Lan Jie Kitchen @ Cheras

I've heard of Lan Jie's (Sister Lan in Cantonese) renowned steamed tilapia for the longest time.  I first read about it from kyspeaks who dined at their original branch in Rawang (in 2005!).  When I was researching their branches, I also stumbled upon a blogpost by choiyen.com (and she had hers in 2012).  Yeah, yeah, I'm (very) late to the party....lol! :D

They have come a long way since then with many branches opened (some closed as well probably in search of better locations elsewhere).  Besides its origins in Rawang, they now have branches in Cheras, Old Klang Road, Setapak, Puchong, Kota Damansara, Subang USJ, Kepong, Klang, Setia Alam, Kota Kemuning, one in Mid Valley's Food Court and even one in Penang.

Since my family isn't into steam fish, it wasn't as if I could dine there, so I was elated to find Lan Je Kitchen @ Cheras on ShopeeFood one day when they opened a branch near me in Taman Taynton View (I think this was in the beginning of the year).

Of course I ordered Lan Jie's Steam Tilapia @ RM27.90 since that's what they're most famous for.  I think their delivery price of RM28 is fair seeing that their dine-in price is around RM22 (RM14 ten years ago as per choiyen's blog).  Prices may differ slightly (for dine-in) depending on the size/weight of the fish.

Tilapia (or fei chau yue) used to be one of the cheapest fish to eat (it probably still is when compared to other fish) but even their prices have risen steadily over the years and a good-sized fish (of say 800g) can now easily cost more than RM40 (more than double as I remembered it costing around RM15 - RM20 when ordered at a tai chow place some 5 years back).

If you're wondering why I'm so braven to order one whole fish for myself, it's because of Lan Jie's concept of One Person One Fish, so the fish is much smaller (maybe about 400 - 500g in size)...just nice for one person which is ideal for me since I'm the only one eating it (perhaps some may even be able to eat two!). 

The fish arrived in an elongated rectangular plastic box and I was happy that it was still warm when I opened it.  Their attention to detail is commendable in that they even packed the coriander and spring onions separately so that they will not steam (and wilt) in the container and remain as fresh a condiment as possible to brighten the palate.

Lan Jie uses hak fei chau or the black tilapia variety (as opposed to the red species).  Which one tastes better?  You tell me.  Some swear by the red species and says it tastes better (like a brother-in-law of mine) while others prefer the black.  I've eaten both but can't taste if there's any difference (however subtle) between the two.  As long as it's fresh, it's good enough for me.

As with any farm-raised fish (and not freshwater fish), one is always afraid if the fish has a muddy taste (coz when it does, the whole thing is ruined as it can be really off-putting to eat).  Rest assured there was no such thing here as it was fresh and tasty, the flesh soft and flaky. ^o^  I read that their fish comes from their own in-house fish farm.  Well, that's one way to ensure that the fish is always fresh when delivered to their restaurants.

Their steamed fish comes in non-spicy, spicy and extra spicy versions.  I originally thought it was three style of sauces, so I chose non-spicy just to be safe.  Little did I know it was actually only one style which is a soy + bean paste sauce with a topping of chopped ginger, garlic and bird's eye chillies and the amount of chillies given is what makes it spicy...less cili api topping for spicy and more for the extra spicy version.

In hindsight, if I had known, I would have asked for the spicy version coz a slight kick from the cili api would have lifted the flavours of the fish even more (and if it turned out to be too spicy, I could have easily picked out and discarded some of the fiery bird's eye chillies). >_<

I could have ordered a serving of rice but chose to boil my own so that my rice would be hot when the fish arrived.  The fish and sauce was a lovely complement to the rice.  As you can see, this was the aftermath after I devoured the fish (that only a fish lover would and can do).  I finished up all the sauce too with my rice as it was nice and not too salty.

My Personal Opinion

This place offers a fresh, tasty and reasonably-priced steamed tilapia for those of us who like to eat steamed fish...and what's even better, they offer them in a size that's meant for one person which is great if you have a family like mine who don't share your same love for steamed fish. ^_~

I can imagine it'll be even better if eaten on-site where the fish will arrive at the table piping hot.  Now that I've had a chance to look at their menu (provided on ShopeeFood), I got to know that they've other dishes that I think my family might enjoy.  So, perhaps a dine-in could possibly be on the cards to further explore some of these dishes.

In the meantime, if you enjoy a freshly steamed tilapia that's not only good but fairly priced as well, you can give Lan Jie a try. ^.^

Restoran Lan Jie Kitchen

No 32 Jalan Nadchatiram

Taman Taynton View

Cheras

56000 Kuala Lumpur