Mission Chinese Food

Secret Garden’s dong po rou (braised pork belly) is the freakin' deal. We’re talkin’ fatty slices of melt-in-your-mouth belly with even layers of fat and meat, lathered in light and dark soy sauce and wine, stewed for about 6 hours before being served. Pork belly, get in ma belly.

Any photos here will surely have you salivate for days! Just no-fluff, generously-plated Chinese food, Laomazis offers many home-style dishes that are a fusion of both Hakka and other Chinese cuisines. The restaurant is also popular for one particular dish - the Cincai Steamed Fish. “This “Cincai” Steamed Fish was conceived when one of the chef’s friends stopped by and asked the chef to cook a fish dish. Chef decide to put a little bit of everything (ginger, scallions, rice wine, soy sauce, bean paste, etc.) and steamed the fish together. When presented the dish, his friend loved it and asked the name of the dish. The chef just said “ Cincai”! And there you have it.”, as explained by our funny and #foreverhungry Tastemaker Brian Leow. And it’s seriously, downright delicious!
Once you discover this hidden gem (literally hidden!), you’ll want to be back here every other week.

Great start to Tastemaker Brian’s 5th Makan Tour with this simple yet delicious nasi lemak that made us all weak on the knees. What’s particularly good here is the nasi itself with Brian noting that it's “very hard to find nasi lemak with this kind of rice”. You can actually see each individual grain of rice, rather than just a glob of white mush, which is pretty much perfection. Already delicious on its own, the sambal sotong elevates this dish even further. Adoring fans line up early to score this popular dish which proves just enough for the deliciousness of this humble stall.

Just two plates of lip-lickingly delicious fried Oh Chien (fried oyster omelette).The oh chien here has more of a gooey sticky base so if you prefer the crispy one, might want to let the cook know beforehand. Surprised this one didn’t have a line when we were there which Tastemaker Brian later adds that when the aunty is there, there will be a line. Still, these oh chiens packed quite a punch with every spoonful. I'm a huge sucker for moist foods (like soggy fries) so this was yum!
#BriansMakanTour

Was brought to this reputable restaurant in one of Burpple’s most recent Brian’s Makan Tour for Kepong’s staple food, Bak Kut Teh. This multi-layered pork intestine, or to quote Brian, “intestine in an intestine” is a particular standout here. Bouncy, odourless, and easy to chew, Tastemaker Brian suggests to give this a good toss of the pepper soup base (as you would with regular Bak Kut Teh) before having a go. Delicious!

Now, i think it’s unfair for me to judge this one especially because pork isn’t my number one choice of protein but damn, everything we ordered here were no short of good. The pork knuckle noodles (RM15.5) and rice (RM12) were simply delish. The pork knuckles had been gently cooked in a large pot for about 72 hours and the finished result is meltingly tender pork. Rice not enough? You’d find your bowl topped up immediately by a motherly figure going from table to table, asking guests if they’d like to ‘ka fan’. They also whip up some amazing moreish shrimp wontons (RM24) that just pop in your mouth, you’d be mad to leave without trying this.

Probably the most indulgent dish we've ever had on #BriansMakanTour. This Braised Pig Trotter takes the cake for best pork dish everrrrrr. The texture is so good. Moist, tender and packed in flavour, it's no surprise that this is the most popular dish here. Never mind the irony that this was had inside a Chinese temple, other favourites include their ginger chicken and signature steamed catfish – nom!

As far as portion size is concerned (for RM6!), Yulek Wanton Mee is really generous. Look at the toppings! The char siu here has an aromatic roasty taste that many restaurants tend to compensate with overly sweet, grisly, artificial colouring. Throw in some sui gao and you’ll find yourself a satisfying meal.

If you’re a fan of fried chicken and rice, you’ll like Restoran Hoe Fong in Seapark. The chicken here is deep fried in hot boiling oil and served with a bowl of soup and rice. The oil dripping from the fried chicken will be retained after cooking to serve on the side too. We were told by our trusty tourguide and tastemaker Brian (@leowbrian) to add the oil into the soup and top a couple of spoonfuls to our rice for added moist and flavour. Sure enough, the pairing was delicious and we were not disappointed!

I love all kinds of desserts and Tong Sui is no exception! Happy to be introduced to this Chinese dessert nook by Burpple Tastemaker Brian (@leowbrian) during his third #BriansMakanTour Seapark takeover. Pictured here is Uncle Soh Soo's popular Pak Koh Yi Mai (which sells out very quickly!), Green Bean porridge, Bubur Cha Cha and Red Bean soup. Accompanying these bowls are the also popular crispy crullers and yam cake topped with crunchy fried shallots and shrimps. The overall taste may be a little tame for those who usually like their tong sui a little bit on the sweeter end (me) and thicker in texture (also me). Great option for those keeping their health in check though!

For Burpple’s third #BriansMakanTour with Tastemaker Brian (@leowbrian), we were treated to delicious beef ball noodles that kickstarted our eating adventure on a right note. I don’t always eat beef noodles, but I’ve had my fair share of beef noodles around KL and find this comparable to Soong Kee. The dry version wanton noodles topped with sweet minced pork and veges were so good when mixed with the braised sirloin soup with radish on the side. The addition gave the noodles extra moist, a better alternative to the usual accompanying soup. YUM

Here’s one place I didn’t manage to photograph and only realised it when my friends and I were almost done! Thankfully, a friend managed to take a quick shot before our barbaric charge to take dibs on the load of pork innards, intestines and ribs under the generous bed of crispy tofu. Also served on the side were some cut pieces of yau char kwai (Chinese crullers) that we dipped into the claypot of hearty and herby soup. Our bill came to a total of RM94 for five people with the addition of one serving bowl of soup filled with some more pork intestines. One must not compare this to its Klang competitors when dining here. The restaurant is still a good city option for those who do not want to travel far. Overall, it was a delightful meal enjoyed with the best of company and that mattered most.