Kong Ming @ Pandan Indah

Ever since my neighbourhood "tai chow" place offering stir-fry dishes (Restoran Chong Yuan) closed shop (not due to insufficient business but due to the owner/cook's health), I've not found a worthy replacement (so far) in terms of taste and price.  Then again, that's partly because there's also very few tai chow places in my housing area.

So, in its place is Restoran Kong Ming @ Pandan Indah which took over the spot.  We waited quite a few months before finally patronising the place just to see if they can last.

Our first visit didn't go down too well when we were recommended to order their signature dish of Sweet & Sour Pork With Ice @ RM16.  I thought...why not....it could be exciting since I've never heard or eaten it before.  This was how it looked when it arrived...with ice piled on top of the sweet and sour pork.  The top plate has holes in the bottom for the water to drip away as the ice melts when you're eating.  They take a dish that should be served hot, made it cold and then let the ice 'wash' away the sweet and sour sauce.  Now, why on earth would they think that makes a tasty dish (although we saw many tables ordering it)! @_@

We were wiser the next time and went with the tried and tested version of Sweet & Sour Pork @ RM16 that we're more used to.  This was a satisfying sweet and sour pork and I especially liked that it came with pineapples (apart from the usual green bell pepper, cucumber, onions, tomatoes and chillies).

Though, at times, the pineapples were a no-show! :(

Sometimes, we'd switch to Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet @ RM16 for a change.  Although still acceptable, I think the pork version is the undisputed winner! ^_*

The Claypot Fried Pork Belly with Salted Fish ("ham yu fah lam pou") @ RM16, made up of thin slices of pork belly cooked with salted fish and dried chillies, is another popular "tze char" (cook and fry) dish that many families like to order for its robust, salty and slightly spicy flavours.  This one goes very well with rice obviously.

Since we love salted eggs, we'd find ourselves (inadvertently) ordering the Salted Egg Yolk Fried Squid @ RM20, of course.  This one was a fair rendition with an equally fair amount of salted egg yolk in the battered mix.

The Marmite Pork Ribs @ RM16 offers a mixture of salty, sweet and sour nuances to the pork ribs.  We'd much prefer if they were cubes of pork with no bones to contend with + the portion size of just 5 pcs was rather meagre for the price.  I usually find marmite to be more sticky sweet than anything else since it resembles molasses anyway.  On its own, marmite doesn't taste all that good but when cooked with pork or chicken (as it's usually done), it has become a popular order at many tai chow places.

Fish Fillet with Ginger & Onions @ RM16 is one of my favourites at tai chow places as I love to eat the long strands of spring onions.  It's normally stir-fried with just ginger and spring onions with no sauce but this (to my surprise) came fried with either soy or oyster sauce.  Hmmm, not to my liking, this one :(

The Creamy Butter Pork @ RM16 was decent too with crispy pork nuggets coated in a delicious butter sauce.

The Kam Heong Lala (Clams) @ RM20 is great if you're a fan of kam heong sauce that's usually salty and robustly flavoured.  Best eaten with rice.  You can also opt for clams to be cooked in soup, simply stir-fried, fried with dried chillies or cooked in Shaoxing wine.

Their 'Double Layer' Beancurd @ RM12 is a house speciality I've not come across in other tai chow places. The double layer refers to a layer of fish paste in between the homemade tofu.

The well-made beancurd is soft and smooth with the fish paste in between and the sauce is pretty tasty too (when it's not too salty).  Obviously, it has become a favourite of ours and we can't stop ordering it each time! ^o^

Judging from the photos, the tofu block seems to be deep-fried first before the sauce is poured in...and, on some days, the execution and presentation is better (the second pic looks the best)...hehe! ;D

Of course, there's also the usual Beancurd with Minced Pork @ RM12 that has more gravy for those who love more gravy with their rice.

Or Thai Style Beancurd @ RM12 in a tangy sauce with shredded onions, cucumber and red chillies and a spicy note from the fiery bird's eye chillies.  This was my least favourite.

They offer lots of omelette dishes with prawns, minced pork, bitter gourd, onion, salted and dried radish and the ever popular "Fu Yoong Tan".  Most of the time, we'd order the Omelette with Minced Pork or the Omelette with Prawns @ RM10...simple yet tasty :)

As usual, there must always be a vegetable dish to round up each meal and there are lots to choose from here such as sweet potato leaf, kangkung, lettuce, bayam, cabbage, "choy sum" (flowering cabbage), bitter gourd, even "ching loong choy" (green dragon vegetable).

Curry Mixed Vegetables @ RM15 - a tad too much curry powder taste but still ok.

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables @ RM12 - not my favourite.

Soup with Bayam @ RM12 - the bayam was alright but I didn't like that they overcooked century and salted eggs in the broth.

Kangkung Belacan @ RM10 - I like the one here as it's dry and not too salty.

We obviously like kangkung very much ;P

They also do this kangkung (and the other being choy sum) in claypot style which I've not had before in other tai chow places I've eaten at.  They will bring a preheated claypot and the cooked vegetables (separately) to your table and then pour the vegetables in (and you can hear the immediate sizzle).  This is the Kangkung in Claypot @ RM12.  Taste-wise I didn't detect any difference in taste with simple stir-fried kangkung other than the theatrics and a little addition of crispy "chee yau char" (pork lard bits) to the dish! ^.^

My Personal Opinion

All in all, this is a worthy replacement of the previous tai chow place that occupied the space here.  Though prices may be slightly higher but then this place is little bit more premium in looks and offerings with both an air-conditioned and an outdoor dining area plus a proper menu.

Perhaps some of the dishes can't compare with the previous tai chow place but we also had some dishes that weren't offered by the previous place.  So, this still makes a good neighbourhood tai chow place for some of our weekday and weekend dinners.

Restoran Kong Ming

M4-A-16 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/1
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-4287 6955