Little Sifu Famous Roast Meat @ Pandan Indah

Like in any housing areas, you're bound to find numerous roasted meat stalls and it's no different in my neighbourhood as roasted meat is a common and popular lunch time meal (sometimes even for breakfast) for many just like "chap fan" (mixed rice).

Finding one stall that does all types of roasted meat equally well is easier said than done as most of the stalls are usually good at one or two types only.  But that was until I found Restoran Little Sifu Famous Roast Meat @ Pandan Indah, a relatively newer shop (on its own) compared to the others here (which are usually a stall inside a coffee shop).

It's an unpretentious single shoplot, so seats may be difficult to come by during peak lunch hour but they're open from morning.  Service can be a bit trying during peak times (with lots of takeaways) as the owner practically does almost everything himself.

Start with the best thing in the house and that is their "Siew Yoke" Rice @ RM6.  Their roasted pork comes with a crispy crackling and the meat is flavourful with a nice balance of saltiness to it.

Check out the glorious crackling :)

My advice is to eat it there to get the optimum taste of the crispiness, otherwise the crackling will turn soft if you pack it to be eaten later.

Coming in a clear second for me is their Poached Chicken Rice @ RM7.50...with added chicken liver which is a must, for me! ;)  They use "choi yin kai" (kampong chicken) here, so the meat has a lot more flavour.  Left to steep in chicken broth and cooked to perfection, it yielded tender, moist and juicy meat....and this is one where I don't mind devouring the skin as well.

Third on the list is their "Char Siew" Rice @ RM6 though my family members would probably say it deserves the coveted second place.  The barbequed pork has a nice caramelisation on the outside with a good ratio of fat-to-lean (even if you didn't specify the cut you want)....absolutely scrumptious!

Or, if you're greedy you can't decide, get a combination of Char Siew & Siew Yoke Rice @ RM7.50.

And, finally, coming in at the back of the pack is their Roasted Duck Rice @ RM6 and the owner seems to have forgotten to give me breast meat.  When it comes to duck, I prefer breast meat...the only time I'd eat breast actually coz those with bones hardly got enough meat on them.
  

Ahh.....this time I got the cut I wanted!  This may not be among the better roast ducks I've had but it's still decent as a choice here.

Rounding up with their Roasted Chicken Rice (with liver again) @ RM6.30.  This is what happens when the place is super busy, everything gets splattered on the plate and they forget to give you the cut you requested (yikes, I got some pieces of chicken breast!) >_<

If you think you've experienced different prices when you eat in and takeaway, you're indeed right.  This is my packed Roasted Chicken Rice with Liver @ RM6.60.  The owner charges 30 cents more for the new plastic box...well, that's thanks to our government for imposing this but not imposing stricter rules to hawkers to not pass on the cost to us.  Although I'm all for recyclable packaging that's environment-friendly, I can't help but note that this results in a 5% increase in our food prices already (based on a packet at RM6) come next year (when it becomes mandatory) and I'm sure we'll still have to contend with rising prices in food next year! >:( I guess this is a good time as any to bring our lunch boxes with us whenever we go out.

As with any roasted meat stall, you have to start off with a flavourful chicken-infused rice and a good fresh and tangy chilli sauce and I'm glad to report that both are done well here.

Even the soup I like, clear and tasty.

Side orders of silken tofu and bean sprouts are also available.  I liked that my order of Blanched Bean Sprouts @ RM4 (this is small but sufficient for two) were those fat, crunchy Ipoh-type ones topped with lots of freshly fried minced garlic and spring onions.

The Soya Sauce Silken Tofu @ RM6 with lots of fragrant fried minced garlic makes a nice side dish too. Looking at the ridges on the side of the tofu block, I believe this is store-bought silken tofu that's just drizzled with their decent ready-made soya sauce (used for their roasted meats).

They also started to offer wantan mee with any roasted meat (if you need something other than rice) which is great for breakfast since the shop opens for business early.

This coffee shop also serves a Kopi-O Ping (Iced Black Coffee) @ RM1.80 that I enjoy.

There's only one other stall here selling pork noodles...nothing you should be concerned with as their presence here is just to provide a choice for customers who don't feel like eating rice.

My Personal Opinion

I remember the owner telling me he used to work in the roasted meat stall next door until he decided to set up shop himself.  Looks like this "little sifu" (as in the name of the shop) learned from the master and added on a "little kungfu" himself to enhance the recipe further to make it even better...hehe! :D  But there are still lots of people flocking to the one next door (in Thong Kee Kopitiam) not knowing that this is the better one.

It's now the first choice roasted meat stall for me and my family in our neightbourhood.  You can't go wrong with any one of the five choices here.

Restoran Little Sifu Famous Roast Meat
No 21 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23E
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur