Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant) @ Pandan Jaya

I can't remember what I was googling but it must have been something on Taiwanese food when I chanced upon Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant) @ Pandan Jaya.  What?!...I don't even know there's a Mr Wu in my area.

So, I checked their Facebook and lo and behold...Mr Wu indeed has a branch near me (in Pandan Jaya) besides other branches in Damansara Uptown, Puchong, Setapak, Segambut, Old Klang Road, Kajang, Klang, Bukit Tinggi and Shah Alam (as well as one in Ipoh and Penang).  Then I remotely remembered that phonghongbakes may have eaten here (well, having a branch in Uptown was an obvious clue), so I checked her posts and noted that she not only enjoyed the food...she later even had a threesome there...lol!  P/S: At the time of writing, I just found out that the Uptown branch has since closed.

This Pandan Jaya branch isn't located in the most conducive of surroundings (in my opinion) as the road where it's located is a bit unkept and not brightly lit.  The surrounding shoplots are also a bit dark and dodgy with a few of them being vehicle repair shops. What's worse is the fact that there's a pasar malam in the area on Saturdays (a time when most people want to dine out) which made access to the place and parking more cumbersome.  When you arrive at the outlet itself, the place is the most brightly lit one on the entire road. Inside however, the place has a clean, bright and comfortable ambience but smallish (with just about 10 tables).

I ordered the Soul-Satisfying Spicy Minced Meat Noodles Set + Salted Crispy Chicken @ RM25.90 (now who wouldn't want something that can satisfy the soul, right?).  The main dish is complemented with side dishes of pickled vegetables and soup.

The bowl of noodles came with a mixture of tender braised (fatty) minced pork belly and (leaner) minced pork with crunchy shredded cucumber, finely shredded egg bits and Taiwanese sausage.

Give the noodles (they're much softer, certainly not al dente texture) a good toss to mix in all those flavours and you're ready to eat.  There was quite a spicy kick to the noodles even when I omitted eating the sliced chillies in the bowl.  Those who appreciate spicy flavours will appreciate the resulting taste of this.

I thought the nuggets of crispy fried chicken (shaped like popcorn chicken) were well seasoned with a not-too-dominant five-spice powder flavour.  The chunks of chicken (from the thigh portion, I think) came freshly fried and piping hot with a nice crispy texture but, more importantly, the meat was tender and moist, not dry.

They were very generous with the fried chicken chunks (there were at least 13 fairly huge pieces).  As I was struggling to finish the large portion of noodles given, I only managed to eat about 4 - 5 pieces in the end (and the rest went into my trusted container).

The refreshing bite of the tangy, crunchy pickled vegetables (of cabbage and carrot) provided much relief in between each mouthful as it was needed to cut through all that meaty grub.  I don't do so well with a too-meaty dish (unless it's a steak!) and found myself going for the pickled vegetables with each bite and wishing there were more.

The soup is not the usual clear ones (it has a milky look) but tasted alright.  While digging in, I found some tremendously soft chunks of radish that was a pleasure to eat.

The other set was the Salted Pepper Pork Chop Bento @ RM23.90 which featured a rice bowl that's typical of any lu rou fan (except for the minced pork in place of a fattier minced pork belly), fried pork chop and a side dish of 3 snacks...fish cake, pickled vegetables (that was mentioned as kimchi in their menu?) and crispy golden pumpkin ball.

His rice bowl came with minced pork, slices of Taiwanese sausage, a piece of fried/braised tofu and half a braised hard-boiled egg.  Although the minced pork had good flavours, he would have preferred the more fatty minced pork belly (that was in my bowl) if he had a choice (so I picked out some of my fatty bits and gave that to him)...lol.  Also, the rice was a little too mushy for his liking.

The fried pork chop that arrived was again a huge piece.  It was nicely executed with a light crisp on the outside and the meat was pleasantly tender as well.

If I were to compare the two, I'd probably say the chicken was a tad juicier and, because they were in little nuggets, you'll also get a bit more crispiness overall.  Both I'll say are pleasurable to eat but isn't something that will get me all eager and enthusiastic about on the other hand.

The side dishes included a few thick slices of fish cake (that's studded with fake crabmeat and some greens), kimchi (which was actually pickled cabbage & carrot) and a crispy golden pumpkin ball (that popular street snack somewhat similar to those hollow, crisp and super airy golden sweet potato balls with a little filling on the inside).

The accompanying chilli dip is a salted bean paste chilli dip that's both spicy and salty which you can dip your fried chicken/pork chop in or add that into the noodles to spice it up even further (the noodles were spicy enough for me).

For drinks, there was the refreshing Cold Lemon Green Tea @ RM9.90.....and the portion was really generous as it was served in a huge beer-like mug.

A startling surprise was this rather unique drink of Cold Lemon Bitter Gourd Tea @ RM12.90 which was also served in the same big mug.  I say unique coz I've not seen or had a drink which contains bitter gourd.  I've only had bitter gourd in soups or as a vegetable stir-fry.  You know what, the drink turned out surprisingly good...but only for those who like to eat bitter melons as you can certainly taste the bitterness in the drink.

I thought the overall drink had a nice balance of sweet, sour and bitter flavours.  The bitter flavour was obviously from the bitter gourd while the sour flavour came from a combination of assam boi (sour plum), lemon and lime slices.  Knowing that bitter gourd featured in the drink, I stopped short of asking for the drink to be less sweet (thankfully for that) as it definitely needed some sweetness to balance out the bitterness in the bitter gourd.

My Personal Opinion

First and foremost, the food here comes in very generous portions that even a big-eater will be fully satiated by the set meal (it can even be shared by two not-too-hungry people).  Perhaps I better just stick to ordering snacks (for a smaller portion meal) and they have quite a few that attracted my attention like oyster pancake, scallion pancake, stir-fried clams, fried sweet potato and crispy king oyster mushrooms.

The soul-satisfying noodle set on the other hand was satisfying no doubt...but perhaps not to the extent of being so-satisfying lah! ;)  Overall, the food, offering familiar flavours of Taiwanese food, is decent in taste but maybe a bit too much meat for me.  Sometimes, it's not that the food tastes different to us (as in differing views on how good it is) unless it's really bad (of course) but because of what we prefer (or love) to eat.  Obviously those who love meat will find this more suited to their tastebuds.

Not sure if I'll be back....not because of the taste of the food (or my preference)...but because of the location of the outlet in not so conducive surroundings. >_<  If there's one thing that will pull me back to the place, it would be the very, very refreshing bitter gourd drink which I've not drank elsewhere. ^_~

Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant)

6 Jalan Pandan 3/7

Pandan Jaya

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-1282 6947

4Fingers Crispy Chicken @ Pandan Jaya

Well, I've blogged about how much I enjoy eating 4Fingers Crispy Chicken @ Pandan Jaya (usually via delivery) before (here and here) that there's really no need for further posts when I had them again (after all, this is my family's go-to fast food fried chicken).

But I had to in this case to let you know I had something good...and something really bad (so that you'll be alerted and hopefully won't have to experience what I experienced).  Let's start with the bad!

I had this a few days ago and felt compelled to fast track this post to the top of the list to publish so that you won't make the same mistake I did of ordering it.

I ordered the Fiery Rice a la carte @ RM15.90 after seeing this rather innocent-looking rice box promo pic on ShopeeFood.  Not sure when this was introduced...probably sometime in December last year (based on the pic I found in their Facebook).

The rice came with a crunchy boneless chicken bite (yes, one piece only), tofu nuggets (3 pcs) and mixed vegetables of lettuce, corn, chopped tomatoes and dried cranberries (but there weren't any garbanzo beans or chickpeas) drenched in a super fiery hot sauce.  So hot that my mouth was on fire after just one spoonful! O_o  I had to rush to the kitchen to gulp down a glass of cold water.  Took a second bite...and had to down another glass of water.

  

And that was pretty much it.  I had to discard the rice otherwise my other end will be on fire later (in fact, it already was...and I was still paying the price for it the next day)! >_<

Let me show you just how much sauce they poured onto the rice.....until it was an overkill!  Why did they put so much sauce in?  Was that to prove a point of just how fiery the sauce can be...by overloading the amount of it?  I distinctly remember that they were never that generous with the teriyaki sauce in their rice combo. Even in normal circumstances, we wouldn't want our rice to be flooded with so much sauce.

They should have drizzled a bit on the rice and packed the rest in a condiment container (to allow us to tweak how spicy we want it to be).  I tried to pick out the veggies to eat them but even that was very difficult.  In the end, I chucked all the rice down my waste disposal.  

I had to wait a while (for my mouth to cool down) before I could proceed with the rest of my meal.  The 6 pcs Wingettes & Drumettes a la carte @ RM19.90 is always a good choice.

I was thankful that I ordered only soy garlic flavour (and not hot & spicy) for the wings.  When I initially ordered the fiery rice, I thought it would be like their hot & spicy flavour for the chicken.  No-one would have thought that it would be that fiery hot.  If it was, it should have come with a separate "warning" like "insanely hot" or "I dare you to eat this" or at least not something as unassuming as "fiery"! :P

But the burning sensation in my mouth had already ruined my taste buds for the entire day.  I only managed to eat half the chicken wings (and ate the other half for dinner).  Usually, that wouldn't be enough but my appetite was screwed already.  Why someone would want to eat something so insanely hot that they won't be able to taste anything after that is beyond me.

Well, they say every cloud has a silver lining......and that came in the form of Fried Kimchi Mushrooms @ RM7.90 that I ordered....lol.

Not sure when these were introduced (probably quite some time ago) just that I've never noticed them before when ordering.  Only downside was that the portion was very small for the price (clearly false advertising of its promo pic of mushrooms piled right to the top).

The oyster mushrooms were nicely seasoned, had a bit of spice and some of the pieces were crispy (when they arrived).  Those that weren't were still good to eat as they were soft and juicy.  If you're lucky to get yours super crispy, then you're in for a real treat! ;)

My Personal Opinion

Why would someone want to torture themselves by eating something as crazy hot as this? >.<  The level of spiciness only leaves a burning sensation in your mouth and your tastebuds are pretty much ruined after that. Something as ridiculously spicy as this is probably best handled by those who enjoy the numbing sensation that mala flavours bring (I don't as I clearly can't handle the heat).

All was not lost.  At least I got introduced to some nice fried mushrooms which I'm sure there'll be repeat orders from now on.

So, for those who can't take spicy food (or even those who can), beware of this super fiery rice!  Don't order it is my advice!

4Fingers Crispy Chicken

No 22G Jalan 2/1

Pandan Jaya

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9201 6484

4Fingers Crispy Chicken @ Pandan Jaya

I've always thought this fried chicken chain originated from Korea (obviously because of its similarity to Korean-style fried chicken) but it wasn't so.  When I checked their story recently, I realised that they're Korean-inspired but Singapore-made (with its first store in ION Orchard and has since spread its wings to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & Australia).

I've also finally got my curiosity answered as to why they're called 4Fingers...it seems it's a nod to how one would need 4 fingers to eat a chicken wing!  Well, I'm not so sure about the 4 fingers analogy though...coz some would say they need just 2 fingers...lol! :D

So, what is it about 4Fingers Fried Chicken that make their chicken so special?  Well, it's the combination of a super crunchy batter (even after it's been doused in sauce) with its perfect balance of sweet and salty (or spicy) flavours that works so well together.

For me, my favourite order is the Wings Rice Box Combo @ RM22.90 which has all 3 things I want to eat....their signature wings (2 drumettes & 1 wingette in mixed flavours of soy garlic and hot & spicy to enjoy the best of both worlds flavours), rice (laced with teriyaki sauce) and kimchi (the one and only kimchi I eat!).

Sometimes, if I'm a little greedy and want more chicken, I'll get the 6 Pcs Wingettes & Drumettes @ RM18.90 with a request for a combination of mixed flavours.  Just like I've always thought that 4Fingers was Korean fried chicken, I also thought that their soy sauce was some kind of Japanese soy until I learnt recently that their signature soy sauce is made (naturally fermented) in Penang, Malaysia.  Their soy garlic is so good...they should bottle it and sell! ^o^

If the 6 pcs of chicken isn't quite enough, you can always add-on an order of Japanese Rice (Teriyaki Sauce) @ RM4 for a fuller meal.  Doused in always-not-nearly-enough teriyaki sauce with a sprinkling of umami seaweed, the rice can be a bit soft and clumpy sometimes.  They can be quite kedekut (stingy) with their teriyaki sauce, I have to say, so much so that I've to scrape the box of every last bit of sauce with my rice grains.

My other usual order would be the Tofu Rice Box Combo @ RM20.90 that comes with two large pieces of flavoured crispy tofu (option for soy or spicy, I went with soy this time), teriyaki-flavoured rice and kimchi.  I have to say I prefer the spicy flavour just a smidget more than the soy-glazed ones as it the brings out the flavours of the bland tofu better (in my opinion).

The only difference between a rice box and a rice box combo (the difference being a drink) is that if you order any rice box combos, you can always add-on more chicken like Wingettes & Drumettes (1 pc each) @ RM6 or Drumstick (1 pc) @ RM5.  Although I love the soy-coated chicken just that little bit more, I also enjoy eating the spicy version, so I always ask for mixed flavours.  It seems that each piece of chicken is hand-brushed with their signature sauces upon order.  No wonder their chicken is able to stay so crunchy with the sauces clinging on so well for an in-depth flavour. ^.^

My son's order is always the same, he wants the Boneless Chicken Bites Rice Box Combo @ RM21.90 with teriyaki rice and kimchi coz he doesn't like to deal with bones in his chicken (and his default flavour is always soy garlic).

At times, you can count yourself lucky when you get rice that's sufficiently doused in teriyaki sauce coz it's always never enough.  I just wish there's a SOP in place (like a fixed measuring spoon or cup) to standardise the amount of sauce given out without leaving it in the 'hands' of the crew.

For sides, it's always the Loaded Fries with Seaweed Sprinkles @ RM8.90 (not for me, of course).  This is made up of fries with mini chicks (bits of chicken?), nacho cheese, crispy crumbs (of batter) and seaweed sprinkles.

A must-order for sharing is the Tofu Nuggets (12 pcs) @ RM6.50 either as a side order or an add-on order. Actually, it makes no difference (I soon realised) since the price is the same whether you order it as a side or add-on order.  You can have these tofu cubes in either soy garlic, hot or teriyaki sauce.

Ever since the first time we had the tofu nuggets, we've been hooked on it.  These perfectly fried tofu cubes are so crispy on the outside, with sweet and salty flavours coming from the soy glaze, and downright addictive.  I'd have to say I like these crispy cubes of tofu even more than those in the tofu rice box...and that's because these taste better as they've been cut into smaller cubes (before frying) thereby allowing for more crispy sides to be enjoyed.

My Personal Opinion

Who knew this Korean-style chicken is not from Korea but actually a homegrown Singapore brand.  We've been stuck on this ever since we first tried it.....and it's now our top choice/preferred fried chicken chain whenever we feel like having fried chicken.

Now that a new outlet (in Pandan Jaya) has opened near us that's even more convenient for us to get to than Sunway Velocity, I foresee there'll be more finger licking to come in future (and that may involve licking more than just four fingers)! ^_~

4Fingers Crispy Chicken

No 22G Jalan 2/1

Pandan Jaya

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9201 6484

Y E Traditional Dumplings (Bak Chang) @ Pandan Jaya

No trip to Y E Traditional Dumplings @ Pandan Jaya is complete without trying their rice dumplings, a signature item of theirs.  Would you think I would have left without trying one on my first visit here?  Of course not! ;)

Plus no review of the place is complete without dedicating a post (and a review) on their glutinous rice dumplings.  After all, they're a specialist in rice dumplings from the name itself.

Before that, let me tell you they have many types for your selection...from the cheapest Crystal Chang (you know, those you eat with sugar or kaya, RM5.80) to the most expensive, the gigantic 2kg Multi-Flavour Abalone King Bak Chang (RM410) that can feed 8 persons (of course, advance booking is required for this chang).  I'm not even sure if it's still offered or if there'd be any takers for this chang.  Would there be anyone who'd be willing to pay so much for just a chang? O_o

More likely to be ordered would be the Golden Chang (RM12.50), Cantonese Chang (RM8.50), Roast Pork & Vegetable Chang (RM8.50), Nyonya Chang (RM5.80), Sweet Heart Chang of red bean paste (RM3), Hakka Chang (RM10), Bamboo Leaf Chicken Chang (RM8.80), Sambal Dried Shrimp Chang (RM7.50) and a healthier version of Brown Rice Chang (RM9.50).

I was too stuffed on my first visit to eat anything else but I wasn't going to leave without having my favourite chang, the Cantonese Chang @ RM8.50 (so I packed one for later).  I was pleased to see it tied with hemp strings, a better alternative to raffia strings for sure.

I absolutely loved this Cantonese chang because it doesn't use soy sauce in the rice (besides the rice being not fried) which allows me to taste the glutinous rice grains in its pure form.  On unwrapping the chung, I could see a bit of the rice stuck to the bamboo leaves which I didn't mind at all as that would mean the chung is less oily.

This rice dumpling was filled the usual culprits of fatty pork, mushroom, salted egg yolk, chestnut and green or mung beans.  Even though the mung beans were not mashed, they were cooked till very soft and the tasty fatty pork were evenly cut into uniformed cubes.  If there was one thing they could improve, it'd be for the salted egg yolk to be of a better quality.

But they got the overall flavour of the dumpling right...and that's the most important criteria of all. This chung was utterly delicious and one I would return again for. ^o^  Now I know where to get a good chung (near me) if I need one...only downside is the price which is higher than the norm.

With the first chung ticking all the right boxes, I knew it would be a matter of time before I returned to get my hands on more.  But before I did, my spouse came back one day with more...even better.

He bought two types this round, a few Hakka Chang and a few Brown Rice Chang.  I had one of each. The Hakka Chang @ RM10 is sufficient as a meal in itself because of its portion size.

The glutinous rice of the Hakka Chang is brownish in colour as the glutinous is pre-fried with soy (similar to a lor mai kai).  The rice was cooked till wonderfully soft, just like the Cantonese Chang.

This one was filled with dried prawns and peanuts besides the usual ingredients of pork, mushroom, salted egg yolk and chestnut (as advertised but, no, I couldn't find any chestnut).  I actually mistook the round blob (at the top left corner) to be the chestnut but that turned out to be the salted egg yolk.  Again, the salted egg yolk wasn't the best quality. :'(

I'm actually not a fan of dried prawns and peanuts in a chung, especially dried prawns which can leave a strong taste in the chung, luckily this one had only a small amount of dried prawns.  The peanuts, I'm more acceptable but I felt they could be cooked softer.  I'm not sure if dried prawns and peanuts are typical ingredients in a Hakka Chang as some of the ones I've eaten before don't have them.

The other was the Brown Rice Chang @ RM9.50 which I've never had before.  I've always wondered how a brown rice chang without the stickiness of glutinous rice would be able to hold together.  That's when I realised it's not solely made with brown rice alone but together with glutinous rice.  So, it's a healthier chang but not entirely so as you still need the sticky glutinous rice to act as the 'glue' to bind it together.  Now I know...a brown rice chang isn't all brown rice! >_<

Visually, it looks lovely with the brown rice interspersed with the white glutinous rice.  But then the rice dumpling tends to fall apart as soon you open up the bamboo leaves and that's because of the lesser amount of sticky rice used to hold it together.

This chang is made with organic brown rice with the usual ingredients of pork (that's leaner than usual), mushroom, salted egg yolk and chestnut but I found a not-so-usual ingredient of lotus seed in it too.  Again, the salted egg yolk was a big letdown due to its inferior quality.  In fact, this egg yolk was the worse of the three I ate.

Taste-wise, it's edible but let's not kid ourselves...it's never going to be as delicious as one with 100% sticky rice (that's why I've never attempted to buy one knowing the possible outcome...haha!).  Eat this only if your health does not permit you to eat glutinous rice! ;P

The Cantonese chung still remains firmly my top favourite.  This is a place to get your rice dumplings supply if you don't mind the higher prices.  Actually, the prices aren't very far off as the Cantonese chung I get from O & S Restaurant in PJ costs RM6.50 already in 2019.

My Personal Opinion

Before this, I have two places to get my stash of chung, one from the Pandan Perdana market that's near me (but you can't get it all year round) and the other from a stall inside O & S Restaurant (you can get this all year round).  And now, I can add this place as a third (plus you can get this all year round) though their prices are the steepest of the three.  

Taste-wise, they nailed the overall flavours of the dumpling except for the less-than-stellar quality of the salted egg yolks (the ones from O & S are of a better quality for sure).  The best ones (at their freshest) should be bright orange in colour, slightly oily around the edges of the yolk, not hard when you bite into them and taste absolutely creamy.

So, if the quality of the salted egg yolks or the price of the bak chang isn't an issue for you (and this place is nearer you), then you'll probably be pleased with the flavours of the dumplings here.  Personally, if I don't happen to be in the PJ vicinity or don't wish to travel all the way to PJ just for the bak chang, then the ones here will be an option for me, otherwise the ones from O & S will still be my perennial favourite for its better price and better quality salted egg yolks.

Well, the Dragon Boat Festival, which I would much prefer to call the Rice Dumpling Festival (for obvious reasons), will be upon us soon...so it's a good time as any to indulge in some good chung! ^.^

Y E Traditional Dumplings

24 Jalan Pandan 3/9
Pandan Jaya
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9284 5325