KL

How do you like your char siew? Lean or fatty?

KL’s char siew is typically fatty, heavily caramelised that’s gives it a sweet and burnt taste. It’s blacker than what one would find in Singapore as a result.

Finally managed to try the legendary Oversea char siew after so many trips to KL. Using pork belly, the meat to fat ratio was perfect, making the char siew soft and fatty. The edges were nicely caramelised and the sweet, sticky sauce was the winning factor for me. Every bite was delectable and the char siew nicely melts in your mouth.

I was largely impressed by this and could have the entire plate by myself. Now I know why Malaysians and Singaporeans adore their char siew so much.

It’s a challenge to get roasted goose in Singapore. To my surprise, I found a pretty good version at the legendary Oversea Restaurant in KL. It’s not as popular as the signature char siew but do have it if you have enough stomach space. I love how crispy the skin was of which there’s a good layer of fat which simply melts in your mouth. And the meat was succulent and tender. The sauce was a bit too salty though.

Checked out Dew in Bangsar twice and I’ve grown to like the place more each time. Dew is the sister cafe to neighbour Jaslyn Cakes and shares its space with a florist.

When I want desserts and not feeling too hungry, I’ll have something light and refreshing. The idea of having a citrus-based dessert comes into mind.

I had the Basil Lime Tart which is one of the more popular items here. Essentially it’s basil and lime curd in a crusty, buttery tart shell topped with basil mousse, meringue sticks and edible flowers.

Although there are mixed reviews about this particular dessert, I personally like it to the extent that I had it twice. The lime and basil curd brought out a zesty, tangy, fruity flavour and marks a refreshing change from the ubiquitous lemon curd used in tarte au citron. I’d say the basil mousse is like marmite (you either like it or you don’t). Biting into the mousse unleashes bursts of herbal basil flavour. It feels like you’re eating basil leaves.

I did try the other desserts as well and will share my thoughts in separate posts.

Lala noodles have grown to become a crowd favourite at this retro coffee shop located at the fringe of KL’s Chinatown.

Every bowl is cooked upon order and this can lead to long waiting times during peak periods. A generous serving of fresh clams is boiled in the stock that contributes to the sweet flavour profile of the soup. Superior chicken stock, clams, rice wine, chilli, spring onion and ginger are some of the many ingredients that makes up the broth. The clans and soup are poured over bee hoon and it’s filled almost up to the brim.

The soup was packed with umami. It’s slightly spicy as there’s chilli added (no chilli available upon request). Adding rice wine to the soup stock definitely brought out the best of this dish. The clams were sweet and succulent which made it a delight to eat it. It’s superbly good and I finished the soup down to the last drop.

They’ve got other noodle dishes on the menu but I’ve yet to try them. Will be back for sure. Do check out the other stalls such as the famous beef noodles or char koay teow.

I love KL Hokkien mee and it’s a must for me to get my fix when I visit KL as I haven’t found a good one here in Singapore. It’s not photogenic but it’s too yummy not to post about it.

I’ve grown to like Restoran Ahwa’s version and it’s one of my go-to supper places. It’s perpetually crowded and it may take quite awhile to get your food served. One can choose to have it with the standard thick round noodles, bee hoon or mixed. The noodles are fried over charcoal and this brings out a superb wok hei (burnt) flavour. Also, it’s the dry style so there’s little to no gravy to slurp on. The dark sauce that coats the noodles is so delicious though.

There’s a decent serving of sliced pork, lard, prawns and cabbage. I wished they could add in more lard but probably they’re trying to make the dish less sinful. But Hokkien mee is meant to be eaten with loads of lard. Don’t forget to have it with the sambal chilli which is spicy and pungent. The prices starts from RM 9 per person which is on the higher side for local standards. They do have other classic noodle dishes such as lo shu fun and wat tan hor on the menu but I’ve never tried them.

The coffee shop serves other dishes such as the ikan bakar (grilled fish), satay, lor bak, popiah and rojak. The grilled fish here is amazing but a small portion would set you aside RM 27.

Cholesterol and calorie laden but it’s always alright to treat once in awhile right?

Roasted pork (siew yoke/ sio bak/ 烧肉) ranks as one of my favourite dishes and I’ll go all out to try a good version of it. Finally made my way down to Pudu to try this legendary place.

Wong Mei Kee is touted as one of the best roasted pork places in KL. It’s colloquially known as Datuk roasted pork as its owner has been conferred a Datukship. Datuk Wong is the man behind the show where he does almost everything himself from marinating to roasting to chopping the meat. Diners wait patiently for the food to be served at 12.30pm.

I was thoroughly impressed by the roasted pork (RM 17/ person). It was roasted in charcoal. The crackling was spectacularly crispy and there was a good fat to meat ratio. It was amazing how the meat remained so tender, flavourful and moist. Servings were rather generous as the roasted pork was cut into thick chunks. I chowed down the whole plate with much delight.

Being a sucker for anything salted egg, I decided to try the much talked about salted egg cronut. It’s topped and filled with salted egg sauce which can be a bit heavy if not eaten on an empty stomach. The salted egg sauce is on the sweeter side as it’s meant to be eaten as a dessert.

A Hainanese take on Sunday roast. The crackling of the roasted pork was crispy and the meat itself was very tender. This is my first time having this dish despite coming here repeated times as it was always sold out or not available.

We queued half an hour to try some of Klang Valley’s most popular crab. The steamed crab was one of the two options (the other being sweet and sour). The steamed crab was fresh and the gravy was sweet although I doubt there’s any Chinese wine in it. I personally preferred the sweet and sour version.

We queued 30 minutes for this to try some of Klang Valley’s most popular crabs. One of the two cooking styles available here is the sweet and sour crab. The sauce was unique in its own way where it was tangy and slightly spicy. Wasn’t totally convinced by its popularity but was worth a try.

Nice vibes but pretty much overrated. The smoked salmon and poached eggs were pretty much on point. The bread (probably brioche) and seaweed didn’t pair well with the dish.

Refreshing soft serves on a hot and sunny day does the trick most of the time.