Scouring for lunch one weekend afternoon, we somehow arrived at PJ old town food court. Since my house mate recommended the chicken rice, we did not bother to really look for anything else over there.

the girls are enjoying their lunch

This Kie Kee chicken rice stall has been in operation for many years, and actually serves more than just chicken rice. They have roasted pork (siu yok), bbq pork (char siu), chicken with mushroom, and even curry chicken and curry pork. Of course, the standard steamed chicken and roasted chicken are available, there’s porridge too.

I ordered a plate of dark meat roasted chicken with siu yok, while the other noobs had chicken with char siu, and siu yok with curry sauce. The food were actually rather good, the chicken prepared boneless, and the pork tasted like how they should be. Most importantly, the chili sauce was really nice. I maintain that one of the most important ingredients for chicken rice is the chili sauce, this place didn’t disappoint.

roasted chicken, roasted pork, bbq pork, curry

While many other places sells chicken rice for no less than RM 3.50 for a plain chicken and rice dish, and RM 4.00 to RM 4.50 for combo; Kie Kee only charges RM 3.50 for combo and RM 3.00 for a normal plate. Pretty cheap for PJ standard.

the food court is situated opposite the bus terminal

Give it a try if you are going to old town. There are a couple stalls that sell Chinese satay, and the ais kacang is very delicious too.

Tags:  char-siu,  chicken-rice,  curry,  old-town,  PJ,  roasted-pork,  siu-yok

Posted by KY | 20 Comments »

After posting about the clay pot chicken rice at Damansara Jaya, a few of you have suggested me to give Veng Soon at PJ old town a try. Since I have been going to PJ old town quite often lately, I figured why not?

restaurant Veng Soon, leng lui spotted

Veng Soon has a typical kopitiam set up with a pretty clean environment. On their menu is the chicken rice, over half dozen types of steamed soup, and a few types of oily vegetable, pretty much what you would expect from such a place.

For the three of us, we ordered 3 portions of chicken rice, water cress soup (西洋菜), pork tripe soup, and Chinese Broccoli (kailan) oily vegetable (油菜).

note the raw ginger garnish on top of the rice

The two bowls of soup came first, and they were very good, especially the pork tripe, not overpowered by the strong pepper taste. As for the clay pot chicken rice, it was every bit just as good as the offering from Damansara Jaya. Plenty of chicken, lapcheong, and salted fish while having the rice not too dry nor wet. The biggest difference between the two places is generous portion of raw ginger strips as garnish at Veng Soon. I find the extra garnish goes rather well with the dish, adding a slightly different dimension of taste to it. As for the oily vegetable, it was just average.

just a short walk from the bus terminal

The dinner costs us about RM 10 per person, a fair price. The chicken rice were cooked with gas stove instead of charcoal fire, however, I do not find any difference in the taste that might contribute from the method of cooking at all.

Address:
No. F19, Jalan 1/21,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tags:  chicken-rice,  clay-pot,  eats,  ky,  old-town

Posted by KY | 12 Comments »

Ever since I moved to Klang Valley I have been wanting to find a decent kueh teow soup, one of my favorite dishes that you can find just about anywhere in Penang. Now there are many decent fish ball noodle soup around here such as the 60s Teow Chew fishball, and the other one in Damanasara Jaya, however, the ingredients are slightly different from a true kueh teow soup. A true Penang style kueh teow soup comes with fishball, sliced fish cake, chicken strips, sliced pork, and vege to go with the kueh teow (or your choice of noodle).

finally, a bowl of real kueh teow soup

I have had a lot of forgettable kueh teow soup around this part of the country, there are times I had to force myself to finish the food. I was a little skepticle when one of my friends pointed out the offering at PJ Old Town to me, but I had to try it nonetheless.

I knew the recommendation wouldn’t be bad as soon as I saw the hawker stall bustling with activities. My order came after some 15 minutes wait, and it was good. Kueh Teow Soup the way I remember it, with the exact ingridients ingredients mentioned above, and they even sprinkle on some little cubes of fried pork lard (褚油渣) on top of everything, best. The springy fishball they served was really good, too. Sliced red chili and soya sauce accompany the soup.

look at the spongy fishball!

Other than the traditional soup dish, they serve it the so called dried version too. With the choice of noodle or kueh teow with the ingredients (minus fishball) served with some dark sauce and the fishball and soup in a seperate small bowl. However, to me, kueh teow soup should always be served with its soup.

This dish is best when want to get away from the fried stuff and just want to have something that goes down the throat well. Not that you shouldn’t have it at any other time. I highly recommend this place.

this old town place is great

The breakfast was a little over RM 3, in line with the average price despite the popularity. Parking at old town is usually a bit of a PITA, but the meal was worth it. The kueh teow soup stall is based at Soon Lee coffee shop, nearby to the excellent tomyam and the night market bak kut teh place at PJ old town.

Tags:  eats,  kueh-teow-soup,  ky,  old-town,  PJ

Posted by KY | 12 Comments »

Some of you might have read the excellent dinner time tomyam at PJ old town I wrote about a little while back. Well, the same “restaurant” (more like front porch of a house) is operated by different owners in the morning and afternoon. No tomyam served, but the food from Nam Xiang is not a bit less delicious and furthermore, quite alot cheaper.

steamed siakap and romaine lettuce with pickled tofu

On my first visit I ordered a steamed siakap fish and a plate of Chinese romaine lettuce with pickled tofu. The siakap (barramundi) was prepared with with tomato, mushroom, parsley, ginger, garlic, and sour plum as garnish. The meat of the fish was pretty tender and the slightly sourish soup base goes down well with the rice.

The vege was pretty decent itself though not anything spectacular, pretty much what you’d expect this particular dish would taste like, slightly salty and spicey. The meal for two only costs around RM 20, a very good deal.

vege, tofu soup, and the yummy thai style chicken

After the very good first impression at the place, I went there again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I mean, they have good food, quality ingredients, and low price. What are the chances?

This time around we ordered three dishes. Thai style chicken, tofu with salted vege soup, and a fried kangkung. The thai style chicken was prepared with the chicken deboned and deep fried, garnish with onion, parsley, red chili, tomato and cucumber for decoration, and a sourish plum based gravey. The chicken meat was very crispy and done just right, overall one of the best thai chicken dishes I’ve had, the contrast between the sour sauce and the crispness of the chicken was very prominent and drool inducing.

The tofu soup was pretty good too, with the salted vegetable not overpowering and the tofu provide a chance to cleanse your taste bud from the thai chicken. The fried kangkung though, was a little too salty for my taste. The meal costs less than RM 30 for 2 person, for 3 dishes, a very good price.

pretty easy to find once you get to PJ old town

Restaurant Nam Xiang
016 382 9905
7am to 2pm, closed on Sunday

Tags:  ky-eats,  old-town,  PJ,  thai-chicken

Posted by KY | 14 Comments »

For the bak kut teh lovers out there, I am sure most of you have come to expect that the famous Malaysian dish is served in a hot claypot. However, this is not always the norm, in the earlier days of bak kut teh, the dish is often served in individual bowls. Some old folks in Klang still prefer bak kut teh to be served this way.

plastic bowl style no hassle bak kut teh

The Heng Kee Bak Kut Teh was introduced to me by Kenneth, I wouldn’t have found it otherwise since it’s sorta hidden, and old town isn’t exactly a place famous for food, unlike SS2, or Klang.

The biggest difference at this restaurant is the way the bak kut teh is served, the old school bowls, no claypot. Different types of ingredients are served in its own bowl, lean meat, fatty meat, innards, Chinese mushroom, Enokitake mushroom, yau char kuai, and tofu are some of the items you can order. Some of these items come in slightly different broth than the main bak kut teh soup, like the mushroom.

each ingredients comes in seperate bowl, and we finished em all

Taste wise, I would rate this place above average. The soup isn’t as great as some of the Klang shops, but overall it is still pretty good. This style of serving though, has it’s advantages, for example, you do not need to go through the whole claypot just to find that last piece of tripe you crave for, and if you do not like lean meat, you can place that bowl nearer to those who love it. As an added advantage, without needing to heat up claypots, the waiting time is reduced too.

here’s the customary KY’s map to Heng Kee at PJ old town

The dinner costs us around RM 10 per person, pretty much what you’d expect from a decent bak kut teh meal. Been there a few times and I’d go there again, a nice dinner bak kut teh place around Petaling Jaya. Parking situation is a bit of a PITA tho..

Tags:  Bak Kut Teh,  old-town,  PJ

Posted by KY | 11 Comments »