One of the best things to have on a breezy night is a good bowl of herbal soup, and for that, the number one trusted place to be has got to be Keong Kee Herbal Soup in Pudu. In fact, I had an ex-housemate that would bug her boy friend to drive her all the way from PJ to the heart of KL whenever she had the craving for these home-made soup.
Keong Kee Herbal Soup, Pudu
The restaurant, or stall I should say, is located on a semi open air area under a zinc roof that has rudimentary weather protection, there are no walls or air conditioning, but it is well lit and has ceiling fans serving the customers to counter the tropical heat.
The menu at Keong Kee is not a large one, and resides only in the memory of the waiters. For the two of us over dinner, we ordered a portion of stewed lamb, a plate of “oily vegetable”, ginseng chicken soup, and a bowl of terrapin soup. Yes, terrapin, or freshwater turtle.
2 soup, vege, stewed lamb
Service was rather prompt, and quality of these soup were really as good as their reputation, the herbal taste were strong, with the meat in both soup dishes as well as the stew cooked to a very soft, tender texture. We really enjoyed it. (the vegetable wasn’t overly “refined” though..).
Dinner came to RM 35 for two pax, pretty cheap for what you get. So if you’re up for some good old fashion double boiled soup in the city, this is surely a place to check out.
A couple weeks ago one of my friends, Michael, a true born & bred Klang guy sent me a picture of a bowl of old school bak kut teh via WhatsApp and claimed that this place is so good they usually sell out by 8:30 in the morning. The name oft the shop – Teck Seong bak kut teh.
Teck Seong bkt, Taman Intan Klang
Coincidentally, this restaurant also happen to be located just minutes away from where I stay, makes visiting for weekday before-work-breakfast perfect. So I did just that the very next morning.
It is true that bak kut teh is mostly a breakfast dish in Klang, and some of the best outlets only operates in the morning. Like many of these places, Teck Seong starts early in the morning, at 6 am.
“pua pui chiak” cut, or 3 layer pork
The offering here is of the most old school style – one bowl of pork of your choice per person to go with steamed rice. You do get chili padi and soya sauce as condiments.
I’ve tried “pua pui chiak” (半肥瘦) and “tua kut” (big bone) at Teck Seong and the experience has been great. The soup, while a bit more subtle than the likes of Mo Sang Kor, it still holds a strong herbal note. The flavor of meat though, is among the best I’ve had, then there’s the fat, they just melt in you mouth. Excellent.
one tua kut is definitely a good way to start the day
A single portion with rice is RM 11, so prices are more than reasonable, if not slightly cheaper compared to some at the area. If you’re a fan of old school style BKT, this is surely one to check out.
Address: Teck Seong Bak Kut Teh 29, Jalan Batai Laut, Taman Intan, 41300 Klang, Selangor GPS: 3.055686, 101.473612 Tel: 016-213 1161 Hours: 6 am to 8:30/9:00 am
Bak Kut Teh infused with seafood is not exactly a recent invention in the land where this uniquely Chinese-Malaysian dish originated, and of the various different variants of bak kut teh, it is probably the most rare, hence it is no surprise that many bak kut teh fans does not know about the existence of seafood BKT.
Yun Heng kopitiam, at Klang Utama
My love for seafood bak kut teh started with Ah Tao at Teluk Pulai, a place where I’ve returned multiple times. Sadly, Ah Tao returned to the maker this past CNY period and the place has been closed down (or on haitus) since.
This prompted me to start looking for another good spot to satisfy that cravings.
After a few attempts with limited success, I think I finally found one that’s worthy to be Ah Tao’s replacement in my book – the unassuming BKT stall at the corner of Restoran Yun Heng at Klang Utama (not far from another one of my go-to Hong Ba + BKT place – Swee Xiang)
fish head, and that glorious bak kut teh with lala
We went there last weekend when my brother was in town, and for the three of us, we had 1.5 portion of bak kut teh with lala, and another portion of fish head.
The bak kut teh soup really did hit the spot for all of us, it was a perfect balance of hotness, herbal note, and really strong seafood sweetness from the lala. They may not have the variety of seafood available as with Ah Tao, but lala is all you need, especially if it’s done as well as they did here.
fish head also had chicken feet in it
We didn’t plan to order the stewed fish head dish, but since they were a bit low on pork (we got there past 1:30 pm) and the owner suggested it, I thought why not?
The dish turned out to be pretty good in itself, it was another spicy dish but one with much thicker soup and slightly sweeter in taste. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, the chicken feet in the stew was very good too.
Overall damage was just under RM 20 per person, and I’m 100% sure I’ll be heading back there again for some lala BKT goodness.
Address: Restoran Yun Heng 31, Persiaran Sungai Keramat 1B, Taman Klang Utama, Klang GPS: 3.083669, 101.407106 Tel: 016-272 0389
I’ve been reviewing quite a few Klang bak kut teh since we moved to Ken Rimba at Padang Jawa, which is just a couple kilometers away from Klang, but today, let’s look at Teck Kee bak kut teh at Subang Permai, a location that is closer to those of you who stay at the likes of Bukit Jelutong or Subang Airport.
Teck Kee Bak Kut Teh at Subang Permai
To be honest, I’ve heard about this place for quite a while but the location has always been a bit of a mystery, until we ventured into the area for something completely unrelated did I realized this was the “famous bak kut teh” in Kampung Subang area.
The set up is typical of most bak kut teh shop, basic plastic tables & chair with hot water (this one electrical) supply for those who likes to have bak kut teh with tea. So far, so good.
big bone – single serving clay pot bak kut teh
For just myself, I ordered “tua kut”, or big bone in a clay pot to go with rice, they also serve ginger wine chicken, and dry version of bak kut teh, but I guess I’ll have to try those some other time. Minced garlic and chopped chili padi is available as condiments, which is always good.
I didn’t leave anything behind, was a happy diner
While the soup isn’t as thick as some of the Klang’s versions, the pork at Teck Kee is stewed to perfection, not overly soft yet soaked up with plenty of herbal essence as it should. The soup has a good balance to it and I was more than satisfied to finish it all and asked for extras, which they complied without batting an eyelid.
Overall it was more than worthy, if you’re within 5-10 kilometer radius, this is a definitely a good bak kut teh place to check out.
Address: Teck Kee Bak Kut Teh Ground Floor, 25, Jalan Alfa D U6/D, Pusat Perdagangan Subang Permai, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor GPS: 3.138447, 101.527017 Tel: 012-979 2446
Steamboat places are aplenty all over Klang Valley, so when it comes to picking one out for dinner during rainy days, it can be a little challenging. The rule of thumb for most people is that the place must be busy, for me, I usually rely on recommendations from friends instead, which was how I got to Dian Huo Xin Wo Steamboat at Kelana Jaya a couple weeks ago.
Edit 2017: This place has moved to a new location, address below
This steamboat restaurant is a little bit different from others when it comes to the interior decoration. At first glance, the place looks like a hipster cafe with old typewriter, TV, charcoal iron, and all those sort of memorabilias from yesteryears. Look closer, and you’ll find the built in stove in every table.
decent selection with good choice of soup base
Instead of electric stove or steamboat pot utilized at some places such as Bone & Pot, Dian Huo Xin Wo opts for the traditional gas stove, which I prefer as it is a lot more responsive. Their solution is by placing a gas tank right under each table, I’m not entirely sure if this is the safest manner, but it works pretty well.
For a smallish shop, the menu is pretty comprehensive. There’s more than enough different fish balls (even one with quail eggs inside), meatballs, sliced meat, innards, vegetables, and starters (try the salmon skin) to go around. The “balls” are self-made and pretty good in size, which we enjoyed.
there’s even black chicken in the soup
You’re allowed to choose up to two different soup base for a single pot. We tried the herbal black chicken soup and their signature soup, both broth were plenty flavorful in itself, and of course, refillable whenever running low. There’s also tomyam soup if you fancy something spicy, though I usually prefer sticking with traditional soup base for steamboat.
Condiments in this place doesn’t impress much, there’s 3 different types of chili paste, and you can ask for chili padi, but that’s about it, no fancy fermented beancurd or fried shallot oil, but they are, I guess, sufficient.
The meal came to be about RM 40+ per person, which is in line with most quality air conditioned steamboat meals.
Address: Dian Huo Xin Wo Steamboat 19, Jalan SS4D/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Ground Floor @ The Grand@Kelana SS6/2,
Lorong Damansara Lagenda,
Damansara Lagenda, 47301 Petaling Jaya GPS: 3.113118, 101.5996573.101798, 101.598425 Tel: 03-7887 4557 / 012-296 3886 Hours: 5pm to 11pm daily
