Restoran Loi Fatt Baru (New Loi Fatt Seafood)

I must confess that this is a restaurant that I have been planning to visit for about 15 years but have somehow never managed to make it previously. Located in the Batu 9 Cheras New Village, it is known to locals as a hidden gem, serving up good and fresh seafood. It is located just next door to Restoran Loi Fatt which may be a bit confusing at first. Both are popular and have their own set of regulars and fans. Loi Fatt has appeared on Taste with Jason (or at least Jason has visited the place as his photo is on the wall) whilst the Ho Chak crew had just filmed at Loi Fatt Baru the day before we visited. We learnt from the owner and cook at Loi Fatt Baru that he is the brother and was a former cook at Loi Fatt. He set up his own restaurant and has been cooking for the last 40 years.

The walls of the restaurant were plastered with articles and reviews from various newspapers and magazines. Photographs of their signature dishes on the wall were also a great help in deciding what to order. It was the eve of Hari Raya when we visited and we were the only patrons in the restaurant – I guess everyone was busy balik kampong. It was however good for us as the chef/owner himself came out to take our order and make recommendations.

The chef/owner showing us a large prawn!

This restaurant is particularly famous for their udang galah (large river prawns) and we had to try some, despite the rather prohibitive RM98 per kilo price tag. The prawns were imported from Indonesia and were apparently just delivered the previous day. There were 5 us so we ordered 5 medium sized prawns which turned out to be 1 kg or 200g per prawn. Those are pretty big sized prawns, but we were told that the big ones go up to 600g per prawn! 

 

The special prawn dish 

The prawns were cooked in a thick black sauce, somewhat like the kam heong style but without chilies or curry leaves. The outer shell of the prawns were singed, which made us suspect they had been grilled before being stir-fried. However the cook later told us that it had only been wok-fried, which actually revealed the skill of the cook in creating the wok-hei (breath of the wok) for this dish. This was very good and is worthy to be their signature dish.

Another signature dish was described as curry shark 'mouth'. What arrived at the table though would be better described as assam shark instead of curry. Served with ladies finger, brinjals, tomatoes and onions in a slightly sweet assam sauce, the pieces of sharks 'mouth' were crunchy, somewhat like the pieces of squid or terrapin. It is quite tasteless on it's own and needed the slightly spicy assam sauce to lend it some flavor. A pretty unique dish especially for the texture of the shark 'mouth'. RM40.80 for a medium sized (600g) serving.

The chef recommended pork ribs cooked in a claypot with yam. The yam used was a good variety and had a nice yam fragrance. Cooked until soft, the ribs were coated in the yam gravy. The ribs were tender and soft and had an almost melt-in-your mouth texture. We would recommend this dish.

The chef also recommended their special taufoo. The soft taufoo pieces were served in a gravy with various types of mushrooms, baby corn, shallots and chicken meat. It was nice, but not particularly outstanding.

To complete the meal, we had kalian cooked in 2 styles – shredded and fried till crispy (like seaweed) and stir-fried with garlic. Again, nice but not particularly outstanding and we felt that places like Wan Fatt did this dish better.

Overall it was a memorable meal – especially since we were able to chat with the chef/owner. We were told that their crab dishes are very popuar too – we'll keep that for our next visit. I guess business will pick up after their appearance on Ho Chak. They certainly do deserve more recognition.


Location : No 168, 9^th Mile Cheras (just before the traffic light junction to Hulu Langat)
Contact : 9075 1853 or 017-356-6592
GPS Co-ordinates : E:101, 46'14.8" N:3, 4'10.6"

Sing Kee – Part II

After getting 4 Excellent dish ratings on our last visit (see our first review), we were keen to make another visit to explore Sing Kee's repertoire. And we wanted to try different dishes too. So here's what we had:-

 Steamed wan yee topped with ginger

This style of fish is not very popular with gd and myself although it is our elder brother's favorite. The dishes we have had in the past have tended to be very heavy on the ginger taste that it tends to overpowers the taste of the fish. However on our last visit, we saw this dish on another table and we were told by the lady boss that the customers (who were regulars) always ordered this dish when they came. We found the minced ginger topping on the fish was light and flavorful. It was so tasty that it would have made a great accompaniment for some plain steamed kampong chicken (which we recalled the regulars had also ordered previously). RM30.
Verdict : Excellent

 Thai style chicken

This was recommended by the lady boss and we also saw it on a number of other tables. The chicken pieces were well fried and flavorful and served with julienne cucumber and onions in a tangy chilli sauce. RM18.
Verdict : Very good

 Pork belly (far lam) stir fried with onion shoots

We actually ordered this to see how they manage a relatively simple stir-fry dish. They passed with flying colors – the dish was done just right. RM16.
Verdict : Very good

 Egg foo yong

Another simple dish done with small prawns. Done well again. RM8.
Verdict : Very good.

Sweet potato leaves with fermented bean curd

Yet another simple dish. The this vegetable should not be cooked too long or it becomes soft and soggy. It was done just right here again with the vegetable remaining firm and crunchy and the sauce not to salty. RM6.
Verdict : Very good


Another very satisfying meal. This is definitely a restaurant heading for a place on our Top 10 list. Give it a try and do let us have your feedback. 

Location : 31-33, Jalan 1/6, Seksyen 1, Bandar Teknologi, Jalan Semenyih, 43000 Kajang (located in the row of shops behind the Billion Shopping Centre)
Contact : 017-2451916 or 016-3648296

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

Mexim DimSum, Kajang's Best?

I am a big fan of dim sum, especially siew mai, ching pai kuat, prawn chee cheong fun, lor mai kai and of course the char siew pau and porridge. These are normally the 'must haves' at a dim sum outing. Some of my favorite dim sum outlets are the famous one at Taman Connaught, next to CIMB and the unforgettable Overseas at Central Market in the good old days.

Closer to home, i.e. Kajang, we don't have much choice for dim sum. We have Restoran Mexim Tim Sum right in the heart of Kajang, facing the main road heading to Semenyih, almost opposite the Kajang Police Station. This is the new premises, about 100m away from the old premises and very close to the famous Malaysia Restaurant Satay.

I am writing this piece just 2 days after having dim sum at Connaught, on a Saturday morning. Yes, it was packed there and to our horror, the siew mai was almost uncooked, service was slow, bordering on bad and in general, it was really disappointing.

So lets give credit where its due. The dim sum at Mexim has been quite consistent and tasty. Even during peak on weekends, they don't crack - an extra team of youngsters are deployed to ensure fast service.  The stewed chicken feet (kai kiok) is one of the better ones I have eaten. The pickled green chillies on top give it an excellent taste when taken together.

Prawns are always fresh and crunchy, be it steamed or fried. One other thing that I just love here is the baked yam with pork filling (woo kok)- this is a must have here. It just tastes right and not too oily - the best I have eaten. The porridge (minced pork and century egg) is A+ too, I have been having porridge here and packing back since they started business many years ago - even my mom loved the porridge and would occasionally ask specifically for it.

Other favorites - siew mai and the pai kuat are well executed and are must haves here. My normal order is 2 plates of siew mai - they've got it just right.

Finally, the Chinese tea served here is pretty good quality too, you can taste the difference and it comes at a right price. This makes the washing down of the dim sum just perfect. In fact, after the bad experience at the famous Connaught dim sum place, my message to Kajang folks is: "Don't bother driving to Connaught, Maxim in Kajang offers you equal if not better dim sum offerings".

I love it, hope you do too. I hope they remain the same for years to come. Keep it up Mexim!

The Tic-tic Man (a.k.a. tok-tok man)

From a very tender age (i.e. as far back as I can remember), there used to be this guy on a bicycle with a payong top and a stainless steel container strapped to the back of his bicycle roaming the the streets making that unique tic-tic-tic sound. We've found him all over, in residential areas, the towns, the cities and the countryside - so many people knows this guy just at the mention of the word tic-tic (or tok-tok) man. I just read a blog, that this guy has been spotted as far as Muar. To name some of the places that he has been spotted at: Kajang, Balakong, Peel Road, KL City Centre, Muar, Seremban, Port Dickson, just to name a few. And all these places are apparently covered on his bicycle.

He pedals around peddling his tok-tok candy. My guess is it's a special home made verity. It certainly is unique with sesame seeds on it with a nice unique candy flavour. Its one of a kind. I don't even know of the proper name to call it.

Whats special is, its tasty and as he comes almost everyone just wants to buy some. I remember it used to be 20 sen to 50 sen a packet. Just 2 days ago in Balakong, I paid RM4 for a pack (and it appears smaller now). This pack of candy sent me back about 30 years, with nostalgic memories of this 'uncle' on the bicycle with that tic-tic sound. Besides making that sound (to attract us), the uses this 'chisel' to chisel away at the candy to hand us that packets of sweet goodness we used to crave for as kids. It was nothing like the candy we bought from the shops - it was just different.

I candidly asked him, how old are you uncle, since I have been buying from this you since primary school days. He told me he was now 70+, but I suspect he may be much older. He still cycles around in his trusted bicycle and peddles the unique tic-tic sweet, that sends you back in time.

It was really a trip down memory lane meeting him. Sadly it is perhaps a dying art of homemade candy, brought right to your doorstep. A Malaysian santa claus perhaps /

Restoran Sing Kee,Taman Teknologi, Kajang

There is a joy in finding something lost. There is also another type of joy in finding a good restaurant that you thought had closed down. And a joy it was to find Sing Kee again. This is actually the restaurant that used to operate at a temple along Jalan Sg Lallang in Semenyih quite close to where Restaurant 52 is located. We were frequenting Sing Kee more often that the former and had grown quite fond of some of their signature dishes. However earlier this year, we found that a different operator had taken over the business at the temple location. When gd found out that the old operator had shifted to Taman Teknologi nearer to Kajang, we had to make a visit. Here's what we had:-

Steamed tilapia in light soy sauce with cili padi

This is their signature dish. Very simple – light soy sauce with some cili padi for some heat. Well executed and fresh and tasty fish.
Verdict : Excellent

Pork with yam
Pork and yam or Khow yoke is usually slices of pork and yam. The version here however is more aptly described as a pork sandwich with yam inside. A thick slice of pork sliced in two with a piece of yam inserted. The sauce is thick and tasty. Another winner.
Verdict : Excellent

Four angle bean with sambal belacan
Instead of the usual 4 beans mix (sei dai tin wong) with sambal, we asked for the four angle beans only with sambal. The result I must say was even better than the 4 bean mix. 
Verdict : Excellent

 Brinjal with dried prawn
Another component of the sei dai tin wong that we chose to have separately. Again, no regrets. Nice contrast of crunchy dried prawns against the soft brinjal.
Verdict : Excellent

Now with four dishes getting an "Excellent" rating, this place is becoming a contender for a spot on our Top 10 list. But we still need to explore their menu some more. We saw some other tables with some rather interesting dishes; fish maw soup, steamed plain taufoo and wan yee with ginger. Look out for more reviews in future.

Location : Bandar Teknologi, Jalan Semenyih, Kajang (located in the row of shops behind the Billion Shopping Centre)

Cottage Delight (Bak Kut Teh)

Our trip to Cameron Highlands has been very hit and miss this time. Our favorite restaurant in Tringkap, called Restoran Tringkap (of course) has closed and moved. In their place is a place called Old Frenz which is very popular with the local farmers for economy rice. We decided to give it a try but lets just say that it is not worth writing about here.

Our attempt to try some steamboat at the famous Organic steamboat place (made famous by the Taste with Jason TV show) was thwarted by the fact that they required a minimum of 2 pax and did not have any a-la carte dishes. What can be better than a pot of steamboat (hot pot) ? Well how about a steaming pot of bak kut teh ? It was pouring down and we were looking for a place for Jeremy to have dinner and this was the closest place that was open.

For a place that supposedly specializes in bak kut teh, we found the offering here to be not particularly outstanding. Maybe we prefer the Klang Hokkien version, which tends to be thick and with strong herbal taste. The version here is lighter, but that's not to say that it was not good. The meats had been cooked until tender and the herbal flavours were apparent. Good but not outstanding. RM9.00 per serving.

What was outstanding though was the braised pork trotters (chee keok shin). The pork trotters has been braised in a thick sauce with vinegar, dried chillies and preserved black beans (tau cheong) which was rather unusual. The beans lent an additional flavor dimension and made the gravy really tasty. It was so good that we decided to go back the next day for more of the same. RM9.00 per serving.

Now Cameron Highlands is the source of most of the vegetables we get in our local markets so you would expect the vegetables sold here to be fresh. And our expectations were met when the simple scalded green vegetables with some light soy sauce and fried garlic reached our table in a suitably fresh and crunchy form. Simple and excellent. Servings are from RM6.

The lemon tea and honey lemon tea were thick and nice.

Location : No. 4, Jalan Pasar Bandar Baru, 39100 Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Telephone : 012-5166848
Open from 7.00 a.m. until lunch and then reopens for dinner at about 6.00 p.m.