Maruhi Sakaba @ Taman Desa, KL

Maruhi Sakaba is a popular yakitori joint at Taman Desa. If you follow Google map, most likely you will not be able to find the restaurant as it is located a block away from the indicated location. The signboard is so small I wonder why they even bother putting it up, with Chinese characters only O.O Somehow by chance, I spotted the restaurant and managed to skip several rounds of circling the square. The tip is to look for Public Bank and Maruhi Sakaba is located a few doors down the street.

See the extremely small signboard? 

Yakitori bar with non-existent decor

Menu

The menu is relatively limited compared to Sumi-Ka at SS15 but there are more choices written on a board at the far end of the yakitori station. The board includes daily specials as well as recommendations of their main staples.

L-R: Spicy chilli sauce, salty bean paste sauce

The green chilli sauce on the left was extremely spicy, sort of like pan mee sauce but also very addictive. The one on the right was slightly too salty for me and tasted like Chinese bean paste.

Maruhi Sour (RM 45)

Yep, you read right. It costs RM 45 for this big kettle of Maruhi Sour which apparently is some sort of alcoholic drink. It is very mild though and as its name suggests, a little sour =P

A shot of Maruhi Sour =P

Pickled Cucumber (RM 5)

Crunchy and slightly sourish, the pickled cucumber slices help to cool down the body after digesting meat that came straight off the grill.

Edamame (RM 3)

Not a bad portion for RM 3.

Pork Liver (RM 4)

When the pork liver was first delivered to our table, it was still kind of raw so we sent it back with instructions for it to be fully cooked. When it returned, it was extremely well done which meant it was quite hard and chewy. Despite that, it still tasted nice if you are a regular pork liver eater.

Pork Tongue (RM 4)

Many of our friends did not want to try the pork tongue but those who tried it agreed that it actually tasted really good! Chewy but with meaty flavour, I thought it was one of the best skewers we had that night. Will definitely order this when I return.

Pork Belly (RM 4)

The pork belly was awesome! Definitely the star of the show, it was crispy and flavourful with the salt marinade. RM 4 for a stick really is not too bad at all.

Chicken Thigh (RM 4)

The chicken thigh was moist but its flavour not too outstanding.

Chicken Skin (RM 4)

Chicken skin was quite crispy and well flavoured with salt.

Maruhi Don (RM 15)

A home style version of oyakodon, this minced meat rice bowl with egg is extremely comforting. The bowl is large enough to be shared by two if you're ordering yakitori as well and they are generous with the amount of minced pork given.

Tamagodon (RM 5)

Can't remember the name of this dish but it's just a simple bowl of rice topped with an awesome fried egg. So simple and so good. My friend had this with pork belly skewers d^_^b

Yakibuta Don (RM 15)

The Yakibuta Don came with 2 strips of grilled pork belly, grilled okra and grilled eggplant, topped with yakitori sauce, scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Every ingredient was really good, even the vegetables. It is a good choice to order if you are unsure of what to eat ^_^

All rice bowls come with a relatively large bowl of light miso soup. There is not much miso taste, hence not very salty, but it is very good in alleviating the oiliness and heatiness of yakitori. The soup contains lots of seaweed and scallions which I really like.

We also had grilled intestines which were super chewy and sort of like soft bone. Grilled with salt, there was not much taste of intestine. Another item was enoki mushrooms wrapped with bacon which were good too.

Overall, every item we had at Maruhi Sakaba was awesome and I can't wait to return. Do note that you will not be able to escape being blasted with the smell and fumes of grilled meat =)


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Tomato


Maruhi Sakaba

6A, Faber Plaza
Jalan Desa Jaya
Taman Desa
Tue - Sun: 6pm - 10.30pm

Chicken Rice Balls @ Hoe Kee Chicken Rice, Melaka

What's the first thing you should do once you touch down at Melaka? Eat chicken rice balls, of course! Truthfully, chicken rice balls are just a novelty as you'll likely smash the rice ball and eat it like normal chicken rice...I've not seen anyone pop the entire rice ball into his/her mouth...yet.
   
Anyway it was a battle between Hoe Kee and Chung Wah, two of the chicken rice ball powerhouse in Melaka. I decided to go with Hoe Kee as blog reviews revealed that they were very efficient with consistent quality whereas Chung Wah's service was a little slower, hence the never-ending long queue at its door. True enough, when we reached Melaka one rainy morning, there was already a long line of hungry people outside Chung Wah.

    

Try not to miss the shop!

      

Hoe Kee's offerings

      

Family members hard at work

      

Set menu

      

Menu

      

Love the chilli-ginger dip

       

Cabbage for 3 person (RM 3)

   
We decided to order lightly sauteed cabbage to counter the abundance of chicken and fats that we were going to take in. Taste-wise, it was good enough but I thought the portion a little too small.

      

Chicken rice balls

     
The chicken rice balls were the size of a small orange and very compact. The rice had a lot more moisture compared to the usual plate of rice to ensure that the ball did not crumble. I think I prefer the fluffier rice that is not moulded into a ball but the chicken rice balls are so good with the chilli and ginger dip.

     

RM 2 rice portion

      

Steamed chicken (RM 22)

     
The plate of steamed chicken came with chicken liver and gizzards as well as cucumbers. The accompanying sesame oil and light soy sauce base enhanced the taste of the silky smooth chicken pieces. Not a fan of chicken innards so no comment. The julienned cucumbers were fresh and crunchy and I wish there were more.
     
Service was very fast, efficient and systematic and even when there was a queue, the line moved relatively quickly. I really wanted to try their black bean or lotus root soup but unfortunately, they do not serve soup on Sundays and public holidays which I think is not very reasonable...after all, what's chicken rice without the accompanying soup? They also have assam fish but as we've got a long day of eating ahead of us, I had to forgo that. Will definitely try it the next time I'm in Melaka.
   
   
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Dough
   
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice

4-8, Jalan Hang Jebat
Melaka
Tel: 06 283 4751
Daily

Hot Pepper Pig Stomach Noodle Soup @ Mei Sin Eating Shop, Imbi

I hardly venture into Imbi so imagine my surprise upon seeing a stall selling hot pepper soup with pig stomach and noodles to boot! The stall also sells pork noodles but I had the signature noodles. Apparently the coffeeshop housing this stall, Mei Sin Eating Shop, is famous for its Steamed Chicken Hor Fun. Maggot-chan gave it a thumbs-up for its super smooth kuey teow and juicy chicken. Anyway, back to the star of the show - innards!

      

Hot Pepper Pig Stomach Noodle Soup (RM 6)

     
The portion was quite big with lots of hor fun (there are a few choices of noodles), generous slices of pig stomach and a few porkballs. You can even add fried pig intestines for an extra charge and I was sorely tempted. The supplier must be providing hor fun to all the stalls in this coffeeshop as the noodles were really fresh, soft, smooth and slippery. Slurp-wise, I give it all my paws ^_^ The soup was good, murky with pork essence with a sufficiently peppery kick to it.

      

Nowadays, it's quite hard to find such delicacies so if you're in the mood for something exotic (to most people) and peppery, do drop by.

    

    

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pawket: Dough

    

Mei Sin Eating Shop

16, Jalan Melati

Off Jalan Imbi

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2142 6169

Restoran Fong Keow (Pottery) Bak Kut Teh @ Klang

I know, I know, everyone has their own favourite bak kut teh shop in Klang so no comments there. Here's a write-up on my favourite stall Restoran Fong Keow at Taman Intan which I think sells the best concentrated bak kut teh =D JS disagrees, of course...

      

Shop Front

      
You can spot the shop immediately after you exit Federal Highway. I'd say they're doing pretty good business to be able to take over so many lots.
      

Yau Char Kwai

     
The yau char kwai here are crispy when eaten on its own but of course, it tastes best after having absorbed the herbal soup.

      

Yam Rice

      
The Yam Rice is very fragrant - you can smell the yam-my aroma even before the plate is set down. The addition of dark soya sauce helps make the rice look less bland and enhances the taste of yam. But I think I prefer white rice to better taste the herbal flavour of the soup.

     

Bak Kut Teh for 2

    
We had the full works - lean meat with lots of innards, beancurd skin, button mushrooms and iceberg lettuce. See how full the claypot is? It is filled to the brim with meat, meat and more meat. There was so much meat that it was quite hard for us to scoop the soup.
    
They were very generous with the amount of innards, namely pig intestines and pig stomach. JS doesn't take those so I very happily finished them all =D We also found a lot of lean meat in the claypot which had just the right proportion of fats to meat. It was so much that we could hardly finish it...we were arguing over who the last few pieces belonged to =P
     
Now the all important factor - how does the soup fare? I like mine super concentrated and at Fong Keow, the soup consistency is thick and full of herbal goodness and so so so concentrated. It's hard to explain...just try it out for yourself =P We asked for a refill halfway through and we finished the soup to the last drop. Now what does that tell you about the taste of Fong Keow bak kut teh? =D

     

See how concentrated the soup is?

   

So whenever you're wondering where is a good place for bak kut teh in Klang, just head on over to Restoran Fong Keow for a taste and (I hope) you'll be hooked =D

    

PawPoints: 5 Paws

Pawket: Onion

     

Restoran Fong Keow (Pottery) Bak Kut Teh

53 Jalan Batai Laut
Taman Intan
Klang

Tel: 03 3343 7479

Daily: 8am - 9.30pm

Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee @ HuTong, Lot 10

As mentioned in the first post on HuTong, the Hokkien Mee at Kim Lian Kee was so good that we went back again to snap some better pictures of the dish.

   

Hokkien Mee (RM 8.50)

   
See the Hokkien Mee in all its glorious, glistening black sauce? Very yummy with lots of crispy pork lard, pork slices and prawns.

   

Hokkien Kuey Teow (RM 8.50)

    
The Hokkien Kuey Teow is equally good with the slippery noodles being a hallmark of excellent frying technique. I wonder why the sauce isn't as dark as the Hokkien Mee though..
  
Kim Lian Kee is as good as everyone says it is. It's definitely a must order whenever you visit HuTong =D
  

PawPoints: 5 Paws 
Pawket: Dough

  

HuTong

Lower Ground Floor, Lot 10 Shopping Mall

Tel: 03 2141 0500

Daily: 12pm -  3pm, 6pm - 11pm

Hokkien Mee @ Restoran Tong Fong, Sea Park PJ

Finally, here's the post on my favourite Hokkien Mee stall =D Beats the infamous Ah Wah at Jln 222 with its much diluted Hokkien Mee anytime in my opinion <thumbs-up>

     

    

This coffee shop is located just behind KFC and opposite Shell which is fairly easy to spot. The Hokkien Mee stall is located towards the back of the shop and is easily noticeable.
     

Hokkien Kuey Teow

    
The Hokkien Kuey Teow here has lots of wok hei. The flat noodles are slippery and glistening with a good coat of dark soya sauce and pork-infused oil. The portion is generous with lots of ingredients such as leafy vege and cabbage (instead of cabbage only or even worse, bean sprouts only), prawns, pork liver, pork slices and crispy pork lard. Extremely good and sinful. I like that this stall still cared to layer a banana leaf base on the plate so that the aroma permeates the noodles.

    

Hokkien Mee

    
The Hokkien Mee is equally good with the same generous serving of pork liver, pork slices, pork lard, prawns, leafy vege and cabbage. The sauce here is neither as thick nor as dark as Kim Lian Kee but the noodles have sufficient taste and is equally good.

    

Cantonese Fried Kuey Teow

     
The Cantonese Fried Kuey Teow is full of eggy, soupy goodness. The sweetness of the pork and prawns infuse the thick gravy and gives much flavour to the kuey teow. Perfect for a cold, rainy day =D
  
All portions shown in the above pictures are for 1 person which costs RM 6. A 2-person serving costs RM 11 whereas a 3-person serving costs RM 16. Very reasonable price for the portion served. Apart from these, they also serve Loh Mee, Hokkien Bihun and Fried Rice. The other stalls at this coffee shop are not open at night - only one tai chow stall and one satay stall is available. Most people frequent this shop primarily for the delicious Hokkien Mee.
  
My family absolutely love the Hokkien Mee here as there are not many stalls nowadays which serve pork liver in the noodles as per tradition. Furthermore the chef has really good technique as some stalls just do not come up to par with regards to the dish's wok hei. The Damansara Hokkien Mee at Uptown is acceptable but falls short in taste and texture compared to this. Kim Lian Kee is comparable but I think I favour this abiiiit more ^_^
  

PawPoints: 5 Paws
Pawket: Dough

   
Restoran Tong Fong

Corner shoplot, Jalan 21/17
Sea Park
Petaling Jaya
Tue - Sun: 6.30pm - 11pm