Food Review - Peel Road Char Siew Rice

Name
Peel Road Char Siew Rice (Lunch Only; Closed on Thursdays)
Food
Char Siew, Chicken, Siew Yoke
Location
Peel Road, Cheras (Beside the Shell Station)

Getting there
You need to locate the prominent landmarks there, namely:- Carrefour at Peel Road- Shell Station at Peel Road/Jalan Shelly Traffic Light Junction- Queen’s Park
Once you have located any of these landmarks, you can then proceed to look for the stall situated within an old ramshackle hut with aluminum roof that is facing Queen’s Park
Parking
Parking is a breeze as Carrefour and the road-side parking bays offer free parking or you may opt to perk at the Queen’s Park across the street.

Service
As is typical for these Chinese rice stalls, you may go to the stall to place your orders. However, because they also serve other dishes such as steamed fish head and Pork Trotters in Vinegar (Chue Keok Cho), they also take orders at the table when they are not overwhelmed with customers who are waiting for their take-away orders. Be prepared to wait as sometimes, you may need to wait for the food.

Ambience
Similar to most of the eateries along Peel Road, the place is old and run down! The plastic tables and chairs are rather new, so that helps.

Taste
Although there are quite a few places reputed to have good Char Siew (such as the ones at Tengkat Tong Shin & Section 17, PJ), this one is not the best BUT is still pretty good! They use the choice marbled pork loin parts for their Char Siew (that’s prepared freash daily from the back of the hut) and when you sit in proximity, the aroma tempting is enough to shatter a vegetarian’s resolve to abstain from meat!

You are advised to arrive early – preferably before 12.00-12.30pm to avoid disappointment. Previously, I had many disappointing visits as they had already finished their food even before I could sit down. However, lately, I think they have started to prepare more food to cater to the demand as I had been able to eat there several times recently.


Mention must also be made for the chili sauce that MUST go with the meal. It has a zesty tang combined with a subtle sweetness that makes going for a second helping a delight.

Presentation
The food is served on colored plastic-ware, quite standard for fare of this type but no less appetizing.

Variety
Besides the standard items such as Chicken, Char Siew, Siew Yoke, they also offer steamed fish head, braised chicken feet and pork trotters in vinegar.

Value for Money
Pretty reasonable at standard prices of under RM5 per plate of rice with no frills added.

Overall
Really good food here, as the crowds and waiting time can attest. If you have not tried the food here, I suggest you give it a go! You will come back for more.

Food Review - Hung Kee Wan Tan Mee

Name
Hung Kee Wan Tan Mee
Location
Along Jalan Loke Yew
If you are heading from Cheras towards the Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka along Jalan Loke Yew, it's on the left, just before an overhead pedestrian bridge.

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Food
Wan Tan Mee
Location
Near Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka

Getting thereThe shop is on Jalan Loke Yew. If you are heading towards KL from Cheras, the shop is then on your left a block just before what used to be the Edinburgh Roundabout (now a traffic-light junction turning into Jalan Imbi/ Pudu Jail). A good landmark to look for is an overhead bridge right in front of the shop.

Parking
There are parking spaces along the road but it depends on your luck as the place is usually packed with diners and their cars!

Service
Service is quick and fuss free. You can ask the wait staff for menu item suggestions.

AmbienceThe shop has two distinct sections, where 1 section is air-conditioned while the other isn’t. The shop is rather old, hence do not expect cleanliness levels to be like the fast-food joints. Even so, the place was packed with customers and we had to wait for seats.

Condiments were there for the diners in the typical containers. However, it was interesting to see that the green chilies had a cover made from a cut mineral bottle water (see picture).

Taste & PresentationThe noodles’ texture looked rather springy when they were first presented at the table. However, once we dug into the noodles, mixed and smothered them in the sauces, it was not as springy as initially thought. In fact, the noodles were quite good!

The Char Siew was also very good. The sweetness was just right, not too overpowering or too light. The texture of the meat in the mouth is just perfect – as Char Siew should be.

I was a little disappointed with the Sui Gows and Wan Tans however. The skins were a little too thick and thus, tastes a little pasty. Also, the fillings didn’t have shrimps in them, which would have improved the taste and feel of the Sui Gows and Wan Tans significantly. Their sizes however, are quite large. I was full just having a small sized portion with 2 pieces of Sui Gow.

Variety
They serve the noodles with all kinds of accompaniments like chicken, roast pork, duck, etc. They also have side dishes like Sui Gow.

Value for Money
Very good, as the Wan Tans are quite big in size. They do not crimp on the food they serve the diners.

Overall
Good & delicious food at good value. I’m definitely going back for the other varieties. I would highly recommend it.

Food Review - Restoran Choon Yien (Sect 17, PJ)

Name
Restoran Choon Yien LocationJalan 17/13, located at a prominent corner within the Food Foundry & Happy Mansion enclave.

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FoodChicken/Char Siew Rice
LocationSection 17, PJ.

Getting thereJust head towards the Section 17 Wet Market. On the way, you will see Jalan 17/13. Just turn in and keep looking for 2 blocks of fairly old apartments. It is situated at the corner of the right block.
ParkingThere are quite a number of bays there so parking should be a breeze.

ServiceThe boss welcomes guests who walk-in (this not only makes the guests feel welcome but is also a good way to handle crowd management). Service is quick and fuss-free.

Ambience
Typical of stalls of this nature – plastic tables and chairs. Clean enough that it does not really bother locals. However, as the place has limited space, it does feel rather cramped because the place is almost always full of people.
TasteThe Chicken and Char Siew are really good (but the Char Siew is not my personal favorite.) The Roast Chicken is moist inside while the skin is still crispy. That is something that I had RARELY ever had the pleasure to experience. Just thinking about it is making me salivate…
The Char Siew is good but I have had better. Still, it would be among the better ones in the Klang Valley (as the crowds will attest to).
The rice is also excellent. Very fragrant and if you look closely, the rice is not lumpy but you can actually see the individual grains. Mucho nice rice.

Presentation
Presentation is good but considered quite standard for fare of this type.

Variety
They offer the standard items incl:
- Chicken
- Char Siew
- Siew Yoke

Value for Money
We ordered a plate of Chicken and Char Siew for 2 people and we were charged RM17. I felt that it was a little steep for what we got as I was expecting it to perhaps come to RM14. The portion was not really generous and more than ½ of the plate was covered with bean sprouts and cucumber (please refer to the photos.)

Overall
Really good food here, as the crowds can attest, but falls a little short on value. If you have not been here, I recommend that you check it out.

Food Review - Tim Kee (Taman Connaught) Chicken Rice

NameTim Kee (Taman Connaught) Chicken Rice
Food
Chicken Rice and Side Dishes
Location
Behind the Main Jalan Connaught, on Jalan Ahliman, facing the school.

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Getting there
If you are coming from Cheras/KL, then the shop will be on your right when you are on Jalan Connaught.

If you are coming from PJ/Mid Valley, then after the toll, the shop will be on your left when you arrive on Jalan Connaught.

Either way, make your way to the shop-lots behind the ones facing the main road (ie: this would be facing the housing area). Sandwiched between 2 traditional Chinese coffee shops at both corners, you will be able to locate this place fairly easily.

Parking
Parking is a breeze if you don’t mind walking a few more steps. This is because most diners would want to park directly or very near to the front of the shop along the shop-front parking. The parking there are limited and you will lonely get one if you are lucky.

As the surrounding areas are a residential area and a school, you would be able to easily get parking there on weekends.

Service
Service is quick and no fuss. One unique feature of this eatery is that many of the staff members are Indian although this is obviously a Chinese owned shop. These guys speak fluent Cantonese. I’m sure that’s quite an experience on its own already.

Ambience
The place is brightly lit, hence it looks much cleaner than other shops of the same/similar category.

Taste
There are different varieties of chicken. We have not tried the roasted chicken but both the steamed Regular Chicken & Kampung Chicken varieties are good enough to warrant another visit.

Presentation

The chicken is presented in a separate plate garnished with cucumber slices and cut spring onions. Very tantalizing.

The condiments make all the difference as they have not only the standard soy and chili sauce, but also the ground ginger and thick soy sauce. I personally like to add some thick soy sauce on my rice for some added oomph.
Variety
- There are the standard Roast Pork (Siew Yoke) & Char Siew
- Chicken comes in the standard varieties
o Steamed – Regular
o Steamed – Kampung Chicken
o Roasted
- There are a whole bunch of side dishes including Yong Tau Foo, and vege dishes, etc.
Value for Money
High up there on value. They do not skimp on anything. The chicken, rice portions, condiments (free flow - typical of eateries of this nature) are all very generously apportioned to the customers.

Overall
This is one of the best tasting and best value chicken rice places I have been to. I remember I found out about this place from a TV program that was finding the top 10 Chicken Rice places in Malaysia, this was 1 of them. I would definitely recommend this place if not for the food, then for the experience.