Time to take a little break from writing about Bangkok and lets talk about something closer to home for a bit. After all, this site has the reputation of being a food blog of sort, no?
Well, this dining expedition happened late last year when Kerol decided to lead myself and Horng to this little hideout that is F4 Fish Head at the relatively unfashionable part of USJ, within the light industrial area at the back of Summit mall, otherwise known as the traffic death zone during rush hour.
F4 Fish head, next to USJ badminton hall
The restaurant occupies a small industrial lot, which is rather big by kopitiam standard. By the time we got there at around 6:30, it was already 80% full despite located in a rather hidden area.
We sat down and ordered a steamed fish head with ginger and onion, a plate of potato leaves with balacan, and a clay pot port belly with salted fish.
fish head with ginger & garlic, potato leaves, pork belly with salted fish
Food did take a while to arrive but it wasn’t unacceptably long.
The steamed fish head with ginger and garlic(not exactly sure the type of fish used) was very delightful. Now fish heads are usually prepared with curry, but if you have good quality and fresh fish heads, steaming would be a preferred method. The fish was soft, and as it was almost 1/3 of the fish instead of just the head, there were plenty to chew from.
The clay pot pork belly with salted fish too was a very commendable dish. Saturated with the goodness of 3-layered pork that is skin/fat/meat and salted fish in dark soya sauce and dried chili. It was a good contrast to the fairer taste of the steamed fish head.
KY, Kerol, and Horng
As for the potato leaves with balacan, well, it was decent but nothing particularly outstanding. A good accompanying dish to counter the meat and fish. But I do feel that perhaps a steamed soup might serve us better.
F4 Fish Head is hidden within Subang Jaya Industries Park
Total meal came to something like RM 60, very economical for what we ordered. I need to go back there again to try out other types of fish head dishes they have. They’re open for lunch as well as dinner.
Address:
F4 Fish Head
Lot 776, Sub lot 3,
Jalan Subang 4,
Subang Jaya Industries Park,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.04651, 101.59724
Tel: 012-325 9111
Other reviews:
Yiling
This is yet another hidden place in the middle of KL introduced by Kelvin. Contrary to the Kampung Atap curry fish head (another place introduced by the same bloke), Yee Sang Fat (易生发) is famous for their steamed fish head.
the gang enjoying good food
This kopitiam is not trivial to locate. Situated opposite the Pudu Methodist Church just next to Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Yew, the easiest way to get there is via Jalan Pasar. Since there are tables set up both in and outside this tai chau (大炒) place, you won’t miss it if you are on the correct road (Jalan Gajah).
fish head, brinjal, pork ribs, vegetable
We asked for the must-try steamed fish head, brinjal (egg plant) with garlic, pork ribs, soupy lala, fried kangkung, and a tofu dish recommended by the waiter. We pretty much ordered all the dishes that printed on their lighted sign board that also spot the shop’s name. Six dishes for ten person to go with rice.
It didn’t take too long for the dishes to be served. The lala came first, and we devoured it like there’s no tomorrow. Then it was the fish head, steamed with plenty of garlic, ginger, and spring onion. The portion was pretty big too, and more like 1/3 of a fish instead of just the head.
tofu and lala
The vegetable and pork ribs were pretty good, but my favorite of the day must be the brinjal with garlic. The soft and tender brinjal fried with some salt and lots of crispy garlic topped with spring onion. The contrast of the differing textures and the taste were just perfect. On the contrary, the tofu dish was pretty much forgettable.
not the easiest place to get to (NOTE: check comment #9)
This meal came to slightly over RM 120.00 for 10 of us, definitely a great value. Granted we did not order any fancy drinks, but there were fish head, lala, and meat as well. A burger meal with fries and coca-cola will cost you around RM 12 at Burger King. I’m sure we will go there again one of these days.
Address:
Jalan Gajah,
off JalanYew Pudu
Kuala Lumpur 55100
GPS: 3.132342, 101.717026
The gwai lou was the one who suggested that we have this great curry fish head at Kampung Atap over the weekend, with Kelvin the walking encyclopedia of eating places in the Klang Valley leading the way.
The place, the fish head, and Kelvin the connoisseur
The Kampung Atap curry fish head place (as it doesn’t seem to have a name) is hidden in the midst of the sprawl that is KL. Situated just a stone’s throw away from Jalan Syed Putra but yet not exactly easy to find. However, fear not, there’s the map at the end of the post. This establisment is operated by Mamak under the set up typical of such operations, tables under the roof with no luxury of air conditioning. However, there are plenty of trees surrounding the area making it a rather cozy environment.
We arrived at around 11:30am and it was just half an hour too early as the curry wasn’t ready yet. We could see the chefs cleaning quite a lot of fish heads of various sizes (big, bigger, enormous). We ordered a curry fish head for the four of us, three pieces of honey chicken (ayam madu), two rather large squid, and some bean sprout. Papadum and a dish consisting onion and green pepper soaked in soya sauce comes standard.
papadum, bean sprout, honey chicken, curry squid
After having to smell the cooking for 30 minutes we were finally served with all the dishes. The fish head was the size of a tiger’s paw, and tasted very good. Curry flavour was strong yet not overly spicy. The fish was fresh too. Tau pok and okra accompanied the fish head as garnish.
The honey chicken (ayam madu) was the best I’ve had. The deep fried chicken is chopped and served seperatedly from the honey to ensure the texture remain crispy. The sweetness from honey and the slight saltiness from the chicken mixes very well. This is a must try item apart from the de facto curry fish head. The squid and bean sproud were pretty good, though not spectacular. We over ordered and wasn’t able to had to waste a big squid at the end..
it was that good
As for price, this place doesn’t offer the cheapest mamak meal, but certainly one of the bests in terms of gastronomical satisfaction. The lunch costs us about RM 20 per person but it was well worth the price, certainly better than having KFC twice.
Going to Kampung Atap from Federal Hwy (bottom), or Cheras (left)
This place opens for lunch, starting 12pm. I suggest you get there early as there might be a limited amount of fish head. When we left the place at 12:45 or so, the place was already packed.
GPS: 3.137259, 101.695676
This place is introduced by the mat salleh that is ST, you can read his take here. We spent about 20 minutes looking for the place after having parked the car in some alleys. I had to call ST a couple times and even use a hardcore MMS pic to verify that we got to the correct place. By the time it’s all said and done, we were starving..
old school back alley kinda place in the middle of KL
Ong Lai is situated at the underground of Bee Seng Hotel, from Jalan Raja Laut, you have to walk downhill via a small road by the hotel and turn left into the alley. It’s pretty easy to spot the “restaurant” once you are there, it is basically just a lot of tables under some tents, a very old school set up. I didn’t see any running rats around, which was a good thing.
the fish head, fried noodles, and vege
We ordered the famous steamed fish head, fried hor fun, fried mee hun, a plate of vege, and the awesome oyster omlete (was too hungry I forgot to snap a pic of this dish). Both the fried noodles were very good and stuffed with lotsa ingridients such as squid, shrimps, sliced fish cakes, vege, and best of all, cubes of deep fried pork fat.
The fish head was more like 1/3 of a fish instead of just the head. It was very well garnished with parsley, red chili, and a lot of ginger and garlic. The fish meat was very tender and sultry. If you know how to enjoy a good fish head, you will savor the lips of the fish.. yumm.
the fish meat and the big oyster, yummm
The oyster omelete came late due to some kitchen mismanagement I think. We were almost going to cancel the order but glad that we didn’t. The oysters in the omlete were the biggest I’ve seen in this type of dish. Fried till when the eggs are fully cooked but the oysters still half rare, served on a sheet of banana leaf, the dish was really awesome no just in terms of flavor, but texture as well. This is a must-try item if you are there.
here, map to Ong Lai at Jalan Raja Laut
Do make sure that you ask them to break down the bill. Due to some confusion at the kitchen, we were charged twice on the oyster dish. We only found that out after having our bills break down. Six of us spent a total of around RM 100 for the meal, a pretty fair price. Will go there again.
The address:
60A, Jalan Raja Laut
50500 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.163029, 101.695794
The place closes on Monday
