Meng Kee Char Siew @ Jalan Alor

Just to summarize my Char Siew expedition, I had finally arrived back at Meng Kee. But this time around they had moved to Jalan Alor from Tengkat Tong Shin. Luckily a women was giving away fliers regarding their move this new location or else it will be another waste of time traveling down for me. Surprisingly, my Papago was giving me the right direction but on the wrong direction, so I didn't take note of it. It is now located inside Restaurant Reunion Seafood which is located opposite Wah Chai Chicken Wing and next to Nova Hotel. 

As usual, they occupied a small stall but the all the customers in the restaurant only ordered their char siew. They serve char siew, roast chicken and steamed chicken only. But again, all the customers only ordered their famous char siew. Comparing to the one over at Shah Alam, this is way smaller in term of size.

Since I came alone, I had ordered a single pax char siew. Actually I intended to order additional portion but decided to order their bean sprout instead to try. I had specifically ordered half lean, half fat and the end portion. For me that is the best part of char siew for me. You get the over burnt with that extra sweet mixture of fat and lean meat. The pork seemed normal but once you sink your teeth into those shinning pork, you will taste some special herb type taste from the pork. Really amazing. I really hope that I can return and taste it again really soon. 

The lady was so nice to get a single pax steamed bean sprout for me. Nothing special just your average bean sprout but something I like bout this dish over here is that the fried minced garlic on top. It's really tasty. You have that crunchy bean sprout mixing with that crispy garlic, nice. 

Overall, the I had a really nice dish over here and as I mentioned earlier, I had finally finished my char siew adventure. Anyone out there can recommend me new places where you can get good char siew, do drop me a reply. I had tried Meng Kei over at Shah Alam but I think the one over at Jalan Alor is slightly better. (Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0)

Grand Imperial @ Bangsar

This is my second trip over Grand Imperial at Bangsar. Got an invitation for dim sum session with my 'snake kaki' last Friday afternoon. We arrived quite early before lunch hour so it wasn't that pack. The restaurant is located on the top floor of the shopping mall. There are only two Chinese restaurant over there being Ming Court the other one. As mentioned, the main objective for the day would be their dim sum and we tried to ordered as much as possible. So let the drum rolls.

Steamed 'Siew Mai' with Prawn - RM7.00

I think this is a must order dish if you're eating dim sum. So this is the first we ordered. Size is small but the content was really generous. The prawns are really fresh and springy. The fish eggs on top of the siew mai also looked so appetizing. We ordered a second for this dish.

Steamed Pork Ribs with Pumpkin in Black Bean Paste - RM6.30

Actually I am not into pork ribs but this plate of ribs really changed my perception. The pork ribs was really soft and don't stick to the teeth like the one that I had before. They had sliced pumpkin with black bean paste to go with the steamed pork ribs. Not bad at all.

Shanghai 'Xiao Loong Bao' - RM6.00

The dumpling actually wasn't that pricey as I thought. Although it's not as tasty as the one I had over at Dragon-I but I guess for the price you're paying, it's alright.

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun - RM6.00

These buns really taste very good. Maybe one of the best I had to date. The buns are soft and hot. The BBQ pork inside are juicy and aplenty too. Just the way I like it.

Shark Fin Dumpling Soup - RM12.00

This dish is called Koon Tong Kau in Chinese if you're wondering. Shark fin? Yup, there are moderate amount of shark fin inside. Other then that, there are sliced mushrooms and some other ingredients. Actually there are nothing much special bout this soup but we just wanted to try it out.

Steamed Beef Ball - RM6.00

When I first looked at the beef balls, I was really looking forward to it, but sadly it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I think it wasn't as pack and stuffed as I thought it would be.

Roasted Pork with Mustard Sauce

This plate of roasted pork was really good. The top skin was extra crispy and the bottom layer are soft and juicy. Portion wasn't that much so we ordered two plates. Actually they chopped off half of the pork as you can from the picture above. So it's really small.

Pig's Giblet Porridge - RM8.00

Actually it wasn't my custom to order porridge during my dim sum session but this bowl of porridge change my opinion. Other then the fact that the size of the porridge, but also the content of it. The fried crullers inside still are fresh and crispy which I really like. The porridge are so soft and tasty. Totally love it.

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Abalone - RM9.00

I am really into steamed glutinous rice if you been following my blog. Was really looking forward to the 'lou mai kai' but it isn't as good as I thought it would be. I mean it's OK, but it didn't blow me away with it.

Steamed 'Cheong Fan' with Prawns - RM8.00

They have three type of Cheong Fan namely, Spring Roll and BBQ and we ordered their recommendation which is Prawns. And I think the decision was right. The prawns are large, juicy and springy. But the cheong fan must be accompanied with their spicy paste.

Steamed Beancurd Skin Roll - RM7.00

To be frank this beancurd roll isn't my plate of dim sum. I like my bean curd skin roll to be sweet and sour and maybe a bit spicy. This is a bit plain.

Japanese Cucumber with Ham

OK, I am not too sure what is this dish called actually. Basically it's basically Japanese Cucumber roll with ham. The dish is topped with some mint sauce. Isn't that bad but also not that good either.

Baked BBQ with Pork Pastries - RM6.00

Trust me, the size are really that small. And there are only 4 pieces only. Imagine char siew in fried bun. The outer skin are crispy and the pork are juicy inside. Not bad.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling - RM7.00

We ordered this almost to the end of our 'expedition'. Isn't really good actually. A bit disappointed of the dumpling cause there wasn't much to look forward about.

Egg Yolk Bun

I am not sure what is the exact price for the buns but it comes in a set of 3 buns. This is my first taste of 'Lau Sa'. Actually this bun is really good but since we ate a lot so this is a bit too much for me.

Deep Fried Salad Prawn - RM7.00

This isn't my plate of dim sum also. They didn't even gave us any mayo to go with it. So it's a bit dry when we consumed it. Nothing much special bout it.

Chilled Pomelo with Mango Cream - RM6.00

This is one of their famous dessert. Portion is sufficient for a single person but we did shared the dessert as we ordered three. This is actually one of HK famous dessert. The taste of mango was really soothing and not too sweet. Friend did mentioned it was a bit different from the one he had over at HK.

Chilled Avacado Cream with Sago - RM7.00

This is another recommended dessert by the captain. You can really taste the avacado cream but again not too sweet. But I don't think everyone would like it as not everyone are into avacado.

Chilled Lemon Grass Jelly with Sea Coconut - RM6.00

Actually I was really looking forward to this dessert as I like sea coconut. Again, not everyone like this dessert as it has lemon grass. At least that is my friend's feedback. A cool soothing dessert.

At the end of the lunch, we were all full and really satisfied with most of the food that we had. I could say that this could be one of the best dim sum restaurant I went to lately. Would really recommend to my friends who like dim sum. The damage for all the lunch come about RM160++. But it was worth the money as what we had was really fresh and filling. (Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0)

Address: Lot T5, 3rd Floor

Bangsar Shopping Centre, 

No. 285, Jalan Maarot, Bukit Bandar Raya

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 - 2283 1183, 2283 3366, 2283 3389

Jojo Little Kitchen @ SS15

Was introduced to this 'little kitchen' at Subang SS15 by one of my gym mate. Apparently the owner is from her hometown or some sort. The name of the restaurant is called Jojo's Little Kitchen. I saw another branch at Pusat Bandar Puchong the other day with my brother. He told me that the first branch is actually located in Kuchai Lama Entrepreneur Park. Then this should be the third branch or there are more than three branches? 

 

The focus of the food at this restaurant would be their Curry Pan Mee. So what makes a good curry pan mee? Well the chilly flakes of course. Here's a look of the place's chilly flakes. It's not too oily or too many chilly seeds as compared to the one I had at Super Kitchen though. But nevertheless it's really spicy too.

Decided to ordered some side dishes to go before the main. So we had ordered their fried pork. It's slightly oily but it's alright with me. The portion was moderate but justifiable to the price you're paying. A bit thin on the slices and luckily it was still a slightly warm and not totally cold which is a turn down.

This is the normal Pan Mee in the house. First thing we notice about the bowl of noodle is the texture of the noodle itself. It is very different from the one I had at the other restaurant. The one over here are very tangy and you can really feel the springy texture of the noodle when you sink your teeth into it. The bowl of noodle come with the standard sliced mushroom, crunchy anchovies, and minced pork.

This is the noodle which I came there for. It's their curry noodle or pan mee. The texture of the noodle is the same as the normal one which is really nice to eat. Everything looks the same with the one I had over at Super Kitchen. You have the usual suspect such as the red chilly flakes, minced pork, sliced mushroom, crunchy anchovies and boiled egg. Well there is an additional ingredient over here with the additional green chilly paste. It's slightly spicy and sour at the same time so it's very appetizing. You can add more as it's available on each table. The egg is a bit too over boiled so that is the only set back. Other than that the bowl of noodle is delicious. It's not just plain spicy but also salty due to the anchovies which is nice.

This is one of their specialty dish in the house. It's their 'pei dan' dumpling. I am not sure how to translate that into English but you can check out the photo below if you don't get what I mean. A piece of the dumpling cost RM1.50 which is a bit steep but the portion might be able to justify it a bit

 

Here's the 'Pei Dan' which I mentioned above. The portion or slice of the egg is quite generous. Hence the price of the dumpling. The portion of the meat is also very pack making the dumpling a good side dish to eat together with your noodle. Yummy~!

Overall, the restaurant offers the usual pan mee with addition of their curry soup also. Other than their noodle the place is also famous for their dessert, Dou Foo Fa. I haven't had the chance to try it out but I heard it is good. Visited the place twice within the week so this must be good. Most of the time the restaurant would be quite pack even on weekends. So do try this place out if you have the craving for some spicy noodle. The place is located at the same row as RHB bank facing the main road at Subang Jaya SS15. (Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0)

Yummy Duck Roast House @ Kuchai Lama

 

To be honest I came across this place from the paper I bought this morning. Read half way through and looking at the time, it's almost lunch hour and decided to bring the whole family over to try it out. It's a new (3 months old) restaurant called Yummy Duck which is located at Kuchai Lama (previously the night market place). Arrived around noon and the place wasn't that pack, so I was thinking if it's really as good as it's said it would be. Nevertheless, I never judge a place just on what I read. So I give it a try and see how it goes.

 

 From what I read, the place is headed by it's director William Low and his older brother Kang Man. The former 41-year old started his food business as a commis in Regent Kuala Lumpur's Lai Ching Yuen or formerly known as Grand Millennium. He came out after two years of working with Chef Mak Thong and started off his first chicken rice stall near the Sentul market and finally ended up here after persuasion by the siblings. As the name goes, their roast duck would be the main attraction of the place but in reality people prefer their roast pork or siew yuk more.

 

As you can see, they served roast duck, pork, siew yuk and sliced Chinese sausage. I am not sure if they have roast chicken or not as I didn't ordered any. So let's get down to business now.

Spicy Minced Pork Pure Egg Noodle - RM 8.80

Babe wanted to try out their spicy minced pork egg noodle and the portion was really generous. It may look simple but the chili paste which they used for the noodle is not that bad. A bit oily but other than that, it's alright. As mentioned, the noodle are all imported in from Hong Kong and not made locally. So do try it.

Combo Pure Egg Noodle - RM 11.80 + RM2.80 (extra noodle)

I think this is a must order if you wanted to try out all their best roast duck and pork in the house. As you can see the portion of the noodle is really plenty as I had ordered double noodle or 'ma mee'. The waiter confirmed with us twice before he bring in the plate and I know why. Cause it's really a lot. The noodle is very tangy and not too soft and it's so thin. The noodle is really long and look uncut in between. So it's really good.

Roasted Pork Shoulder or Char Siew

Let's go into detail of the combo plate. The char siew is my favorite actually from the three. It's covered by caramelized soy coating and also the texture is so tender. I specifically ordered half lean and fat and that is what I got. Superb. Gonna be back again to try it out with plain rice next time.

Roast Pork or Siew Yuk

As I mentioned earlier, they are famous for their roast pork so I was really eager to try it out. It's not bad but maybe not as good as described. But still above average portion of roast pork. The upper layer is crispy and the salty part of the pork is marinated nicely. This is because the cook had to control the fire during the preparation nicely. As over heat will make the skin turn black and under cook will make the pork tasteless.

 

Roast Duck

As for the roast duck, it got the thumbs up from my SIL and babe. Strong scent of five scent and garlic powder and lam yue (red preserved bean curd) which is the base ingredients. The salt which makes the skin crispy plays a crucial part during the preparation too. So at the end, a yummy plate of roast duck.

 Dumpling in Soup

We had ordered a side dish to go with the noodle too. Their dumplings are really large and the prawn meat inside was really fresh and you can really taste the prawn inside. As I had tried some which you can't even tell if it's prawn or pork or whatever inside. Not bad. Their deep fried silver fish, soft shell crabs and chicken wings stuffed with glutinous rice are some of the popular ones over there.

 

At the end of our lunch, the place was totally pack till the outside. Both the brothers are preparing non stop inside the counter chopping the roast pork and duck for all the customers. Business is really good. The price isn't that expensive actually if you think of it. I mean RM11.80 for a double portion pure egg noodle with roast duck, pork and char siew. Do try the place out if you are around the area. I will definitely be back to have lunch one of this day with my lunch kakis. (Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0)

 Address: Yummy Duck - Roast House

9, Dinasti Sentral,

Jalan Kuchai Maju 18,

Off Jalan Kuchai Lama

Contact: 03 - 7981 6299

Business Hour: 11am to 10.30pm

Hoong Kee Restaurant @ Damansara Jaya

I was informed by my ex-colleague that there was this place located at Atria selling good Siew Yuk & Char Siew. I am all game when anyone mentioned about Char Siew. I was really surprised when he told me the name of the restaurant. The reason is, it's a dim sum restaurant and I had been there some time ago. The name of the restaurant is Hoong Kee which is the same row as RHB bank. There are a few stalls inside the dim sum shop and one of them being the pork stall. Ordered a plate of everything on them since I wanted to try them all out. But they do have roast duck too but doesn't attract me that much on a first impression.

So how do you define a good plate of Siew Yuk? Well for me, a good plate of Siew Yuk must be freshly prepared like any other dishes. This is because the top part or layer of the pork must be crunchy when you bite into them. I can't stand my Siew Yuk to be all soft and squishy. The bottom layer of the pork must have some slight salty taste from the burning process. Choosing the right part for this whole Siew Yuk is very crucial as there must be a mixture of lean and fat meat on each piece. The Siew Yuk at this stall did passed all the above but I couldn't say the same bout the Char Siew though. For one, it's not nicely cut as I preferred my pork to be sliced in bog chunky portion rather than think slice. Will return for their Siew Yuk but not their Char Siew in this case. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)

Kedai Kopi Tian Hoong @ Salak Saouth Garden

Was heading back to KL from my business trip down South. Passed Sg. Besi toll and was thinking what to eat and Roast Pork pop in my head. Where else but my favourite Roast Pork shop, Tian Hoong at Salak South Garden.

Ordered my usual half fat half lean with extra pork sauce. Yes, you can ask for extra for the pork sauce as it's really nice and sweet. Very appetizing. As you can see I always ask for the end/tip part of the roast pork as it's the most juiciest and delicious to eat. RM6.50/plate

The roast pork over here is not the same as Soong Kei which is soft but like I mentined earlier, I like my pork with a bit of texture so that I can really sink my teeth into it and let the lean and fat meat combined with sweet honey sauce swim inside my mouth and tounge. Yes, occassionally you will get some sticky part sticking into your teeth as I ordered the end part which is a bit burnt. But I like my pork that way.

This is the Taiko cum owner of the shop. Didn't managed to get his name but it's good that he's up front as he will normally roast the pork and let his two sons take care of the cutting and chopping part.

Other then roast pork they do sell steam chicken and siew yuk. But most of the customers came purposely for their roast pork. For me it's still the No.1 roast pork in whole K.L, be it Meng Kee, Soo Kee or Spring Golden. Better be there around 1pm as the roast pork will be ready and fresh from the kitchen by that time.

Restaurant Spring Golden

Well since we're (OK, it's just me) in the Char Siew mood this week, just want to share another place for you all. Actually I was wondering where did I place this post as I can't find it in my post lists and even my pictures folder. Finally found out that it's actually from my previous blog. Well here it is, Restaurant Spring Golden in Sri Muda, Shah Alam.

I was reminded of this place by PreciousPea while chatting with her bout our Char Siew experience. I remembered that I had been to this place numerous times as I was working nearby previously. There is another branch at Glenmarie behind Meng Kee.

The place served the usual, chicken, duck and also the main attraction, pork or Char Siew. They occasionally do served goose on certain day of the week. Chicken wise, there's nothing much to brag about as it's just normal but not too bad. Siew Yuk was freshly made as the top layer skin was still crunchy when I sink my teeth into it. Just nice.

As for the Char Siew, well maybe they heard me wrong and given me too much lean portion. So it's a bit dry and hard. As you can see in the picture above it's not too say that juicy if compared with Meng Kee, Tian Hong or Soo Kee. From what I heard, Sri Muda is better than their Glenmarie branch. Maybe I like my pork to be more juicier and sweet.

Different people do have different taste. Someones pork might be someone else's chicken? Anyway, my verdict for this place is that it's not your average pork shop and do try out their goose if you have the chance. The duck wasn't that crispy too when I went over and try it out on my next trip. And they do serve complimentary fruits platter on my visit. Additional points for that. Their soup was also very nice which I need to mention in here. I am quite happy to say that I had tried most of the best served Char Siew in town from KL to PJ to Semenyih. Mission well accomplished. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)