Restaurant Teochew Lao Er was discovered pretty much accidentally by us. One one fateful noon over the weekends, Haze and I had initially wanted to go to Wong Kee for some roast pork (best you can find in KL really), but when we reached there, the roast pork had already ran out.
I then recommended that we try Sui Kau mee around the corner, so we drove around in search for a parking space. We ended up right in front of this new-looking restaurant by the name of Teochew Lao Er.
restaurant teochew lau er, at jalan brunei, behind berjaya timesquare
Since fate had landed us right in front of the restaurant, I thought we might as well give it a try. There’s air conditioning, and it was packed, I supposed that can’t be bad for a hot afternoon. We went straight in and took a seat on the first floor.
stew duck, fried grouper skin, stew intestine & pork bell, petai
We made our orders and waited for less than 5-10 minutes when they came. That is the best thing about teochew porridge places (even though this one is sorta new age and a little different), most of the foods are already cooked, and you don’t need to wait for ages before food is served.
For the two of us, we ordered a total of five dishes. On hindsight, that was a little too much, but I just can’t help myself then.
The Teochew red stew duck (RM 10) was pretty generous in portion. It was succulent, soft, and flavorful, went really well with the sweet potato porridge (RM 1.20) for sure.
check out the fried grouper skin, absolutely marvelous!
Then there’s the signature fried grouper skin (RM 8). If you love fish skin, this is an absolute must-try over here. I don’t actually see it served at anywhere else, an absolute delight! it is served with some soy beans, chili padi, and tomato sauce. I could have only this and porridge and life would be complete.
The teochew stew pork belly (RM 5) and stew intestine (RM 4) came in the same soya based sauce and both were as good as any I’ve tried.
glorious dishes to go with sweet potato porridge
The lone vegetable dish we ordered was the petai (RM 
that was prepared with sambal and anchovies. To be honest, this was an average dish and perhaps not one that goes well with porridge. But four excellent dishes out of five that we ordered? I’ll call that a success!
I want to go back there again, pronto!
Address:
Restaurant Teochew Lao Er
6, Jalan Brunei off Jalan Pudu
55100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.138866, 101.713132
Tel: 03-2141 5822
2011 kicks off pretty good, it was only mid January and I’ve already had my second yee sang session. Just like the previous session at Gu Yue Tien, this is yet another invited food tasting session from Meena in conjunction with Standard Chartered’s Extravagant 8 menu promotion (20th Jan till 17th Feb.)
For those who did not read about it on the previous post, this promotion basically allows Standard Chartered credit card holder to enjoy special menu priced at RM 888++ for 8 pax at 8 different locations by 8 award winning chefs. Li Yen at Ritz Carlton is the second place I sampled.
and we started off with yee sang, what else?
It was during the work week. I went back from work, had a few rounds of slow run at Taman Aman, showered, and then got stuck at traffic for a good 30 minutes to get passed a 300 meter stretch of road in PJ State, drove faster, found parking at Starhill, and arrived at Ritz-Carlton hotel.
The above paragraph was totally unnecessary, but I had to illustrate what a man would do to have his yee sang.
The yee sang served at Li Yen is the traditional type, shredded carrot, marinated vegetable, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, crackers, plum sauce, oil, and of course, fresh raw salmon. Always good.
double boiled assorted seafood soup with bamboo piths
Like pretty much all traditional Chinese course dinners, the second dish is a soup. The double boiled soup with assorted seafood and bamboo piths was subtle yet exquisite. I always love soup that doesn’t overpower and spoil the taste of subsequent dishes, nice.
I had actually first mistaken bamboo pith as some sort of fish maw, but apparently it is a type of fungus grown in bamboo forest. hey, learn something new everyday!
Oh, there’s no sharks fins with Standard Chartered promotional menu, thumbs up!
peking duck served with steamed sesame pancakes
Next up was a dish that I’ve been waiting for – peking duck in steamed sesame pancakes. The Peking duck roasted to perfection, with it’s skin gleaming with a thin layer of fat calling for me.. ahh.
Our server was an expert who made light work of the duck. *slice slice slice* and within seconds we have the duck skin all tidily wrapped within the soft and warm sesame pancakes. It was as good as any peking duck I had, took extra servings too. 
steamed patin fish with superior soya sauce,
braised dried scallops with dried oyster and sea moss
After the duck, we were served the steamed patin fish with superior soya sauce. This is a dish that isn’t uncommon but one that requires really good quality fish. The patin was certainly fresh, fat, and tender. Superior soya sauce isn’t your everyday Kikkomon either, it really adds to the flavor and isn’t overly salty even if you drink it on its own.
Another classic CNY dish, braised dried scallops with dried oyster and sea moss, followed. The sea moss actually looks almost like wet hair, but obviously taste very much different from the stuff that clogs your shower drain hole… (ok perhaps that’s not the best way to describe food). The dried shellfish gives the sauce a very sweet, savory taste, very nice.
stir-fried assorted mushroom and asparagus, hokkien fried rice
We had stir-fried mushroom and asparagus to start winding down the dinner. A light dish that is simple yet delicious, I like the contrasting textures of mushroom and the crunchier asparagus.
The last main dish was Hokkien fried rice, which looks and tastes almost like “lam” rice (with similar type of sauce from loh mee). I thought it was a mislabel, but apparently despite being a Hokkien, I didn’t know any better. Hokkien fried rice is actually steamed rice topped with gravy cooked with chunks of mushroom, vegetable, prawns, and other goodies. It was very yummy actually, I had a small bowl since my stomach was already like 98% full at the time.
deep fried yam with lunar cake, salted pork bones for soup
Deep fried yam with lunar cake (nian gau) served as the dessert that concludes the dinner. It was sweet, crunchy on the outside while sweet, soft, and comfortably warm on the inside.
See the picture of salted pork bones? That’s the not-so-secret ingredients in that seafood soup, imported from Hong Kong, as revealed by the good chef.
KY, Meena & Chef Leung,
Bangsarbabe, foodpoi, Lionel, Mei Yee, Chocoholic, Bald Eagle; Haze
Li Yen is manned by Chef Leung Kwai Hong from Hong Kong armed with 45 years of experience in kitchens at Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and now Malaysia.
The dishes we had at Li Yen were all positively traditional Chinese, perfect for someone looking for that old school experience, but with style and luxury, of course.
Address:
Li Yen @ Ritz-Carlton Hotel
168 Jalan Imbi,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.146960, 101.715406
Tel: 03-2141 8000
A few weeks ago we stopped by Ming Tien for a session of late night supper. Other than being one of the very few Chinese food oriented food courts that opens till the wee hours, Ming Tien is also among the few places that is dog friendly. It only make sense since there is a huge pet store next to the food court anyway.
Kim soothing her lips with ice
Kim, being one of the most adventurous people I know when it comes to food, decided that we should try the super spicy Taiwanese sausage. So without asking for opinion or approval, she bought 3 sticks of the most spicy sausage for herself, ST, and yours truly.
If you think chili padi is spicy, well, this sausage was possibly at least 5-10x the intensity. The level is right up there with the Habanero laced chicken wings I had at Frontera last night. It’ll make anyone sweat, I suggest ordering a big glass of soya milk to pre-empt before trying. But if you’re into the euphoric thrill of super spicy chili laced food, do try out this Taiwanese sausage.
They do offer Taiwanese sausages of other flavors, but what is the fun in that, right?
duck breast with some pork belly
The other dish that I am slowly warming up to at Ming Tien is the Soy Duck. I usually order the duck breast and a side of pork belly to go with steamed rice. The fat from pork belly does well to add to the smoothness of duck breast, yums. A quick and quite a tasty meal for less than RM 7.00. Value for money!
The same stall also serves chicken, pork belly, “pork head skin”, tofu, eggs, and more.
Ming Tien is just a short turn from LDP
Address:
Ming Tien Hawker Center
Jalan SS24/8, Taman Megah,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.114334, 101.611658
A couple Fridays ago, Eiling invited me to Cubes Chinese Restaurant at Jaya One for a food review session.
Jaya One is slowly becoming a pretty popular watering (and dining) hole in PJ, and it is not hard to see why. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and pubs offering a wide variety of cuisines, and parking is relatively cheap and easy to find.
Cubes Chinese Restaurant
Yiling, Eiling’s sister, but not Ziling, (mystery of the EZY sister naming convention) and I reached the restaurant and had a good 20 minutes flipping through the menu and chatting before our Eiling finally arrived.
The interior decoration of the restaurant is modern, chic, very different from typical high end Chinese restaurants. We were greeted by the owner, Mr. Ang, who turned out to be a very friendly, funny, and fine host.
probably the best London Aromatic Duck….
So we got started with a serving of “probably the best London Aromatic Duck”. The server flossed the quarter duck confit to and we then wrapped the meat with very fine crepe, spring onion, julienned cucumber, and the special sauce. Their signature appetizer dish, and it was very yummy! Reminded me of the similar dish at Kensington, Seremban.
braised peanuts, juice, enzymes
Throughout dinner, we were served hot tea, a variety of interesting juices (vegetable juice anyone?); and since Eiling is a buddy of the restaurateur, we were also served the little shot glasses of “enzymes” which were fermented juice that tasted very close to being alcohol but not quite, it was pretty interesting. An acquired taste I must say.
double boiled soup, tofu with spinach and mushroom, tiger prawn with rice crisp
We then had the Double Boiled Scallops with Tong Sum Soup. The pork ribs, scallops, and herbs certainly works very well together to produce a very sweet and herbal tasting soup, I like it.
Tiger Prawn with Rice Crisp came next. The prawn itself was the size of my palm, deep fried in a way that still leave the meat very succulent. The pairing of rice crisp is to provide a different texture to the prawn.
Homemade Bean Curd with Spinach and Mushroom provided yet another dimension of taste that is typical of Chinese cuisine. Soft, smooth, and certainly not lacking in taste, the mushroom with it’s sauce and scallop bits certainly adds a bit of character to the otherwise plain tofu dish.
honey roasted pork ribs, stir fry lotus roots and celery, almond soup and black sesame tong yuen
The dish that was probably most amazing in the whole dinner was the Honey Roasted Pork Ribs. I mean, just look at it, a generous piece of ribs, doesn’t look anything more like a slab of char siew (bbq pork), but when you cut into the meat, ahh. The meat immediately breaks on impact and the aroma of that perfectly roasted pork come rushing out. It was really succulent and really, really tasty. This dish should not be missed.
We finally wrapped up the main course with Stir Fry Lotus Roots and Celery, the vegetable certainly provided a fresh change of taste from the seafood and meat. The lotus roots is prepared in two ways, deep fried and by normal stir frying. This provides a slightly different flavor, the deep fried version reminds me of deep fried bitter gourd you get in places like Kanna Curry House
Yiling, KY, and Eiling
After we were absolutely filled to the brim, Mr. Ang ordered us (and we denied at first) the Almond Soup with Black Sesame Glutinous Balls. I think the almond soup was a tad too thick and would personally prefer soya milk in this case, but the glutinous balls was very yummy. Reminded me of the version made by (well, reheated) Mellissa one particular night at Melbourne.
Overall, the dinner was only bested by the company at the table. Eiling and Yiling always made good company, and Mr. Ang, being a fantastic host, made the entire experience that much better. Price at Cubes would be slightly higher than your run-of-the-mill Chinese outlets, but the combination of food and ambiance made it all very worth it.
So if you’re looking for a finer Chinese cuisine not located in a 5-star hotel, this would be one of the very few places worth visiting.
Address:
Cubes
18-1, Block L1-1,
Palm Square Jaya One,
No. 72A, Jalan Universiti,
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.118298, 101.635294
Tel: 3-7958 6616
One of my all time favorite Chinese dishes is roast duck, the glistering fats and crispy skin makes for a perfect combination in texture and taste. Being someone from Penang, a place famous for it’s hawker foods and Nyona dishes, I must confess that the standard of roast meat (be it roast pork, chicken, or duck) is generally far superior in Klang Valley than my home state.
roast meat galore
One of the most famous places when it comes to roast duck (and goose) would be Soon Fatt Peking Roast Duck. A hawker stall with make shift zinc roof tucked below a big tree by the busy road that is Jalan Pasar in KL. There is no luxury of air conditioning, table cloth, or even leveled ground; but I am always prepared to sacrify a little in comfort for delicious food.
soon fatt peking duck
Our initial goal coming to this place was to try their famous roast goose (which I wrote blogged here), but as luck has it, they did not get their supply for the day and recommended that we try the sesame roast duck instead.
We took up the recommendation and went for half a duck, a portion of roast and bbq pork, and a serving of sour and spicy vegetable to go with some yau fan (oily rice) for four of us.
sesame roast duck, sour and spicy vegetable, bbq & roast pork
The sesame roast duck was one of the best dishes I’ve tasted in a while, my previous experience in this type of preparation was confined to sesame roast chicken at wedding dinners, but this duck was heaps better. The aroma of sesame fused with perfectly roasted tender duck meat and that crispy skin makes for a wonderful combination that tasted so well even sans the plum sauce.
The bbq pork (char siu) too is on par with some of the bests in town, and while the roast pork (siu yoke) wasn’t overly impressive, it still held up pretty good in the taste department. The sour and spicy vegetable (xuen lat choy) provide a departure from the greesy and meaty taste that is very welcoming.
the waiter’s probably been on this job for decades
The meal came up to around RM 50+ for four of us, it was a very fulfilling lunch despite the fact that we did not get the goose. I’m planning for the next trip where I get the roast goose and sesame duck all in one meal!
Address:
Intersection of Jalan Pasar and Jalan Yap Hin,
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.135315, 101.716479
Tel: 012-212 9018
Note: This article also appears on Klue online as part of the Blogger Exchange program, check it out. I have more Melbourne food posts coming up soon too, watch this space. 
