Fuji Chicken Rice @ Pandan Indah

Fuji Chicken Rice @ Pandan Indah is one of the best known chicken rice stalls here.  They started at this current address as a stall way back when and then moved a couple of doors down (along the same road) to a place of their own.

And now they've come full circle and moved back to where they first started...and as a stall.  I think they mentioned something about the rent of the shop being too much to handle.  Even after moving back to their original location, the burden of being the 'chief tenant' and manning the coffee shop's drinks proved difficult and they've since passed on that responsibility to someone else.  

Update: But recently, I noticed that the signboard has been changed to Xin Fu Ji (I believe the Fuji Chicken Rice shop is probably co-managing the place again with someone).  Family members take turns to man this stall, so you may see a different person doing the cutting and chopping these days.

But they have consistently put out good roasted meats and considered to be among the better roasted meat stalls in Pandan Indah.  Their char siew is your best bet here.  Their Char Siew Rice @ RM6 with well caramelised edges, partnered with "pun fei sau" (half lean/half fat ratio), is what most go for here making it their top selling roasted meat.  The char siew and the sauce may be deemed a little on the sweet side by some (me included).

The Char Siew+Poached Chicken (Thigh) Rice @ RM7.50 is what I usually go for.  I like that the poached chicken (thigh) is moist and tender with a not-too-fatty skin that I can eat.

I'd sometimes have their Roast Chicken (Wing) Rice with Chicken Liver @ RM6 (one pc chicken liver is additional RM0.50) though the poached chicken is far more superior.  Take-aways will cost RM0.30 more for the box, so bring your own (like me)...save money as well as the environment! ^_*

This is the Siew Yoke+Poached Chicken (Thigh) Rice @ RM7.50.  The siew yoke is the least successful of all the three meats IMHO.  Although the skin is still crispy, it's the quality of the pork belly that didn't live up to some of the better ones I've had but overall still a decent siew yoke.

Or you could have a combo of Siew Yoke+Char Siew @ RM7

This is one place where different prices prevail depending on which part of the chicken you want.  Chicken breast or wing cost the least at RM5.50 (which is fine by me since I do like wing!) while a request for chicken thigh (and other parts) will set you back RM6 with drumstick costing the most at RM6.50.  An itemised price list is clearly displayed at the stall, so you'll know in advance how much each costs.

Though the chicken rice is probably the most well-known stall, I feel the fried noodles stall is the better find here.   There aren't very many stalls in my area that can dish up a decent plate of fried noodles, so this is probably the best you can find here.  I like the Fried Hokkien Mee @ RM6.50 the most as it's done in a dry style and especially so when the fried lard bits are plentiful, fresh and crispy (coz at times they can also be rancid).

There's also the Cantonese Fried "Yin Yong" (which means a combination of Kway Teow & Meehoon) also @ RM6.50 that's quite decent.

But I have a preference for Cantonese Fried Yee Mee @ RM6.50 usually.  Although the yee mee is supposed to be crispy, this one stayed too crunchy even after it's been soaking in the sauce for a while.  I'm very particular when it comes to yee mee and it's getting more difficult to find the type I love these days.  I don't know how to describe the type I like but I will know when I taste it.  It should start off being crisp and fragrant but must also soften when it comes into contact with the eggy sauce.  There was once a stall in Restoran 2020 that offered exactly that but the husband and wife team decided to move somewhere else to sell pork noodles as they say it's a lot less work than frying noodles...haiz :'(

They also do Fried Rice (with Fried Egg) @ RM7 (RM1 additional for the egg) which I think it's the best coz they use char siew instead of lap cheong.  Previously, the char siew used were lean but these days the char siew has become fatty, so I like it less but, taste-wise, the fried rice is very nice.  Substitute the char siew with shrimps and it'll cost you RM8.

They have lots of other fried noodles as well like braised yee mee, moonlight kway teow, Singapore fried beehoon, fish head noodles and others.  Fried noodle stalls are in short supply here, so this stall is your best bet for decent fried noodles.

But the best find for me here is the stall selling fish ball and sam kan chong noodles (Update: It's a different stall now)!  Their Fish Ball Noodles @ RM7 (with additional fish cake slices, normal RM6) is among some of the best I've had and certainly the best fish ball noodles you can find here.  It can even rival some of the best out there.  The reason is because they don't use commercially prepared fish balls! ^o^

I would buy their excellent fish balls (RM0.90 for one) and take them home to eat.  Their homemade fish balls are so soft and tasty coz they're made with more fish paste, nothing like those commercially made ones that have an extremely bouncy texture with lots of flour.  Even their fish cake is different from the rest.

The nice clear broth has the flavour of fish as they've probably been boiled with all the fish bones left over. At times I would throw in some "yin choy" (Chinese spinach) or add them to home-cooked noodles for a nice bowl of soupy goodness! ^.^

I also find their Sam Kan Chong Noodles (Soup) @ RM7 (with additional minced pork, normal RM6) to be tasty.  The soup tastes homemade (she makes the stock with ikan bilis) without the usual MSG-laden sweet or peppery flavour that's common elsewhere.

Of course, it's best to eat it with "hor fun" or kway teow noodles that are soft, slippery and smooth.

You can opt for the Sam Kan Chong Noodles (Dry) @ RM8 (with additional roasted sausages, usual comes with just 2 slices) which I would normally do since I do like their roasted sausages with a good rice wine flavour. The black sauce could be better though.  Definitely prefer the soup version over the dry.

Recently, an Indian stall set up shop in this place selling all types of roti pratha.  They also sell prepacked Nasi Lemak @ RM2 a packet that's not too shabby if you want something that's not-so-filling for breakfast.

And, most of all, I do like the Kopi-O-Ping here @ RM2, thick and foamy, with a good coffee aroma.

There are two more noodle shops here (one sells pork noodles and curry laksa while the other offers pan mee and rice wine chicken noodles) and a stall that dishes out one-dish rice meals.  There's also a stall that offers steam fish (especially steam song fish head) that's not too bad either (it's the same stall you'll find in Restoran Leong Kee in the evenings).  Other than the rice wine chicken and steam fish, I've not been bothered to try the rest coz each time I'm here, I go for the fish ball or sam kan chong noodles.

My Personal Opinion

Certainly one of the choice coffee shops here...and the three stalls I highlighted are the best this coffee shop has to offer.  Eating either one of these should satisfy you.  The only bummer is that this shop doesn't open at night, it's only for breakfast and lunch.  So you can't get fried noodles for dinner when you want it most! :(

This coffee shop is what Pandan Indah can offer in terms of excellent fish ball noodles, good sam kan chong noodles and decent stir-fried noodles.  Obviously, it's one of our favourites.  There are abundant choices here and you're likely to find one that meets your approval, I'm sure.

Restoran Fuji Chicken Rice
Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23B
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 017-674 7570