Is Your Heart Touched? (The Dim Sum from Hong Kee & Loong Seng)

~~ HONG KEE TIM SUM @ PANDAN INDAH, KUALA LUMPUR ~~

Let's drool at what KL has to offer, for today's post. Hong Kee Tim Sum generated ripples and waves among the dimsum-loving community (floggers alike) with branches opening everywhere in Klang Valley. Recently (or as recent as I remembered, this being a June experience anyway), Hong Kee started business in Pandan Indah as well, a densed area with so many restaurants, cafes and good food, it's impossible for the residents to starve and lament there's nothing to eat. No joke.

Some steamed delights .... Siew Mai, Xiu Long Bao and Har Kao

Me being a traditional dimsum lover, orders the basic stuff whenever it's my 1st time. And I've a lot of firsts. Hehe ... Anyway, the baskets of dumplings came with shockingly humongous morsels of goodies, begging to be devoured. Compared to even Ipoh's offerings, the sizes of these 'little giants' was impressive.

But when it come to the taste, erm, a ho-hum affair, at best. The XLB was horribly dry, and tasteless even with the vinegar and julienned ginger dipping. Prawn dumplings (Har Kau) and pork dumplings (Siew Mai) fared better, but still lacking in taste. It felt like we were chewing on flour, rather than full-flavoured, sweet, juicy meat.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun

Not to confuse any foreigners, or out-of-towners, the Hong Kong CCF (chee cheong fun) is NOT an imported product, but rather, a type of rolled rice noodles stuffed with shrimps and char siew (BBQ pork meat). A staple of mine, I almost always order this simple dish whenever I'm in dimsum outlet, be it in Ipoh, Penang or KL.

Sad to say, the HK CCF here was below the mark. The fillings was lesser than generous, and the rice noodles reeking of an awkward 'chemical' taste. Don't ask me how to describe it, but there IS an annoyingly unpleasant taste.

The Doctor's Nightmares ....

Luckily, when it comes to the fried stuff, all of which would frighten a health freak more than a busload of cockroaches, or swimming with the sharks, or even sitting through a whole session of Parliament, Hong Kee serves edible options.

Particularly tempting was the prawn rolls with crispy vermicelli (or was it?) - the upper left photo in the collage above. Crispy, oily, and yummy, they deserve a try if you happen to be here. The rest were mediocre, but not to say disappointing.

I lost the receipt, but the price was rather reasonable, around RM3 per plate/basket. Well worth the money as the portion's not dainty. Kalah Ipoh punya dimsum .... But all in all, SIZE DOES NOT really matter, ain't it?

Location : Hong Kee Tim Sum @ Jln Pandan Indah 4/3A, Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur. Various branches in other parts of KL and Selangor.

~~ LOONG SENG DIMSUM @ SS2, PETALING JAYA ~~

Go find the shop with lots tables outside, in case you're lost ...

But all's not lost, my friend. Nope. As we were staying nearby Section 17, PJ (this was in August, therefore memories' not so vague) we decided to venture to SS2 for dimsum on the last morning of our stay.

The Devils vs The Angels ??? (The Fried Goodies vs The Saintly Steamed Ones)

Based on direction from a friend, we were told to look out for tables lining up the street and corridor, among the mazes after mazes of restaurants and cafes in SS2. Of course, go in the morning, as at night, SS2 Murni still RULES the place, with endless rows of tables on the street.

Steamed La La (Clams) with Pork/Fish Meat

The crowd was reassuring, as wherever the crowd goes, the food's gotta be good, no? Starting off with some usual Har Kau and Siew Mai, I chose some slightly different stuff as well. But breakfast at around 11am somehow limited my options greatly. Price to pay, for a late awakening?

The Pork/Fish/La La combination worked wonders, as the meat was fresh, devoid of unpleasant fishy taste, and packed with flavours. Steamed with simple broth, and with julienned carrots and chives added for taste, these babies looked AND tasted lovely.

Ol' Yellow Goodness ....

The egg tarts in KL are slightly different from Ipoh dimsum outlet's version, as the pastry is not of the flaky/crumbly type. But more to John King's cookies-type of pastry. Offers a nice bite nevertheless, and the egg custard encircled within was fragrant, creamy, and light.

The Downs ....

Chinese Pancake (Woh Peng) and the Yong Tau Foo with Thai chilli sauce did not score too well in our books, the former a tad oilier than desirable, while the latter was already cold when the plate was placed on our table. Everyone abhors cold tofu, right?

Perennial favourite, immortalized in a song ... "Char Shiao Pau"

Greasier than John Travolta's hair in Grease ... Dare to try me? =)

That "icing" on the "cake" made all the difference ...

The rest of the dimsum fare were all satisfactory, the HK Chee Cheong Fun was a delight to discover, such smooth rolls of rice noodles outside of Ipoh, with shrimps and char siew bursting from within, and topped it all with the incomparable sambal.

A dimsum experience comparable to Ipoh's. Did it touch my heart? YES, you can bet your bottom dollar Loong Seng did!

Location : Loong Seng Restaurant @ 50, Jln SS2/66, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

But Hong Kee on the other hand .... well, probably deserves another chance. The fried glutinous rice supposed to be good, right?