Jing Hoe Mei (Dai Chow) @ Pandan Indah

Jing Hoe Mei @ Pandan Indah started out as a specialist of steamed dishes like fish, pork and egg.  During the initial months after opening, they were drawing full crowds almost every day, especially during the weekends where waiting for a table was the norm.

I only started eating here when the crowd subsided but in just two visits, I practically tried their entire menu (and that's when I noticed the crowd began to lessen).  After all, their entire menu is limited to steamed fish (done a few ways with different sauces), steamed pork, steamed eggs and (3 types of) blanched vegetables with oyster sauce.

Then I noticed a banner introducing their claypot fish curry and also dai chow dishes a while later.  I guess they realised they had to add more choices to their menu, otherwise the crowd will continue to dwindle down as diners need more variety to get them coming back on a more frequent basis.  That is why they're now also a dai chow place offering a variety of dishes that you can eat with rice.  These were just some of the dishes we had over four visits.

Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish @ RM23 - although we couldn't really taste salted fish in the mix, the sauce had good flavours and you can taste some heat with the dried chillies.

Thai-Style Mango Chicken Chop @ RM22 - loved the fresh, tangy taste that the shredded mango, onions and chillies brought to the dish with the crispy chicken in a lightly spicy and sweet sauce.

Dry Fried French Beans with Minced Pork @ RM15 - not quite the calibre of Esquire Kitchen's version but a very decent rendition and our family's favourite vegetable dish from here.  Definitely a dish worthy of repeated orders (which we dutifully complied).

Chinese Watercress Soup @ RM9.50 (or Sai Yeung Choy Tong) - there are two soups of the day, one with pork and one with chicken.  This one was obviously for me only (pork ribs and chunks of pork belly double-boiled with sai yeung choy).  I love double-boiled soups...I find them so much tastier than standard boiled soups.

Kung Po Mantis Prawn @ RM25 - deep-fried mantis prawn meat tossed in kung po sauce with crunchy red and green capsicum, onions and dried chillies but the sauce left us wanting (as it's not among the better kung po sauce we've had).

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables @ RM25 - nailed the tenderness of the pork belly and (sweetish) mui choy but the sauce (again) could be better.  Sauces are very important in Chinese cooking as their success can make or break a dish.  I suppose it's the same in western cooking as well that they even have a specific position for a Saucier in a commercial kitchen whose role is as important as the Chef de Cuisine or Sous Chef.  Sauces bring life to a dish! ^_~

Pan-Fried Egg Foo Yong-Style @ RM18 - a simple dish of fried omelette with char siew (sometimes it's made with lap cheong but I always prefer the char siew version), prawns and shredded vegetables (usually onions, capsicum, carrot, chillies and spring onions).

Braised Eggplant with Garlic & Chilli @ RM16 - another frequently ordered dish since the first time we had it.  Bits of minced pork tossed in a garlic and chillies sauce with braised and softened eggplant.  Manyak sedap (as some Chinese would say)! ^.^

Stir-Fried Roasted Pork @ RM23 - this is a dish one would usually make with leftover siu yuk or siu yuk we buy from the market (they aren't as good grade as those siu yuk from roasted meat stalls + they're cheaper too).  At home, we'd simply fry them in thick dark soy with lots of garlic (not that I've done it before since there's never ever leftover siu yuk in my house!).  The one here stir-fried with onions and spring onions, the sauce tastes much better than just dark soy.

Steamed Egg with Tofu & Fresh Prawns @ RM18 - this was a dish we tried on an earlier visit at a time when they specialised in only steamed dishes.  The first thing I noticed was just how much bigger the prawns were this time (I think this coincided with the time of a reported drop in prices of prawns by 40% in the market).  If I had known then, I would have ordered more prawn dishes....lol.

Stir-Fried Kangkung with Belacan @ RM12 - a vegetable dish that's regularly ordered at a dai chow place is this ma lai chan ong choy that's a firm favourite of many.  I did like the ma lai chan lat chiew but wish the dish was a bit drier.

Stir-Fried Beef Slices with Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce @ RM26 -  I was in two minds about ordering beef at a Chinese restaurant as some can be quite chewy.  Luckily I was proven wrong with this tender beef stir-fried with red and green bell peppers, onions and shimeji mushrooms.  The black (peppered) sauce was delicious too though I wouldn't mind a heavier dose of black pepper seasoning.  Yummmm! ^o^

This was the dish that impressed me the most from what I've tried here so far...and I'm sure it'll be regularly ordered from now on.  The price of RM26 for this dish is a real steal since beef is expensive.  I've had a similar but less stellar beef dish (recently) that cost me three times more! >_<

Tofu with Minced Meat in Chilli Sauce @ RM20 - a take on the ever popular mapo tofu but the sauce was a bit too wet and didn't have that authentic, true blue spiciness of the real deal.  Not something we'd order again.

My Personal Opinion

This has now become our go-to dai chow place since there aren't really that many dai chow restaurants to pick from in my neighbourhood.  Although I can't say they're good in every dish (that we tried) but I can certainly say they nailed some of them which have become our favourites.  Their decision to provide more variety than just steamed dishes is certainly a step in the right direction and this change bodes well for them as the place is back to packing in the crowds.

Let's face it, steamed dishes have limited fans coz the majority (children especially) wants a choice of food with sauces or food that is deep-fried and dai chow is always a welcomed family dining choice (especially with children in tow).  So, it looks like Jing Hoe Mei is not just a one trick pony at only steamed dishes, they're equally adapt at cooking other favourite dai chow dishes as well.

I hope they go from strength to strength as I certainly wouldn't want to lose a dai chow restaurant, a type of restaurant that's already sorely lacking in my neighbourhood.  It's a type of meal that's very ngam for my family (especially my husband who prefers to eat rice than anything else).  I also like that the food portions aren't too big and at the right prices too (of around RM22 - RM25 for meat, RM18 - RM20 for egg & tofu and RM12 - RM15 for vegetables), so we end up ordering four dishes for the three of us (the variety of which means everyone is bound to get a dish they like).

Update: The place has since closed (which came as a big surprise) seeing how they were doing very good business (always crowded with the need to wait for a table).  Unconfirmed rumours for the closure was due to a rift between the bosses and/or that profits/income weren't enough to make it worthwhile after paying off all expenses.

Jing Hoe Mei

No 38 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/22

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-3190 3753