Perfect Char Siew

This has got to be the best Char Siew that I have ever tasted in my life, so far.

Tucked in one corner in Glenmarie, Kuala Lumpur is this ordinary looking coffeeshop called Restoran Meng Kee Char Siew.     We arrived way before lunch time and there were only a few tables with patrons and just a stall displaying some steamed and roasted chicken.   Ah, Chicken Rice for lunch today, I thought to myself.    At this moment, my Malaysian colleagues insisted that I try the Char Siew here.    Without much ado, we placed our order of chicken rice and a side order of the supposedly famous Char Siew.

The rice came first - nothing extraordinary except that it is a little more brown than the Singapore version.   Taste-wise, it is less fragrant too.    Next came the plate of steamed chicken.    Less oily than the Singapore version and I am suspecting that they use kamoug chicken instead of the mass farm reared type.

Finally, the Char Siew came.     Boy, the look is just so appealing - well charred with a beautiful shine to the dark red outer layer.    Good balance of fat and lean meat.

Now the real test - the taste.    The meat is just so succulent and flavorful that it simply blows one away!    Just the right amount of sweetness to it and the tenderness of the meat is simply unraveled in my opinion.    The mere mention here set my saliva glands working.   Simply awesome and highly recommended should you visit Kuala Lumpur the next time.

I should mention also that they do not sell their Char Siew as a standalone item for take way.    I thought I could buy a slab and smuggle it back to Singapore in my luggage.   As the lunch crowd starts trickling in, and seeing that almost every table having a plate of this signature item, I can understand why - the supply cannot catch up with the overwhelming demand.

So even for dining in, to avoid disappointment, do come by early as the Char Siew is on a "while stock last" basis.

Note : They have another outlet called Meng Kee Char Siew Wantan Mee located at No. 48, Jalan Kuchai Maju 6, off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur (Tel 03-7982 9781)





RESTORAN MENG KEE CHAR SIEW
20, Jalan Pekedai U1/36, Hicom Glemarie Industrial Park,
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor
Malaysia
Tel : 019-379 3629
Operating Hours : Mon-Sat & Public Holidays 0900hrs - 2130HRS  (closed on Sundays)