If you have a hankering for dimsum, one of the cheapest spots to get some in Kuala Lumpur is at Phang Key, located in Happy Garden. The restaurant has been around forever – apparently my parents took me here as a child, but I only have vague memories of the place.

The establishment is old school – there’s basically a shoplot which is used as a kitchen space, and an open air area across the road with attap zinc roofing, so it gets quite warm in the late mornings.

Despite not having any air conditioning, the place is massively popular with the locals, and if you arrive after 12pm you won’t be getting the choice cuts of dimsum – so come early if you want more variety.

To match its old school look is the old school way of doing things – staff expertly balance large trays of steamed and fried items and bring them to each table, letting customers choose the items they want.

A lot of ‘modern’, air conditioned dim sum shops have you write down / QR your orders, which is certainly more efficient, but it takes away from the traditional experience. It’s nice to feel the nostalgia of visually scanning the dimsum on the trays and picking out the ones you like.

Some items have to be ordered with the staff, and they’ll steam it on the spot, such as the chee cheong fun (above). The skin on my shrimp chee cheong fun was a tad too thick and chewy, but it was tasty nonetheless, especially with the dollop of sambal which gives it an extra kick.

Deep fried bean curd rolls typically use shrimp as a filling, but to justify the lower price point, Phang Key substitutes a lot of their dim sum items with a mix of shrimp and fish paste instead.

Same goes for their deep fried wantons. It reminded me of the cheap wontons they used to sell in my school canteen, albeit larger. Sure brought back memories.

One of my brother’s favourite things to order at the dimsum resto is deep fried radish cake (lor bak go). This was easily the best item out of everything we ordered, as it was savoury and filling, with a light and crispy batter.

The breaded scallops were mostly breading and fish paste, with a tiny piece of scallop nestled within.

Order a pot of traditional Chinese tea to wash everything down.

When the bill came I was genuinely shocked, as it was less than RM40. It’s almost impossible to get dimsum for three people at this price point these days. Granted, they aren’t on the same level as modern air conditioned dimsunm restaurants – but for the money it’s worth it, and it hits the spot for when you want a more affordable dimsum experience.

PHANG KEY DIMSUM

 65, Jalan Lazat 1, Taman Bukit Indah, 58200 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 6am – 1.30pm (daily)

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PS 2: All expenses are out of my own pocket unless otherwise stated. Views here are my own and are based on my personal experience. They are not meant to endorse or disparage businesses/ establishments in any way.