KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Ban Lee is one of the few old school bakuteh establishments in KL  that still uses charcoal fire to heat up the claypot. It is also one of our favourite haunt for bakuteh because it is open throughout the day, albeit run by different bosses (I think).

Afternoon Session:

The bakuteh here is of the dark broth variation and is full of herbal aroma and flavor. There is also this bitter after taste that we absolutely adore while some find it too strong for their liking.

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With the famed Mo Sang Kor Bakuteh, Pao Xiang Bakuteh and Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih all located within the same row of shop lots, Taman Berkeley of Klang is probably a good place to do a mini food crawl.

However with only so much space left to relish our food, we opted for Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih since Mo Sang Kor has a branch outlet in Lot 10 Hutong while Pao Xiang already has a presence in One Utama and Pavilion.

Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih House is apparently a very popular restaurant. Rave reviews were all over the internet when I tried goggling. Apart from that, most of the tables were occupied by the time we got there. So we queued up, placed our order at the stall and prayed, hoping that we won’t have to wait too long for our food.
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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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There’s no shortage of hype over Lot 10’s  swanky new food court “Hutong” ever since they opened the door to the public last year. With so much already being said I was tempted to keep it short and sweet, but that just wouldn’t do it justice.

My Singaporean cousin came to visit last weekend so we brought her here.  There’s no better place to savour the best of KL’s hawker food in an air conditioned indoor huh? We took the escalator down to the lower ground floor of Lot 10 and were greeted by a wood carved signage that shows “Shi Hao Hu Tong”. It was written by Chua Lam, the Hong Kong food connoisseur, in Chinese Calligraphy and punctuated with his own signature.

The highlight of Hutong Lot 10 is that some of the stalls were hand-picked by Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and most of them serve non halal food. Other than some familiar names like Hon Kee Porridge, Kim Lian Kee, Campbell Street mini popiah, Jalan Gasing Ipoh Nga Choi Gai, Ho Weng Kee wantan mee, Soong Kee beef noodles and Mo Sang Kor bak kut teh, we spotted some non heritage stalls like Luk Yu Tea House, Ducking, Taiwan Recipe, I Love Yoo! and Kluang Station that cater to the tourists and the like.

The food court was redesigned to create a contemporary modern ambiance but the different splashes of vibrant colours are giving me a headache. Apart from that, the stalls are placed in between different dining areas so it can be really confusing. I shall not complain too much because the food is really good here. Let’s see what Lot 10 Hutong has got to offer.

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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.

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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It has been a while since we have posted good places to eat around Seri Kembangan. For those who are new here, we used to reside around SK when we first started the blog, hence the numerous reviews on eateries around SK. While I was about to reformat my PC, I found some long forgotten pictures from those “seri kembangan days”. One of them is this famous mamak that takes it place in front of the tyre shop only after 930 pm daily.

The mamak is  popular;  with a fair amount of Chinese, Malay and Indian groups frequenting it.

For only RM1, one gets a packet of nasi lemak biasa. Hard boiled egg, mutton curry and chicken feet curry are among the famous side dishes that most patrons would order.

Although eating chicken feet is an acquired taste, but I swear by it. I love eating chicken feet when it is fresh cooked and hot. The mamak’s version was even better – drenched in aromatic thick curry sauce, it goes very well with our packets of nasi lemak. (RM 2 for 3 feets)

Our perennial favourite – roti tisu (RM 1.50) fares pretty well too. Paper thin, crispy, with coarse-grained sugar crystals for the sweet-toothed, it has won our votes!

How I miss those Seri Kembangan days where good and cheap food is aplenty…

On a totally random night, KampungBoy brought me to Selera Jaya 223 for some piping hot nasi lemak and boy, I was hooked after that. I have been begging him to take me here for supper almost every week! As you can see, the place is bustling with activities, even after 12 am, which make it a great place for hang out session.

Mind you that the vendors here are very territorial and they will lead you to their “little territory” before darting away to some new customers again. you can only order drinks from certain stalls, depending on where you were seated. We have always preferred to sit at some blue coloured table at the right side of the food court, because the drinks are really nice! The milo ice (RM 1.60) deserves a special mention here; as it is very kao and and not overly sweet.

One can choose from two type of nasi lemak here – Yati’s (red label) or Suri’s (blue label). As you can see, our favourite remains Yati’s despite the fact that most people loves Suri’s. Suri’s version has comes with some fiery sambal which I can’t really tolerate. Yati’s sambal is sweeter and goes really well with the hot and fluffy nasi lemak. Well, it really depends on individual.

Our RM 1.20 nasi lemak comes with the usual condiments such as sambal, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts and half a hard boiled egg.  Being served hot all the time, the amazing fragrance of the rice will waft out, which drives us wild! Usually I’ll take 3 packets of these (heck, it’s only RM 3.60) while KampungBoy will down 5 packets of these when he’s starving!

We have got very nice and prompt services here as well. If the packaging of the nasi lemak feels cold to your touch, you can always ask them to bring a new batch over. Even the sambal, fried anchovies and roasted peanuts are free flow!

Otak-otak too, is selling like hot cakes here. At only RM0.50/RM0.60 (depending on which stall) per piece, it makes a great snack!

Do come by anytime to experience some hot and piping nasi lemak. You wont’t regret it. You might see us gobbling down our nasi lemak like there’s no tomorrow too!

Map to Nasi Lemak 223

A food crawl isn’t complete with only satays right? Our walking food guide, Simon suggested Kou Lou Chao Fern (Tall Man’s Fried Noodles) at Kepong Dai Gai (Jalan Besar Kepong) as the next destination. Our eyes lit up immediately, and everyone started to nod frantically because we were famished!

“Take us there, NOW!”

So here we are, at this nostalgic looking coffee shop name Seng Yuen. The coffee shop was full, with tables spilling out onto the corridor as well. We leave it all to Simon to take the orders while we found ourselves busy snapping pictures around.

Our food took forever to come, so we subjected our hunger to warm tea, and more warm tea which did not help one bit. We were here before 11 pm and we started eating only at 12 am!

Simon’s Expression – an hour before

Simon’s Expression – an hour later

My favourite – Kong Fu Yin Yeong (RM 6) was the first to arrive. Drenched in eggy starchy sauce, laden with generous helpings of vegetables, fishcake, pork slices and prawns, it sure looks good. However, I took a bite and was disappointed that the noodles tasted pretty bland. Down it with more chili sauce, says WMW.

Kou Lou’s signature noodles – Hokkien Mee (RM 12). This was alright; the only let down would be a lack of wok hei. Down it with more lards, says WMW. All were forgiven after I stirred in those deep fried greasy cubes into my bowl of noodle. The hokkien mee emerged as the best dish that night.

Braised Yee Mee (RM 6) – Palatable and nothing fantastic.

Guess the old uncle was too tired dealing with the massive crowd that night. Given Simon’s raving and witnessed the number of patrons that wait patiently for their plate of hokkien mee, it still warrants a possible future visit.

Despite feeling rather full from the food that we had, desserts always have an extra space. So, we dropped by Tim Pan Gor Gor (opposite Carrefour) for some sweet soups and desserts.

*shy*

almond sweet soup + black sesame sweet soup (RM 3.30)
almond sweet soup + red bean soup + lotus seed (RM 3.30)

I love the varieties this place has as they are not the usual things that you get, ie flavored taufufa, mango noodles, mochi and various mixed tong sui.No complains for the sweet soups as the combinations were really nice an special.WMW and Jason shared the mango noodles. The strands of noodles sure look like the usual hor fun but they were actually jellies.

We called it a night at 1 am and guess how much we spent? RM 15 per person! Pretty amazing isn’t it? Next food crawl – Seri Kembangan? Old Klang Road? Or Puchong?

Four crazy floggers embarked on a gastronomic journey to Kepong one night (for full story, read here). Without knowing every nooks and crooks beyond the Damansara/Kepong toll, it was an impromptu trip – we just got to know the destination after we hopped onto the car!

WMW and I dreaded to read the map. The reason? Read up “why men don’t listen and women don’t read map”. So we put all our faith and trust to Jason to guide us to (da dum!) Taman Ehsan Jaya for duck satay that was introduced by vkeong not long ago! Half way through, we picked up Simon who resides in Kepong and was told that we were heading towards the wrong direction! Jason ar Jason…

Makan Kaki

The spicy and creamy peanut sauce complements the smoky-sweet elements of the satays beautifully. Jason downed the sauce till the last drop.

The satay came piping hot in a short while after we placed our order. The duck satay is very similar to the usual chicken satay that we ate, being a little sticky, a little sweet and smoky. The distinctive difference would be the very interesting texture – grease free and extra chewy but with a crunch.

I love the chicken satay to every bit because it is full of flavor and the chewy texture of duck meat. The best thing is it costs only RM 0.60 per stick, which is slightly cheaper than my (old) favourite Satay Haji Samuti. WMW and me even ordered extra sticks to go!

When’s the next food crawl, fellow floggers? :p

Sen Kee Satay
Jalan 12, Taman Desa Jaya
Kepong
Tel : 019-218 7538/019-249 2572
Opens from about 6pm – 10.30pm
Close on Mondays

Teaser on Kepong Food Crawl Part II:

In quest for the best claypot chicken rice…
It brought us to Damansara Jaya (near KDU College). The first place to go is Restaurant Busy Corner which is always bustling with activies, even on a weekday night. Variety is the key here, other than the usual claypot chicken rice; one can opt for claypot prawn rice, claypot beef rice, and some soupy dish that goes very well with rice and is hearty enough to be a main course if you wish to.

Claypot chicken rice (RM 6, small) has always been our old favorite. It is amazing that how the simplest of ingredients are transformed into something such amazing one pot meal! Busy Corner’s version sans the appearance of lap cheong (Chinese was sausages) is quite a let down. Despite the rice being soft and fluffy, the chicken pieces were tough and dry.

Our claypot prawn rice (RM 13, small) came sizzling hot with a generous serving of de shelled prawns, a good sprinkling of raw onions and drizzles spicy sour sauce on top. Give it a good stir and voila! You get a great combination of soft and fluffy rice coated evenly with the spicy sour gravy, half cooked onion and fresh succulent prawns.

Restoran Busy Corner
83, Jalan ss 22/11
Damansara Jaya
Tel: 03-7729 0116 Closes on Thursdays.

Now let us turn to another claypot chicken rice place, Koon Kee, located just a few streets away from Busy Corner.

Koon Kee is a no frills claypot chicken rice place with limited choices of soupy dish. Their pork stomach soup is very peppery that gives an extra kick to it, just the way I like it.

The claypot chicken rice comes with lap cheong that added some sweetness to the rice, not forgetting the intense and pungent smelling salted fish too. I love srapping for the thin layer of crispy rice crust that’s adhered to the bottom of the claypot. My parents has been telling me that those who love crispy rice crust are very stubborn people. Have you guys ever heard of that?

For one pot meal that comes in a reasonable price tag, Koon Kee and Busy Corner is the place to go. We wouldn’t mind returning to try out the other varieties of claypot rice at Busy Corner, which added a nice twist to the usual chicken rice. However, for a minimal meal of claypot chicken rice, we would still prefer Koon Kee.

Restoran Koon Kee 42, Jalan SS22/25,
Damansara Jaya,
47400 Petaling Jaya

In quest for the best fish head curry…

It leads us to non other than Anuar’s Kari Kepala Ikan (Anuar’s fish head curry) that has been in business for more than 30 years. Just around the corner from TMC, this place is always packed to the brim when lunch time rolls around.

Other than the legendary fish head curry, they serves delectable fried chicken, fried ikan cincaru, mutton curry and some stir fry greens as well.

We were tempted to try everything but the boss warned us to limit our orders as today’s fish heads are pretty enormous. Hence, only chickens and fish heads are ordered. The fried chicken is one of the best that I’ve ever had! Perfectly cooked and juicy, the perfectly seasoned meat had actual flavor and a good texture.

The jenahak (snapper) fish head for two was way too big, and it was the smallest head found in the huge pot. The red curry, sourish and spicy, albeit the absent of coconut milk, is very rich and flavorsome. The fish is cooked just right, not too rare with some warm pink centre and the flesh literally falls off the bone, which a lot of FHC places failed miserably.

It seems like Anuar’s shack is the only place that is not hard hitted by inflations. Teh tarik and roti canai is still going for 50 sens just like decades ago, but we were there two weeks before the petrol price hike. Still, it’s really cheap.

For desserts, we went to the sweet appam stall which is just a stone’s throw away from Anuar’s. Sweet pleasures for only RM 1, what more could one ask for? Read our previous review here.

Anuar’s Fish Head Curry
At the corner of Lorong Ara Kiri 3
Lucky Garden
Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur
Open from morning till night. Closed on Sundays.