Restoran Lan Je (CLOSED)

UPDATE AS AT 2013 - CLOSED
They have branches in other locations but this Balakong branch is now closed.

My former class-mate, now a banker, Mr Kong recommended this place when we met at a recent reunion. He recommended the steamed tilapia which is supposed to be their specialty. The restaurant originated in Rawang and has another branch in Kota Damansara. It so happened that after Mr Kong's recommendation, I came across an advertisement in the latest issue of City Ad (that ad magazine they drop in your post box). And coincidentally, we were in the Balakong area after a visit to Jusco Cheras Selatan and were looking for a place for lunch. 

So here's what we had:-

Steamed black tilapia

This is their signature dish. Small black tilapia, perhaps about 300g each, are individually steamed with a ginger garlic topping. There are 3 heat levels available – Regular, Spicy and Extra Spicy. The difference I understand, is just the addition of extra cut chillies to the sauce. We ordered 2 fishes both Spicy and both were steamed to perfection. The flesh was firm and juicy. And the sauce was a perfect complement to the fish – the ginger to mask the muddy smell and the garlic for a nice flavor dimension. It was RM29 for the 2 fish i.e. RM14.50 per fish ?

"Malaysian" taufoo

The waitress was trying to explain that their taufoo was not the Japanese variety. She described it as "Malaysian" although I think she meant 'local'. The taufoo can be served with chicken or prawns and we chose the prawns. To describe the dish in one word, it was just tasteless. Don't bother with this dish – try something else. RM8.00 for this dish.

Cabbage with dried prawns

The cabbage was poorly cut – large chunks. This was interspersed with some carrots and stir fried with a big dollop of oyster sauce ? The result – a rather salty and unappetizing dish. RM7.00 for this dish.

Only the steamed fish stood out – everything else was below par. My suggestion, go here, order the fish, maybe some green veggies and try not to be too adventurous with the side dishes.

Location
Address: 10 & 12 Jalan Kasturi 3, Plaza Kasturi, Batu 11 Jalan Balakong, 43200 Cheras
Contact : 016-2482009