If I have to choose one Chinese restaurant that is strongly NOT recommended, Oversea Restaurant at Subang Parade would be the top of my list. I attended a friend’s wedding here last weekend and the restaurant had two weddings running at the same time without a proper divider or partition between Hall 1 and Hall 2. The couple next door had a worship session prior to the start of dinner, so it also affected our side of the wedding and because the music was so loud, everyone started speaking even louder and it became chaotic. We also had the opportunity to view the projector screen of the wedding next door each time they played the slides.

The funniest was the food parade segment when the waiters had to walk in through the other couple’s wedding to present the food to us. Anyway, throughout the night, all the waiters had to walk through the other function to get to our side because the kitchen was located on the other side of the room.  I’d be so upset if it was my wedding or my clients’ wedding. I don’t think the restaurant has the resources to host two weddings simultaneously because the serving of the dishes were rather slow and the waiters kept dissappearing. There wasn’t a continuous flow of food from one dish to the next, but it was a wonderful time for us to catch up with old high schoold friends after so many years.

Another disadvantage is that after the dinner, guests will have to walk through the empty mall to get to their car parks, and some of us got a bit lost because some of the doors were already locked. We ended up walking through Coffee Bean to get to our cars which were parked outdoor and some other friends were escorted by a security guard who led the way to get to basement carpark.

Food was average and I think it still losses out to The Oriental Group of Restaurants.

Hands down, this popiah stall at Wo Wat restaurant in Malacca sells the best popiah I’ve ever tasted!  This unassuming rundown restaurant is located along Jalan Pantai.

Once you bite into the popiah, the explosion of juicy ‘pang kuang’ and dried shrimps coupled with tasty egg omellete, vinegar grind chilli and fried pork lard will totally leave your tastebuds salivating for more!  It only costs RM2.30 each and the portion is huge. But trust me, one piece won’t be enough!

We are spoilt for choices when it comes to dining in Malaysia, but good dim sum selection in the morning is still quite scarce. My favourite is Restaurant Phang Yeh at Happy Garden OUG Old Klang Road. Which is your favourite?

NON-HALAL

Who would have guessed that out of all places in Malaysia, the best and the most authentic Hong Kong-style cafe can be found right smack at Kota Kinabalu’s new landmark, the 1Borneo Hypermall.

We didn’t have the chance to try out the tea time snacks even though we’ve been going back to this restaurant almost on a daily basis during our 6-day visit to Kota Kinabalu. The sad news is, we were prepped up in 1Borneo Hypermall from 10 to 10 daily due to work obligations, with no opportunity to venture out onto the streets of Kota Kinabalu city except for the last day.

One glance at the restaurant and one might have expected the menu to resemble Kim Gary’s mundane overpriced choice of food but as soon as you flip open the menu, you’d be greeted by so many delicious pictures, you won’t even be able to decide what to eat.

I didn’t try any of their rice options because the noodles were so good I didn’t mind eating the same dish for both lunch and dinner.

The mixed meat wonton noodle is really tasty. Their top selling point is really in their noodles. The wonton noodles resemble closely to Hong Kong’s version – cooked al dente which makes it crunchy and chewy. The serving portion is very generous too. The only setback was they didn’t serve any wonton with the noodles, you’ll have to order them separately.

The Special Shredded Pork Meat Sauce Spinach Noodle was a disappointment at first glance. However, once I mixed them up, I found the dish to be relatively good. The shredded pork was more like diced pork with sweet sauce that  had a similar taste to the fillings of char siew pao, but the mushroom carried a different aftertaste, perhaps a pinch of Chinese 5-spice seasoning mix in pork broth.  I really couldn’t tell. I guess that’s why it’s called ’special sauce’. All these mixed with the saltiness from the black sauce and spicy chilli oil made it oh-so-yummy down the the last strand of noodle.

Ashley had the fish version but I forgot to ask her about it. Looks delicious nonetheless.

At RM6.80 a bowl, the Fook Chow Fishball Seaweed Soup is a good deal. Filled with tasty minced pork and preserved vegetable, and garnished with lots of sesame seeds and chopped spring onions, the fish balls are surprisingly, very filling. Well, they are definitely not as good as the ones I’ve tried in Taiwan but still, fresh and tasty.

What I really like about this place is that it’s authentically Chinese. No slacks in ingredients. You get tasty roast pork instead of cheap sausages, Chinese fast food with a serving size that is worth the value you’re paying for and delectably familiar dishes that are not reinvented into stylish fusion names.

Go there during lunch hour between 12pm -3pm to enjoy the set lunch promotion at only RM9.90.

Where to eat: Hong Kong Recipe, G – 823, 1 Borneo Hypermall, Jalan Sulaman, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

HALAL (but not certified)

In my reason trip to Ipoh, I was totally clueless as to where to go and what to eat. We stumbled upon this corner shop located two shop blocks away, on the next road after McDonald’s (depending on which direction you’re coming from). Brightly painted in strips of white and chilli red facade, Aun Kheng Lim is relatively difficult to miss.

Dubbed as the pioneer and king of salted chicken, Aun Kheng Lim has been serving baked salted chicken for the past 22 years. Unlike the ones we have back south, the salted chicken at Aun Kheng Lim is baked with generous serving of Chinese herbs. Juicy and tender with just the right amount of salt, the salted chicken is extremely tasty and definitely worth a stopover if ever I happen to travel up north again.

Where to Eat (takeaway only): Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken, 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh

Price: RM16 for a whole chicken

Business Hours: 10am to 6pm

NON-HALAL

I think all the Perakians are gonna shoot me for saying this but in my personal opinion, the chicken rice at Lou Wong is over-rated.

Amanda warned me that most locals go to Onn Kei on the opposite side of the road, but alas, we were pulled in by the overwhelming crowd at Lou Wong. People were waiting around for tables! Despite the chaos, the service was really good, prompt and efficient, with smiling faces. I guess this is organised chaos in motion.

Overall, the star dish of the evening was a tad bit too oily for us eventhough the texture of the chicken meat was a little dry. The bean sprouts were really good, probably the best I’ve ever tasted since I’m not really a  big fan of bean sprouts. These were fresh and crunchy with just the right amount of simple seasoning. Meat balls were superb. I could have more if it wasn’t for mom who stopped me from ordering.  I was a little disappointed with the chilli tho’. Chopped cili padi with soy sauce just didn’t sit right with chicken rice dishes.

Price is pretty reasonable. For two persons, the bill came up to RM17.90. Any other recommendations beside Lou Wong or Onn Kei in Ipoh?

NON-HALAL

When one is tired of roti telur, mee goreng or maggie mee goreng, the best solution is to head over to Fei Por Restaurant at Jalan Pudu for a sumptuous supper of roast pork, chicken intestines, laksa noodles, Chinese edible frogs, meat balls, prawn porridge and more.

At 2:30 in the morning, this restaurant, which is located along the seedy side of downtown KL is still buzzing with clubbers, night shift workers and hungry foodies. The restaurant itself is a recognisable landmark should one be looking for directions to head out of Jalan Pudu to Cheras or vice versa. The owner had a peculiar name on his card, perhaps for branding purposes. He’s called Mr ‘Fei Por’ (Mr. Fat Lady) but he’s a skinny dude.

The steamed chicken was quite good especially with the tasty soy sauce which was richly fragrant with sesame oil. Their roast pork however, was too hard for my liking. The sauce was good though, using lots of fried garlic to add flavour to the meat.  Roast pork, I feel, should only be eaten at restaurants during lunch hours, when the meat is still tender and juicy and the skin is crunchy and fresh. Faking it with generous serving of  soy sauce and garlic killed the originality of the roast pork.

The cold, breezy night was a good time for porridge. Heat was well contained by the claypot so I enjoyed a flavoursome hot porridge (though you’ll only get 3 pieces of prawns inside). I’ll definitely come back for more but perhaps on a more ‘healthy time’ of the day.

'Big Prawns' claypot porridge at RM8/=

Where to Eat: Restoran Fei Por, No 211, Jalan Pudu, 55100 KL

Business Hours: 7:00pm – 4:00am (close on Thur)

Ampang Branch

Where to Eat: Restoran Fei Por, M5-A-18 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/1, Pandan Indah, Ampang, Selangor.

Business Hours: From 10:00am – 10:00pm

NON-HALAL

It’s a poor man’s food they say, but this statement is only applicable perhaps twenty years ago.

These days, porridge ain’t cheap, especially Teochew porridge. So imagine my surprise when it only costed us S$18.30 for six dishes, two bowls of porridge, a bowl of rice and two cups of drinks. The restaurant is a corner lot located along Lorong 15 at Geylang.

From top to bottom: spicy minced pork with chinese mushroom and fermented beans, marinated duck in soy sauce and fried fish with sweet sauce and fermented beans.

Unlike most Teochew porridge outlets, this restaurant had a good ventilation system, making it a pleasantly enjoyable lunch even on a humid afternoon.

Teo Sheng Teochew Porridge

Lrg 15 Geylang, Singapore.