Kheng Heong Hainan Cuisine Restaurant (2nd Post), Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

With the whole family down in KL for our marriage registration, going out for dinner meant we could order larger varieties and try out more new dishes. We were keen to share our discovery and so the 6 of us went to our current favourite, Kheng Heong Restaurant which serves really great food at very affordable prices (prices below are for portions meant for 6 people).

Top view of the Nyonya style steamed garoupa (At RM20.00/fish, it was a steal). It is scattered with bits of petai and pineapple, the sauce itself has a tangy, slightly sourish-sweet taste. Being a petai lover, I was busy scouring for all the petai bits.

Side view of the Nyonya style steamed garoupa.

Assam seafood in a pot. The taste of this dish is slightly reminiscent of assam laksa, with an almost tea-like aftertaste. It came loaded with squids, prawns, fish fillets and lala, costing only RM18.00.

"4 heavenly king" mixed vegetables fried with sambal belacan (RM12.00). The dish consisted of brinjal, petai, okra and 4-angle (wing) beans. Mom-in-law loved it, as she's always cooking these vegetables at home.

Steamed tofu topped with minced pork and scallions (RM10.00). This yummy dish was lighter compared to the rest of what we ordered, just to clear the palate a little.

We had to let everyone try the delectable boxing chicken (RM12.00 for 10 pieces). Everyone, especially mom-in-law, absolutely loved the chicken which was crispy outside but oh so tender and juicy inside.

The marmite pork ribs (RM18.00) were heavenly. Juicy bits of ribs, deep fried and coated with thick caramelised maltose + marmite sauce, for a sweet, sticky treat. Eldest bro-in-law polished off the last few pieces though we were all completely stuffed by the end of the meal. The very hearthy meal of 6 dishes for the 6 of us cost only RM102.00 (inclusive of rice and Chinese tea in a pot).

This dish we didn't order during this dinner session, but I am including it here anyway as part of the food review for this restaurant. It's the restaurant's trademark chilli fish which featured in a Ho Chak episode on tv. This dish is done using either fish head (for a large portion) or fish tail (for a smaller portion). We chose fish tail as it was only the 2 of us, and it cost only RM14.00 for the big plate you see in the photo above. Fresh water fish was used, but the fish was marinated in a type of orange peel (I think) which gave it a really tangy flavour and got rid of the typical fresh water (muddy) fish taste. At a glance, the dish looks alot like regular kung pao fish, but upon tasting the gravy, it had a really buttery, sweet, orange-lemony and yet savoury spicy curry taste (from the generous helping of chillies and curry leaves) which was very unique. This is definitely a dish that I would order again, and again!

For our previous post on this restaurant, click here.

Our rating system for overall satisfaction with what we eat and where we eat....

1-bam = don't even bother

2-bam = good enough to fill the tummy

3-bam = a very good restaurant in its category

4-bam = excellent cooking, worth a detour

5-bam = exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey

We give Kheng Heong a 4-bam rating, we are officially regulars here. The uncle with a cap who takes the food orders knows us pretty well by now.

Restoran Makanan Laut Gee Seng, Bukit Tambun, Simpang Ampat

It was a dark and stormy night when the whole family drove to Bukit Tambun (under Penang state) for dinner. Restoran Makanan Laut Gee Seng is nestled deep inside Bukit Tambun, where the fishing village is. Parking was a problem due to the huge crowd, coupled with the fact that it was a cul-de-sac with not many parking lots. The restaurant itself is right beside the river mouth, elevated on stilts above the waters. It was a dark, rainy night hence we could not enjoy a view of the surroundings and river. Being the seafood queen that I am, it was disappointing that I was down with a stomach flu that night, and I could only manage small bites of the food.

The crowd was unbelievably large, we had to wait for our table. Bukit Tambun has quite a few seafood restaurants, but this one appears to be the original crowd favourite.

While waiting for our table, I had the chance to peruse the exotic lifestock they kept, destined for the wok. Huge horse shoe crabs lay in a basket. They look almost like overgrown ticks....hee hee.

Mud crabs, they have them in sizes ranging from regular to large.

Flower crabs and mantis prawns still alive and well in a tub of water.

Big white prawns.

Assorted seafood......I was eyeing the scallops in shells at the top right hand corner.

Some kind of mollusk (conch?) that is eaten by digging out the flesh using a toothpick.....yeah, it takes quite a bit of skill. It's usually steamed plain, and eaten dipped in chilli sauce.

Mom-in-law and the eldest bro-in-law ordered the food while I was busy photographing lifestock. We had steamed Teochew style siakap fish (RM20.00), with sourish gravy. Needless to say, the fish was uber fresh.

Everyone knows my crab obsession, though mom-in-law doesn't quite fancy the crustaceans (too much trouble for so little meat). She ordered the sweet and sour mud crabs (RM41.00), of which I could only eat a few pieces due to the upset tummy. We had the crabs with fried mantou buns. A spicy version of this dish would have tasted better, but they don't do chilli crabs here.

Assam prawns (RM24.00), my perennial favourite. The prawns were springy with freshness, coated in thick caramelised assam sauce. Mom-in-law's version tastes better, though!

Homemade deep-fried seafood tofu (RM7.00). I forgot to take a snapshot until only 2 pieces were left!

Kangkung belacan with prawns (RM6.00). On a good day, I can whack tons of this.


The total bill came up to RM106.60 for the 6 of us, which wasn't too bad, considering the amount of seafood we had.



Restoran Makanan Laut Gee Seng
#860, Bagan Bukit Tambun,
14110 Simpang Ampat,
Penang.
Tel: 04-5887220



Coming from Ipoh toward Penang on the North-South Expressway, exit at the Bukit Tambun tol plaza. Turn right after the tol plaza and go straight all the way. Just keep going straight pass a row of seafood restaurants (on both sides of the road), drive straight on and you will pass rows of pre-war shophouses. The road will lead you to a quaint fishing village where the road narrows considerably. Gee Seng is the shoplot on your right, by the river. Though it's a public road, the restaurant has workers who help guide you where to park (it's so crowded that double parking is a norm), and parking costs RM1.00.




Our rating system for overall satisfaction with what we eat and where we eat....

1-bam = don't even bother
2-bam = good enough to fill the tummy
3-bam = a very good restaurant in its category
4-bam = excellent cooking, worth a detour
5-bam = exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey


We would give Gee Seng a 3-bam rating. We heard that the oysters there were really fresh, will maybe try them (if tummy permits) on our next trip.

We got hitched (registered)!

31st December 2007.

My gerbera bouquet.

The "just married" photo (at JPN).

Prima Coffee Shop, Taiping

Prima Coffee Shop is one of the more popular kopitiams in Taiping selling assorted hawker favourites. We go there for quick lunches.


Ambra juice, tastes somewhat like lime juice with assamboi.

White coffee, for which this kopitiam is famous.

I had the seafood porridge, with fish fillets and 3 big prawns. It tasted really good, with a dash of sesame oil and a sprinkling of scallions. They were generous with the fish fillets.

Popiah. We still prefer popiah from Restoran Air Kacang Taiping at Jalan Panggung Wayang. This one was a tad too watery.

Mee rebus, not as good as the one from Larut Matang hawkers' centre.

Pak cham kai from the chicken rice stall.

Prima Coffee Shop

# 21, 23 & 25 Jalan Kota,

34000 Taiping, Perak.

Mobile: 012-5943318 (Teoh Bee Khoon)

Plaza Perbandaran Taiping

By day, the ground floor of this building is a market, selling seafood, vegetables, clothes and dried foodstuff. By night, the wet market portion closes, and more food stalls appear. The 1st floor houses a hawker centre and the 2nd floor has many vcd/dvd shops. Plaza Perbandaran Taiping is located adjacent to Jalan Panggung Wayang, opposite Prima Cakehouse. I come here every time I am back in Taiping just to relive memories of marketing with my mom, and to stock up on the cheap vegetables that I bring back to KL. Nowadays, I go marketing here with mom-in-law as she knows where to get the best bargains since the stall owners know her.

Right at the entrance are the murtabak stalls (there were 2 stalls opened that evening). Murtabaks here used to cost RM2.00 each, but the price has since increased to RM2.50.

Fruits galore!

Assorted kuih are also sold here at night.

Check out the size of the paus.

Apom lady.

My mom loved the soya drink and tofu fa from this stall. My parents would often tapau from this stall when I was a kid. The same guy still runs this stall, he's been operating it a long, long while.

Mom's cooking

Mom-in-law's home-cooked meals are what we look forward to whenever we return to Taiping. Simple, hearthy and whipped up ever so effortlessly by mom, we waste no time in digging in and finishing everything.

Soya sauce, sesame oil and ginger chicken. I love the taste of this and have been trying to figure out how to replicate, simple as it is.

Pan-fried pork fillets with a hint of sesame oil.

Pan-fried senangin fish.

Mom's very proud of this, her specialty; steamed eggs with minced meat. She's mastered the art of getting the egg consistency just right, not too wet nor too dry.

Her nyonya-style caramelised assam (tamarind) sauce-coated prawns are second to none.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!

Restoran Ansari Famous Cendol, Taiping

We get our cendol fix from Ansari's Famous Cendol every time that we are back in Taiping. From the many newspaper articles proudly displayed on the walls, it's clear that Ansari is a well-reviewed spot. Being just a short walk away from hubby-to-be's old school, it was a firm childhood favourite.

The cendol guy at work.

Thick santan in the tub with cendol strips soaking inside.

Loads of red kidney beans.

Pulut.

The final assembled product, complete with ice shavings and gula melaka. This cendol is superb due to the creamy thickness of the fresh santan, and the cendol strips are soft and well soaked in and completely infused with santan. All the yummy ingredients are at the bottom of the bowl.

The price list......cheap! This place sells pasembor too.

The shop we went to was on Jalan Barrack (the HQ), but there are several branches.

92, Jalan Barrack, Taiping

122, Jalan Taming Sari (Side), Taiping

Gerai Stesyen Keretapi Taiping

80, Lorong 4, Taman Marisa, Taiping
Tel: 05-8080907

We give Ansari's creamy cendol 4-bams.