Xiu Ye Zai @ Pandan Indah

My regular (and favourite) breakfast place, Chang Kitchen, sadly has called it a day in June.  Although a beef noodle specialist, my usual order here had always been their shredded chicken hor fun (not Ipoh kai see hor fun) sinced they added that into their menu.  Even though I wouldn't rate their food highly, I was still a regular coz the owners are a really friendly bunch of people (so, I come for my weekly makean + chit chat...lol).  They close because the lady boss's son doesn't want to do it anymore but, truth be told, if they were doing a roaring business, they wouldn't have come to that decision as they can always hire more help to replace her son.  I think the profit they made was probably negligible and didn't equate the effort put into it, hence the decision to close.

Taking over the premises is this new restaurant, Xiu Ye Zai @ Pandan Indah, that specialises in wantan mee. Incidentally, the old Chang Kitchen's see tau por (lady boss) was offered to work for them.  Well, why not, since she's free after all.  Anyway, the new owners isn't what I'd call a friendly bunch as they don't engage with their customers (unlike the previous super friendly owners of Chang Kitchen).

I think they offered the previous lady boss a job with the hope that she would bring in her old regular customers (and there were a lot of them I've to say).  Her previous clientele was made up of 80% - 90% regulars (we may not know each other by name but we certainly knew each other by sight).  I've only seen a few of them patronising this new place since.

My first visit was a week after they opened (which was in July).  Taking my cue on its speciality, I ordered the Char Siew & Wantan Mee (Dry) @ RM10.50 for my first taste test.  When my noodles arrived, I could see that their char siew wasn't the common thinly sliced lean-type that you'd usually get at other wantan mee stalls but a thick-cut char siew that you'd associate more with those served by roasted meat stalls.

Averagely sweet with fatty and lean meat, the char siew was decently tender taste wise with a visually caramelised look though not as charred or smoky-flavoured as some of those commendable char siew sold by good roasted meat stalls.

The wantans were also much bigger in size (than the usual ones offered by wantan mee stalls) and plumply filled.  The soup was very light tasting (even for me), so I don't think it would be acceptable to the masses who would find it too bland.  Not only was the soup not flavourful enough, the dark sauce for the noodles was also rather subtle in flavour which, again, will not go down well with the majority.

If not for the previous lady boss working here, I'd probably not return seeing how underwhelming the wantan mee was (on my first try) but decided to give them another chance just to support the old lady boss lah. Luckily I did coz, to my surprise, the flavours were much better when I ordered the Hakka-Styled Stewed Pork with Fungus Noodles @ RM13.

First of all the dark sauce for the wantan mee had more flavour this time (probably because it's tossed with pork lard + oil) and the choy sum was cooked till tender (I couldn't eat them previously as they were too hard).  The noodles also had a better bite (I was told someone else cooks the noodles now).  Not only that but the soup was also slightly more flavourful.  Glad to see that they've tweaked the flavours either as a result of their own doing or feedback from their customers.

The Hakka-styled char yoke was sufficiently tender with a meat composition that's both lean and fat.  It came served separately which was rather strange.  So, if you want the meat and sauce to flavour your noodles, you have to pour it over the wantan mee yourself.

This was a portion of Hakka-Styled Stewed Pork with Fungus (a la carte) @ RM13 I tapau-ed for dinner later. The flavours were ok, a little on the salty side, but I've to admit that I've also eaten better tasting Hakka char yoke than this.

The Dry Curry Chicken with Potato Wantan Mee @ RM12 is a serving of dry wantan noodles with a plate of dry curry chicken with potatoes served separately (again).  The problem with this dry curry chicken is that it's way too dry a version for a wantan mee.  It lacked the curry sauce we'd want to coat the noodles.

Moreover, their curry is the type that's distinctive with an overwhelming flavour of dry spices (curry powder mostly) as opposed to a creamy, savoury one cooked with santan.  Incidentally, the previous lady boss's chicken curry tasted a lot better in comparison (they should get some tips from her...lol)!  Can skip this one....and obviously something I won't be having again.

When I tried their Shredded Chicken with Wantan Mee (Soup) @ RM9.50, I was glad to see some improvement in the taste of the soup which wasn't as bland as before but still subtle enough for me with a light peppery kick.

Seeing that I enjoyed the soup version, I had it again and ordered the Char Siew and Wantan Mee (Soup) @ RM10.50 this time.  If I'm looking for something light to eat, I'd definitely go for the shredded chicken soup which is now my default noodle when I eat here.

For some light bites or side dishes to accompany your meal, I tried the Stewed Eggs @ RM2.50 (1 pc).  They tasted more like those herbal tea eggs that you see selling in many supermarkets or shopping malls (where the eggs are kept warm in a rice cooker submerged in a herbal concoction) rather than eggs braised in soy.

The Fried Wantan (5 pcs) @ RM6 were freshly fried to order and arrived piping hot and super crispy.  I enjoyed that.  Other side dishes include pork balls, dumplings (fried or in soup), braised beancurd and chicken giblets.

On one of the days, I also got a takeaway order of Poached Chicken (Thigh) Rice @ RM10.50 for my lunch later.  The poached chicken (normal chicken, not choi yin kai) was edible but a bit fatty and nothing quite like some of the stellar poached chicken I've had before.  They do sell choi yin kai (I was told + you can see it in the menu) but that is only offered if you order the chicken on its own (quarter, half or whole).  I find it strange that they offer choi yin kai but not in a standard dish of chicken rice (don't understand the rationale behind it).

The chicken rice came with half a stewed egg and some pickled cabbage and carrot (a nice change from the usual cucumber).  I guess they have to distinguish themselves from the standard chicken rice for the higher price charged.  Their chilli and ginger paste were decent too.

The drink prices here are also slightly higher than other kopitiams - Ipoh White Coffee (Cold) @ RM5.60 (L), Kopi-O (Cold) @ RM3.30 (S) and Teh (Cold) @ RM3.40 (S).  The Ipoh white coffee is nothing like its predeccesor (ie. the previous Chang Kitchen and now I'm down to just one place in my taman for this). T_T  I think  I'll stick to kopi-o here.

My Personal Opinion

Even with the improvement in taste (after the early weeks), the place is not bustling with customers even in the mornings.  In fact, it's dead quiet, especially at dinner time when the place is only filled with 1 - 2 tables (there was a time when we were the only ones there from the beginning to the end of our meal)! :O  I've not been there during lunch hours though, so hopefully there's a better crowd.

Actually the food isn't half bad and they certainly don't deserve so few customers (for average tasting food). The possible reasons attributing to this I can think of are: 1) they could have shot themselves in the foot when they first started by not making it taste right and having to tweak the flavours later, 2) the average prices of RM12 - RM13 they charge are higher (and yes, they're air-conditioned with an open front) than what hawker stalls would charge, so people obviously expect more in terms of taste and 3) the owners not engaging with their customers could hurt them as service is equally important these days in the food business (especially in securing regulars).

I still eat here occassionally (like once in 2 - 3 weeks) just to lend support to the previous lady boss (wouldn't want to see the place close down and the lady boss without a job!).  I do hope people would give the place a second chance (as the flavours have improved from their early days) but can't shake off that sinking feeling it's going to be difficult for them to make it. >_<  I think if their prices were slightly lower, they wouldn't be judged so critically and that would probably translate to more business.

Restoran Xiu Ye Zai

No 14 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/18

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017-733 2644