Xiao Long Bao and Noodles @ Din Tai Fung

Well, I'm sure everyone is already well-acquainted with Din Tai Fung and its famous xiao long baos. Anyway here are my 2 paws on Din Tai Fung's scrumptious food =)

        

Their signature dish

     

Wantan Soup La Mian

     
Don't really know why JS ordered this since it looks soooo PLAIN but he should be comforted by the two bulbs of xiao bai chai ^_^
     

Shrimp Pork Wantan Soup 

     
Their wantans are really bouncy and chockful of shrimp and pork meat filling. Not a fan of Hong Kong style wantan soup though as it tastes too shrimpy to me.
       

Xiao Long Bao

       
This is their signature dish which is as good as they claim to be =)
       

Delicate stuff

               

Hot and Sour Soup La Mian

         
I love Sichuan food so this hot and sour soup suits me just fine. Very peppery and the thin somen like noodles absorb the flavours nicely. Also love the soft silky tofu bits and crunchy woodear fungus.

             

Grouper Fish Dumplings

           
Grouper fish dumplings are a welcome change to the usual wantans and xiao long baos. Quite delicious actually and not fishy at all.
         

Shrimp Fried Rice

         
I love having fried rice at Chinese restaurants as the chefs do it so well with lots of fluffy egg, crunchy shrimps and the nice aroma of wok hei.
           

Spicy Shrimp Pork Wantan La Mian

         
An interesting variation of the usual wantan noodles, the spicy la mian includes a dash of chilli oil and tasted really good.
       
         
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion
                    
Din Tai Fung

Various malls

Wantan Mee with Lard @ Restoran Chan Meng Kee, SS2

This was an accidental find as I was actually heading to Ho Weng Kee for some wantan mee fix after many years of not patronising the famous shop. When I reached, Ho Weng Kee was missing but in its place was this place called Chan Meng Kee O.O It looked exactly the same as Ho Weng Kee used to albeit with newer furniture and since it sold wantan mee, we went in anyway.

   

Shop Front

   

Simple Menu

     
There is a simple menu on the wall with English and Chinese text. Good for bananas like me!

     

Dry Char Siu Wantan Mee (RM 5.50)

       
Do not look down on this plate of normal-looking wantan mee! Once you start mixing the noodles, you will uncover lots of crispy deep-fried lard which adds something extra to common char siu mee. The char siu are barbecued to a nice dark colour with glistening caramelised skin. The char siu here are generally more fatty and the springy noodles are a tad oily so health-activists should stay far, far away from this place...they'll probably get a heart attack just by looking at the cholesterol-laden plate =P The wantans are bite-sized with springy meat. The soup has sufficient flavour instead of being a plain vegetable and pepper stock.

     

Comparison between large and small noodles

     
The only difference between small and large servings is the quantity of noodles. Doesn't look like there are extra slices of char siu =.=

     

Sui Kow (RM 6)

     
The sui kow are springy and "crunchy" and quite plump. Good snack.
   
I know SS2 is notorious for its lack of parking space but do reward yourself after a jog on weekends with a yummy plate of char siu wantan mee infused with pork oil and crunchy lard =)
   

PawPoints: 5 Paws

Pawket: Dough

   
Restoran Chan Meng Kee
32 Jalan SS 2/66
Petaling Jaya

Tel: 012 688 1972
Tue - Sun: 8.30am - 3pm

Hoofed @ Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, TTDI

I was just going through my favourite google searchword "pork KL" when a review of this restaurant popped up in the list =P And what good timing too for the week after we visited Hoofed, a review of it appeared in The Star.
   
The restaurant is located above this pub called Tom, Dick & Harry's in TTDI. There is quite limited space on the 1st floor as you can gauge from the pic below so do make a reservation if you've got a large party.

    

Shop Front

    

Angelic pigs guiding you to heaven

    
Lots of winged piggies greet you as you ascend the stairs to pork heaven...

  

More angels

      

Oink my god!

     

Interior

     
There are high chairs and tables as well as normal height chairs and tables for you to choose...

    

Interior

    
...or you can opt to sit at the sofa and coffee table...

   

Have I?

     
An artwork adorning the restaurant wall...I have no artistic sense, I don't get it =.=

    

Menu

     

Smoked Duck Salad (RM 18)

     
The Smoked Duck Salad has plenty of smoked duck strips, wedges of hard-boiled egg and century egg as well as the usual salad leaves. It was quite nice with a light vinaigrette dressing although the smoked duck tasted like ham to me. Not very outstanding though.

    

Roasted Tomato Soup (RM 7)

      
The Roasted Tomato Soup was extremely rich and creamy with lots of tomato puree. Very nice to drink on a rainy day =)

      

Onion Soup (RM 8)

      
The Onion Soup had all of us going back for second spoonfuls. The cheesy piece of bread bobbing atop the soup gave it an even more homey feel.

     

Bacon Fried Rice (RM 19.60)

      
This was the dish which attracted my attention =P Chinese-style fried rice with bacon and Chinese sausage bits. It was very fragrant and each morsel of rice was light and fluffy. The bacon and Chinese sausage added much flavour to the dish. This is highly recommended.

    

Devil's Hair Pasta (RM 19.90)

       
I was eagerly anticipating the Devil's Hair Pasta with roast pork after reading good reviews about it but I was quite disappointed with it =( It came tasting like wantan mee =.= It would have tasted good if it were like wantan mee but the thick caramelised dark soya sauce coating the roast pork and pasta had a hint of chilli pepper, making the dish slightly peppery. I was the only one who thought the combination of salty savoury and pepperish odd though...my friends were tucking in happily.

      

Roast Pork Belly (RM 17.90)

     
Oh this has got to be one of the best roast pork in town. Moist tender meat with bits of fat and an extremely crispy skin. A dollop of yellow mustard and horseradish each provided an alternative flavour.

     

Pork Shoulder Chops (RM 30.20)

       
The pork shoulder chops were good - moist and flavourful from the garlic and onion sauce most probably made from pork drippings. It is supposedly served on a bed of mash but I must have missed it. Fresh vegetables were served as a side.

     

Pork Ribs (RM 44.40)

      
The Pork Ribs were served dry with a bowl filled with brown sauce and fresh vegetables on the side. I found the meat a little too firm and dry and the cinnamon seasoning rather strong. No complaints from my friends though.

     

Pavlova (RM 7.90)

     
The Pavlova was average, served with fresh kiwi and strawberry slices and a drizzle of maple syrup. Good thing it was not too sweet thanks to the balance provided by the tart fruits.

    

Cold Bananarama (RM 12.30)

     
Oh this was the unexpected surprise of the night. A creamy and chocolatey concoction with banana slices, it was so good we ordered a second serving before we even finished the first =P

    

Shortchanged?

      
Here's our second serving. Don't you feel disappointed seeing it after a comparatively larger serving the first time? =.= Anyway the second serving didn't fare too well with us as it had a sprinkling of chopped nuts ala Cornetto which had a whiff of stale nuts smell =.=

    

Brownies ala Mode (RM 12.90)

      
The piping hot chocolatey brownies were quite good with huge walnuts, strawberry slices and cold vanilla ice-cream. A foolproof (fail-safe =P) dessert,

    

<hoof print>

     
Some hits and misses here and there but I wouldn't mind returning for the Bacon Fried Rice, Roast Pork Belly and the Roasted Suckling Pig which some other patrons ordered and looked so good.
   

PawPoints: 4 Paws

Pawket: Olive

    
Hoofed
18A, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Tel: 03 7728 8567
Daily: 4pm - Late

Wantan Mee @ Tsim Chai Kee, Hong Kong

On our last day in Hong Kong, we hopped over to Tsim Chai Kee to try their legendary wantan mee. The shop at Central is warm and cosy unlike the other slightly rundown versions of famous Char Chan Thengs in Hong Kong. Clean wooden tables and stools greeted us as we stepped in.

 

Prawn Dumpling Noodles (HKD 16)

   
Portions were much bigger compared to Mak's Noodles and the prawn dumplings given were huge in size, much larger than the typical wantans in Malaysia. They were also fresh and full of flavour. The noodles were good and sufficiently springy although they turned a little soggy towards the end (maybe it's because I'm a slow-eater =P). There was a slight alkali aftertaste though. The broth was a little cloudy but still full of prawny and porky essence. A little saltier compared to Mak's though. I felt the abundant chopped spring onions detracted the flavour of the soup a little...a sprinkling of chopped scallions is good, a handful of them is not -_-"
 
To be honest, Mak's was of higher quality - springier noodles, crunchier prawn dumplings and clear broth with the right amount of seasoning - but I would definitely return to Tsim Chai Kee as the difference in quality is minimal and they serve a much larger portion at a much lower price.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

 
Tsim Chai Kee
Central MTR Exit D2
98 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel: 2850 6471
Daily: 9am - 10pm

Mak's Noodles @ The Peak Galleria, Hong Kong

We were pleasantly surprised to find Mak's Noodles at The Peak as we planned to go to the main shop at Central so without having to worry about overpriced, touristy food at The Peak, we headed in to Mak's. Not to say that Mak's isn't touristy with its expensive price tag and unbelievably small bowl of wantan noodles but at least it came with the guarantee of being delicious =P All 6 of us had the trademark Prawn Wantan Noodles which costs HKD 28 per bowl.  

Prawn Wantan Noodles (HKD 28)

  
All wantan noodles come in one size only - small =.= Each bowl is the size of the average rice bowl so you can imagine the amount of noodles it can contain. Each serving comes with three prawn wantans so I guess that kind of makes up for it. The portion is actually just nice, sufficient to fill you up but not to the maximum level of fullness. Guys might have to order two bowls though =P
 
The wantan noodles were very delicious, definitely not overrated. The noodles were springy and fresh with no jelak aftertaste. The soup was very clear and full of prawn essence. The prawn dumplings boiled in stock were fresh and crunchy. "How can prawn dumplings be crunchy?" you ask. Well, I'm not too sure myself -_-" I guess the prawns must be really fresh to actually be bouncy and crunchy haha. The wantan skin was paper thin which added to its crunchyness.
 
Watch this space for our review on Tsim Chai Kee - Mak's Noodles' competitor <dundundun> :D

 

PawPoints: 4 Paws

 
Mak's Noodles
Central MTR Exit J2, Peak Tram Lower Terminus
Shop 1, Ground Floor
The Peak Galleria
118 Peak Road
The Peak
Hong Kong
Tel: 2854 3871
Daily: 10am - 10pm

HuTong @ Lot10, KL

HuTong @ Lot 10 is a very good idea by Tan Sri Francis Yeoh. . . finally, a non-halal food court in Malaysia! And all sorts of famous hawker food under one roof - very convenient for hungry pork lovers =)

The first time we were there, we tried Ho Weng Kee and Kim Lean Kee. The Char Siu Wantan Mee (RM 8.30) from Ho Weng Kee was good, like how they used to taste back when Ho Weng Kee was still operating from the SS2 shoplot. 

• Char siu is the lean and charred kind with little to none fats.
• Noodles was good, absorbing the flavours from the char siu and usual soya sauce mixture. 
• Wantans were a little small but soup was nice.

Overall, I would give Ho Weng Kee 3 Paws because I found the ultimate Char Siu Wantan Mee and it is where the old Ho Weng Kee used to be located <smug> Will review about that place another day. 

Forgot to take pictures on our first visit but the Hokkien Mee was so good we returned for a second visit. This time, we had the Kong Tai Oyster Noodles instead of Ho Weng Kee's famed Char Siu Wantan Mee.

Famous Hokkien Mee from Petaling Street (RM 8.90)

This Hokkien Mee is the bomb! Fried with lots of 'wok hei' - you can hear the non-stop clang of metal spatula against the wok - this dish comes laden with lots of deep fried pork lard (a must in any good hokkien mee) and adequate amount of prawns. The noodles are coated with sufficient pork-infused oil to ensure that it remains glossy and slippery as you slurp the noodles into your mouth. Some may find it a little too oily for their liking but I think the amount is just nice (otherwise the noodles will be dry and coarse). This dish deserves all 5 Paws =D

Kong Tai's Oyster Noodles (RM 8.30)

The Oyster Noodles tastes like gravy-doused char kuey teow topped with liberal amounts of fat juicy oysters. It comes with a sourish chilli sauce that goes well with the noodles. I didn't quite like it (maybe because I'm not a big fan of bean sprouts) but JS found the dish acceptable. Perhaps the fried oyster omelette otherwise known as Oh-Chien would fare better. I would give this only 2 Paws.

We have also tried Hon Kee Porridge at the Uptown and Taipan branches and I assume the outlet at HuTong would not be much different, taste-wise. The same goes for Kissaten which we tried at Jaya One. Will upload reviews for these places soon =)

PawPoints: 4 Paws 
Pawket: Dough

HuTong

Lower Ground Flr, Lot 10 Shopping Mall

Tel: 03 2141 0500

Daily: 12pm -  3pm, 6pm - 11pm