River Pak Soh Koong and wild Haruan @ Restoran Zong Meng.

Restoran Zong Meng was once a thriving dai chow place
located along the main road in Tapah town.

Now, even though he is a one man chef, he can easily whips
up a five dishes lunch or dinner in no time.

He earned his stripes working under Hong Kong chefs 
when he was working in Belgium.

Watching him prepares the condiments for cooking with extra 
fast hands was a delight.

Seeing him in action, pan frying, steaming, stir frying and flipping 
he wok under roaring flame was like a culinary magic !! 

Steamed river pak soh koong (white whisker cat fish) - firm fleshy
that bursts open and no fishy aftertaste.
Panfried lemongrass chicken - a tad too sweet but full of lemongrass 
flavor (recommended).
Koong poh wild Haruan fish slices - springy and melt in the mouth.
Stir fried wild boar meat - meaty and fragrant.
Pan fried sea prawns - succulent and sweet tasting.
Stir fried yau mak - the only green of the night.

Affordable prices and ample parking.

Location: (riverside after Tapah town bridge)
Tapah, Perak.

KEDAI MAKANAN LAUT HAI UNG.

We have two days of fun, frolicking in three types of man made pool-

1:hot spring water.

2:mountain spring water.

3.jacuzzi in the villa.

Cooking eggs (the middle tray is ours) with the hot spring water-10 minutes for hard boiled eggs.

Eggs cooking mission accomplished-a photo for remembrance!

......and a one night's stay at this villa in the Taman Rekrearasi Ayer Panas, Sg Klah, Sungkai, Perak.

On the return journey back to Petaling Jaya, we opted to drive along the coastal trunk road with a stop at Pasir Palembang for an early dinner.

Kedai Makanan Laut Hai Ung is located at the back of a brand new wet market in Bagan Sungai Yu, Pasir Palembang, Kuala Selangor.

On both sides of the restaurant are shops selling fresh and dry seafood and the ever popular keropok (prawn crackers)

Parking is a breeze.

The restaurant's front with it's wooden plank flooring dining area extended out by the side of the river.

A view of the river from where we were seated.

Watching the fishing boat with their haul of live prawns and fishes.

Sweet and sour crabs (2kg)-well cooked and flavored and the mud crab meat was fresh, sweet and fine in texture-Rm70/ we scooped up every inch of the gravy with the deep fried Mantou bread-Rm10/

Or Chien (oyster omelette) served on a piping hot galvanised plate with raw eggs and then stir cooked in front of us-oyster were fresh, creamy and generously sized-Rm16/

Sea prawn sauteed with fragrant diced shallot and garlic then tossed with Soy sauce and spring onion-was fresh, juicy and succulent -Rm30/

Lala (Clams) in superior soup-garnished with julienned spring onion and ginger-meat was fresh and fleshy while the broth was tasty with traces of Chineses wine-Rm20/

Deep fried Ma Yau (Threadfin) served on a bed of lettuce and light Soy sauce and garnished with deep fried finely chopped ginger-over fried but was very crispy-Rm27/

Garoper fish head (1 kg) curry-cooked with okra, eggplant, curry leaves and lots of torn Chinese rounder cabbage-red, hot and creamy curry gravy and the fish head was fresh and smooth-Rm35/

Fried Bee Hoon (rice vermicelli) with Lala meat and Choy sam-too much gravy-rendering it too soggy-Rm18/

Stir fried Romaine Lettuce-Rm9/

Total bill:Rm248/
Location: Bagan Sungai Yu,
Pasir Penambang,
Kuala Selangor,
Tel:03-3289-6828/012-385-8815.

HEE LAI TON RESTAURANT (PUCHONG) SDN BHD.

Saturday lunch time with my buddies, we went to "pig-out"at Hee Lai Ton Restaurant (Puchong Sdn Bhd) in Bandar Puchong Jaya(opposite IOI Mall), Puchong.

Bandar Puchong Jaya's busy commercial area is full of eating places from mobile steamboat vans in the evening to simple coffee shops or designer restaurants.

Hee Lai Ton is having a "Eat all you can" promotion for Rm23.80 tt excluding rice and tit bits.

The five of us were filled up to the rim after the marathon feast from 12 pm-2.30 pm-very bad for health but once in a while it was a luxury!

A grandeur place to dine.

A bowl of Sharkfin soup for each of us-the broth was tasty but there was not much Sharkfin.

Soy sauce sea Prawns-don't be fool-the smaller ones are at the bottom but nevertheless it was tender and succulent.

Roast Duck (Thigh)-ordered 2 plates -very crispy skin, meaty and juicy with a distinct flavor-best!

Claypot Pork ribs-well braised, firm and meaty with melt in the mouth soft Beancurd sheets.

Steamed Grass Carp belly with blended Ginger garnished with slivers of carrots and Coriander leaves-smooth, fine textured and very fresh.

Steamed Boiler Chicken with black Fungus and knotted Golden Lily buds-meat was tender and meaty- the juicy essence was a delight to slurp.

Fried Tung Hoon (Glass noodle) with 2 small sized Crabs and pungent aromatic Parsley-the Crab meat shrunk and the noodle were way too salty.

Mixed assorted vegetables-young baby Corn, sliced Lotus root, Celery, Asparagus and Onion-refreshing and delicate flavor to balance off all the meat.

Deep fried Squid with salted Egg-lightly battered, very flavorful from the Curry leaves and salted Egg.

Fried Sang Mee (Egg noodle) with Squid, Pork, earthy Button Mushroom and crunchy Beansprout-a good combination.

Fruits (Papaya/ Honeydew) and sweet dessert (Sea coconut/Lychee) to end a wholesome meal.

Total bill:RM144/
Location:21, 22 & 23, Jalan Kenari 1,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
Batu 8, Jln Puchong,
Selangor.
Tel:03-5882-3333.

RESTORAN GREEN VIEW

Restaurant Green View was always packed whenever we drive passed it, on our way to the SS2 area. It is located next to Menara Merias in Section 19, Petaling Jaya. Every now and then they have promotion on their crab dishes. I like their signature dish -fried big river prawns (udang galah) mein, cooked in thick egg gravies and their sweet and sour XL crabs. This place is opens 365 days and service is fast and efficient. Parking is not too much of a problem. Tonight my nephew and his wife joined us for dinner there.

Appetizer-fried bean curd with freshly sliced onions rings, century egg and tiny bits of pickled ginger-dipped in Thai chillies sauce for added flavor-appetizing-rm12/

.

Sea prawns done in two styles-shelled and de-veined 1.lightly battered prawns with mayonnaise and honey dew 2.buttered prawns-was fresh and succulent.-rm70/

Fish head curry-full of fish meat and vegetables-was not too spicy, with a lot of chillies oil skimming on the surface -best with fluffy white fragrant rice.-rm50/

Herbal chicken 1/2- overpowering with too much herbs making the gravies a big letdown to the palate.-rm30/

Stir fry kai lan and choy sam-with cloved garlic-the fresh and green colors make it so tempting -need it to balance off the meat.-rm15/

Fried big la la (shellfish) in preserved bean sauce-it was big and tasty.-rm40/

HAKKA FOOD (RESTAURANT CHUAN KEE)

This restaurant is an old establishment, i remembered, my father used to take us for lunch on weekend. The setting was simple and homely, air conditioned and is family owned. The owner even lives upstairs. What i like about this place is the friendliness, simplicity, cleanliness, the good food and an old ornate antique mirror on the wall. It was a former squatter house, now it had been renovated with cement walls and plank all round the shop.This part of Pudu Ulu was a notorious and thriving business center during the old day.s A word of advice: Do not park by the roadside, you will get a summon. There is a parking lot a few doors away (rm2/). This restaurant is located in PUDU ULU, if you come from Cheras Jusco, at the traffic lights junction of Menara PGRM go straight, the restaurant is on your right. Today the four of us ordered:

The antique ornate mirror-not for sale.

Sea prawns with preserved bean paste and soya sauce -the prawn's head was full of roe and the meat was flavorful, succulent and fresh.

Steamed ginger grass carp belly: the big chunk of belly portion was fine in texture and super fresh!

Clay pot braised mutton: full of thick gravy and the meat was soft gamy in flavor and odor but my friends KK and Steven loved it

Cha yok : braised pork belly with black fungus with the right amount of 5 spices which was absorbed by the meat, tantalizing!

Stir fry sweet potatoes leaves - fresh and the stem was fat and tender.

Total bill:rm 89/

TRINITY PRAWNS

Home made Trinity prawns by my wife.
De-veined and de-shelled shrimps and chopped it up to make into a sticky paste.
Apply the prawn paste on the top of the de-shelled sea prawns(leave the tail intact).
Next add chopped coriander leaves on it.
Wrapped it up with wan ton wrappers.
Steamed for 7-8 minutes, then add a light tapioca starch gravy over it.
And it is ready to serve!

Hot from the steamer.

With a light spread of clear glass like gravy.

Close up of the real beauty.