Somerset Damansara Uptown Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Staycations have been all the rage for a number of years now, as folks look for a weekend getaway within the city they live in. Serviced residences nowadays provide facilities on par with hotels, often with the added bonus of much more space at very competitive rates.

To keep things exciting plan your stay based around the serviced residences location as we did when we recently stayed at Somerset Damansara Uptown Petaling Jaya Serviced Residences. Visit the nearest mall, eat at the neighbourhood restaurants and explore a new part of town, and return home feeling well-rested and rejuvenated.

Somerset Damansara Uptown is one of the premier collection of The Ascott Limited's serviced residences in over 100 cities around the globe. It is conveniently located next to the new Starling shopping mall as well as right in the middle of a commercial hub where numerous offices, restaurants and cafes are situated, making it the perfect home away from home for travellers, those on business or for families looking for a new experience.

The 24-storey serviced residence features 211 contemporary serviced apartments, with a choice of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.  We stayed in the two-bedroom premier apartment, which comes with a fully-equipped kitchen, a living room, dining area, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. We were impressed with the spaciousness of the unit (1066 sqft) which can comfortably accommodate up to five people.

There is a king-sized bed in the master bedroom, as well as a separate working area and ample wardrobe space.The ensuite bathroom comes with shower and eco-friendly bath amenities.

Twin single beds in the second bedroom, just nice for our kids :)

BabySumoKids love their welcome gift

Making themselves at home in the stylishly furnished living area

The apartment is elegantly furnished, with homely comforts such as LED television with home entertainment system, DVD player, washing machine and dryer, a steam iron and ironing board and complimentary Wifi in rooms and all common areas. And since it is a serviced residence, there will also be complimentary housekeeping services which will come and tidy your room for you.

All snuggled up for movie night

In the kitchen, on top of the usual coffee/tea making facilities, you will find cooker hob with hood, microwave oven, toasted, oven, refridgerator, glassware, crockery and cutlery; all of which are available for use should you wish to cook during your stay. Otherwise, there are lots of fantastic dining options within the vicinity. Some of the local eats that we checked out included: Annie 1, Nam Heong Ipoh, and Village Park Nasi Lemak.

There are kids channels available on the TV, or pay a visit to the Children's Playroom located on the Reception level. It kept our kids entertained for hours; they can engage in role play, read a book or play with the toys.  Daniel wanted to take the Shark home.

For guests, there will be a small continental spread served for breakfast, such as cereal, fried rice, fried noodles, eggs and pancakes as well as coffee/tea and juices. You can enjoy an alfresco breakfast or in the Resident's Lounge.

There is also a fully-equipped gymnasium, as well as outdoor gymnasium area should you wish to work out. There is also an outdoor swimming pool as well as children's wading pool with lounge chair to just sit back, relax and enjoy the city skyline.

Verdict: Great for family staycations. We love the swimming pool and children's playroom and there is a shopping mall directly next door if you are looking for more things to do (eat/visit the bookshop/watch a movie). 



The Ascott Limited is a member of CapitaLand. It is one of the leading international serviced residence owner-operators with more than 300 properties in over 100 cities spanning more than 25 countries across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. It operates three award-winning brands Ascott, Citadines and Somerset, and lyf.


Room rates start from RM292.50/night for studio. Check-in time 3pm, check-out time 12 noon.

Location: Somerset Damansara Uptown Petaling Jaya, 2A, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. (For parking, head to Level 3 of The Starling Mall, and follow signs for Somerset guest parking).

Tel: 03-7730 0888

Website: http://www.somerset.com/en/malaysia/petaling-jaya/somerset-damansara-uptown-petaling-jaya

GPS Coordinates: 3.135867, 101.623416

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LI, Damansara Jaya - Contemporary Malaysian Restaurant

A hidden gem in Damansara Jaya, LI Restaurant is a contemporary Malaysian restaurant serving local Malaysian favourites with a twist. The restaurant is the brainchild of three friends Lim Heng Kit, Lim Yee Rui and Lee Ziyan, and the name of the restaurant takes its inspiration from their surnames.

Quirky corners in the restaurant

The menu is inspired by local cultures and ingredients, and enhanced by modern cooking techniques. One of the dishes you will find here is the classic Malaysian kopitiam favorite, kaya toast. However, instead of regular Hainanese bread, LI uses their homemade sourdough bread (RM3) which they pride themselves upon. Even the kaya is homemade (add on RM2), using the sous vide method. Smooth, rich and not too sweet, it goes well with the salted butter (RM2) and sourdough. Diners can also opt to have the sourdough bread with homemade roselle jam or soft boiled egg with soy.

Dragon fruit fizz and pineapple fizz (RM9 each)

One of the must-try items here is the Pork Toast (RM9.50), LI's take on the famous Roti Babi from Yut Kee. Minced pork is topped on their homemade sourdough and then deep fried together. Before serving it is drizzled with chilli mayo and herbs. Crunchy and delicious with a subtle hint of spiciness from the Sriracha mayo.

Porridge aka congee is a comfort food for many Malaysians. LI's congee is one of the bestsellers here, and is made using ikan bilis stock. The congee is topped with spring onion puree, a soft egg, fish sauce caramel, crispy fried ikan bilis and dehydrated kai lan. Not only does it look great, it's such a comforting dish too. Even Hubby who usually avoids congee loved this too.

Ikan bilis congee (RM10)

Chicken rice is another staple for many Malaysians, and LI pays tribute to this dish with their refined rendition, the House Rice Bowl (RM17.90). Using only chicken thigh, it is first brined, then pan seared skin-side down to crisp up the skin to a nice golden hue and then finished off in the oven. It is served with ginger and scallion, pickled cucumber, a soft egg and chilli mayo. Did I mention that I love the eggs here, cooked sous vide so they're always beautifully runny?

My favorite dish here is undoubtedly the Braised Pork Belly (RM30). Everything, from the melt-in-your-mouth texture to the beautiful flavours, was perfect. Amazingly tender, it was complemeted well by the charred lettuce, soft egg, pork glaze, crispy potatoes and ulam leaves. Special mention has to be given to the potatoes - so so good! They've been double fried so that they're really crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This dish comes with two pieces of potatoes, however if you're feeling greedy, you can always order another side portion of crispy potatoes for RM8. Major love for this dish!

If you need something to balance out the meat, try the Charred spiced cauliflower (RM17) served with yogurt and dukkah.

Finish off the meal with a lovely Soy milk panna cotta (RM10) served with pineapple jam and gula melaka sago. Eating this reminded me of tau fu fah.

Opening times: Tues to Fri 11.30am-9.30pm; Sat 10.30am-9.30pm; Sun 10.30am-5pm (*kitchen takes a break from 4pm till 6.30pm). Closed on Mondays.

Location: LI Restaurant, 47 Jalan SS22/23 Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya 47400 Selangor, Malaysia (park at Atria Mall, head towards Pappa Rich and exit - the restaurant will be on the right).

Tel: 03-7733 7692

Website: http://www.lidamansarajaya.com/


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