Hoong Kee (Wantan Mee) @ Ampang

I chanced upon this shop, Restoran Hoong Kee @ Ampang when I first saw it on the list (of potential restaurants to review) of the client who engaged me to write reviews for a soon-to-be-launched mobile app.

 

Noticing that their address is quite near to where I live, I decided to drop by to give it a try.  I googled this place to see what is good here and found only one respectable review recommending the "char siew" (barbequed pork).  I also saw a photo of the restaurant (in openrice.com) with a banner (in Chinese) with a date 8/11/2012 on it, so I'm assuming that was the opening date.

Walk towards the back of the restaurant and you'll be greeted with these gorgeous looking, luscious strips of charcoal-cooked char siew hanging in the stall.  For those who don't like their char siew too caramelised (aka burnt) and sweet, you may just find this one to your liking.

Since their char siew is reportedly good, I went with an order of char siew wantan mee @ RM5.  I liked that the house-made wantan mee had a good bite and was not overly springy.  It was really good eaten with the ever-so-flavourful black sauce.

 

As for the char siew, I asked for "pun fei sau" (half lean half fat ratio) for a sticky-sweet melt-in-your-mouth bite that is apparently loved by many.  It was slightly sticky but not too sweet as evidenced by the not too charred (black) sides.  It was tender but didn't quite melt-in-my-mouth like the ones from Chan Meng Kee and Uncle Meng.  But I did appreciate the fact that the ones here were not as sweet.

 

I liked the wantans with a soft minced pork filling in a nice, clear broth that came with the noodles.

We also ordered a plate of siew yoke rice @ RM5.50.  The siew yoke (1 pax portion) had a crispy crackling with oh-so-tender meat that was absolutely flavourful.  The meat, with a tinge of pink, revealed that it was cooked just right to tender perfection.

 

I don't think I've had siew yoke elsewhere that was as tender and flavoursome as the ones I've had from Wong Kee but these ones came pretty close....and at a fraction of the price too! ;)  The only difference I saw was that the ones here didn't look as nice, presentation-wise, as the meat was falling apart...but who cares as long as they taste great!

If you can't get enough of them, you can also get them by the strip (which we packed later).....at RM15 a strip!

Or, if you like a mixture of both, you can go with a plate of char siew and siew yoke rice @ RM6.00.  I think they're more well known for their char siew....which was decent...but their "siew yoke" (roast pork) was even better! 

Although, on another occasion, the siew yoke didn't turn out as good when I had it for dinner (the earlier pics were when I had it for lunch).  You can clearly see that the siew yoke is a better cut (nice and short) in the earlier pic.  It was also more tender, juicy and slightly pinkish but this (longish) meat seems to have dried out by dinner time.

As for the rice, it had the right colour (of chicken stock) but not quite the right texture as the rice grains were a bit broken.

Our next order were some "sui kow" (soup dumplings) for sharing.  This was the bowl of sui kow (4 pcs) @ RM4.80 with a not-too-thick skin and a very plump filling (probably a mixture of pork, shrimps, carrots and jicama).

Or you can call for an extra bowl of soup wantans @ RM4.50 (for 10 pcs).

Of course, you'll need the condiments of picked green chillies for the wantan mee and fresh chilli dip for the rice.  I liked that the chilli dip had a really refreshing taste to it from the vinegar, lime juice and zest.  Unfortunately, the lime zest was over grated and some of the white pith (under the lime skin) contributed a hint of bitterness to the chilli dip.

They also serve curry chicken @ RM5 a bowl.  Though the chicken and potatoes were tender, the curry had more of a curry powder taste and was sorely lacking the creamy santan flavour.

The sweet & sour vegetables @ RM4 were cooked till very soft but it didn't have enough of the sour and spicy kick + it was not served piping hot...the broth is only good (to me) when it's hot, even lukewarm won't do.  Somehow, the sourness and spiciness is only more apparent when it's steaming hot...just like a good bowl of assam laksa.  You can give both these dishes a miss...and you won't miss a thing!

 

My Personal Opinion

 

I am happy that I've found another good char siew and siew yoke place closer to home (but if coming to Ampang is not convenient for you, fret not, for Hoong Kee reportedly has another stall in Publika's Eat Food Village).

But, then again, I wasn't too thrilled when I realised that the siew yoke was not as good in the evenings (than earlier in the day).  They open from 10.30 am to 3 pm (for breakfast and lunch) and again from 5 pm (for dinner).

The best bet is still their wantan mee (with either siew yoke or char siew).  But, just remember to come for breakfast (or lunch).....and not dinner (if you want fresher and better tasting siew yoke)!  I came here looking for char siew but left with siew yoke on my mind! ;D

Restoran Hoong Kee
LG18 Jalan Mewah 4
Taman Ampang Mewah
68000 Ampang
Selangor