KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Lotus Root with Fish Paste

Grand Imperial is one of my favourite dim sum place in KL; you’ll see us stuffing ourselves silly with dim sum when the pay cheque’s out. During days when moolah runs low, we’ll resort to our favourite neighbourhood dim sum restaurant Jin Xuan.

My colleagues have raved about the food, and one of them chose to have his wedding reception here! We took their words for it and dropped by one morning. There was no turning back ever since. Usually we are here early to enjoy a quiet morning sipping Chinese tea and reading newspaper, just before the crazy crowd, otherwise known as the lunch crowd, comes in.

Lotus Root with Fish Paste. We were all enticed by the name so I put a big tick on the order sheet. I love the crunchy texture of the lotus root. The fish paste was really smooth and springy too.

The gun tong gao 灌汤饺 (RM12) is probably one of the most expensive dim sum item in the menu but it was worth every single cents. The huge dumpling was filled with a generous amount of pork meat, shark fin stripes and dried scallops. The soup was so clear and so sweet that it’s almost like a sin if you can’t finish em’ all.

Xiao Long Bao 小龙包. The broth within was sweet and flavorful but the skin was too thick for my liking.
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How was your Chinese New Year Celebration? We travelled home (Kuala Terengganu & Ipoh) to visit friends and families. Traditions remain strongest in small towns, a big reason why we look forward to join our families to to celebrate the most joyous holiday of all.

The Chinese New Year holiday has always been a quiet time in Terengganu, the state where Chinese made up a mere 2.6% of the total population.

However, things are a little bit different this year as the Chinatown of KT took on the look of the famous Temple Street of Kowloon, Hong Kong. Even the usually quiet KT town is suffering from traffic jam during the festive period. Definitely a rare sight!

The street of Chinatown has been decorated with lanterns and other ornaments to usher in the new year.

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A year ago, Ken from foodpoi told us, “You must try this stall call Ah Khai at Section 20! Their char siew is simply divine! Ah Khai, the Bangla look alike stall owner used to work in Hong Kong to master the technique of roasting.”

A month ago, David from Nuffnang told us the same thing. He described the char siew as fork tender with crispy burnt bits, and its cut into large chunky pieces.

Their words kept repeating in my mind but we are always occupied during the weekends. It wasn’t until last last Saturday that we made a detour to Restoran Simon’s Delight for Ah Khai Char Siew instead of going to our favourite breakfast haunt at O&S.
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While everyone was partying the night away as they usher in the new year of 2010, we headed to Lala Chong for some rockin’ Chinese-style seafood. I believe Lala Chong needs no further introduction as they have made a name in the local dining scene as the famous seafood restaurant opposite Terminal 3 of Subang Airport.

Little did we know that they have expanded to Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara, just a little further down from our perennial favourite – Pantai Seafood Restaurant. Good for PJ folks like us!

We started off with the famous pucuk paku tossed with chunks of canned tuna, chili and garlic (RM10). Weird combination but it was really delicious!

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Char Siew Zai is one place that we discovered by chance and has been going back ever since. The reasons being?

1. High tossing wantan mee
The noodles are boiled and go through a cold bath to ensure the ’springyness”. The breath taking moment come when the cook throw it up high and catch it with a sieve. This is repeated for a few times to ensure that the excessive moisture is well drained. The noodles were really good – springy, flavorful and firm!

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I have a confession to make – I’m not a morning person. Being able to sleep till noon is a comforting reminder that I occasionally get time off work and I really appreciate that. So whenever KampungBoy tries to wake me up for breakfast, I would protest, “Sunday’s the only morning I can sleep. Can’t we eat later?” and turn my back against him. But there’s always an exception, there is one favourite breakfast place that I’m willing to wake up early for – SFS (aka 747) Kopitiam.

And in SFS Kopitiam, I found the love of my life - beautifully caramelized char siu that literally melt in your mouth. Another perennial favourite is Famous Seremban Favourites.

Other than char siu, the vietnamese style curry noodles is something not to be missed too.

However, the wait is excruciating here. Be prepared to wait for at least half an hour or more as everyone else seated inside the coffee shop will be waiting for the same plate of porcine goodness! I noticed that the man who is manning the stall keeps thrusting tray after tray of char sius into the oven for reheat. The secret behind the awesome char sius?

The waiting finally paid off when our curry noodles (RM4) came in its full glory cockles. The ingredients given were pretty generous; we had cockles, taufu-pok, long beans and char siew. Thumbs up for the curry broth, it was thick and rich, with a mild peppery heat and intensely flavorful spices.

Fatter strands of wantan noodles were used for the curry broth, we were told.

We also had the dry version, tossed well in a light brown sauce. The piece de resistance is the char siu; caramelised blackish layer with slightly charred bits and tender layers of fat and meat. We asked for half fat half lean and regretted as it was too greasy for our liking. We’ll stick to lean + siu siu fat next time.

747 Kopitiam (SFS Kopitiam)

Jalan PJU 1/3C,

Sunway Mas Commercial Centre.

Many thanks Dragon-I and Kong Wai Keong, the Public Relations(PR) consultant for Dragon-I restaurants for inviting us over for a food review session on their Hairy Crab Set Menu. Priced at RM128 nett / person (min 3 pax), the set consists of Steamed Hairy Crab, Steamed Shanghainese Dumpling with Crab Meat, Double-Boiled Superior Chicken Soup, Fresh Vegetable Cooked with Crab Meat, Yong Chow Fried Rice and Sesame Dumpling in Ginger Soup. The deal is not too bad at all, considering the fact that we paid about RM70 to RM90 just for the crab.

Dragon-I’s interior is modern but not too intimidating and details abound, from the display of the grand statues of Qin terra cotta warriors to the beautiful tea cups.

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So I had Tian Tian’s Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Court last weekend. Three years back, it was so good it brought tears to my eyes but now the standard has dropped considerably. Feel so sorry for Christine and Huai Bin that I dragged over to the long queue.

What about our very own champion Chicken Rice?  Crowned as the Malaysian Hainan Chicken Rice Open Competition champion in 2007, Tasty Chicken Rice is located within Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara.

So did the rice pass the test?

Each grain stood out as a fluffy and warm individual, unlike Tian Tian’s version which is slightly sticky and lumpy. However, Tian Tian’s chicken rice was very flavorful and aromatic when compared to Tasty’s chicken rice. Wouldn’t it be nice if we can have the best of both worlds?

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The title is self explanatory. Together with my usual partners in crime, we drove back to my lovely hometown, Ipoh and practically nonstop binge eating through out the week. I’m now having a hard time adjusting back to our usual de-lata lifestyle here at KL.

As usual, the balik kampung rush has choked the highway to death. Time flies when we were having fun gossiping and before we knew it, the Simpang Pulai toll is just few kms away.

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Very often we find ourselves driving around the vicinity of Dataran Sunway Kota Damansara, deciding on a new place to dine. Last Sunday, I spotted the bright neon light signboard of Steam King (what a catchy name!) as me and my friends drove along. So we turned back and parked our car before heading to the restaurant.

Apparently, Steam King is made famous by their steamed fishes. We ordered the steamed fish with soy sauce, scallion and ginger. Steamed just right, the fish was pearly right with a moderately firm texture. The chef had done a very good job but the fish itself had a somewhat muddy taste.

The curry version fares better. Perhaps we got a better fish or the strong curry works in hindering the unpleasant muddy taste?

The piece de resistance is the steamed frog legs with ginger. The delicate meat was sweet with a firm texture. With a little rice wine or ’shao xing’, ginger juice and shredded ginger, the sauce was lip smackingly good!

We were equally satisfied with the oh so sweet and fresh steamed lala with lots of garlic.

All in all, Steam King is a pretty decent place for a guilt free Chinese dinner. Maybe luck is not on our side with the fishes with muddy taste. We reflected this to the lady owner and she assured us that it will not happen again.

Steam King
7 Jalan PJU 5/10 Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara,
47810 Selangor
012-9079177‎
03-6140-7460‎ – Fax

UPDATE: Meng Kee @ Tengkat Tung Shun has been reallocated to Jalan Alor (next to Hotel Nova).

For those staying around Subang and Shah Alam, you can always get your char siu fix at the branch in Glenmarie without beating the traffic into the city.

Having received much press coverage; Meng Kee is still a no frills and humble little eating establishment with minimal renovation. Good food matters right?

Meng Kee’s oily rice is flavorful but I find it rather wet and lumpy.

Unlike some char-siu-like impostor with artificial coloring, Meng Kee’s char siu is gleaming in a deep mahogany color. Apart from that, their char siu is the sweeter version with a thick caramelized crust. Take a bite of the succulent and tender meat and you are in heaven!

However, I still think that Meng Kee’s char siu could not rival Famous Seremban Favourite’s char siu. FSF’s version is less sweet, more tender and juicier. Hmmm let’s just say that Meng Kee’s char siu is rated as the second best in my list!

The steam chicken was decent, but nothing spectacular though.

Innards (liver) Sausages are my perennial favorite but it is such a rare sight at “siu mei” joints nowadays. My lunch buddies expressed their shock and disgust over the sausages but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Never feed an Ipoh girl with such skinny taugehs. Politely, I shoved it away and continue tucking into my char siu and liver sausages.

Generally, Meng Kee serves top notch char siu with pretty decent “side dishes”. A simple meal at Meng Kee is light on the pocket too; we paid about RM12 per person for a hearty meal over here. Do remember to avoid the lunch-time crowd if you intend to drop by.

Meng Kee Char Siu
20 (Ground), Jalan Pekedai U1/36
Hicom Glenmarie Industrial Park
Shah Alam.
Tel No: 019 – 379 3629
Opens for breakfast and lunch. Close on Mondays

Butter Mantis Prawn with Corns (RM 15) – so delicious that it is worth going the extra miles.

If you are a seafood fanatic, Restoran Boston Baru is the place to go. Our friend, Miss J who knows her way around Klang brough us here for dinner one day, and it is apparent that Klang people loves this place too.

We reached at 7pm sharp but to our horror, the place was packed and all tables were fully occupied. We even bumped into James who went home disappointed after seeing the crowd. Finally the long wait is over when the butter mantis prawn came to our table hot and crispy. Unlike some other version with too much flour, Boston’s version is perfect with the right proportion of batter. The butter sauce with corns was incredibly rich and creamy with an enriched butter taste. Definitely one of the best!

Steamed Lala with Superior Stock (RM 12) is one of their signature dish and you can easily spot it in every table. Steamed with fried garlic,  birds eye chilli, ginger and rice wine, the lalas were so fresh and juicy. The sweet and spicy superior stock was extremely addictive to the senses too. Even for a person who can tolerate spicy food well, KampungBoy still find it spicy (in a good way).

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