Wong Ah Wah Grilled Chicken Wings @ Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur

Just last week, yours truly and girlfriend's family travelled to Kuala Lumpur for a short holiday. We were supposed to head to Petaling Street, but was told that it closes at about 10pm. Peiyi's brother-in-law, Mark then suggested that we have our late dinner at one of the best food streets in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Jalan Alor instead.

Barbeque shrimps and lobsters, satays - all the fresh seafood, local eats and what's not, greeted us upon stepping into Jalan Alor. Hold your appetite and try not to be tempted by the stretch of eateries that lined this food street, for "the best things in life come to those who wait walk furthur".

The answer to the best grilled chicken wings is none other than Wong Ah Wah. Located at the very end of the food street, this chinese restaurant sits conviniently beside two huge carparks, making parking whole lot easier. Diners can either enjoy their meal in the air-conditioned rooms or do it al-fresco.

Look no furthur than the front page of the picture-loaded menu, if you are ordering the famous chicken wings of Jalan Alor (RM2.50 per piece). It's not surprising to see people ordering heaps and tonnes of those wings. They are marinated and grilled patiently over charcoal fire, allowing the sauce to be fully absorbed into the tender and tasteful meat. What's best is the little charred brown skin which brings a scent of burnt fragrance.

Don't tell me that you have been here unless you tried this piece of paradise.

Besides their famed wings, Wong Ah Wah is well-known for it's Roasted Pork Noodles (Price varies from RM11.00 to 30.00) as well. The noodles is cooked just perfect and has a nice bite to it, paired up with the sinful, yet fragrant lard and chunks of roasted pork - this is a must order too.

The service staff recommended us Tofu w/ Salted Fish (price unavailable) - a whole block of silky soft beancurd topped up with sweet sauce and generous portion of salted fish. It is a wonder how simple and inexpensive ingredients paired up to become such a delicacy.

Salted Eggs Fried Crab (seasonal pricing) is the only dish which brought a little disappointment. Their salted egg sauce was very well-done, but it doesn't gets into the crab meat, rendering it rather bland. The crab was a little over-cooked as well. While the meat was supposed to be sweet  soft and succulent paired with the salted egg sauce, this dish has failed to attain that standard.

Overall, a good place for dinner and a must-try if you happened to be in Kuala Lumpur. Although not a healthy one, but again..  just work your guilt off later on! For me, I will definitely be back again for more of those chicken wings and other local eats.

Wong Ah Wah Restaurant

Tel: 603-2144 2463 or 603-2148 3413

Opening Hours
Night to Early Morning

No 1 & 5 & 7
Jalan Alor (off Bukit Bintang)
50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Swee Choon Tim-Sum Restaurant @ Jalan Besar, Singapore

Speaking about dim-sums, my makan buddies are forever raving about Swee Choon, a well-known and established local restaurant which has opened its doors since the 1960s. As a huge dim-sum lover, I knew I would be sorry if I gave this a miss.

Located at the heart of Jalan Besar, in the district of Little India, Swee Choon is well-known for delicacies such as xiao long bao, la mian and various Hong Kong and Shanghai dim-sum. Opened from 6pm to 6am to serve your dim-sum cravings even at the wee hours, be not surprised to see long queues starting at approximately 5.30pm.

One of their signature creations, Swee Choon Mee Suah Kueh (S$2.00 for 2) - deep fried vermicelli cake with crispy brown skin, while the interior is soft and steamy. Although one might think that noodles and cakes are not quite a match, but I dare say that this uniquely scrumptious dish will prove you wrong.

Their Fried Custard Pumpkin (S$1.80 for 2) is decent with a slight tinge of sweetness. However, the skin is too thick and starchy for my liking.

The chicken feet (S$2.20) was purely disappointing. Chicken feet are supposed to be chewy in texture because of the tendons and skin, but what they served here is bland, dry and has zero bite to it.

The classic Siew Mai (S$1.80 for 2) is slightly longer than standard and tasted decent, the meat is a little  over-minced, resulting in the lack of different textures. I prefer the ones at 126 Eating House much more.

Their Portugese Egg Tarts (S$2.60 for 2) are one of the better ones out there. The crust is nicely baked and flaky, the egg filling is soft with just the right amount of sweetness.

My favourite is their Red Bean Paste Pancake (S$4.80) - sweet red bean paste enclosed in a thin layer of crispy skin. Trust me when I say the crunch is loud and how I wished they'd serve a scoop of good chocolate ice cream with this.

Another must-try is their signature Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun also known as "Liu Sha Bao" (S$3.00 for 3). The rich sweet custard explodes when you sink your teeth in it. The saltiness of the yolk and sweetness of the custard complemented each other, making this one of their winning dishes.

Another of their speciality, Swee Choon Big Pau (S$1.60) is another winner. Big fluffy chinese bun filled with minced pork, a piece of chicken, egg and half a shitake mushroom. Best to eat it while it's hot.

And of course, what we came for - Shanghai Xiao Long Bao (S$3.80 for 4). The skin has the right thickness (although it sticks a little) and the sufficient broth was awesome. Definitely one of the better ones you can find in Singapore.

We also ordered the Sichuan Chilly Oil Wanton La Mian (*S$4.80). The noodles were a tad too starchy for usual la mian, but the wanton is good.

 

Lastly, we had the Fried Hor Fun w/ Shrimp in Creamy Egg Sauce (*S$4.80). Delicious dish with fresh succulent shrimps in an abundance of creamy sauce (just look at that eggy goodness!)

Overall, Swee Choon proved to be worthy of a dim-sum paradise. A great dining place for family gatherings or friends outings. Or if you simply want to have your late-night or early hours dim-sum fix, Swee Choon is the place to head to.

Nomsaurus Tom (me!) with my Cell group leader, Zhongli

From left: Bromance ZR and Brother Tim

Check out my other favourite dim-sum place (126 Eating Place) here.

*Price to be confirmed.

Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant Pte Ltd

Tel: +65 6225 7788

Opening Hours

Wed – Mon: 6pm – 6am

(closed on Tue)

185/187/189/191 Jalan Besar

928 Laksa @ Yishun Central, Singapore

Laksa is one of the must tries in Singapore cuisine, but finding a good bowl of that spicy goodness is another story altogether. However residents in the north would point out a small corner shop hidden amidst Yishun Central, 928 Laksa - where queues are never-ending even at passed-lunch-time hours. Their speciality, and only item they sell is so well-known, that people from all across the island flocked just to satisfy their laksa cravings.

Now, you might think why it is called 928 Laksa, the answer is simple - it is located at BLK 928. In business for 15 years and counting, this humble shop has become a household name in the north, but has yet to expand much. Hence, be prepared to wait, as seatings are quite limited there.

Their signature laksa (S$2.50) is full of ingredients, thick beehoon paired with slices of fish cake, taupok, half hard boiled egg and cockles, garnished with laksa leaves. The most important item - gravy is just perfect with the right amount of coconut milk and chilli paste. It also brings along the rich fragrance of dried shrimps.

The homemade laksa chilli is superb, one of the best laksa chilli I have ever had. The spiciness is mild, but the fragrance of the sambal is so good. For diners who can't handle spicy food, do not fret as they sell drinks and desserts at a reasonable price, to "put off the flame".

Overall, it was a good bowl of laksa, I savoured it till the last drop of gravy. And I'd say it is on par with the famous local Katong Laksa. Not enough? Upsize your bowl of laksa for just an additional S$0.50.

928 Yishun Laksa

Blk 928 Yishun Central 1
#01-155

Opening Hours

10am to 7pm