Chinese food – Eris Goes To

Chee Cheong Fun @ Restaurant King, Batu 14 Puchong

October 6, 2022Posted in FoodTagged food, Malaysia, Puchong, Featured, Selangor, Chinese food, chee cheong fun, Hong Kong chee cheong fun, rice rolls, steamed vermicelli rollsLeave a comment

When mentioning food in Batu 14 in Puchong, many would think of the famous Puchong Yong Tao Foo or Yap Chuan Bak Kut Teh. If you like simple and tasty fare, I’m here to introduce another place you can check out in the neighbourhood – Restaurant King, which specializes in chee cheong fun (rice rolls)!

The shop is a simple, standalone structure, with an air conditioned dining area within. Outside you’ll find staff steaming rice rolls, frying up prawn fritters, and chopping up roasties.

The menu offers a good variety. You can get their specialty – the steamed rice rolls – or other items such as rice with roasties (roast pork, chicken, etc.), porridge and soup, as well as dim sum and snacks. The dimsum is not the freshly made variety, but the standard ones you get from most kopitiams or food trucks.

Fun fact: chee cheong fun has an interesting moniker – it translates to something like ‘pig’s intestine noodles’. This is due to their elongated shape, slightly transclucent appearance, and elastic texture. The noodles are made from rice flour; the mix is poured over a hot flat surface until it solidifies into a sheet, before being ‘rolled’ into it’s final shape. It’s a very versatile dish and can be served in numerous ways: in different parts of Malaysia with a Chinese diaspora, we’ve adapted it to suit our Malaysian-Chinese taste buds. Penang chee cheong fun, for example, is served with dark sauce, chilli, and shrimp paste, while in Ipoh, they serve it with mushroom sauce.

Restaurant King specializes in Hong Kong style chee cheong fun, where various meats such as char siew – bbq pork, and shrimp, are rolled into the noodles and act as a filling. The noodles are then drenched in light soy sauce, and topped with fried shallots.

I quite enjoy the version here! They’ve stuffed it generously with fried onions, the char siew has a gentle and smoky sweet taste, and the noodles are smooth on the surface with a chewy texture. Price ranges from around RM8 to RM13 for the chee cheong fun.

The Hubs has mostly enjoyed Malaysian food so far, but for some reason he does not like chee cheong fun (that, and apparently I traumatised him the first time we ate Bak kut teh by ordering too much). So he ordered rice with char siew instead. It was decent; the char siew was not too fatty, and the sauce was well balanced.

My personal favourite has got to be their shrimp fritters (har beng). Some people like their fritters to be thin and crunchy, but I prefer the version here which is quite thick and loaded with shrimp.

Despite the thickness, they’re very crunchy on the outside. Restaurant King’s fritters do not feel greasy at all, so I don’t get that cloying feeling after more than a few bites. The garlicky chilli sauce also helps to cut through the greasiness. Order a glass of calamansi sour plum (kat zai suen mui) and you’re all set!

PS: Hubs also had a char siew bao, but it was pretty ordinary. Nice fluffy bun but lacked filling.

And there you have it! A simple but satisfying meal for breakfast or lunch that won’t break the bank. It’s definitely one of those places you can come to regularly if you live around the area. Service is decent as well.

RESTAURANT KING

Lorong Jejawi, Kampung Baru Batu 14 Puchong, 47100 Puchong, Selangor. (across the road from SJKC Han Ming)

Open: 7.30AM – 6PM (Closed Mondays)

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Meal for One @ Putien, IOI Mall Puchong – Coastal Fujian Cuisine

October 1, 2022Posted in FoodTagged Chinese cuisine, Chinese food, dining, eating, Featured, food, food blog, foodie, Fujianese, Hokkien, Malaysia, Puchong, Puchong food, Putien, restaurant reviewLeave a comment

I first tried Putien at IOI Mall last year, when we had one of our pandemic lockdowns in KL. As such, I ordered dishes to go and had them with the fam. Everything was pretty good, albeit on the pricey side. A year on, I decided to have another go again – this time dining in solo!

While not at a ‘fine-dining’ level, Putien’s interior looks fancy, with ambient lights, silkscreens for privacy, and a glass-windowed kitchen where you can watch the chefs in action. I like the blue and gold hues as well, befitting of a restaurant that specializes in coastal Fujian cuisine.

Although their seafood dishes are popular (the steamed yellow croaker is a signature ‘must-try’, according to many recommendations), they also have items such as Drunken Squid, Sweet and Sour Pork with Lychee, Stir-fried Yam, and Chicken in Fermented Red Rice Wine, among others.

Service is also impeccable. Waiters are well trained, professional, and are quick to attend to your every need.

I ordered two dishes, the braised pork intestines (RM24), and the resto’s signature ‘bian rou’ soup (RM12), to go with a bowl of rice.

The braised intestines had been meticulously cleaned, so there was no gamey smell typical of innards. It arrived gently simmering with a fire underneath. The intestines had a nice, chewy texture, and I also enjoyed the light, savoury broth that came with it. RM24 is a bit steep for the portion, but there was nothing to complain about taste-wise.

Some things are best eaten on the spot, and Putien’s bian rou soup is one of them! The last time I had this was for takeaway, and the dumplings were not in tip top shape. This time, I could fully enjoy them as they are meant to.

Wonton wrappers are typically made from wheat flour, but Putien adapts a centuries-old recipe originating from the Qin Dynasty that features thinly pounded meat paste that acts as a substitute for the usual egg/wheat wrapper. The result is a dumpling skin with an unusually springy texture, enveloping juicy pork meat within.

The soup itself is excellent as well; rich and savoury but not overpowering, concentrated with the lip smacking goodness of meat, seaweed, and spring onions.

Putien’s dishes can be expensive, but they are worth the splurge once in awhile. I especially love the bian rou soup, and can see myself coming back often just to have a bowl of hearty, comforting soup.

PUTIEN (IOI MALL PUCHONG)

G18A, Ground Floor, Jalan Puchong, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong, Selangor

Opening hours: 11.30AM – 10PM

Menu here

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A Dragon Hotpot / Ann Cafe @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

September 6, 2022Posted in FoodTagged A Dragon Hotpot, Asian cuisine, Asian food, Chinese food, dining, eating, Featured, food, hotpot, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pork, Puchong, restaurant reviewLeave a comment

What’s the best food to eat on a cold, windy evening?

If you answered hotpot, then great minds think alike! Nothing beats the warmth of a rich hearty soup, brought to a boil with slices of meat, vegetables, seafood, and other goodies within.

The Hubs and I thought it was the perfect time to try A Dragon Hotpot, a spot we pass by often while getting drive-through from the nearby McDonald’s.

The restaurant is located in a building on its own, complete with a patio where you can dine outdoors. It also shares a space with Ann Cafe, which serves drinks and desserts.

The interior is spacious, with peach pink walls, faux marble table tops and gaudy golden chairs. To the right is a bar counter where they serve drinks, and a fridge filled with alcoholic beverages + bottled Chinese teas.

Most hotpots I’ve been to offer buffet options or set menus. A Dragon Hotpot brings you the best of both worlds.

You get a bucket that you can fill with the items that you like. You can then bring it to the counter, and they’ll charge you by weight. I quite like this idea! With set menus, there are often ingredients that I don’t like (*vegetables* cough), while buffets encourage me to eat more than I should because I want to get my money’s worth – so this combined concept is just perfect.

Granted, there are some cons to the system. If you pick the processed stuff like meatballs, they tend to be quite heavy despite being cheap in price/value.

A Dragon Hotpot offers a good selection of the usual hotpot items: hotdogs, cocktail sausages, hams, tofu, fishballs, fresh vegetables, as well as mushrooms, seafood, and pork slices. If you prefer lamb or beef, they have pre-packed ones in the fridge that come at a standard price.

For carb lovers, you can choose from a variety of different noodles. These are not counted towards the weight of your food.

Once you’re done selecting your ingredients and weighing them, let the staff know what soup base you prefer. There were three available during our visit: mala (their signature; a very spicy soup filled with chillies, popular in the Szechuan region of China), tom yum, and pork bone broth.

We decided on the latter. It was served in a garish-looking pot which sported a dragon head on each end.

And here’s what we picked! Like a couple of kids, we left the greens out of our plates. 😛

The pork slices here are cut quite thickly, so they take a bit longer to cook. But it also gives you a more satisfying bite of meat. There are dipping sauces available at the counter, including favourites like soy sauce with garlic and chilli sauce.

The processed items tasted pretty standard. I like to get cheese tofu, which has a springy, bouncy texture embedded with creamy bits within. I also enjoy the bursting pork balls, which contain a savoury soup within. That aside, the pork slices were fresh and thick, but the Hubs didn’t enjoy it as much as he said the odour of pork was pretty strong.

The winner for both of us, though, was the soup. It was rich and hearty, and I was smacking my lips from the collagen, which left a slightly sticky residue.

Our meal for two came up to about RM60+. I wouldn’t call it super value for money, but our bellies were filled, the food was tasty, and it was still cheaper than a buffet, without the wastage. Didn’t manage to try any drinks from Ann Cafe, but I think this place warrants another visit.

A DRAGON HOTPOT

12-G, Jln Puteri 7/13A, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Phone: 03-8066 5839

Open daily 11.30AM – 12AM. Non-halal

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Yoke Heng Seafood Restaurant, Seri Kembangan

July 23, 2022Posted in FoodTagged Chinese cuisine, Chinese food, dining, eating, Featured, food, food photography, food review, foodie, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, restaurant review, Seri KembanganLeave a comment

Seri Kembangan’s legendary Yoke Heng needs no introduction. Tucked in an otherwise quiet commercial area, this nostalgic Chinese restaurant is always bustling with crowds come lunch and dinner. It also has its fair share of celebrity visits – photos of which are pasted all over its walls.

The restaurant spans two shoplots; one of which is air conditioned. We were lucky during our visit as we got in just before the lunch crowd. If you’re here during peak hours, expect significant wait time.

Don’t expect menus: the lady boss is the one who takes the orders, and she recites dishes off the top of her head at rapidfire speed when you ask for recommendations (ocassionally stopping in between to yell out something to staff). Many reviews have called her unfriendly, but I think she’s just harried – managing high volumes of customers is no easy feat.

20220710_124428 — Legendary Hong Kong actor Bowie Woo Fung on a visit here in 2016. The restaurant was also featured in popular local TV food show Ho Chak.

Thankfully, our dishes did not take too long to be served!

Despite its name officially being Yoke Heng Seafood Restaurant, the place is actually best known for its Claypot Lou Shee Fun. Unlike typical Chinese noodles (mee) which are made from egg and wheat flour, lou shee fun (literally ‘rat’s tail noodle’ owing to their long and tapered shape) features a blend of ground rice flour from glutinous or non-glutinous rice plus water, which gives them a chewy, slightly gelatinous texture.

The version at Yoke Heng is unique. While most places serving Claypot Lou Shee Fun serve it dry in a dark soy sauce, Yoke Heng’s iteration comes swimming in a hearty broth with lots of egg and mushrooms. Since they cook it over high heat, you can taste the smokiness imparted form the wok hei (the breath of the wok – a result of Maillard reactions), and the broth is rich as well, coating each strand of chewy noodle with eggy, creamy goodness. Topping it off are bits of crunchy fried lard. If there’s one thing you have to order at Yoke Heng, I recommend this dish!

Our other carb order was fried rice. It was tasty, with a generous amount of pork, and had that same wok hei essence infused into the rice.

Asked the lady boss on the off chance that they have venison – and they did! Not many Chinese restaurants serve it these days, as it can be quite pricey. I like the meat as it softer than beef, and has a tender and chewy texture. We ordered it to be cooked in black pepper, onions, and green peppers. Venison is usually cooked with strong seasoning, as it can be quite gamey.

Last but not least, we ordered the signature Fire Pork Ribs, which are marinated in a sweet and savoury sauce, deep fried, then baked in tin foil. The pork was perfectly cooked, tender but with a bit of chew, and fell easily off the bone.

Our meal for five came up to about RM130 including drinks, which I felt was reasonable considering the venison dish. The highlight, for me, was the Claypot Lou Shee Fun. They are also famous for their Sang Har Mee (fresh water prawn noodles), which unfortunately we did not manage to try on this visit.

Price: 3.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5

YOKE HENG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

No 33, Jalan SR 8/4, Taman Putra Indah, Taman Serdang Raya, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor

Opening hours: 6AM – 2.30PM, 5PM – 10.30PM (closed Mondays and Wednesdays)

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Ha Ha Siu Pan Mee, Bandar Puchong Jaya

July 9, 2022Posted in FoodTagged Chinese cuisine, Chinese food, dining, eating, eats, Featured, food, food review, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysian food, pan mee, restaurant reviewLeave a comment

Ha Ha Siu Pan Mee was once my regular place for pan mee in Puchong, my favourite order being their century egg dumpling pan mee. Not many places serve dumplings stuffed with century egg and pork, and the version here pairs well with hand shredded wheat noodles, served in a clear and flavourful soup.

Unfortunately, I had a bad bout with food poisoning several years ago after eating said dish, and I have since ceased going to the place.

That was six years ago, lol.

The Moo was recently craving pan mee, and I thought hey, six years is a pretty long time to hold a food grudge — maybe it’s time to give them another chance. But while I did not get chills, vomiting, and diarrhea this time around — the food quality and service definitely isn’t like what it was before.

Parking is a bitch in Bandar Puchong Jaya. If you’re here during peak hours, I suggest just paying for the private parking across the street from where the resto is, rather than driving around hoping for a miracle spot.

The restaurant’s interior has not changed much. The lights are dim and cast a yellow glow, but not in a cozy kind of way, so it makes the space look dated. We were here on a weekend, but there wasn’t much of a crowd. It still took awhile for our orders to be served.

Moo ordered Chinese dessert (I think it was foo chok yee mai), but did not like it because as you can see, the consistency was very starchy.

One thing Ha Ha Siu Pan Mee has is variety. Aside from the regular soup pan mee (above), they also offer different varieties such as the century egg dumpling pan mee (yes, it’s still on the menu, lol), curry pan mee, ma lat (spicy), and Sabah style which comes with fried pork. You can also choose the thickness and style of your noodle (thin, thick, cut, hand shredded), as well as special flavours (pumpkin, spinach, coriander, beetroot).

The Pops, N, and I ordered the Chilli Pan Mee. I prefer my noodles thick cut, as they usually give a better bite. The noodles here were cooked a tad too long though so they were softer than I liked. They provide a decent amount of chilli in the bowl, but if you like spicy food, you can always add more from the container which is available at each table. Funny thing : they don’t provide soup with your dry noodles, unless you request for it.

Was it a bad bowl of noodles by any stretch? No. It was just.. okay. Decent. I definitely remember the quality being much better all those years ago, but I guess all good things come to an end?

If you’d like awesome pan mee, I recommend this.

HAHA SIU PAN MEE

7, Jalan Kenari 19a, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Opening hours: 9.30AM – 8.30PM

PS: I am not paid to review this in any form, shape, or way. Views here are entirely my own.

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Hakka Cuisine@Fu Gua Thong, Bandar Puteri Puchong

June 27, 2022Posted in FoodTagged Asian cuisine, bittergourd, Chinese cuisine, Chinese food, dining, eating, eats, Featured, food, Fu Gua Thong, Malaysia, Puchong, restaurant reviewLeave a comment

Bitter gourd, or bitter melon, is a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine, often stir-fried with meat or eggs, or served in a soup. It has many purported health benefits, including reducing blood sugar levels, as well as aiding in weight loss. I think the latter is because it’s so bitter, you wouldn’t be able to finish the dish anyway. Eat less = lose weight = profit. (You can probably tell I don’t like bitter gourd very much, lol).

Jokes aside, there are people who enjoy the vegetable’s distinct flavour – so if you’re craving a nutritious and tasty(?) bitter gourd dish, head to Fu Gua Thong Restaurant in Bandar Puteri Puchong. Their signature bitter gourd soup, cooked with tender slices of pork, is a crowd puller, and while I won’t order this on my own volition, I’ve had it before with the fam and can attest that they cook it in a way that doesn’t make the bitterness pronounced.

Wait. So this isn’t a review about their bittergourd dish?

Well, for fellow bittergourd haters like me, a trip to Fu Gua Thong is still worth it for their Hakka cuisine, with dishes such as Deep Fried Hakka Style Pork (zha yuk), Yam and pork belly, stuffed tau fu pok, and stir-fried yam and abacus seed. The Hubs and I were here for dinner over the weekend, and even though we only ordered two dishes to share, they were both excellent and reasonably priced.

20220612_185500 — Typical Chinese restaurant vibe. There’s a small section selling snacks, pastries, and groceries at the front of the restaurant.

The stir-fried fish slices in ginger and onion came in a generous portion, swimming in a rich, and savoury sauce. The fish slices were fresh, thick, and firm,and the sauce made it an excellent accompaniment to rice. The ginger and onion not only gave it a nice flavour, but also masked any fishy odours the seafood might have had.

This is my favourite at Fu Gua Thong – Hakka fried pork! Thick slices of pork belly are marinated in nam yue (a fermented beancurd sauce – my dad hates the stuff, so we don’t have this often at family dinners), then deep fried to give it a crispy, crunchy exterior. The meat inside was fatty but not greasy. It was served with a side of chilli sauce, which accentuated the salty flavour.

20220612_190715 — Our simple but tasty meal for two!

So yeah. While Fu Gua Thong’s bittergourd dishes are sure to satisfy fans, they have many other dishes that are decent as well. Service wise, waiters appear harried and are not exactly welcoming, with curt/bordering on rude responses, but if you have zero expectations for service, this is a good place for the food.

FU GUA THONG (PUCHONG)

32, Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Opening hours: 11AM – 3.30PM, 5.30PM – 9.30PM (Daily)

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Roast Meats @ Chan Meng Kee, Bandar Puteri Puchong

June 26, 2022Posted in FoodTagged barbecued meat, Chan Meng Kee, Chinese food, dining, eating, Featured, food, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysian food, Puchong, restaurant review, roast meatLeave a comment

The Chan Meng Kee brand, famed for its roasted meats, was started in 2008 by Chan Yoke Pui, a self-professed ‘charsiew fanatic’. The original restaurant in SS2, Petaling Jaya, quickly gained a loyal following, as patrons thronged the store for their dose of siew yuk (crispy roast pork), char siew (sweet barbecued pork), and roast chicken, served with their signature noodles or rice.

Today, Chan Meng Kee has two other branches – one in Da Men Mall USJ, and another in Puchong, the latter of which I visited for lunch with the fam. The store is simple but comfortable, with basic tables and chairs, floor to ceiling windows that afford plenty of natural sunlight, and air conditioning. Diners can also see the chefs chopping up the meats through a glass window next to the kitchen.

Our food did not take long to arrive. The Hubs ordered the siew yuk, which came in generous portions atop a bed of cucumbers. The rice was also topped with two slices of sweet liver sausage. The pork was well seasoned, with crunchy, crackly skin, and a nice balance between the lean and fat. The liver sausage was superb – basted in a sweet, caramel-like sauce, the sausage casing was chewy on the outside, with bits of fat within the sausage that lent it a unique texture. It was so good I ordered a separate plate!

20220606_134526 — Liver sausage is a rarer menu item compared to the usual trio of roasties – chicken, siew yuk, and char siew.

Chan Meng Kee does roast duck as well. I like that they gave me the thigh part; there was a lot of meat, and it was easy to eat. The blend of textures and flavours – crispy skin, the melt-in-your-mouth layer of fat underneath it, the slightly gamey duck meat seasoned with herbs and spices – came together perfectly. While I still prefer the roast duck from Soon Lok, Chan Meng Kee can probably give it a run for its money.

Aside from roast items, the restaurant also offers dishes such as poached chicken, curry laksa, shrimp wontons, and more. Prices are reasonable for the setting, ranging around RM10-RM15 for single plates.

CHAN MENG KEE (PUCHONG)

No.1-GF, Jalan Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Opening hours: 9AM – 3.30PM, 5PM – 8.30PM (closed Wednesdays)

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Super Kitchen Chilli Pan Mee, Damen Mall USJ

April 19, 2022Posted in FoodTagged ban mian, chilli pan mee, Chinese food, eats, Featured, food, food review, Malaysia, noodles, pan mee, Selangor, USJ1 Comment

You’ve probably heard of pan mee (or ban mian, literally ‘board noodles’), the popular Chinese noodle dish served in soup, with various condiments such as minced pork and anchovies. But did you know that chilli pan mee is a wholly Malaysian invention?

Chilli pan mee traces its roots to Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur in 1985—the brainchild of one Tan Kok Hong, proprietor of the now legendary Kin Kin Pan Mee restaurant. Tan initially sold regular soup pan mee, but noticed his patrons adding chillies to their dishes. After a lot of experimentation, the chilli pan mee that we know today was born. I think it’s an excellent example of how the Malaysian-Chinese diaspora have taken elements of local culture and blended it into their cuisine, birthing something unique altogether.

It has been ages since I last had a solid bowl of chilli pan mee. The cravings led the Hubs and I to DaMen Mall in USJ, where Super Kitchen Chilli Pan Mee has a small branch within the mall’s non-halal food court. I have tried the chain’s SS2 outlet and it is consistently good, so I was expecting the same from this outlet. Thankfully, it did not disappoint!

The Hubs and I both ordered the signature chilli pan mee, which came in a generous serving topped with fried anchovies, minced pork, fried shallots, lard, and a runny egg. The chilli flakes are served separately, so you can adjust your level of spiciness. The noodles were cooked al dente, and the runny egg yolk created that smooth, silky texture which bound all of the elements well together.

The Hubs loved their fried dumplings, which were fried fresh to order. The meat was moist and juicy, while the outside was crisp and fried to perfection.

Cold longan drinks to quench our thirst!

Damen is kind of a dead mall on weekdays, so when we got to the food court, it literally looked semi-abandoned lol. The stall was the only one open, there was no one else sitting in the section, and some of the lights were not even turned on. But I was satisfied with the food quality and freshness (something that restos with low traffic may struggle with)—and me being anti-social, a quiet environment to dine in was just perfect!

Prices are reasonable for the setting. I would even say they’re one of the more affordable options when you’re at DaMen.

SUPER KITCHEN CHILLI PAN MEE (DAMEN USJ)
L3, Damen Mall, No. 1, Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ 1, 47600 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

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