where and what to eat lah?

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With a catchy name like Char Siew Zhai, I was instantly attracted to give it a try. The first time I went there was a couple of months ago, and I've been there four times since. One of the unique selling point of this place is the way the noodles are prepared. The guy making the noodles does put on quite a performance. Here's a promo video about Char Siew Zhai Wantan Mee.


His graceful dance of noodles blanching begins by boiling the noodles and going through the quick bath of cold water to create the springy texture. The pinnacle moment arrives when he flips the noodles high up into the air, backwards, forwards repeatedly until the excessive moisture is well drained. By looking at the walls and ceilings, you can tell mishaps do happened during this process. I'll just hope that mine does not touch the ceiling.


My high throwing 'flying' wantan mee (RM 2), well I guess the whole flying thing does work a little, the noodles were indeed springy and flavorful. The texture of the noodles was slightly different and it wasn't bad at all. Anyway, I'd still prefer Sg. Besi wantan mee's texture better.


Charcoal grilled char siew (bbq pork) and siew yoke (roast pork) for two (RM 7). The char siew was sticky, caramelized sweet, tender, slightly burnt and well marbled - just the way I like it. The siew yoke was pretty good too with the crispy crunchy golden-orange crackling skins and just-fatty-enough layers of succulent cuts. However, I wouldn't dare to say that their char siew was the best because of such high standards set by the other legendary char siew sellers such as Meng Kee, FSF and SFS.


Since it was my fourth visits, I can safely conclude that early morning till lunch is the best time to come for their char siew, while it is still all juicy and hot off from the grill. Unlike others popular fast-selling char siew places, it's hard to catch when they will replenish it, so never come late or you might end up with cold dry yucky char siew.


A bowl of sui kow (dumplings) soup (RM 6), six pieces of sui kow wrapped with decent amount of fillings which consist of prawns, pork and water chestnut.

Verdict: Decent food with great entertainment at an affordable price. A plate of wantan mee with decent portions of char siew for only RM 4. The catch is to go at the right time, early morning to lunch for fresh off the grill char siew.


Address:
No. 5, Jalan 20/13,
Paramount Garden,
46300 Petaling Jaya

Sunway Mas (Aman Suria)
No 37-1, Jalan PJU 1/3F,
Sunway Mas Commercial Centre,
47301, Petaling Jaya

SS2, Petaling Jaya
No 14, Jalan SS2/66,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Tel: 012-628 1348
Business Hours: Opens daily from 8am till 10pm
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.106074, 101.625418
Map:

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Restoran BBQ Kong Meng is isolated deep within Cheras in Taman Maju Jaya (nearby to Taman Shamelin Perkasa). Still, it is always packed during the lunch time. It was only 12:30 noon and it was already crowded till the queue extended out to the hot street. Service was really bad, my queue got cut just because I didn't have enough people to fill a table, I was pissed and eventually gave up waiting! However, I was still curious, so I went back a month later. I'm smarter this time, it was only 11:30 morning and service was much better due to a smaller crowd.


For all the hassles, it is only for one reason - "quack quack". Kong Meng's famous roast ducks take pride in their crispy skins and tender meat. Before serving, each roast duck is carefully bathed in hot cooking oil to give the skin a shiny crispy glaze.


Kong Meng sells mainly roast ducks with other side dishes such as siew yoke (roast pork belly), char siew (barbeque pork), cold dish sliced pork knuckles, stir fried mushrooms and vegetables.


The essence of the dipping sauce extracted from the roast duck gave a pleasant herbal fragrance and it complemented well with the tangy chili sauce.


Half portion of roast duck (RM 27), crispy skin that 'almost' melts-in-your-mouth coupled with nice tender meat with a hint of Chinese herbal spices. Good thing there wasn't much fats underneath the skin, it was probably drained out from the slow roasting process - my type of low fat diet!

A cold dish made of thinly sliced marinated pork knuckles (RM 10) served with a light sourish soy sauce. It was rare, cold and a recommended dish, unfortunately, it wasn't my cup of tea.


Featured by Axian from the "Taste with Jason 阿贤人情味" Astro show. Ever since it was aired over the TV, it gets crowded, price went up and service degrades. *sigh*


Verdict: Roast duck was good but not the best I've had (will write on that soon). Go early to avoid getting bad service treatment and long waits.


Address:
No. 11, Lorong Bunga Melati 2A,
Taman Maju Jaya, Cheras,
56100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-9282 4818, 03-9283 4231, 016-213 1818
Business Hours: Opens daily from 11am till it runs out (call to check).
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.128608, 101.743641
Map:

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The famous Tim Kee Chicken Rice at Taman Connaught, Cheras, is now open in Sri Petaling. Rated as one of the Top 10 Best Chicken Rice Award and sells close to 200 chickens daily.


Tim Kee is well known for their Bukit Mertajam and Kampung steamed white chickens. Aside from that, you'll have other choices like the roast chicken, honey BBQ sesame chicken, char siew (bbq pork) and siew yoke (roast pork belly).


The oil rice was fragrant and fluffy yummy. To many, the chili and ginger sauces are just as important as the chicken rice itself. It certainly did not disappoint, especially the ginger sauce, it was thick with an extremely smooth texture.


Steamed white chicken from Bukit Mertajam (RM 4), it was surprisingly tasty and lean. I thought it was Kampung chicken at first, it was filled with chicken taste even though it wasn't as tender and juicy (oily) as the normal white chicken. The texture was just nice, not overly tough either.


Honey BBQ sesame chicken (RM 7.50), a whole boneless chicken leg glazed with sweet honey sauce and barbecued till perfection. It was succulent, juicy and sweet.


Siew yoke (roast pork belly) (RM 4), the crispy crunchy skin crackles as you take the first bite only to reveal the mouthwatering fat that sits right below. It was good and the portions were generous.

Roast chicken with char siew (bbq pork) (RM 4), it wasn't fantastic at all. The char siew was normal, no where near compared to any of the top char siew sellers around. The roast chicken was boring and the skin wasn't crispy. I think I'll just settle for their steamed white chicken instead.


Kampung chicken breast (RM 5), just like any young people, I never really like Kampung chicken before, tough to chew, hard and dry. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Tim Kee's Kampung chicken, it turned out to be decently tender and chickenly tasty. I begin to like Kampung chicken more and more each day, could this be the sign of aging?


Bean sprout from Ipoh (RM 4), typical fat juicy and crunchy bean sprout from Ipoh.

Verdict: Decently good and taste for their white steamed chicken. Serving was fast and the price was reasonable too.


Address:
Kedai Nasi Ayam Tim Kee,
65, Jalan Radin Anum 1,
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling,
57000, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012-280 3068
Business Hours: Opens daily for lunch and dinner
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.067388, 101.690504
Map:

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