Yin Kee Fishball Noodles @ Jalan Pudu Ulu

This was another recent gem of a find after the excellent kai see hor fun in Jalan San Peng.  Would you believe that I found this Yin Kee Fishball Noodles @ Jalan Pudu Ulu through foodpanda?  Sometimes when I'm scrolling through foodpanda's website looking for food to order, I look up eateries with good ratings.  It was then that I chanced upon this eatery specialising in fishball noodles.

So, I googled the place further and liked what I saw.  From a photo on Google, it looks like they've been opened for slightly more than a year (since 1-9-2019).  Similar to the excellent kai see hor fun place, this is a no-frills, roadside hawker stall with a zinc roof but, judging from the number of people (8 - 10) needed to run this small place, business must be good.

Seeing that they're a specialist in fishball noodles (it was quite obvious from their name), let's start with that...a bowl of Fishball Noodles @ RM7.  I opted for a combination of yellow mee and hor fun (or kway teow) as my noodle of choice on my first visit.  A safer choice (I thought) just in case the kway teow does not turn out as expected (regular readers of my blog will know I have this love-hate relationship with hor fun since so many miss the mark for me).

My fears were unfounded as the quality of this hor fun turned out to be very good, even on par with those served at kai see hor fun shops.  I opted for just hor fun on my second visit and subsequent visits after that.

The soup base is nice and clear with a light saltiness from the tung choy (preserved vegetable).  Some will deem it too ching (subtle tasting) but not me...I absolutely loved it.

The fishball noodles come with liew (ingredients) of fishballs, fishcake slices and fish wantan (default bowl comes with only one).  The fishballs were very nice, utterly fresh, with a fine balance of slightly springy and slightly dense.  I believe these are handmade fishballs (as no one piece was shaped the same) which I prefer over machine-made fishballs that contain a large(r) portion of starch/flour (usually tapioca starch or cornstarch) that makes them too elastic and bouncy for my liking.

You can add on the Fish Wantans @ RM0.70 a piece directly to your noodles or in a separate bowl by themselves (which I absolutely recommend as the tong is even more ching this way).  I utterly loved these fish wantans (where the skin of the wantans is made from fish paste) which, incidentally, are referred to as fei tip (or UFOs) here (well, I guess their shape does look a bit like a flying saucer of some kind)...lol.

The fish wantans (filled with pork mince) had a nice fragrance and savoury flavour which makes me wonder if perhaps some seasoning in the form of flounder fish powder or dried cuttlefish is involved.  So good.  If there's anything I like more than soup or fried wantans, it's this fish skin wantans! ^.^

Coming back to the fishballs, there are two schools of thought like...one are those who like them super springy and the other group (which I'm in) prefers them denser with a good bite.  I came to that conclusion recently when I bought fishball noodles for a neighbour of mine.  She ended up loving the very one that I disliked (the overly springy one) and not liking the one that I thought was very good.

If the fishballs and fish wantans were stellar, the Fried Fishcake @ RM7 was even more outstanding although, at first glance when it arrived, I was quite taken aback to see such a small piece for the price (and I thought RM5.50 for a piece at Ah Koong was already quite pricey).

The outer layer of the fried fishcake had a nice crisp texture to it while the fish paste inside had that near perfect texture between slightly bouncy and chewy.  Simply awesome! ;)

The fishcake was well seasoned with a nice, savoury flavour which I thought came from either salted fish, dried cuttlefish or even flounder fish but when I asked one of the owners (it's a family-run business), she told me that they use sai to yue (wolf herring or ikan parang) only to make the fishcake.  Perhaps she doesn't want to reveal their trade secret.

Based on the taste and texture of the fishcake, it's well worth the RM7 paid as far as I'm concerned (even if it's a bit pricey for such a small piece).  It's an excellent fishcake (my favourite thus far) and it's a must-order each time we're here for the fishball noodles. ^o^

Sorry for going on and on about their exceptional fishballs, fish wantans and fishcake but their Curry Laksa @ RM7.50 deserves mention too.  The default ingredients in this bowl of curry are poached chicken, rehydrated pig skin, tofu puffs, long beans, beansprouts and fresh cockles.

Tasting the first sip of the curry broth, I was slightly disappointed as the taste of the spices, especially the curry powder, was evidently in the forefront.

That's why you need this :)

After mixing in all the sambal and squeezing in the kalamansi lime, the broth takes on a different dimension with a spicier note and a more well-rounded flavour.  If I were given more sambal, I would have dunked in more.  The curry is adequately thick and creamy too.

You can choose to have it with char siew (like my spouse) but I prefer mine with poached chicken.  Although this may not have been among some of the best curry laksa I've had, it was still something they can be proud of seeing that this isn't their speciality.  It was more than decent and certainly one I won't mind having again.

Wantan Mee @ RM7 rounds up the choice of noodles you can have here.  Filled with lean char siew slices, minced pork and choy sum, the sauce had decent flavours with pork lard in the mix.  I enjoyed the texture of the noodles but would consider this as the last option only if you don't want to eat the other two noodles.

The soup wantans were plain and didn't taste as good as the fish skin wantans.  Not sure if they share the same minced meat filling as the ones in the fish wantans tasted different (and by that I mean better). Perhaps, this isn't the fairest of comparisons since one had skins made from fish paste. :P

You can also order Fried Wantans @ RM0.70 a piece if you prefer them fried (I definitely do).  Again, the fried version tasted better than the soup version (not sure if it's just because fried ones are crispy...lol) since I'm sure they share the same minced meat filling.

Rounding up the side orders is their Fried Fu Chuk @ RM3 (good value for 3 large pcs).  With a little fish paste wrapped between crunchy, rolled up bean curd sheets, it's difficult not to love a crispy snack like this.

My Personal Opinion

This is, by far, the most impressive fishball noodles I've had in recent memory.  Usually I wouldn't have been able to frequent dedicated fishball noodle shops since my family isn't into it but, luckily, this one is also home to a very decent curry laksa and an acceptable wantan mee.

But one thing we all agreed on was how good the fish cake was...with that ideal texture between lightly chewy and springy.  Equally great (and my favourite) were the fish wantans.

I'm so glad to have found a good fishball noodle place near me since it ranks pretty high on my list of best-loved noodles....and I've been eating here frequently ever since.

Yin Kee Fishball Noodles

1Gerai Hadapan Perumahan Awam

Taman Kobena

Jalan Pudu Ulu Cheras

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 016-258 0860

Was There a Happy Ending for Blue Eyes?

 Remember this little white kitty from not too long ago?

Around the time of the first Movement Control Order (MCO) to be exact...sometime in April.

Well, she has grown into a pretty little lady some 7 - 8 months on.

She has the most beautiful blue eyes (for a cat) I've ever seen.

In fact, she's the prettiest stray that has crossed my path.

If there was a kitty I'd love to take in, it would have been this one.  I did consider it for a while but quickly put that thought out of my mind as I know I wouldn't be able to keep up/cope with two cats, more so when Cookie is now approaching his senior years.  In old age, cats will need more looking after especially so when they have a medical condition.  

So I thought I'll just admire her from afar (and be like her foster mom) since she comes regularly to my house (and another neighbour's house) for food.

Remember her sibling, the ginger-coloured cat?  He's still around.  He has never bonded with me like the white kitty has (similar to no chemistry in human beings lah), so he doesn't come into my house for handouts but gets fed by a neighbour of mine on a regular basis.

He too has grown into a fine young man.  I managed to capture these recent photos of him coz his mother (so happen) was outside my gate.  He wants to come near her (he obviously still remembers her) but don't dare to coz she would hiss at him.  It's sad to see offsprings and their mothers go their separate ways once they mature.  I've even seen mothers bat their kittens with their paws when eating, competing with their own offsprings for food as early as 3 months on. >_<

These last photos of her were taken in October.  She's gone....I've not seen her since. T_T

My hope is that someone picked her up and decided to adopt her.  I don't want to believe that something bad had befallen her.  I even went to check with two neighbours who feed her and they too have not seen her for a while.  They reckon that someone has taken her as they feel she has passed the vulnerable stage and should be able to survive.  With food aplenty (ie. neighbours feeding her daily), I don't see why she would want to leave her domain...unless she was taken.

So, was there a happy ending for blue eyes?  In my heart, I hope there was.  I want to believe there was....and that she has found a forever home and a kind someone to love and take care of her.

I will miss her indefinitely (even though she's not my own).....goodbye, my beautiful girl! :'(

P/S: Cowboy has left too coz his owners moved away.  That male kitty I'd have to say good riddance coz he began to pick fights with Cookie now that he has matured (he probably wants to be the alpha male).  He started chasing all the females around and there were a lot of altercations in the night.  A neighbour recently commented that our street is a lot more quieter now that he's gone.  Looks like nobody misses Cowboy.....lol.

Chen Chen Roast Goose & Duck @ Pudu

We were in the vicinity and decided to drop by Chen Chen Roast Goose & Duck @ Pudu for a late breakfast cum early lunch since I was in the mood for a bit of duck.  This is just a roadside stall that's located on the side of an old shoplot, so you know what to expect in terms of comfort level and cleanliness.

This was the side entrance that I walked in from.  Perhaps the shot of the place would look a bit less shabby if I had taken the photo from the front of the stall...but that would mean I probably had to be standing in the middle of the road (so, uh-uh)! >_<

Although this is just a no-frills stall set-up, you'll find the owner/chef in full chef attire like it was a fancy restaurant...lol (I guess he takes pride in what he does).  We were driving past the area once and saw workers carrying (cooked but exposed) roast chickens/ducks (by their hooks) along the road and walking towards the stall.  So, be forewarned about where your food comes from since there's no kitchen/cooking on site.

Since I wanted to taste a bit of everything, we went for a combo platter of roast duck, siew yuk and char siew which cost a total of RM38 together with two plates of rice, a bowl of soup and two iced Chinese tea.

The siu yuk skin was not very crunchy and also a little hard.  The char siew, though looked every bit the part with a nice, caramelised outer layer, the flavours just didn't impress.  Both didn't deliver in terms of taste as I can easily get much better ones elsewhere.

The roast duck was the best thing on the plate.  The meat was adequately tender though the skin wasn't as crispy as I would have preferred.  I suppose that's not possible since they have no kitchen facilities on site to crisp up the skin.  I requested for the breast portion (which is my favourite part always when it comes to duck) as I really dislike going through the bony parts of the duck.

The duck (and the other meats) were served with three types of sauces...a slightly salty brown sauce with hints of black pepper (I'm not a fan of this usual overly salty brown sauce served with duck but this one was at least slightly better than some of the ones I've had before), a fresh green chilli dip of probably green chillies and bird's eye chillies since it was rather spicy but appetising (sorry, there's no chicken rice-type red chilli dip here) and a clear sauce which I initially thought was some kind of oil.

Of course a sauce of oil wouldn't make any sense and when I spooned it, I noticed that it had a rather thick and sticky consistency.  Putting it to my mouth, I realised it was a sweet sauce which tasted like a tangy, sweet plum sauce.  I give top marks for the dip with flavours of sweet, tangy, salty and spicy that combined very well together for the duck.

We were served what looked like yau fan (oily rice) or chicken-flavoured rice.  It had nice flavours even though the rice grains weren't of the best quality.  I only came to know that there was another rice option when I saw pictures of their yellow-tinged rice (turmeric-infused?) online.  Perhaps that option is only given if one orders the roast goose. :P

When our meat platter arrived, it also came with a bowl of soup (of the day) that we didn't order.  At first glance, I thought this was their free soup similar to what we get when we have chicken rice.  Taking a closer look, I noticed two pork meatballs in a soup of dried salted vegetables (choy kon) with some off-cuts of duck. Some might even think it's free...lol....but my suspicions tell me it can't be free!  People won't refuse or return it once it's put on the table...it was a rather clever marketing strategy on their part though some may not be so accommodating when something is forced upon them without their consent, so to speak.  I don't know how much it cost but the worker gave us a refill even without us asking (the soup only-lah, not the meatballs!).  In the end, I wouldn't mind paying for the soup since it was tasty (a lady at the next table even asked for more meatballs).

From a signboard displayed at the place, a whole roasted goose goes for RM230 which is more than triple the price of a whole roasted duck at RM68 (of course the former is also a lot bigger in size).  A more affordably priced meal would be a single portion of roast goose rice at RM16 (but I reckon you won't be getting the best parts...which is the leg) while a single serving of duck rice clocks in at RM9.  In retrospect, I should have probably gone for the goose (since that's what they're well-known for) but the prices were a deterrent + I was afraid the meat would be less tender than duck (I already find some duck meat to be tougher than what I wanted).

My Personal Opinion

I would just stick to the roast duck (and probably roast goose) here...and forget about their secondary meats like siu yuk and char siew since the place is, after all, famous for their duck and goose.

I didn't try the roast goose as I was as much dissuaded by the hefty price as I was of the thought of going through bony parts of a siew ngor pei (roast goose drumstick) which is supposedly the most revered part (not to mention the most requested) when it comes to roast goose.  I think it would sound a bit ridiculous if I had asked for breast meat! :D  It was probably just as well since there were quite a few reviews that highlighted the expensive pricing and that the skin wasn't crispy.  Judging from what we had that day (considering that it was just a roadside stall), it wasn't the cheapest of meals...even without the goose! >_<

Even though the roast duck was pleasantly tender with a respectable flavour, I don't need to travel that far since I can get a better tasting one near where I live (in BBQ Kong Meng)....and this one is served with crispy skin...every time! ^_~

Chen Chen Roast Goose & Duck

24 Jalan Seladang

Off Lorong Yap Hin

Pudu

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-233 3083

Mat Rock Ayam Goreng Kunyit @ Taman Maluri

If you've been following my blog, you'd probably remember how I bumped into Mat Rock's Ayam Goreng Kunyit sold from a delivery truck during the Ramadan bazaars some three years ago (2017 to be exact)...and I've been a loyal customer ever since, eating it at every Ramadan without fail, until this year when the pandemic and Movement Control Order (MCO) upended everything.

Well, no Ramadan bazaar cancellation is going to stop me from feasting on my favourite nasi ayam goreng kunyit, that's for sure.  If they can't come to me, I guess I'll have to go to them....and, luckily for me, there's a Mat Rock Ayam Goreng Kunyit @ Kampong Pandan near me.

If you can't get to one of their proper restaurants, you can find them in numerous locations all over Klang Valley through their food trucks as well as via food delivery platforms (and that includes handling their own delivery).  I think some of their food trucks are like nomads (and they move around different places coz I used to see one in Pandan Indah in front of Restoran 9898 but it's no longer there now).  You can check their Facebook to see where you can find them.

Their Nasi Ayam Goreng Kunyit @ RM6, which goes by the name of special ayam goreng kunyit (turmeric fried chicken), is special indeed with its taste where boneless chicken pieces, marinated in turmeric (and perhaps some other spices as well), are deep-fried to golden deliciousness.

Their bite-sized pieces of chicken, while being all (or mostly) breast meat, didn't taste dry but managed to maintain its juicy and tender texture with a nice crisp on the outside...and the chicken tasted fresh too.

Just before they finish frying, vegetables of long beans, carrots and onions are thrown into the hot oil to be flash-fried for a minute or so.  They're then fished out along with the chicken pieces with the vegetables crunchy to the bite (though the carrots and long beans can sometimes be still a bit hard).

They're then scooped into a box (or packet) of rice and finished with a dash of sauce that resembled just thick, dark, sweet soy but I think there's more to it.  I'd probably guess there's some oil in there too and maybe some chillies to infuse a slight hint of spiciness into the black sauce.

Finally, their killer spicy sambal (chilli paste) that's the bomb completes the taste of Mat Rock's nasi ayam goreng kunyit.  I can only handle less than half a packet of the chilli paste as it's tongue searing hot...it'll set your mouth on fire! >_<  It's so spicy it'll make grown men cry...and you want to exclude it but you just can't....coz it's just not the same without it!  I'm glad that the sambal is now packed separately (for us to eat the amount we can handle).  I remember asking for it to be packed separately (when I bought from their food truck during Ramadan) but was disappointed when I was asked to pay additional for it.  It wasn't that I wanted more, I was afraid they'd put too much in. :P

Besides chicken, there are also other options of protein to go with your rice.  For a seafood option, you can try their Nasi Sotong (Squid) Goreng Kunyit @ RM9.

I like the crispy bits of batter in the squid.  The squid is also tender although, at times, it can be slightly chewy when they overcook it.

Their Nasi Udang (Prawns) Goreng Kunyit @ RM9 is another worthy seafood option.  This one is real value for money as you'll get some 5 - 6 pieces of really good-sized prawns.

I'm not kidding...look at the size of those prawns! O_o  This is my second favourite (after chicken) as the prawns are nicely seasoned and fragrant.  As they're crispy too, you can devour the prawns...head and all....along with the shells (where all the savoury seasoning is trapped especially the legs).

Finally, we tried the beef option, Nasi Daging Goreng Kunyit (don't know the actual price of the beef option as this was in a combo of 2-meat) which also happens to be my least favourite choice as I find the beef to be on the chewy side.  There's also a final option of ikan keli (catfish).

The key is to mix everything together, the meat or seafood with the dark sweet sauce and fiery sambal for a spicy and delicious mouthful.....it's so good! ^o^

And you don't have to stick to one protein, you can order supreme and have a combination of any of the proteins you want...be it two, three or even four (if you can't decide or just want more liew with your rice).

Order the Mat Rock Super Supreme Set if you're feeling greedy extra peckish (not that I did) which comes with all four proteins of chicken, beef, squid and prawns.  Don't know how much that would cost since I've not ordered more than two combinations at any one time (a 2-combo set costs RM13).  There are also alternatives to tambah nasi (add rice) or fried egg (RM1).

My Personal Opinion

The food is always freshly fried as they cook them in small batches and replenished regularly (just like they do in their food trucks too).  That's probably the reason why I could taste the crisp texture in their proteins most of the time.

You can't ask for anything more from a complete meal of protein, vegetables and rice with an affordable price range of RM6 - RM13 for a simple yet satisfying meal.  I think the prices are lower if you buy from their food trucks instead of a proper restaurant.

My favourite is their ayam goreng kunyit followed by udang and sotong.  I would skip the daging though (as I find the meat not tender enough).  The sambal, although extremely spicy, is a must....and in accordance with their tagline "makan sampai berpeluh" (eat until sweat)...I say....bring on the sweat...and let's rock! ;P

Mat Rock Ayam Goreng Kunyit

No 15 Jalan Kampong Pandan

Taman Maluri

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9202 9314