美联酒家~ Million Restaurant, Jalan Ipoh

Another old school taste tai chow restaurant along Jalan Ipoh that I lately discover thanks to my foodie friend who bring me here today. Serving Heng Hwa cuisine (Heng Hwa is a sub-dialect group of Hokkiens from Fujian, China), can tell the restaurant is operate more than 50 years from it's outlook and the old school signage with Chinese words. Their signature Heng Hwa stir fry mee sua in white version is unique and it impressed me on my first taste. Thick vermicelli is use to stir fry with pork lard, pork slices, fish cakes slices, shredded fried eggs, toasted ground nuts, wawa cai (baby white cabbage), mustard leave and crispy seaweed~ the highlight of the dish. While the Pek keh (stir fried rice cake) has a lighter taste compare to the usual Pek Keh I had. Sauteed romaine lettuce is average. If my bestie & her family still around (not yet move back to Penang), I am sure she will like the stir fry mee sua too just now how she likes the other old school tai chow in Jalan Ipoh that I introduced to her last time. 

Tua Bak Kia Bak Kut Teh, Lorong Jugra (Old Klang Road)

Hear about their bak kut teh is good so we came here once last year around July during dinner time. However running out of luck as they already sold out during 8pm so we turn to elsewhere instead. Today we come early for breakfast, no way it will be sold out since they open at 9am and we are here right after they open lol. It is operate below the flats on a mountain slope, might not well maintain like PJ's happy mansion (old apartments) but the surround is clean and fill with greens and trees. Sekeping Jugra is not far away, and there's a nursery and home stay across the road with short and steep road going all the way up to their entrance. Quite chill to enjoy our bkt breakfast at the outdoor seating (at the back entrance) with greens and morning breeze, worker switch on the wall fan the ventilate the air as well so we don't feel hot at all with morning sun. 

The bak kut teh is good, a bit similar to Klang's style but not quite the same. However different from the one in PJ and Kepong. Not strong herb taste and herb taste is different as well from other bkt that I've tried. Broth is not thick but also not soupy, just nice like home cook. We had their dry bak kut teh, knuckle and pork intestine, with oil rice (white rice with fried shallot) and youtiao. Except for pork intestine not simmering long enough, not fully absorb the essence and taste from the bkt broth, the rest are good. Just barely 6 to 7 months since our first time here, they have expand from occupying one shoplot to two shoplots now. Bigger space and more tables. Owner or this BKT must be from Jenjarom as I notice "Jenjarom" in Chinese word at their front signboard.

春记大埔面~ Chun Kei Tai Bu Noodle, Pudu

Long established (since 1931) old school Hakka mee run by the 4th generation now. Guess I always have luck~ there were no one line up the moment we reach (but customers started to wait outside for table after we seated); and there's a table next to the wall just nice for 2 pax available so we did not share the table with others like what might happens during peak hours. As a konlo-mee lover, the white kolo hakka Tai Bu mee with springily noodle, topped with generous amount of minced pork, some char siew, chopped spring onions and veggie is enough to make me happy. The minced pork is slightly saltier than those usual one I had, but after mixed all well it turns the unseasoned noodles flavorful (white Hakka Tai Bu Mee is serve without seasoning sauce unlike the black version). Wantons are decent while the soup is just average and nothing special. My friend's noodle was lou shi fan with black sauce version. Taste decent according to him so I guess the original white hakka konlo mee is much better. 

Samy & Min Bak Kut Teh, Pavilion KL

Went for a family vacation overseas before October end. After back to KL and meet a friend who is also back from holiday overseas for lunch at Pavilion; this friend says let's eat Bak Kut Teh because he hasn't taken any pork meal overseas for a week hahaha! I just had Samy BKT at Pavilion's 8th Avenue before I went for vacay lol. So here we are at Samy & Min for BKT lunch~ we shared a ka-wan (pork bend), pork belly, yau mak (baby lettuce), a bowl of scallion rice and pot of Heung Pin / Xiang pian Chinese tea. Our meal is good~ never bored of BKT though I had it quite frequent, the only fly in the ointment is the pork belly has mild odor (boar taint). It's our first time encounter this in BKT. Luckily the ka-wan doesn't have it otherwise we probably will ask for exchange.   

String tied Bak Kut Teh~ Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh, Pavilion KL

I recommend Bak Kut Teh as lunch to my Singapore branch GM and a senior (both Koreans) who never try Malaysian Bak Kut Teh before. Was hesitate a bit between Pao Xiang and Samy since both are good and I had tried both so far. Despite the google reviews kind of low compared to before, I choose to go Pao Xiang for the ambient and hospitality by the Chinese servers when I approached the place. Another reason is Pao Xiang's trademark~ string tied Bak Kut Teh which kept the meat texture firmer and absorb more flavour of the herb tea broth. I made a right choice. It gives them good impression on their very first "black" Bak Kut Teh from Malaysia which is different from the "white" Bak Kut Teh" in Singapore. Two of them goes for Tua kut (大骨 / big bone) as that's what attracts them when they sit down and saw the menu on the wall. I still prefer fat meat so I go for ka-wan (脚弯 / pork leg). 

Meat part is serves in individual bowl for 1 serving, but surprisingly a big eater like me and the two gentlemen find the portion is a little more than than what we expected for 1 pax. Luckily we did not order extra meat part to share. Besides that, we shared you-tiao, yao mak (not in picture) and braised eggs. Our order came out pretty fast even though the restaurant is nearly full house and it's lunch peak hours, servers are attentive too (that's what I am looking for when I am with guest). They even give us a nice table at the corner with decorative rack with tea cups and tea pots when I call up to reserve me a table just 15 mins before we walked in to the restaurant. I am glad they like Malaysian style Bak Kut Teh, next time will let them try Samy for a different taste of herb broth. 

Heng Kee Bak Kut Teh, PJ Old Town

Bak Kut Teh again haha. Looks like this year I ate Bak Kut Teh a lot compare to previously (which I not sure why I so fond of bkt recently). This evening we came to PJ old town for another long-running business KL style BKT as early dinner. To be honest after trying different kinds of Klang and KL Bak Kut Teh, I still not able to tell the difference between both until my friend highlight that KL Bak Kut Teh broth is lighter in color, herb taste is milder and watery compare to Klang's. Two of us shared a pork liver, pork trotter, tau fu pok and choy-sum veggie and pair with rice as usual. Though it is not what my friend wanted (my friend who has not been here for years remember wrongly and thought that Heng Kee BKT is thick broth like Klang's version), still it's okay to have light broth BKT once in while after keep eating the thick broth BKT.

Iberico Pork Ribs Bak Kut Teh~ Black Market, Isetan Suria KLCC

Isetan KLCC has been undergoing a major revamp for their food market and the non-halal section is now expanded and occupied a bigger section. And there is this non-halal restaurant named Black Market operate inside the non halal section which is the first non-halal restaurant in Petronas twin tower. Not many options in the menu, since Iberico Pork Ribs Bak Kut Teh is I wanted to try and the Kakuni Rice Set also listed as their signature dish, we go for these 2 as our choice. However, we waited one hour for our food to be served. When we were here around 1230 noon, there's about 11 customers ahead us in this small space with an open kitchen. 

We believe that BKT and Kakuni usually already pre-cook, restaurant workers just need to reheat it before serve. But the two foreign workers obviously not well trained and they are pretty slow to handle the food. There is a Chinese guy who seems like the person in charge somehow busy showing or promoting the restaurant to someone else despite all tables is occupied but no food is serve yet. The Iberico pork ribs bkt broth is quite unique as it is thick like filled with collagen. Price is on the high side since it is located in the prime area. Long waited probably is the reason we don't consider to come back again for lunch.