My Preference Cantonese Cuisine

Written on Friday, September 03, 2010 by russel

Review by KC

Initially I do not want to recommend this restaurant to anyone because this restaurant fits all the prerequisites of a perfect dining place for my family and myself. But because it's so good, people will know it anyway and write about it soon - it might as well be me!

This restaurant opened on 31st January 2010 - just before Chinese New Year to cash in on the lavish banquets thrown by some towkeh and aunties toting LVs. We came during the 1st day of CNY and it was freaking full! However, these photos are taken on 26th August, 2010 using my newly bought 50mmf/1.8D. Initially wanted to try it out but end up writing about

These prerequisite are as follows.

a) Not too far away from my house

b) New, clean and hygenic environment (including the kitchen)

c) Professional captains, cashier and even part-time waitresses they hire on weekends

d) Cozy ambience fitted with eyes pleasing decor, practical furniture (no plastic chairs) and settings

e) It's bloody value for money!

f) The chef / owner is now my friend

g) My wife and my girls love this place

h) My family is treated like family when we come by each time

i) The food obviously is numero uno compared to my Malaysian Cantonese tastebuds

There, 10 great reasons!

I won't show you the kitchen but it's a food outlet that adheres to the strict regulations of DBKL granting them an A license. (No, it's not bought!) The cashier (no I won't reveal her name) earlier hinted that they wash the whole restaurant (kitchen, dining area, utensils etc) every night without fail with hot boiling water. Well, for a chef so particular and does things so differently - it hinted me that the chef is not your local Ah Seng Tai Chow who gives a rat's arse to wash the chop sticks used to grab a RM1 note in the drain.

The first time I came, I recognise a familiar face I have seen before but I could not put my thumb onto my RAM. After a few visits, I remembered. And I asked him if he was from Leng Kee Restaurant in Taynton View. He quit his job in Leng Kee and joined the restaurant upon opening. In fact, the chef hired his 2 captains from Taynton View restaurants. They must have been paid well to make the switch as they were the No.1 after the owners in their previous restaurants. Both the captains are very efficient, polite and fast. Once they see my car parked, they will welcome us - their first guest each Saturday and sit us on our favourite table. Even when we are late and the restaurants gets filled up, we always had our table on reserve. The looks on the other guest when we were placed ahead of them is PRICELESS!

When they bring you the menu, they will also provide you the usual cili padi, chopped garlic and an XO sauce concocted by the chef. They are not stingy with the XO sauce as it is not made from dried scallops – only tiny dried prawn. That is so good that I can even have a bowl of piping rice with a small plate of it.

For us, we usually know what we want before we reach the restaurant unless we wanted to try something new. It’s normally 3 dishes for the 4 of us. For this week, we had our usual Claypot Tofu. I know what you are thinking – B.O.R.I.N.G! But wait. It is the simplest dish that is hardest to draw a line between GREAT and mediocre. This dish is Phenomenal! The tofu is consistently good each time we eat them. 3 big prawns, cutlets of roast pork, some local small calamari (they took the trouble to slid it’s back to ingest more saunce), vegetables (can’t be bothered about them), mushies and tofu (mashed fish meat) of course. What binds them all together? The freaking sauce. It is the usual brown gravy with some chix stock but I am sure as heck they have a secret ingredient (in which I am going to ask my friend what he dunked inside). Price? How about RM15?

Then came my personal favourite. Creamy fuity butter ribs (yaaa… hog ribs most certainly). This dish is to die for, your body exhumed for and your karma sent to Hades for. It’s so freakilicious! The ribs are lightly battered and dunked into hot oil. It’s for probably 90 seconds just to seal it the sinful riches of slightly marbled ribs. Then stir fried with… yes, you guessed it (no points for that) Cream, butter, fruit essence as main sauce ingredients. He would have the usual salt, pepper and a speck of 5 spice, meseems. Does RM15 sounds excruciatingly painful to enjoy such dish?

The 3^rd to arrive was the tastiest Claypot Wine with Chicken (Kai Chow). Trust me, I have tasted many of this under so many specialty hands including my aunts, some super duper chefs, the chamber maids who helped Kelly during her 30-postnatal days – all KALAH! Lose, lose and lose. This wan is da bomb! The soupy goodness warms your soul and fills your body (was it the other way round, I don’t care!) with rich aromatic Chinese rice wine permeating through the air. Just the whiff of the bobbling pot alone will send you to the 7^th Heaven. You have some mushies or various sorts, ginger, lost of soupy goodness and chick, chick. The chicken breast meat is to die for. Yeap. You heard right. The chicken breast meat. Chinese family usually chuck this portion of the chicken into the pot for soup as it’s tasteless or your local Chicken Rice stall will serve this to unsuspecting clients who did not specify which part of the chicken they want when they order. But NOOOOO. Not this breast. It is the most succulent, tender chick breast cooked in a rich wine soup. Oh well, I am not bothered how Chef Leong makes it but I hope he’s not using baking powder. If not for baking powder (him being a health conscious guy and believes in healthy good good), he must have added in tapioca flour, egg white and let it sit in the fridge for almost 10 hours. If you think chicken breast only taste good when deep fried in your pasar malam. Think again. If I am not mistaken, it’s about RM18.

“Why no vege dish wan?” - Try the Szechuan Brinjals. That’s one of Kelly’s favourite. You can try the shark fin soup at RM18.80 per head (tis’ da real deal, no chapalang pariah ingredients wan). Of course there are many more dishes which are really good. But I’ll leave you to try them out. That’s what friends are for ;)

Chef Leong as he is known as in the 5 Star Hotel’s Chinese Restaurant, spent 20 years cooking under a Hongkie Chef. Chef Ng Kok Leong was “salt-bathed and baked” in many many restaurants including Vietnam hotels, Kuala Lumpur’s Shangri-la and le Meridien KL as Executive Chef. He has opened a restaurant before in Sri Hartamas but subsequently parted ways with his Hongkie partner chef . My chef friend has promised me some purpose cooked Cantonese dishes when I dine in during CNY 2012. Of which I will not reveal until I have tasted it myself! Branches will pop up soon next year.

Go on, have a try. Bring your family and friends. I am sure “satu kali tak cukup”.

Call for reservations unless "you are with me" ;)  It get filled up at 6.45pm on Saturdays, Sundays and eve of Public Holidays.

* My Preference Cantonese Cuisine *

* 22A, Jalan Alam Damai 1, Damai 23, *

* Alam Damai Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur *

* Tel : 9105 5007 *

Reservations a must if you come between 6.30 – 8.30pm

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