Thong Kee Cafe @ Pandan Indah

Thong Kee Cafe @ Pandan Indah has been in my neighbourhood for close to 10 years, the very first outlet of the Thong Kee chain from Bentong (since 1988) in Klang Valley.  I remember patronising a couple of times (during its heydays) and then stopped going there completely coz nothing really attracted me.  They call themselves a cafe (which are how modernised kopitiams are like now) to distinguish themselves from the traditional coffee shops with the same concept of selling a variety of food through a variety of stalls.

Their unique selling point at that time was probably their house special of croissant with kaya and butter (which they claim to be the first to introduce this breakfast item that is now copied common in other kopitiams).  I'm not a fan of this fusion (of a French pastry with local kaya) and to this day have not eaten one (lol).  I'm still a traditionalist at heart preferring to eat Hainanese toast with kaya + butter....or a croissant in its buttery and flaky original form.

Thong Kee (TK) has also been known to be creative in introducing systems to facilitate/speed up their ordering, takeaway and delivery operations.  The latest is you have to get a seat number, line up to order and pay for your drinks and food (only those belonging to TK itself (citing your table number) and they will deliver your ordered items to your table.  Unfortunately, not all customers are aware of this system (especially if you're a first-timer to the shop) and they'll just walk-in directly and find an empty table to sit down (as is the traditional way only to be chased away realise when another customer comes and claims the table as theirs)...I've seen it many times! >.<

I recently read about a chain of kai see hor fun stalls that opened an outlet in TK...and that was what made me think of revisiting after so many years.

If you see this pic at the stall, know that they're from the same chain of kai see hor fun which boasts of many outlets in coffee shops (with a presence in 20 stalls + 3 own shoplots/HQ).  Choiyen.com tried a similar (chain) stall in MJ Wang in Seapark, PJ which she enjoyed and she now knows of two outlets nearer to her.

So, I got myself a bowl of Prawn & Shredded Chicken Hor Fun (or Kai See Hor Fun) @ RM9 to try.  The bowl came with the standard ingredients of prawns (two only), shredded chicken, Chinese chives and fried shallots that you'd find in any bowl of kai see hor fun.

The prawns used were medium-sized ones (some days can be slightly larger) that were mildly sweet, acceptable but also not quite like some of the good quality, sweet tasting fresh prawns that I've come to know.

I also tried the Kai See Hor Fun (with poached chicken thigh) @ RM9.50 (and decided to add prawns for an additional RM3).  There were only two additional prawns which meant that they cost RM1.50 each (hmmm, not so worth it I think).  The poached chicken was alright but also not quite the standard of really tender, smooth poached chicken I've had at other places.

The soup had that sought-after orangey prawn oil for that extra prawny flavour but not enough of it compared to the one choiyen.com had in MJ Wang.  The soup base was also a bit on the salty side, so it's good for those with a heavier palate.  Overall, it didn't hit the standards of our favourite kai see hor fun (in 7-Chai) nor our gold standard (in Guang Ji Ho Fun) but for one that's nearest to me (in my own taman), it's considered decent.

From a stall right at the end of the shop I ordered the Prawn Mee @ RM10 and when it arrived I saw it had the tiniest prawns ever in a prawn mee together with pork balls, fish cake slices, kangkung (I asked for the taugeh to be omitted) and fried shallots.

If you can get everything wrong in a bowl, this was it....0/10!  Besides the smallish prawns, the pork balls had an overly soft texture (not firm like usual ones), the fish cake slices were not only cut thinly but were small pieces too (commercialised fish cake is one of the cheapest things!), the kangkung was thin and seemed wilted, not fresh) and the fried shallots (the store-bought kind) were totally soft when it arrived (which made me think that the shallots might have been added before the broth was poured over the noodles).  Even the bowl was the wrong shape...it's difficult to spoon soup from a square bowl lah!  I don't think I need to say anything more. >.<

From the chee cheong fun stall (also towards the back of the shop), I tapau'd Curry Chee Cheong Fun + Yong Tau Foo @ RM9.50...one piece each of plain chee cheong fun and stuffed bitter gourd, brinjal, fried beancurd roll and another (unusual) beancurd roll (made with soft beancurd skin filled with ingredients you'd ususally find in popiah like mushrooms, shredded yam bean and carrots).

Based on the price, I'm assuming each yong tau foo cost RM2 and they're edible like any you'd find in standard chee cheong fun stalls.  The only difference is that this one came with curry that is fairly creamy and thick (much thicker than the usual chee cheong fun stalls) but with a stronger flavour of lemongrass (you can smell it before you even eat it).

On some days, it can be really strong.  If you're a fan of lemongrass like I am (who happens to love a good lemongrass and pandan iced tea) but still wish for a little less in a curry.  Although the chee cheong fun and yong tau foo is nothing out of the ordinary, this fairly creamy curry is among one of the thickest I've found from a chee cheong fun stall.

The nasi lemak in this shop is, of course, a Chinese-style nasi lemak.  I tried their Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang @ RM11.50 but the flavours of the rendang isn't quite like the rendang I've come to know and love.  The sambal is a typical Chinese-style sambal with onions and the availability of extra vegetables (which I appreciated) of cabbage and long beans (other than cucumbers) is also typical of a Chinese-style nasi lemak.

Strangely though, the chicken seems to have some (a little) fried batter coatng on it before being cooked in a rendang sauce (I could be wrong, hopefully it's not left over fried chicken being cooked into a rendang!).  This and the chee cheong fun stall you've to self-serve yourself (meaning you have to carry your own food to the table).  A very average plate of nasi lemak ayam rendang like the one in Brotherhood's Kopitiam but one of the more popular stalls here.

But it wouldn't be fair to review TK without at least trying some food from the cafe itself.  In the TK Char Kuey Teow (CKT) @ RM8.50 I found 3 (frozen-tasting) prawns when digging in, lots of fish cake (something I don't fancy in my CKT) and probably about 5 pcs of sihum (cockles).  This was an example of a plate of food that looked better than it tasted.

For most CKT, even when you say yes to chilli when they ask you if you want it spicy, you can't really taste the chilli but this one you can.  I can see the reddish oil at the bottom of my plate of CKT, a little oilier (and wetter) than I would have liked.  No wok hei, no lap cheong, looks deceptively good but nothing outstanding at all, just a very ordinary plate of CKT.

A unique find was their Signature Fried Prawn Mee @ RM8.50 which intrigued me.  When I first ordered it through delivery, I didn't know what to expect but, as it turned out, I got a serving of lai fun + yellow mee (I'm assuming this is the default noodles since we don't get to make a choice) fried with prawns, fish cake, egg, beansprouts and Chinese chives topped with their housemade sambal belacan and kalamansi lime.

The ingredients used are almost similar to the CKT except this is a much wetter version with no dark sauce. It was an appetising dish to eat with the spicy sambal and a squeeze of lime...but, watch out, the sambal is quite spicy.  Other hot meals from TK include claypot noodles and pan mee.

I once ordered their 7-Star Breakfast @ RM10.90 via delivery (RM8.90 dine-in...what a price!) which is their version of Big Breakfast with sausages, ham, hashbrown, sunny side-up egg, baked beans and a slice of toasted buttered bread.

The 7-star probably refers to the 7 items (there were 2 types of sausages) on the plate (and not 7 stars for taste...lol).  This is obviously a localised version of Big Breakfast, so keep your expectations low.  I've got to say this is a value-for-money plate of food with good portion size (it would keep any kid happy).  Even managed to nail the soft, runny yolk even though punctured (but forgivable) enroute to me.

Of course at the heart of every TK, there's their signature croissant with butter & kaya (or other fillings), Hainan toasts and eggs.  I love croissants but not into croissant with butter & kaya, so I ordered their Hainan Toast @ RM3.20 with Soft-Boiled Eggs @ RM3.60.

The Hainan Toast was super airy (not in a good way).  It felt like I was eating pockets of air more than bread.  The texture is very crumbly with lots of crumbs falling onto the table when you bite into it which made the bread feel very dry.  But then again this is the norm when it comes to many Hainan toasts.   What happened to those good old toasted bread that the traditional coffee shops used to serve (that looks like this but not as airy)?  Luckily, it had a generous lashing of kaya and a thick cut of butter. 

As for the eggs (the receipt mentioned onzen eggs) and indeed the onzen egg is recognisable by its rich deep orange/reddish-coloured yolk.  Even though the whites look perfectly cooked, the yolks were unfortunately too cooked for me.  Seeing that the eggs were served immediately after I was seated tells me that they're more likely to have been prepped ahead.  Serving the already prepped egg inside a mug of hot water (again) may have had a hand in overcooking it.  The moment the server brought it to my table, she told me it's ready to eat (as opposed to it being ready in 5 minutes as is usually the case at other coffee shops).  I did take the eggs out immediately but the yolks still ended up way too firm, so not having the egg yolks running all over the egg whites isn't how I'd want to enjoy soft-boiled eggs.  Not sure if the eggs are always like this or just this time.

TK also sells muffins, doughnuts, curry puffs and kaya puffs (or how we locals like to call it karipap and kaya kok).  I got one Karipap @ RM1.90 and one Kaya Kok @ RM3 for takeaway.

The curry puff (with chunks of hard-boiled eggs inside) was the other surprise find here.  The texture of the (smooth) filling (of potatoes, chunks of hard-boiled egg and a little chicken) reminded me immediately of Ikea's curry puffs with a lightly crisp but not overly flaky pastry.

I liked it so much that I got another three the very next day...and the next (I've been deprived of Ikea's curry puffs for far too long...haha)....and I've been eating it regularly ever since.  I'm not sure when TK started selling these curry puffs and wished I had discovered it sooner.

It looked and tasted eerily similar to Ikea's curry puffs which makes me wonder if they're sourced from the same supplier (!).  I did try to ask the worker manning the order counter once but he said very similar to but not the same as Ikea's (now why would he make the reference to Ikea too unless they've been asked that question before)! @_@  Not sure if he genuinely didn't know where they're from or trying to guard their trade secret.  Anyway, now I know where I can get an Ikea curry puff (I still believe in my hunch...lol) without having to travel all the way to Ikea...even if the one here is more expensive (I'll take it!).  This was a gem of a find in TK right in my neighbourhood.  Update (5.9.23): A little birdie (unsubstantiated, of course) told me that the curry puffs are indeed from the same supplier as Ikea's (haha, my hunch was correct!).  Latest update (17.10.23): The curry puff is now RM2.30/pc when I last bought while Ikea's price is still RM1.40/pc or RM7.80/6 pcs (so you know which ones to get if you need to eat lots of them!).

The kaya puff, unfortunately, wasn't as successful.  The kaya filling was more sweet than fragrant...and the filling was a bit scarce too but thankfully so, otherwise it'd be very sweet.

TK thrives on good coffees as they're known for especially their popular Signature 1+1 Ice (S) @ RM4 (a mixture of Hainan coffee and tea) but I can't say I'm a fan (I'd much rather have a cham).  I've also tried their Teh Ice (L) @ RM4.40, Cham Ice (L) @ RM4.60 and my go-to drink from here of Kopi-O Ping Ice (S) @ RM3.50 (remember to mention the size you want, otherwise they'll give you large by default...that has happened to me a few times before I realised there were two sizes).

My Personal Opinion

Even though TK has been around for 10 years, they're still going strong and recently expanded from two shoptlots to three (so they must be doing something right).  I don't really understand the pull but they continue to attract crowds until today...and, of course, a modern kopitiam is always bright and clean (which the younger generation prefer).

A lot of their popularity I think is down to their drinks (like their signature "1+1", a unique blend of Hainan coffee and tea) as well as their simple offerings of croissant, Hainanese toast bread and soft-boiled onzen eggs.  I've to agree that their coffee is probably the better one among the few modern kopitiams we have here.

As for the food, they're pretty standard, average fare....some stalls will be better than others...and some have come and gone.  The kai see hor fun is probably the standout here followed by the thick curry chee cheong fun (provided you're fine with a strong lemongrass flavour in the curry) and TK's curry puff & fried prawn mee.  Other offerings include roasted meat and rice, wantan mee, Hakka mee, Sarawak kolok mee and whatever the last two stalls sell that's run by the same owner (they seem to be a jack of all trades, master of none and offers fish head noodles, pork noodles, la la noodles, the dreaded prawn noodles and more).  Not a place you need to come out of the way for but if you find yourself in these parts, they'll satisfy your simple breakfast and lunch needs.

Thong Kee Cafe

17, 19 & 21 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23E

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur