Hou Kei Yong Tau Foo @ Taman Seraya

It isn't always easy to find something which all members of the family enjoy eating as we all have our preferences when it comes to food.  But yong tau foo happens to be something that we can all agree on.

Since I live near the Ampang area, an area that's synonymous with yong tau foo specialists that three comes to mind immediately, Ampang Homeland Yong Tau Foo, Orchard View Yong Tau Foo and Foong Foong Yong Tau Foo with all of them located on the same street and next to one another (with all enjoying brisk business).

Besides shops that specialises only in yong tau foo, you'll always find them when you see chee cheong fun stalls.  They're also commonly found in many noodle shops too as an add-on to noodles.  It's also a very popular side dish offered by many eateries especially the fried dumpling and beancurd sheets.  Because of the many varieties of yong tau fu one can choose from, you're bound to like at least one type (if not more), so I've not come across anyone who doesn't like yong tau foo. :P

I do have quite a few favourites that I frequent when it comes to good yong tau foo places but there are also some fairly decent ones closer to home.  Recently I found Hou Kei Yong Tau Foo @ Taman Seraya through ShopeeFood to add to my growing list.

For my initial tasting (or more like testing), I ordered the Yong Tau Foo with Meehoon Set @ RM8.10 (Soup Only/Small) which comes with 3 pcs of yong tau foo.

The only thing with the set is you don't get to choose the type of yong tau foo you want, the shop will pick randomly for you....which was fine by me since I'm ok with any type.

I ended up getting brinjal, bitter gourd and chilli which was great since I got different ones from my extra order of yong tau foo of Fried Beancurd Sheet, Fried Dumpling with Coriander, White Tofu and Tofu Puff.

I actually quite enjoyed the very ching or light tasting soup base so much so that I would put a note to be given soup even when I was not having meehoon.

Their meehoon do come with some scant fried (but limp) shallots, so the addition of some (store-bought) crispy fried shallots and a drizzle of shallot oil will make the soup noodles taste even better! ;)

The yong tau foo items had a good amount of fish paste filling that was tasty and my usual favourites always include brinjal, bitter gourd and fresh red chillies.

Of all the yong tau foo items, I'm probably least fond of white tofu (a sentiment echoed by my family too) but this one I ended up really liking.  I think it was the taste of the tofu itself and its smooth texture (together with a tasty filling) that made this differ from the rest I've eaten.

Of course when it comes to yong tau foo, the fried items are a must...and they have four to choose from.  I got the fried fu chuk, fried seaweed roll and fried dumpling with coriander (you can also opt for the plain fried dumpling).

The Fried Fu Chuk @ RM1.80 was savoury and very crispy (but it's unlike those fu chuk rolls you get from yong tau foo specialists).  I initially thought it was just crispy fu chuk but was happy to see there was some fish paste filling inside.

The Fried Seaweed Roll @ RM1.80 was actually popiah skin-wrapped seaweed with fish paste but it had a bland taste overall probably due to the (usually) bland tasting popiah skin.  I would give this a miss next time.

The Fried Coriander Dumpling @ RM1.80 turned out the best.  The dumpling skin was slightly thicker than the norm but it was fried till crunchy.  The moment you bite into the crispy dumpling, you get that distinctive taste of fresh coriander stuffed within a good amount of fish paste filling.

Besides meehoon and rice with their yong tau foo, they also offer plain Chee Cheong Fun @ RM1.35 that's run-of-the-mill in taste to the many sold by chee cheong fun hawkers.

Their chee cheong fun comes with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and some fried but limp shallots.  You can have it with curry sauce and their version is light and acceptable.

But for those who like it a bit more savoury, you'll have to add a drizzle of tim cheong (sweet sauce) to their light tasting curry to bring more flavour.

Sometimes when I order meehoon soup or chee cheong fun (for breakfast), I would even order more yong tau foo items and keep them for dinner later (not the deep-fried items though, that we'll eat immediately).  All I have to do is to reheat them together with the soup given and it makes for a hearty meal at dinner with rice. Their price per piece is also among (if not) the lowest I can find on ShopeeFood (it's even cheaper than some dine-in prices).

My Personal Opinion

Judging from the many different photos, you can see that I've been ordering from this yong tau foo place many times already.  I wouldn't say the yong tau foo is anything spectacular (I've had loads better ones) but it has that home-made taste that I like.

Besides, it's also one that's closer to me that I can order frequently when I want a yong tau foo meal even though I've a few decent ones in my neighbourhood itself but the pleasant and subtle soup base of this one is what sets it apart from the rest.

But, most of all, it's a yong tau foo I'd order solely because of the existence of the fried coriander dumpling (that only coriander lovers will appreciate) since it's not something easily found elsewhere. ^o^

Hou Kei Yong Tau Fu

55 Jalan Bunga Tanjung 8b

Taman Seraya

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Lam Kee Wantan Mee @ Taman Seraya

Recently, the lady operating my regular go-to wantan mee stall in my neighbourhood did not open shop for many days.  Initially, I thought she was taking a few days off but each time I passed by the shop, she was not there.  Days turned to weeks.

By the end of the second week, I decided to ask the stall next to her to find out why she has not opened shop for so long.  I finally found out that she went for an eye operation and would need at least 2 weeks to recuperate.  I think she ended up taking 3 weeks.

Within the first week of not seeing her open, I had to look for other alternatives as wantan mee is one of the noodle dishes I eat quite often.  It's especially relied upon when I want to eat something less heaty but with flavour...and wantan mee fits the bill to the tee!  So I looked up ShopeeFood and found Lam Kee Wantan Mee @ Taman Seraya.

When it comes to wantan mee, I always start with the basics, their Char Siew Wantan Mee @ RM10.50, which I'd usually use to gauge if the place is any good at wantan mee.  I was more than happy with what I got as the sauce was well balanced and tasty, not too wet and not too dry, just nice.

The char siew (BBQ pork) looked very lean when I opened the box but the meat turned out to be very tender, so I had no qualms about my char siew being lean as long as it's sufficiently tender.  Some might beg to differ and would prefer fattier char siew (or at least a half-lean-half-fat ratio), so this may not be the char siew that suits you.

After the much approved char siew wantan mee, I couldn't wait to try their BBQ Pork Ribs Wantan Mee @ RM11.50 as well.  BBQ pork ribs aren't commonly offered at many wantan mee stalls, so I was looking forward very much to try this.

There were four adequately-sized BBQ pai guat (pork ribs) that were fairly meaty with a well caramelised exterior that was not too sweet just like the char siew.  The ribs were deliciously fragrant and tender....I liked it a lot! ^o^

The Steamed Chicken Wantan Mee @ RM10.50 is also something not usually seen offered by wantan mee shops.  I made a request for chicken thigh but got the wing instead (no matter, I don't mind the wing either).

The steamed chicken was tender, just don't expect it to be as wat (or smooth) like how the chicken rice experts do their poached chicken.  It was alright as I thought it was a decent enough rendition.

The Braised Chicken Feet with Mushrooms Wantan Mee @ RM10.50 was my least favourite.  The chicken feet would be considered sufficiently tender by most standards.

It's just that I like my braised chicken feet achingly soft with its skin almost falling apart (not a pretty sight in terms of presentation but a case of it tasting better than it looks).

The first time I tried their wantan mee (I'm always the adventurous curious one to try out a new place first and if it's any good, only then I'd recommend to my family), I ordered the Soup Dumplings @ RM7 (for 3 pcs) as well as I needed my order to be above RM15 to be entitled to RM2 off from delivery.  Yeah, ShopeeFood delivery is no longer free (gone are the happy days!).  The best we can get now is RM2 off (with a minimum spend of RM15) for all restaurants (the RM4 delivery voucher you can see but can't touch as it's only applicable to selected restaurants).

The dumplings turned out to be very plump and meaty (so were the soup wantans) and you can clearly see that the filling had chopped prawns inside (along with minced pork, finely diced jicama and carrots).

I found that the texture of the wantan mee was cooked to my liking, not overly soft but firm to the bite.  I also liked that this wantan mee was slightly thicker than the norm as I don't really like those overly thin (or, worst still, wavy) type of wantan mee.

The only thing I didn't like was the taste of the soup which I found to be a bit too peppery.  It wasn't like the hot peppery taste of (say) pig stomach soup (that I love) resulting from white peppercorns but the peppery taste comes from ground white pepper which is different (and too much of it isn't all that nice).

My Personal Opinion

I'm glad to have found another very worthy wantan mee as an alternative in case I want a different tasting wantan mee from my usual neighbourhood's regular shop (or when the stall owner decides to go on a long break like recently).  In food (as well as in life), it's good to have a back-up plan or a few back-up plans...lol).

Of the 4 types of wantan mee I've tried (they offer a 5th type - curry chicken wantan mee), the BBQ pork ribs is at the top of my list for its deliciously fragrant and well caramelised pork ribs followed by the very tender but lean char siew.

This place is now a regular go-to wantan mee delivery for us....even when my neighbourhood wantan mee stall is now back in action.  When one door closes (even temporarily), I guess another opens.....lol! ^.^

Lam Kee Wantan Mee

No 30 Jalan Bunga Tanjung 10-A

Taman Seraya

Cheras

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-648 1266