanding taste buds. And it’s the high quality of my preparations, the refinement of the cuisine I serve, that justifies our offering Chez Ly a wine list worthy of the finest restaurants in Paris. We carefully select Champagnes, Bordeaux wines and Burgundy wines from the best winegrowers in France. Yes, steamed ravioli or prawn fritters find an ally in a glass of Chablis: what they develop together, the experience they offer you, is that of the best Asian meal you can have in Paris.
