Keng Nam Hai (Black Man Nasi Lemak) @ Kepong

In my previous visits to Keng Nam Hai @ Kepong, I discovered a fantastic curry mee (by accident) and a really good rice wine la-la noodles (based on online reviews).  The roasted meat stall (especially the siew yuk) is more than decent too...and these are what we'd usually have when we're here.

But each time I'm here, I've also noticed a steady queue at the Black Man Nasi Lemak stall at the front of the coffee shop.  I can certainly relate to why the stall is called Black Man Nasi Lemak as one can clearly see the resemblance between the stall owner and the caricature in the stall's sign complete with bandana, glasses and beard (when he's not clean shaven) + his darker-than-usual skin tone (for a Chinese).  I actually mistook him for a foreigner until I heard him speaking Chinese.

There were the default condiments of ikan bilis & kacang, shredded carrot & cucumber and half a hard-boiled egg for each plate of nasi lemak.  As for the kar liew (aka additional dishes), I could see (from left to right on the upper shelf) options for luncheon meat, fried egg, sihum (cockle/kerang) sambal, choy poh sambal and (what looked like some kind of) dried spicy pork....and pork chop (on the lower shelf).

I told myself that I must try the nasi lemak on my next visit.  So, I did.  I ordered the Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang, choy poh sambal & curried potatoes.  I don't know how much my plate of nasi lemak cost (probably RM10) as the total came to RM19 including my husband's plate of nasi lemak with pork chop.

The chicken rendang (I asked for thigh) was absolutely tender and delicious.  It can give the Malay version of chicken rendang a good run for its money.  In fact, it was even better than some Malay versions I've eaten. The curried potatoes were equally outstanding with a softness that's almost like a mash consistency.

I can understand why there's a big pot of the curried potatoes (cooked with fragrant curry leaves) as it's a well sought-after accompaniment for the nasi lemak.

The curry encasing the potatoes is also rendang-like (maybe it's from the rendang chicken itself).

If you like rendang-style chicken and potatoes, you won't want to miss these two. ^.^

I pointed to some kind of dried sambal and asked the 'Black Man' what it is and was told that it's choy poh sambal.  Hmmm, I don't think I've had choy poh sambal before.  Choy poh (preserved radish) is something you'd find stir-fried with carrot cake or as a topping for woon chai koh (steamed rice flour cake).  This choy poh concoction was probably fried with some blended chilli paste, dried prawns and onions.  It was really, really tasty...salty but tasty (so you'll need more rice for this). ^_*

For a Chinese-version sambal, I think this one was more than worthy...a lot closer to the benchmark Malay-style sambal and way better than most of the Chinese-made sambal I've eaten.  The rice is decently fragrant too.

My Personal Opinion

If you're looking for a good Chinese nasi lemak with pork on the menu, a sambal and rendang that can give the Malay ones a run for their money....this is a worthy contender, for sure.  It was certainly a lot better than many of the Chinese-made nasi lemak I've tried so far.

I was already thinking what I'd want to try next...the kerang sambal...with those thick cut pieces of luncheon meat (they look like they're of a good quality).

The chicken rendang and choy poh sambal are clear standouts! ;)  So far, I'm not one bit disappointed with the four stalls I've tried here...I'm absolutely thrilled about the rice wine la-la meehoon and the accidental find of a terrific curry laksa. ^o^

Update: I went back for the Black Man Nasi Lemak some two weeks ago and found another nasi lemak stall occupying its place! T_T  I decided to go ahead and post this anyway since the blog post was already near completion in my draft folder.  I've had a reader tell me previously when a shop I patronised relocated, so (who knows), perhaps another reader might tell me where he has moved to. ^_~  I don't think he has called it quits since his nasi lemak is so good (always with a perpetual queue).  Well, in case you bump into him elsewhere, you'll know that this is something worth trying.

Restoran Keng Nam Hai
Pusat Niaga Metro Prima
No 1-G Jalan Prima 1
Kepong
52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 017-947 1988

Keng Nam Hai @ Kepong

Each time I visit my mother, I'd pass by Keng Nam Hai @ Kepong and notice that the coffee shop is always packed to the brim.  You know what they say about a place full of customers, something must be good.  So, we decided to stop by one Sunday morning enroute to my mom's place.

It took a good 15 minutes wait before we got ourselves a table.  I was circling around the tables so many times while my spouse was trying to find a parking space (oh yeah, parking is a challenge, be prepared to park far away) that the fruit rojak stall owner told me that there are more tables upstairs.  Huh, got upstairs?  That's when I noticed the staircase but I didn't want to sit upstairs in case it's difficult to get service (it's air-conditioned upstairs by the way).

Before coming, I (of course) googled to see what's good here and noted from vkeong's blog that it's famous for Hennessy XO Seafood Noodles.  As you can see, they have pictures of the food they offer like Seafood Beehoon, Hennessy XO Seafood Beehoon and Salted Egg King Prawn Beehoon...but they have also conveniently omitted displaying the prices! :P  I think the latter two is in the region of RM20 or more.

Well, since I don't drink hard liquor, the Hennessy XO Seafood Beehoon was not an option for fear that they'd put too much and it'll be too potent...and I'll get drunk (hehehe!).  Of course, liquor connoisseurs would say otherwise...the more, the better.  As for the Salted Egg King Prawn Beehoon, I was wondering how that worked...is it salted egg mixed into the broth?  If so, it sounds too rich and creamy for me.  As I was about to order, I saw a worker prepping 3 bowls of lala (clams) beehoon (rice vermicelli) and since I liked the looks of it, I went with the Hua Diao Lala Beehoon @ RM11 (which I think is probably the cheapest option at this stall).

I loved that they used the coarser, thicker type of beehoon (and theirs were quite different) which held up very well to the hot broth unlike the usual thinner version of meehoon which tends to absorb the liquid very quickly.  I was happy with the lala as they were fresh, plump and juicy...certainly of an acceptable size and amount for the price paid (there were at least 15 pcs of lala).

As for the broth, it isn't clear like some I've had before.  The broth itself was flavourful and good with the taste of rice wine and a hint of ginger.  Would I have appreciated more rice wine in the broth?  Sure...but I still liked it a lot nevertheless. ^.^  But, then again, I'm not one who likes the wine flavour to be too intense. So, I guess for those who do, they could perhaps ask if they can add-on extra rice wine for a fee, of course.

I also stumbled upon ccfoodtravel's blog which enlightened me that the siew yuk here is good.  Walking past the roasted meat stall, the meats did look tempting....and glistening.  I placed an immediate order for a plate of Char Siew & Siew Yuk Rice @ RM8.

For a very reasonable price of RM8, they were generous with the meat and the char siew was thickly cut too. Both the meats were good...the tender siew yuk had a nice crispy crackling (just that the crackling was slightly harder than I would have liked) and well caramelised melt-in-the-mouth char siew.

On a separate visit, my son had the Char Siew Rice @ RM7 (though this time the cut wasn't as well caramelised).  But just look at the portion given...truly value-for-money.

The fluffy rice had a decent dose of chicken broth flavour.

I got a nicely charred cut of char siew for my tapau-ed rice.  It was even topped with some crispy garlic.

Since we enjoyed the siew yuk the last time out, we ordered the Siew Yuk again (for 1 pax) @ RM10.  The pinkish meat at the bottom is testament that the siew yuk is cooked just right but got a cut that's longer this time (I like those shorter pieces when it comes to siew yuk).  Do watch out for the fresh chilli dip, it's fiery.

When I was having the lala noodles on a previous visit, I saw that the curry laksa ordered by the people sitting next to me (sharing tables is the norm in a crowded coffee shop) looked really good.  I made sure we ordered the Curry Laksa @ RM7.50 on our next visit, three to be exact, one for me (with cockles), one for my spouse (without cockles) and one-to-go for my mom.  This order was for small but the portion here is considered large for an average-eater, so come very hungry (I spotted a man ordering a large serving...omg, you should have seen the size of that bowl!).

The bowl of curry laksa was generously filled with ingredients of (lean) char siew, pork balls (or squares), beancurd puffs (that have soaked in all the delicious broth), beancurd sheet, rehydrated pig skin (that could be a tad softer), raw cockles (with its rightful place on top of the bowl, not underneath) and beansprouts (even that is served on top to ensure it stays crunchy, maybe?).  And don't be a smart alec like me and ask for a half-lean-half-fat cut of char siew coz it doesn't work if they're not a roasted meat specialist.  You'd end up with chewy, fatty char siew instead (just stick with the char siew they give you which is normally lean).

The curry broth was both creamy and savoury with enough sweetness from the coconut milk.  It also had a thick consistency, probably just missing that spoonful of very thick curry, and wasn't too oily.  Nevertheless, this was an outstanding bowl of curry mee.  Would I have preferred if there was some poached chicken (instead of pork balls) in the mix?  Yes...but that doesn't take away the fact that it was still really good. ^o^

For this to get a nod from my husband (maybe even in the running for a no. 2 spot on his list?) when all other curry laksas have failed to meet his standard, you can be assured that this is indeed a fine bowl of curry laksa.  This definitely makes it to my list of favourite curry laksas too but I'm not so sure about the no. 2 spot though...top 5 certainly....hehe! ;P

I had a Kopi-O Ping (Iced Black Coffee) while my spouse had the Kopi Ping (Iced Milk Coffee).  The coffees here are good too...just remember to ask for less sweet.

Check out a more recent post on the place here.

My Personal Opinion

My husband is glad to have found another worthy spot for curry laksa while I'm glad to have a place where I can have a good lala beehoon....and curry laksa as well.  Can't find many places that offer lala beehoon...and even less places that offer a good one.  And for the prices we paid, the portions here are more than generous.

No blogs mentioned about the good curry laksa here which we stumbled upon by virtue of looking at someone's ordered bowl.  It pays to notice what other people eat...hihihi! ;)

On both our visits, we also noticed that there was a perpetual queue at a stall known as Black Man Nasi Lemak.  No prizes for guessing what we'll have next! ;P

Restoran Keng Nam Hai
Pusat Niaga Metro Prima
No 1-G Jalan Prima 1
Kepong
52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 017-947 1988

Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan @ Kepong

We were on our way to our mom's place, so the choice for breakfast cum lunch spot would have to be in the vicinity of Kepong.

The last time we were here, we ate at E Soo Yong Tou Foo and, while enroute to the place, I remember passing by another yong tau foo restaurant, Restoran Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan @ Kepong, so we ended up here this time.

As the name of the place suggests, it's obviously about the yong tou foo here though, judging from the advertisement board, you can also order cooked dishes to eat with your yong tou foo meal from Hakka Char Yuk to Ginger Duck, Steamed Chicken, Assam Fish, Curry Spare Ribs, Spicy Prawns, Curry Fish Head, Vinegar Pork Leg, Chicken with Chinese Wine and Sambal Petai with Prawns.  And just like E Soo, you write your orders in an order chit.  But the thing I didn't like was that the order chit had no prices written on them! O_o If you want to know the price first, you have to ask the workers which wasn't the most ideal situation.

We wrote down the number of pieces of each yong tou foo we wanted.  They cost RM1.60 a piece based on the bill (RM28.80 for 18 pcs).  The fried sui kow (dumplings) were nice and crispy, the filling plump and meaty.

The fried fu chuk (bean curd) rolls were quite a letdown as the fish paste filling was very chewy.  Even my husband found it difficult to bite through.  I think it was due to the filling being too tightly wrapped as evidenced by the smaller cylindrical roll that was different from the norm.

The fried eggplant, always a must when it comes to yong tou foo for me, was satisfying with a thicker than usual fish paste filling.  I must mention that all the fried yong tou foo arrived piping hot, a testimony to the fact that they were probably freshly fried to order.

Bean curd puffs are usually offered braised in soup but this is one place that offers a fried version.  The fried bean curd puffs were faultlessly crispy with a thin fish paste filling acting as the glue to keep the super crunchy split-in-the-middle bean curd triangles together.  This ended up to be my favourite yong tou foo item here! ^o^

My family loves only the fried yong tou foo items and I usually end up to be the only one who would eat the ones in soup (like this bitter gourd).  The soup I didn't care for as much but was delighted that it came with star gooseberry leaves (sayur manis or "shu cai choy" in Cantonese).

The sweet brown sauce dip wasn't as thick as the one in E Soo while I liked the chilli dip which tasted different from the usual ones offered.

As mentioned earlier, they have quite a repertoire of cooked dishes and we ordered two.  The first was a perennial favourite with my family, the "Nam Yue" (Fermented Red Beancurd) Pork @ RM18.  Tender, with a good ratio of lean-to-fat, the nam yue coated pork was crisp and fragrant on the outside.

A simple vegetable dish of Stir-Fried Cabbage @ RM10 rounded up our meal.  Stir-fried with dried prawns and garlic, it was surprisingly very good due to the good "wok hei" aroma imparted by the wok. ^.^

For it to be cooked well, the stir-frying must be done on very high heat to get a nice char on the cabbage and yet retaining a good crunch.  The many below par versions I've eaten, the cabbage usually ends up being too soft with too much water released from the cabbage due to it not being fried at the optimum temperature (which is what I'd get if I were to cook it at home...haha!).

I saw the advertisement poster promoting the Chilled Soya Beancurd @ RM3.30, so I got one to try.  This tau fu fah is made without gypsum powder.  It was a decent soy bean pudding and having something chilled was a great way to end the meal on a hot day.

This chilled soya beancurd (Tiger brand) is made and distributed by LH Dessert to various shops in the Klang Valley.  I took a shot of the cover in case you come across it and want to try.

My Personal Opinion

Though we tried only two, I enjoyed the "tai chow" or cooked dishes here.  I guess if it's tai chow I want, I'll pop over here and go to E Soo for yong tou foo instead.  Having said that, some of Chan Chan's yong tou foo are respectable (especially the fried bean curd puffs)...just not the fried bean curd rolls! ;)

Restoran Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan
No 69 Jalan 11/62A
Bandar Manjalara
Kepong
52200 Kuala Lumpur

E Soo Yong Tou Foo @ Kepong

We don't usually venture this way for food (as it's quite a distance from where we live) but since we were on our way to collect something from my mom, we decided to have a bite first in the area before heading there.

When I think of Kepong, the many roast duck stalls, steamboat, bak kut teh and yong tau foo restaurants would come to mind.  It was late Sunday morning when we arrived at E Soo Yong Tou Foo @ Kepong.

From the restaurant's name itself, it's quite obvious what we were going to eat here.  Since yong tau foo is their speciality, we got down to ordering...which is through a chit provided where you just write the number of pieces of each yong tau foo you want.  The yong tau foo here cost RM1.50 a piece.

Besides yong tau foo, they also serve cooked dishes which you can eat with rice or to supplement your yong tau foo feast.

We ordered a whole lot of our most favourite yong tau foo types...the fried stuff like brinjal, sui kow (dumpling) and fu chuk (bean curd) roll.

The fried fu chuk roll you see in the pic is actually only half a fu chuk roll and that's because each piece of fu chuk roll is cut into two (before frying).  So, you can imagine the actual size.....pretty big, huh? ^_~

The difference with this fu chuk roll (compared to the rest I've eaten) is that the fish paste is usually a filling inside the fu chuk.  Here you get a bit more of both as the fu chuk is rolled together with the fish paste.  As you can see from the cross-section, they were generously stuffed with fish paste.  Nice and crispy...an absolute delight! ^o^

The fried brinjal pieces were well fried and not too oily.  They looked like they were freshly fried to order as they didn't look soggy or overly soft.  I like!

The crispy fried sui kow were jam packed with ingredients.  The vegetables (I think there were carrot, sengkuang and black fungus) brought the crunch.  I also detected the presence of Chinese parsley in the mix which gave the dumpling added fragrance (which I adore)...though some will beg to differ (like my son).

I also selected some non-fried yong tau foo like bitter gourd, ladies finger, white tofu and fish paste.  They arrived in a serving of clear soup with an unconventional vegetable of sayur manis (star gooseberry) that's more commonly found in pan mee.  I liked the taste of the soup which was very "ching" (subtle) unlike those where it had lots of "you-know-what" enhancer in it.

Other yong tau foo selection includes fried tofu pok, chillies, fried bean curd skin and soup dumplings.

Their chilli sauce and brown sauce also taste different from the norm.  The chilli sauce is a bit more tangy (leaning towards Thai chilli sauce) and I enjoyed the thicker brown sauce as it had more fermented bean paste taste in it.

As we had already ordered quite a few yong tau foo for the three of us, we only had space to sample one of their cooked dishes, the Deep-Fried Fermented Red Beancurd (Nam Yue) Pork @ RM20.  The pork was crispy and tender (the fatty parts a little chewy) and you can totally taste the nam yue in the marinated pork. The only thing I thought that didn't pair well with the pork was the Thai-style chilli dip.

Other cooked (mostly Hakka) dishes include vinegar pork leg, "mui choy kau yoke" (stewed pork with preserved mustard green), "char yoke" (braised pork belly with black fungus), "wu tau kau yoke" (pork belly with yam), various steamed fish, marmite prawns, curry pork ribs, steamed salted chicken, just to name a few.

My Personal Opinion

Judging by the crowd that morning, I think this is probably one of the more popular restaurants for tasty yong tau foo and I can certainly see why.  The yong tau foo, though slightly pricier than some other shops at RM1.50/pc, is still worth the price as it's also a lot bigger (and with plump fillings).

As I'm not familiar with the food in Kepong, I don't know how good this yong tau foo is (compared to the rest in this area) but I find it to be pretty decent (compared to some of those I've had elsewhere) and I definitely wouldn't mind coming again for just that...and to try more of their cooked dishes (especially the Hakka dishes).

Restoran E Soo Yong Tou Foo
55 Jalan 9/62A
Bandar Sri Menjalara
Kepong
52200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012-308 0727

Lien Phat Vietnamese Bread House @ Kepong

We were in the area to pick up some IT-related stuff and planned to have an early dinner there.  I googled the street address (of the IT shop) to see what I could find to eat in the vicinity as it's an area I don't frequently visit.

A few came up and I clicked on one of them, Lien Phat Vietnamese Bread House @ Kepong, and guess what?  I chanced upon two reviews by bloggers that are already on my blogroll....eatdrinkkl and a more recent one from mimi's dining room.  So, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! ;)

One of the most popular Vietnamese appetisers has got to their spring rolls, fresh or fried.  We obviously preferred the Fried Spring Roll @ RM8 (for 5 pcs) served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, minced fresh chillies and garlic.   It had nuances of salty and spicy but more sweet and sour, all in one dip that paired perfectly with the Vietnamese rolls.

I find that these rice paper rolls taste a lot better than our local popiah (spring rolls) as the rolls are made with super thin rice paper wrappers.  But, even better is if they use the netted rice paper.  It looks like a net and the technique of making it is rather similar to the way our roti jala is made.

I like these netted rice paper rolls, with a filling of pork and vegetables, as the wrappings are super thin and super crispy when fried....yum, yum! ;)

Of course I'm not going to come here and not order the banh mi thit (a Vietnamese pork sandwich) which is obviously their speciality from what is shown on their signboard.  As soon as you walk in, the sight of rows of freshly baked banh mi (that resemble baguettes) greets you at the front of the shop.

Our order of Pork Chop Sandwich (Banh Mi Thit Nuong) @ RM9 arrived with a nice crispy crust and a soft pillowy bread on the inside.  Eat it freshly served on site as the bread tends to harden up a bit if you pack it to be eaten later.

The sandwich was filled with slices of marinated pork and shredded vegetables of carrot, cucumber and onions all doused in their house-made sauce.  The flavours were satisfying.

Our other main was the Pork Chop Rice @ RM10.50 that came with slices of thin pork chops and some kind of a pate of minced meat and vegetables wrapped in a bean curd sheet.

The pork chop slices (there were two) were deliciously marinated and tender.

We enjoyed the pork chop and so ordered a serving of Vietnamese Pork Chop @ RM10 to go.

I also wanted to try one of their soup noodle dishes and I noticed three on the menu.  Unfortunately, the names of those dishes were written in Vietnamese (Bun Heo Hue, Banh Canh Gio Heo & Mi Hoanh Thanh) with no English description and since I don't speak/read the language obviously, I had no choice but to ask the Vietnamese staff.  They looked like beef noodles to me.  I asked what kind of ingredients....she said they're all pork.  I asked what kind of soup....she said they're all soup! >.<  She wasn't very forthcoming with her explanation and she seemed disinterested to explain to me.  She gives me the vibe that if I don't know their food, I shouldn't be eating here.

In the end, I simply pointed to one...Bun Heo Hue @ RM11 which I had no idea what it would be like.  When it arrived, it was a bowl of rice vermicelli with a few fresh pork slices, pork ham (like our luncheon meat), a pork knuckle (yikes!), some sliced onions, fried garlic, chopped spring onions and garnished with Vietnamese basil.

If you have young children and thinking you'd be ordering some kind of soup noodles for them, you'll be in for a shock.  The soup base was spicy but quite nice (for an adult palate).  Since I don't eat pork knuckles, I left it untouched but I don't think it was nice as it wasn't tender when I poked it.

Condiments for the soup noodles

Our drinks of Orange Juice @ RM5 and Iced Vietnamese Coffee with Milk @ RM5.  And no, we didn't take a sip before taking the pic, it was served to us like that...three-quarters of the way up only.  Maybe because the Vietnamese Coffee is really "kao" (thick) and you'll need the ice to dilute it a bit.  I usually wouldn't order this but, hey, I was in a Vietnamese cafe, so Vietnamese coffee it is then.  I had Vietnamese drip coffee once and didn't like it but this one (surprisingly) was alright for me.

You can also find imported Vietnamese instant noodles, fermented bean curd, fish sauce and other sauces for sale here.  I suppose you can get some authentic Vietnamese bottled sauces here.

My Personal Opinion

The kitchen is run by Vietnamese staff and I noticed the place is patronised by many Vietnamese clients as well, so I think you can get a pretty authentic Vietnamese meal here.

After all, there's isn't much to complain about when you can get a wholesome and fulfilling meal for around RM10.  Our favourites were the fried spring rolls and pork chop.  Do drop by if you find yourself in the area looking for a wallet-friendly Vietnamese meal.

Lien Phat Vietnamese Bread House
23 Jalan Metro Perdana 7
Taman Usahawan Kepong
52100 Kuala Lumpur