Ming Kee Cantonese @ Jalan Imbi

After our first visit, I returned to Ming Kee Cantonese @ Jalan Imbi to specifically try their porridge since that's their speciality (they were known as Ming Kee Porridge after all before the change of name).  CAUTION: Please note that this visit was from long ago (more than a year ago in August 2025...oops!).  I found the post among my unpublished posts coz I actually forgot to publish it but was reminded of it when phonghongbakes posted about Ming Kee's new branch in Damansara Uptown recently...lol!  Oh well, since I've already written it, I might as well publish it!

This visit, however, turned out to be non-memorable as they neither had siu yuk or char siew ready at 9.45 am (there still weren't any when we left an hour later).  How to do business when you miss the morning breakfast crowd?  Apparently they were waiting for the roasted meats to arrive (according to the server) which means the meats are not roasted on site? >_<

At the entrance to the restaurant, there was this fish tank that contained many colourful fish (my photos don't do justice to the beautiful brightly coloured fish)....the only bright spark of this visit...haha!

Since the roasted meats were not ready, other than roast duck and poached chicken, both of my boys went with the same order of Shrimp Wantan Noodle (Dry) @ RM15.40.

The shrimp wantans were excellent just as we had before.  They were plump and filled with a rather large whole prawn (cut into two) with minced pork.  Taste wise, they were fresh and juicy + I like the taste of the soup too.

I came here specifically for the porridge and had wanted to order the Asian Clams Porridge as my first choice but it was not available (when items on the menu start being unavailable, it doesn't bode well for the restaurant).  So I went with the Frog Porridge @ RM16 instead.  I wasn't liking the porridge texture (which is more like Hong Kong-type porridge) which was very gooey.  I prefer mine a little bit more watery with the rice grains well boiled but not blended until it's paste-like.

The frog pieces (I think there were 4 pcs) were fairly large which tells me that the frog was a good-sized one but I could have sworn that the best part (the frog drumstick) was missing though the frog was undoubtedly fresh tasting.  Truth be told, RM16 seems a little low-priced for a bowl of frog porridge, so I guess the good parts must have been reserved for their a la carte dishes of Kung Po Frog and Ginger Spring Onion Frog.

I also ordered a one-pax Roasted Duck @ RM12 for sharing....still moist and tender like the last time though this time I could taste a heavier note of 5-spice powder.

I noticed the place was run by all foreigners and it showed in the presentation of the roasted duck as the breast meat was cut unevenly, some pieces were thinner, some thicker and some thick and thin within the same piece.  I admire the knife skills of local Chinese chefs at roasted meat stalls as they slice with precision.

I almost ordered the Hot Ginger Tea again before remembering it turned out very sweet the last time (and my husband had to finish it for me).  So I went with a Hot Kopi @ RM4.40, remembering to put in a request for less sweet, and luckily it was decent, rather kaw (thick) I must say.

My Personal Opinion

It's safe to say this visit was rather underwhelming with the porridge (their speciality) not registering an approval from my point of view because of its gooey and paste-like texture.

The bright spark of this visit, besides the colourful fish (lol), were the plump and juicy shrimp wantans but not having either siu yuk or char siew ready in the morning will surely deter us from revisiting.  Since this post was fashionably late (lol!), I hope this is a thing of the past and it's no longer an issue now.  Perhaps we may revisit again some day.

Ming Kee Cantonese

No. 19 West Street

Off Jalan Imbi

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2110 5501

Kheng Heong Hainan Coffee @ Pandan Indah

Kheng Heong Hainan Coffee @ Pandan Indah is the latest kopitiam to open in our neighbourhood.  It took over the spot vacated by the now defunct Brotherhood's Kopitiam which started out promising but fell by the wayside over time as one stall after another left.  Rumours had it that the stalls were asked to leave when the coffee shop took over serving only food cooked by them (which obviously failed in the end).

This new kopitiam is now probably the most popular coffee shop in our taman packing in the crowds at breakfast and lunch times with stalls offering seafood noodles, pork noodles, chicken rice + roasted meats, curry mee, char kway teow + fried carrot cake, pan mee, kai si hor fun, wantan mee, nasi lemak, sandwiches and a dai chow stall (the only one that opens for dinner). 

The very first stall I tried was the famed stall (reportedly from ICC Pudu) selling La La Noodles @ RM13.  I've not eaten the ICC Pudu one, so there's nothing to compare this to.  When the noodles arrived, I was a little disappointed as the amount of la la was no where near as abundant as the ones I've seen (from photos) at ICC Pudu (where it's piled heap high).

I had to dig into the bottom of the bowl with my spoon to show you the la la...lol!  I felt the la la were not as well-sized as some I've had before (maybe I was unlucky with the stock that day) with average freshness (there were la la with broken shells and/or fallen off from their shells).  The type of la la also looked different from the ones they used in ICC Pudu (I prefer the elongated type of la la).  The taste of the broth though was nicer with a fair taste of Shoaxing wine (for those who are looking for a more savoury soup) but I prefer the one in Tasty La La Noodles we have here.  For me, it didn't quite live up to the hype of the famous one from ICC Pudu...what can I say, it didn't blow me away! >_<

The Sea Slice Bihun Soup @ RM13 uses sang yue (snakehead/haruan) I was told and you can have the fried or fresh version.  I opted for fried but was surprised the fish slices had bones in them (I was under the impression that it'd be like those sang yue slices used in porridge), so it wasn't as enjoyable as I had envisioned.  Other options of fried fish include patin (silver catfish) and kau yue (mackerel).  Fresh fish options include sek pan (grouper), sang yue and patin.

The next noodle I tried was the Wantan Mee @ RM10, dry-style with char siew and wantan.  Omg, their char siew was so well caramelised and tasty (not like char siew from most wantan mee stalls but like good quality, thick cut char siew from roasted meat rice stalls).  I've also tried their braised chicken feet & mushrooms wantan mee, it was just edible but the char siew option is way better for sure.

As for the noodles, I liked the texture very much, the noodle is thin but not starchy or clumpy, and the sauce it was tossed in (with some utterly fragrant, crispy pork lard thrown in for more flavour) was also pretty tasty.  The pork-filled wantans were meaty and plain (just very ordinary) and the soup fairly subtle (which I enjoyed).  I've been looking for a worthy wantan mee in my neighbourhood to replace the one I've been eating at (which decided to close shop due to old age)...and I'm ecstatic to have finally found a worthy replacement! ^o^

Having tasted the soup that came with the wantans and liking it, I decided to give the Soup Wantan Mee @ RM10 a go.  I know, I know, I'm weird coz hardly anyone orders wantan mee in soup but I like it provided the soup is to my liking...and this is to my liking! ;)  I've been on the search for an edible wantan mee soup for a long time as most are below par and I'm ecstatic that I've finally found one in my taman.

I'm also looking for a good curry mee in my taman as none is any good, so I tried the Curry Noodles @ RM11 one morning.  Let's just say my quest for a good curry mee continues.

The curry broth was too thin, the cockles don't look very fresh/bloody (like they were blanched beforehand which is a no-no) and the poached chicken not smooth...everything you don't want in a bowl of good curry mee...haha! >.<

My Penang Kimberly Street (as claimed in signboard) Char Kway Teow @ RM11 with kway teow + mee had those crunchy, fat bean sprouts which I love.  The taste of the noodles can be better, lacking colour (need more soy and charring) as well as wok hei.  However, it's one of the least oily char kway teow I've had but portion is small with just 3 fresh prawns.

If you need more siham (cockles), and of course I do, get the Char Kway Teow (with added siham) @ RM14 and I made a request for them not to be cooked with the noodles.  They were fresh and raw but not particularly juicy.  I prefer the extra siham from Dai Ka Song's char kway teow stall.

The Fried Carrot Cake @ RM8.50 (from the same stall), the cubes of carrot cake were fried till really dark and well caramelised with good flavours.  I wish they would do the same for the char kway teow.

It looked legit but it looked better than it tasted.  Alas, the carrot cake was on the denser side (a bit too much flour in the mix) and not enough white carrot taste but still an edible fried carrot cake for its tasty eggy bits with chives and fat beansprouts.

The Pork Noodles (Soup) @ RM10 is the other more popular stall here.  It's loaded with porky ingredients of sliced and minced pork with innards of pork liver only (missing my favourite pork intestines).  I'd say the soup is nice and sweet but the pork slices and pork mince patties rather dense and not as smooth.  There's also some pork lard that was neither crispy nor fresh (even the ones from the wantan mee is better) when pork lard is more important in a bowl of pork noodles.

I don't usually order Pork Noodles (Dry) @ RM10 but just wanted to get it so that I could try their belacan dip which they refused to give me with the soup noodles (when I saw that it was available) with the reasoning that it's only given with dry noodles (the soup noodles come with only the fresh chillies dip while the dry noodles come with both).

I don't agree with the reasoning...why so restrictive?  If a customer asks for it, I don't think they should say no (it certainly wouldn't endear me to them, that's for sure, to know that they're so kedekut/stingy).  Sometimes I ask for both dips also when I've fried hokkien mee (and they always oblige as it doesn't cost an arm and a leg for an extra dip).  Well, their belacan dip does taste good with lots of dried prawns in the mix (similar in taste to those you get at Hong Kong char chan teng).  Anyway, the soy mix of the dry pork noodles was too dry with not enough flavour for my liking.

The Kai Si Hor Fun @ RM11 with prawns and shredded chicken (and freshly fried, inhouse made fried shallots) is the next best kai si hor fun I can find in our neighbourhood since losing the best tasting kai si hor fun we have here when the stall closed and moved away.  The hor fun was probably not as thin and smooth like Ipoh hor fun but the soup base was nice and sweet though a bit more of that fragrant prawn oil would have made it even tastier.

For a more decadent bowl, go for the Kai Si Hor Fun @ RM14 with prawns, shredded chicken and prawn wontons (not sure why a non-standard piece of fried fu chuk was in the mix...lol).  It has everything you'd want in a decent bowl of kai si hor fun.  The wontons were nice with a filling of firm and fresh prawns (there was at least one full prawn + some chopped up prawn in each wonton).  I'm glad to have a very decent kai si hor fun I can rely on in my neighbourhood.

This stall also offers Kai Si Hor Fun @ RM11 with poached chicken not often offered at other kai si hor fun stalls.  Unfortunately, the poached chicken is not smooth at all, overcooked too and the lacklustre soy + oil sauce didn't save it from being mundane as it was only salty and not fragrant at all.  Skip this! >_<

The Berempah Chicken Nasi Lemak @ RM11 was served with a whole L-shaped berempah fried chicken leg (there's also an option for berempah pork) with half a hard-boiled egg, fair quality, crispy (not hard) ikan bilis, kacang, cucumber and a sambal that I enjoyed coz it was very close to a Malay sambal (for a Chinese-style nasi lemak).  The onions were cooked down until well softened and the sambal a deep dark red (cooked till pecah minyak and this is the stark difference between a Chinese and Malay sambal).

The berempah whole chicken leg (drumstick + thigh) was freshly fried till crispy and you get some super crunchy batter bits as well.  It didn't look as rempah-ish as the Malay version but it has been fried well (not over fried) with the meat fairly juicy though I wouldn't mind a bit more rempah seasoning.  It's not as rempah-forward as the Malay version but still a darn good replicate.  What gets me were the batter bits (they give you extras) which you can tabur over the rice for that crunchy, savoury deliciousness.  When I eat this, I eat it over 2 meals...I'd eat half the fried chicken with the nasi lemak and keep the other half for dinner (where I just have to fry up a small portion of egg fried rice to go with it)...settle...lol!

  

From the western breakfast stall comes this Bakwa Sandwich @ RM8 with bakwa, omelette, egg floss and cucumber with a squeeze of chilli sauce.  Just a passable bakwa sandwich in my opinion.  You can also get waffles and western breakfast from this stall.

The last stall I tried here was the pan mee stall, not that I wanted to eat pan mee (as it's my least favourite noodle) but because I saw they offered Yellow Wine Egg Mee Sua @ RM11.  Unfortunately, the egg came looking like an omelette.  First time I've encountered this as it's usually fried egg bits with ginger.  Also, the yellow wine was of poor quality lacking fragrance and sweetness...in fact, it tasted a bit bitter (even my mom's homemade yellow wine tasted loads better).  Luckily, I didn't opt for the Yellow Wine Chicken as that would have been a waste of RM16! >_<

Having a shop with good stalls can only mean less business for the shop's food like eggs and toast (which I hardly see people ordering here...lol) + the drinks here isn't my favourite but still drinkable nevertheless (people still need drinks with their food), so the shop should still be able to make good money from rent and drinks.

My Personal Opinion

The la la noodles started out as the main attraction here because it was the famous la la bihun from ICC Pudu but surprisingly it wasn't the la la bihun that turned out to be the best thing here.  It was just decent and not quite the hype it created when it first opened.

In the end, the best noodle stall for me here was the wantan mee (both dry and soup) with its excellent thick-cut, well caramelised, absolutely tasty char siew.  This is closely followed by the kai si hor fun (with only the prawn oil lacking) and berempah chicken nasi lemak in that particular order.  As for the other noodles/stalls, it's unlikely that I'd be having them again coz I'll just be concentrating on the three I like (apart from the la la/fish noodles which I may have once a while). ^_~

In the end, it's probably the best coffee shop we have here at the moment in terms of food but not so much in terms of drinks.  That's why you always find it crowded at breakfast and lunch times (and running full on weekends) but the crowd is much more manageable now that it's been around for a few months.  This is now my go-to coffee shop in my taman and you'll find me here 2 - 3 times a week. ^_~

Kheng Heong Hainan Coffee

75G Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Restaurant LuckyPot @ SS2 PJ

Restaurant LuckyPot @ SS2 PJ is a popular spot for Hunan/Sichuan cuisine and comes highly recommended, so we found ourselves here for dinner one weekend (and made reservations ahead).  They have other branches located in Kuchai Lama, USJ Taipan, Puchong, Cheras, Kepong & Bukit Tinggi (and all with a rating of not lower than 4.8 which is very encouraging indeed).

When we arrived for our dinner reservation at 7 pm (this photo was taken when we left), the place was in full swing and we had to wait for about 10 minutes for the diners before us to finish and the staff to tidy up the table for us.  The space isn't very big, just one shoplot space, so prior reservation is highly encouraged especially if you're a big party as big tables are very limited.

Checking out the menu, I see some similarities in their dishes to the ones I've eaten at Dragon-i in Sunway Velocity like sour spicy potato shreds, fried string beans, spicy chicken, hua diao chicken, fish with preserved vegetables, braised pork with pickled vegetables and more.  Which is better, you ask?  Read till the end to find out! ^_~

This first chosen dish of Spicy Chicken (Small) @ RM45 is probably one of their most popular dishes as you practically see this on every table.  They're cubes of chicken fried until superbly crispy with lots (and I mean lots) of dried chillies along with fragrant peanuts, whole garlic cloves, onions and curry leaves.

The dish was incredibly fragrant overall and the spiciness will hit you once you keep eating more of it.  It's tolerable, not numbing, spiciness though.  If you're a lover of spicy food, you'll enjoyed this immensely (I did)...it was excellent! ^o^

The Chef Chilli Fried Meat @ RM45 (comes only in one size) is a dish of thinly sliced pork pork belly (I usually don't enjoy pork belly as much but this one I did coz they were sliced incredibly thin and not as fatty) stir-fried with green chillies.  They looked like green bell peppers initially but they were much thinner in texture and when I tasted them, there was a hint of spiciness, so they were some sort of green peppers/chillies indeed (tiger skin peppers?).

The green peppers were cooked until nicely soft along with well seasoned pork, soft and caramelised garlic cloves, (something resembling the crunchy texture of) wood ear fungus (but they were whitish, not black in colour) and bits of pork lard.  It all came together to yield a very flavourful and tasty dish.  Another outstanding dish if you can see pass that it was a bit oily.

After two chilli-forward dishes, I wanted some respite from a dish of Minced Meat Homemade Tofu (Small) @ RM20 and this was beautifully done both in preparation and presentation (the top was embedded with some greens).

The outside of the tofu was fried to such a crisp texture (more so than the many similar ones I've eaten before) and the tofu smooth, silky and luscious with a good egg flavour.  The minced meat topping enhanced the taste of the tofu even more to make it one of the best tofu dishes I've had. ^.^

Our vegetable dish was the Delicious Beijing Cabbage (Small) @ RM20, a seemingly standard and ordinary vegetable dish.  But there is stir-fried cabbage and there is this stir-fried cabbage...lol!  What sets it apart is the flavour imparted by the tiny cubes of pork lard, fried garlic chips and dried chillies along with some slivers of pork belly.

I could also detected a fragrant dose of wok hei in the stir-fry, a sign that the cabbage was cooked on high heat...and that's why you don't see a lot of leakage of water from the cabbage.  We've had our fair share of wet and soggy cabbage from many dai chow and Chinese restaurants...and this version was definitely more successful...not to mention delicious.  Taste aside, I found it strange that it was served on an aluminium foil wrapped hot plate.  I'm thinking...if it was stir-fried in a wok, why not just scoop it onto a plate?  I can only guess that the cabbage was treated differently (roasted/grilled in the oven or to keep it warm but not overcooked on a hot plate?).  Well, only the kitchen knows.

For nibbles & bites, I got us some Lamb Skewers (5 pcs, top) @ RM18 (for a change) and Pork Skewers (5 pcs, bottom) @ RM15 just because I noticed many people ordering this.  Both had strong flavours of spices in its marination with a warm, earthy, aromatic flavour and just a hint of heat.  I believe cumin was one of the spices used in the lamb skewers (since they have a dish of Cumin Lamb on their menu).

My husband found the lamb skewer more tender (and I do agree) and preferred it over the pork skewer.  For non-lovers of lamb (like me), we'll always be able to detect a very faint hint of gaminess in the lamb (no such thing as far as my husband was concerned).  It wasn't detectable at first bite but it was certainly there in the next bite or two but this one I could at least eat (so lamb lovers would certainly enjoy this).  Ya, I should have gone for the beef skewers and would probably have enjoyed that more.  The lamb and pork skewers were decent (for me) but I couldn't help but wish I could dip them into some kind of sauce (like the way we eat satay...lol!).

My Personal Opinion

For people who love China-style (Hunan/Sichuan) food with spiciness (I've to admit I'm not a big fan of this type of cuisine but I am of this place), so I can confidently recommend that you give this place a try (and there are lots of other options that aren't spicy as well).  Portions are generous, prices reasonable....and the taste outstanding (better than the ones I had at Dragon-i and I consider Dragon-i good already although they're more known for their fried rice, hand-pulled noodles, pork chop & siu long bao...which again is also quite similar to what Din Tai Fung offers).

For me the best dish of the night was the absolutely the fragrant and crisp spicy chicken along with the peanuts...it was very addictive and a must-order.  My other favoured dish was the humble and simple housemade tofu with its silken texture and eggy flavour.  I'd be very happy with just tofu and rice for a healthy meal.

We ordered way too much for the three of us but we knew we wanted to try more dishes, so I brought along my trusted containers to tapau whatever food we anticipated that we wouldn't be able to finish (by the way, the Chef Chilli Fried Meat did well reheated until the green chillies were soft and lightly charred...and the meat sizzling because it's pork belly and that's when you can see the oil oozing out...lol!).  I'm sure I'll be back coz there are a lot more dishes on the menu that I'm hoping to try! ^_~

Restaurant LuckyPot

No 185 Jalan SS2/24

47300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 019-576 8749

#ewew cooks Air-Fried Prawns with Roasted Potatoes & Capsicum

Every household should have this incredible kitchen gadget in their kitchen...an air fryer!  Before I got my air fryer, I relied on my convection oven to grill or roast meat, potatoes and vegetables.  Since getting an air fryer, my convection oven has been officially "retired".

I now use my air fryer a lot, mostly in making western-style meals like roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables...and I'm loving it! ;)  But I've never used it to roast/grill seafood of any type, whether fish or prawns.  Then again, I've also never used my convection oven to cook seafood before (other than making baked salmon wrapped in parchment paper or foil).  

So, this is my first attempt at cooking prawns in an air fryer.  I didn't google for any information or recipes since I reckon prawns will cook pretty fast in the air fryer and I wanted to keep it simple.  First, I prepped my prawns by making a slit down the back and removing the vein.  I let the prawns drain on some wet paper towels (in the fridge) and made sure I pat them down really dry when I took them out from the fridge (coz seasoning will not adhere well to wet prawns + they'll tend to steam rather than fry in the air fryer if they're wet).  These prawns cost me about RM45 for 20 prawns (and I used half of it here).

Next, I drizzled some olive oil over the prawns and marinated them with just lots of freshly cracked black pepper and plenty of my all-purpose Montreal chicken seasoning (you don't really need any salt, you can use any spices you want like chilli, curry, turmeric, paprika, etc.).  I made sure I opened up the prawns (including the heads) so that the seasoning can get into into all the nooks, cracks and crevices in the prawn (especially in the slits).

Then put your prawns in a single layer in an oven-proof dish (or paper liner) that fits your air fryer...along with a few slices of garlic.  Since my air fryer is pretty small, I can only fit about 6 - 8 prawns in a single layer at one time, if more than that it'd be overlapping a bit.  Since I only need 10 prawns for myself, I might as well do a second batch, so I split them equally giving them more room to cook better.

Prawns cook pretty fast in an air fryer, so I cooked them at 200°C for about 6 - 8 minutes (and mine were fairly large prawns).  I flipped them halfway through and realised that there wasn't enough charring, so I tossed them in a bit of soya sauce to get that desired browning.

My oh my, my Air-Fried Prawns look pretty darn good, I have to say...sufficiently browned like it came out straight from a restaurant (self--praise is no the praise...lol) but without the smoky flavour, for that it has to be cooked over a flame! ^_~

I'm pretty stoked at how successful my air fried prawns turned out on my first attempt. ^o^  They're so easy to cook and cooks super fast too.  If you like your prawns more charred, I guess you'll have to use more of the browning agents like light/dark soy or oyster sauce.

I made some roasted potatoes and red capsicum to go with the prawns as just 10 of it is not going to make me full, so I need some carbs on the plate in the form of roasted potatoes, my favourite, crisp on the edges and fluffy inside.  While I'm at it, might as well throw in some vegetables like red capsicum, broccoli, french beans or brussel sprouts.

I love seafood, especially prawns, so it was worth it to experiment and try to make it at home coz it's even costlier to eat prawns at restaurants.  You won't realise just how easy it is to cook them until you try it yourself...and I'm glad I did.

Now that my attempt at cooking prawns in the air fryer turned out better than I expected, you bet I'll be making them more often.  I especially enjoyed sucking out the juices and flavour from the prawn heads.  If you're lover of prawns (like I am), then I urge you to try this simple dish (no recipe required) at home at a fraction of the cost of what you'll need to pay at a restaurant.  You'll find that it's so fast to make but absolutely delicious as a healthy meal! ^.^