Yoke Heng Restaurant @ Serdang Raya

I've heard about this rather famous restaurant from many people in the past but never had the opportunity to try it until now. It's actually famous for it's claypot loh shue fun (rat's tail rice noodles). Here's the verdict:-

First up is their signature claypot loh shue fun. Unlike other restaurants, the loh shue fun here is not dry or dark in color. It comes in a pale eggy gravy, not unlike the ubiquitous Cantonese style noodles. Topped with a spoonful of chee yow char (fried pork lard) which provides a crunchy contrasting texture to the soft chewy noodles. Fragrant and tasty, it is recommended to be eaten with a dash of black vinegar which is found on all tables. We tried it with the vinegar first and found it to be rather ordinary. But ditch the vinegar and add a dash of the sambal belacan (shrimp paste sambal) and the loh shue fun is taken to a new taste level. Very good indeed.

Ask for the sambal belacan to add to the loh shue fun

Next, we tried the sang har sang mein (fresh prawn with fresh noodles). One large prawn, split in two and quickly braised in an eggy gravy.

This gets my vote as the best sang har mein in the South of Klang Valley. Yes, it's that good. The eggy gravy had drawn the flavors from the prawn in the quick braising. The gravy was so tasty that we practically scraped the last drops from the dish with our spoons. The sang mein was fried until crispy and then topped with the gravy. Some parts had soaked up the gravy whilst other parts remained crunchy which provided nice contrasting textures when eaten immediately. Green scallions provided a nice aroma and some vegetable cruch to balance the richness of the dish. The noodles with just a single prawn was RM35 but it was worth every sen. Highly recommended.

There were only 2 of us on this visit, so we could not try many dishes. However we had to try their chiew pai (signature) house made taufoo. We tasted minced pork, salted fish and some crunchy vegetables in the taufoo. It was tasty enough to eat without the light chilli sauce that came with the dish. Highly recommended as well.

The verdict - this is a restaurant that lives up to the hype and we will definitely be back for more. Watch out for future posts on this restaurant.

Location : No. 33, Jalan SR 8/4, Taman Putra Indah, Seri Kembangan, Selangor.
Contact : 03-89438753/ 012-6533915

Kedai Makanan Kari Kepala Ikan Cheong Hin

View from front of restaurant

It seems that South Klang Valley has a proliferation of specialty fish or fish head places. From Jalan Chan Sow's Jalan 3 and Jalan 5 fish head places; Serdang Lama's Chong Siew Lam Restaurant with their signature 'wasabi' steamed fish; Kajang's Wan Fatt and their steamed fish with fried radish; Semenyih's Sin Tai Mah and Restoran 52 with their interpretations of the lai sar yee (sandy fish) and all the way to the Fish Valley Restaurant in Jalan Kachau, Semenyih where the fish comes straight from the pond. With such tough competition, it is surprising that relative newcomers like Kedai Makanan Kari Kepala Ikan Cheong Hin are able to thrive.

Truth be told however, Cheong Hin is not a new establishment. Having it's roots in a family restaurant in Puchong, the Yip siblings later expanded to several outlets including this one that we visited located at Serdang Perdana,behind the South City Plaza mall. This is an area dominated by the famous Soon Lee grilled fish restaurant (one of our picks for Top 10 best restaurants in South Klang Valley), but that's another story.

Now for a restaurant with the name "Kari Kepala Ikan" in it, you would have guessed fish head curry would have been our first choice dish. Well on this occasion, my sister in-law insisted that we should try the steamed "wan yee" fish head instead. The large serving of half a fish head came with a sizeable portion of the mid-section of the fish as well, on a large porcelain platter. The platter was heated on a portable gas oven, so the fish remained steaming hot throughout our dinner. That was not the only difference – the fish came immersed in a 'soup' that was generously 'loaded' with bird's eye chillies (cili padi). We could also taste some rice wine in the soup. The soup and fish were ladled into soup bowls and polished off to the last bone. The dish had an excellent balance of sweetness from the fresh fish, pungency from the chillies and tartness from the rice wine. Highly recommended. And at only RM28 for the huge serving, it was truly a steal.

House Special - Steamed Fish (before)

After (yes! it was that good!)

The recommended pork ribs with bitter gourd in black bean sauce was another well balanced dish – salty, sweet and bitter. Recommended as well.

Pork Ribs and Bitter Gourd

Paper wrapped herbal kampung chicken was next – a rather small bird, but full of flavor and strong herbal taste. Cooked until tender and practically falling off the bone, this chicken dish gets our thumbs up as well.

Herbal Kampung Chicken

Fried squid in salted egg crust was good, although not the best we have had. But good enough to get our thumbs up.

Fried Squid

The house special taufoo came in three inverted cup-shaped pieces. Topped with a tasty minced meat sauce, this was a simple dish well executed. Thumbs up again. We were recommended the small pak choy vegetable cooked with yam. This was the first time we had heard of such a dish. The result however was great – the vegetable was coated in a thin layer of tasty garlic and yam paste. Highly recommended. 

Dessert was on the house - very nice!

Dessert was complimentary - a simple longan jelly. I must thank my sister in-law for tipping me off about Cheong Hin. She also kindly paid for dinner for this outing. Thanks Mon. Our next outing here (and I'm sure it will be soon) is on me !

Location : No 2, Ground Floor, Jalan SP 2/2, Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor.
Contact : 03-89488425
Amenities : Baby chair; partially air-conditioned. Noise level can be quite high in the air-cond section and may also get a little crowded, especially on weekends and holidays.
Prices : Quite reasonable – between RM10 to RM20 per head.

Serdang Lama Steamed Fish Head

Yet another nameless restaurant, nicknamed Serdang Lama Steamed Fish Head restaurant. Now this place has been dishing out something 'special' for some time now - judging from the amount of cars parked here during lunch time. Recently I had the opportunity to try it with an associate. Within 2 weeks, I've been there 4 times! This is good food, reasonably priced.

Nameless fish head restaurant in Serdang Lama, in front of Chinese school

Serdang Lama is a town bypassed by the North-South PLUS and the fairly new Besraya highways. Nobody goes in there anymore unless you are going to school or to feast on this fish head! If you are coming from the MINES along the Besraya highway, after you pass the railway line underneath the highway at the bend, look out for "Serdang Lama" turning to the left . As you turn into Serdang Lama, this restaurant is located right there. (There is a Pan Mee stall next to it - I was told, this is good too!) The steamers in front of the restaurant is a sure sign of the roaring business they have here during lunch time.

Signature dish - Steamed Fish Head - Superb!

The famed signature dish here is the sea fish head (Ikan Merah) steamed with salted vegetables and topped with ginger paste. The gravy that the dish comes with has a sweetish taste and is just lovely - I just love it!

Closeup of Steamed Ikan Merah with Ginger topping

As you can see here, the ginger topping somewhat looks like Japanese 'wasabe', but does not have that kick or taste but rather a nice gingery taste. This is one of the best steamed fish heads that I have ever come across.

Pork trotters in black vinegar

Next up, we had pork trotters cooked in black vinegar. This was a well executed dish, a tinge of young gingery taste too. To note here, they have only 2 options for pork dishes, the other being steamed minced pork with salted fish - I did try that one too, not too bad. Somehow, between both, I prefer this.

Bitter Gourd stir fried with egg - simple dish

We kept the vegetable simple - Bitter Gourd with Egg and this was simple and nice. This restaurant has a limited menu but all well executed and served in the right portions. The stir fried brinjal/egg plant with dried prawns (kam heong) is also highly recommended.

Watching the kitchen............

From where I sat, I could not help noticing the kitchen - the production line for the steamed fish head - it all looked so simple, chop up the head, put it on a dish, steam it for about 1 1/2 minutes, drain out the 'water', add own steamed fish sauce, add house special topping on fish and serve. Fast and close to perfect!

Food here is very reasonably priced. 2 persons, 3 dishes (including steamed fish head, 'ikan merah') - less then RM40. For 3 persons, it came up to about RM50 ish. This must account for its popularity - good tasty and fresh food for a reasonable price. How to go wrong? This was certainly a good find - highly recommended.

Fish Head Noodles @Sri Kembangan

I've been wanting to write about this fish head noodles for some time now. Located just behind the famous Hee Lai Ton Restaurant at Taman Muhibah in Sri Kembangan, it's a normal corner lot coffee-shop place.

An unassuming coffee-shop

Restoran Hing Fatt serves about the best tasting fish head noodles in town. I was told that these guys are under the same ownership as the famous one in Taman Desa, off Old Klang Road. The uniform is the same and the taste is the same too. I was also told on weekends, you have to queue up to get your serving. My favorite time is weekdays, late morning or early lunch here, normally with my partner in crime.

Mouth watering serving, in milky soup, just how I like it

There are 2 choices for your serving, either the fried fish head or the fish paste. I always prefer the fish head - being able to nibble and extracting the goodness from the bones. The soup is very tasty and the fish head comes with ample flesh to nibble on. You may also call the fish paste as a side order, served in a bowl of soup.

Fried fish head served in bee hoon soup

My partner in crime prefers the chunky fish paste - so that he doesn't have to waste time nibbling on the fried fish or feel short changed on the wasted bones - so he says. Anyway, we all have our personal preferences and both taste equally good.

No nibbling or extraction needed, just bite on it!

The noodle is served with home made chili sauce and 'limau kasturi' (calamansi lime) for a blend of hot and sour taste. This certainly adds a kick to the overall serving. It must be consumed hot and spicy and while the sweat is pouring down. I would recommend a nice tall glass of Kopi-si-peng (iced coffee) to cool down the burning tongue. They make lovely Hainanese traditional coffee-shop type coffee here. A must have!

This is the best fish head noodles south of Kuala Lumpur that I have tasted, on par (cause they are related) with the Taman Desa Fish Head Noodles, and less crowded (on weekdays that is). Ample parking is available around the shop.

Kajangfood’s Top 10 Best Restaurants in South Klang Valley

It's the First Anniversary of our Kajangfood blog. It's been a year of exploring (burp!) and documenting (burp!) some of the best food in South Klang Valley. From Cheras to Broga, from Puchong to Dengkil, we've scoured the countryside for the best eating places we have heard about. Thanks to our readers and friends for all the suggestions and feedback. In return, we'd like to share with you our updated Top 10 list of best restaurants in this part of the world. Our criteria for selection is pretty simple; consistent good food, reasonable prices and popular with the locals. With the exception of the satay and bak kut teh (pork rib soup) places, the rest are restaurants with a full a-la carte menu.
 

1. Satay Kajang Haji Samuri

Haji Samuri topped our Ultimate Best Kajang Satay Shoot-Out. With a pretty good chicken satay and a decent beef satay, it's easy to understand why they have been so successful not only in Kajang, but also expanding nationwide. Their peanut sauce sets them apart from the others – their well balanced (spicy and flavorful) is one of the best.
 

2. Restoran Wan Fatt

There's no change with Wan Fatt, they're still churning out good food at reasonable prices. Their signature steamed fish and lor mee are worth special mention. Well worthy of their mention in the Ho Chak TV show.

3. Restoran Sing Kee (New Entry)

If you've been following our blog, this new entry to the Top 10 would come as no surprise. We've been singing their praises since we found them in Bandar Teknologi (after they moved there from Semenyih). Their ginger steamed wan yee (fresh water fish) is about the best we have had, and their pork with yam is also outstanding.

4. Fook Loy Restaurant
One of our regular eating spots. We keep returning for their claypot braised dishes (chicken, duck and even terrapin occasionally). Also worthy of mention is their signature dish of tomyam style prawn served in a coconut. 

5. Restoran 52

Our favorite restaurant in Semenyih, their signature dish – Guinness pork ribs - is a sweet and sticky success. I particularly like their spinach soup with century egg and fish finger slices. 

6. Seatown Seafood Restaurant (New Entry)

A rather obscure and little known restaurant on Jalan Reko, we keep going back for their shark curry. The curry beats most Indian restaurants flat – which is the greatest compliment for a Chinese chef. They are also generous with their petai. Just try the stir fried petai with prawns. A new entry to the Top 10, we're still exploring their offerings.
 

7. Ming Kee Restaurant

Another of our regular eating spots. A must-have here is the best braised eight treasure duck which has to be pre-ordered. Not many restaurants still have this hard to prepare dish. Also good here is the butter fried tilapia fish – crunchy to the last bone !
 

8. Balakong BKT & steam fish (New Entry)

This is actually a bak kut teh restaurant and a limited a-la carte menu. However it serves what in our opinion is the best steamed fish head in the Klang Valley – even better than the famous Chan Sow Lin restaurants. The pork leg is another must have here. The bak kut teh is not particularly outstanding though. I just realised we have not

9. Bukit Mewah Restaurant

This is another Kajang restaurant that's been featured on the Ho Chak TV show. Their signature dish is the lotus leaf wrapped fried tilapia and fish head curry. We haven't tried the curry as it did not look too interesting but the lotus leaf wrapped fish is a must-have here. Prices are pretty reasonable too.
 

10. Restoran Soong Kee

A popular restaurant in Kg Baru Sri Kembangan, we haven't got down to doing a proper review of this place yet. Their signature boneless fish and steamed kampong chicken are the draws here. Look out for a review soon.

So there you have it. Some places have dropped out of the Top 10 due to dwindling standards or rising prices. That's the nature of the food business, whats up this year may be down next year. So do keep visiting our blog for the latest updates. We'll try our best to keep you updated (Buuuurrrpppppp!!!).


 

Top 10 Restaurants in the Kajang area - updated 2010

We first posted our Top 10 Restaurants in October last year and there really has not been much change, with the exception of a newly found restaurant in Sri Kembangan, which replaces that old favourite, Soon Lee (which still has the best roast lamb I have ever tasted in my life). These are proper restaurants (excluding hawkers or places with just one specialty) all in the Kajang and surrounding vicinity which extends to Serdang, Sri Kembangan, Semenyih and Broga - anything within a 30 minute radius from Kajang. We are still looking for that elusive Indian restaurant to put on our list, but maybe we have very high standards in this respect.

Listed as before in no order of preference:-

1. Old Man Restaurant, Sg Chua, Kajang
2. Kedai Makanan Wan Fatt, Kajang town
3. Bukit Mewah Restaurant, Jalan Semenyih, Kajang
4. Restoran Min Kee, Broga, Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan
5. Restoran 52, Semenyih
6. Fook Loy Restaurant, Sg Chua, Kajang
7. Restoran Soong Kee (NEW) - Seri Kembangan
   
8. Restoran Huat Kee, Semenyih
9. Restoran Malaysia, Kajang town (Halal)
10. Haji Samuri Satay, Kajang town (Halal)
    

The last 2 places on the list are our favourite satay restaurants in Kajang. Look out for the review of Soong Kee soon.

Top 10 Restaurants in the Kajang area

Top 10 Restaurants in the Kajang area

These are our current favourites in the Kajang area (with a few from Serdang, Sri Kembangan, Semenyih and Broga - anything within a 30 minute radius from Kajang). These are mainly Chinese restaurants (we are still looking for Indian, Malay or other restaurants that that are worth including in our top 10). In no order of preference:-

1. Old Man Restaurant, Sg Chua, Kajang
2. Kedai Makanan Wan Fatt, Kajang town
3. Bukit Mewah Restaurant, Jalan Semenyih, Kajang
4. Restoran Min Kee, Broga, Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan
5. Restoran 52, Semenyih
6. Fook Loy Restaurant, Sg Chua, Kajang
7. Kopitiam Soon Lee, Seri Kembangan
8. Restoran Huat Kee, Semenyih
9. Restoran Malaysia, Kajang town
10. Haji Samuri Satay, Kajang town
    

Being from the Kajang, we can not exclude what has made Kajang famous – satay. So the last 2 places on the list are our favourite satay restaurants in Kajang.

Look out for more reviews of our top 10 places in future posts. Do let us have your comments on our selection and whether there are any other places you think are worth including.