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Motormouth From Ipoh

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Yut Kee @ Jln Dang Wangi - 80 Years and Counting ...

80 Years of Legacy ... that has gotta account for something, right?


Yut Kee (YK, for short) - Possibly one of the most raved/blogged about Chinese cafe/restaurant in KL
Google Yut Kee ... or add another term, Roti Babi, and you may find so many links your head'll spin. A hotspot for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and tea time, the restaurant' may occupies ONLY one corner shoplot on Jln Dang Wangi, a short distance from Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman and SOGO shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Hainanese Tea (RM1.70) and Coffee (RM1.30)
Being another Hainanese outlet, the shop's manned by Jack Lee (no, not JET ... though the phonetic resemblance's uncanny) the son of the original proprietor of YK's.
And branded a Hainanese myself, I've always taken pride in my ancestors' talent and fame in the F&B segment, particularly the Pork Chop, the chicken rice, the milk tea and coffee .... everything Hainanese.

Having breakfast here on a Sunday morning = Patience-in-Testing, yet a Jolly Good Time
The crowd was intimidating at first glance, rendering 1st timers (like me) shaking in our boots while driving by. But after parking the car haphazardly along 'bahu jalan' (it was a Sunday, after all, thus we're KINGS), we marched to the entrance of YK's, and the lady boss signalled for us to move in instantly. She's the usherer, of sorts. Pairing strangers on the same table utilizing simple Maths, and in return the patrons make friends (not war) while yakking over a good ol' cuppa Hainanese coffee.
Btw, the coffee's aromatic, strong enough for the morning, and smooth. The same can't be said about the milk tea though.
Lum Mee @ RM6.50
Serving noodles, Western fare, toasts and such, and some other light snacks, the pricing in Yut Kee may be an eye-opener of sorts. A tad higher than your average kopitiam (NOT the commercialized, pricier option), but of course, let's not compare an apple to an orange. Erm, wrong philosophy here?
Their Lum Mee's gaining fans all over, and it's easy to see why. Thick yellow noodles (or Tai Lok Meen in Cantonese) served in a rather light and simple sauce. My impression of Lum Mee has perpetuated around thick noodles cooked in very dark and un-savoury looking gravy.
With prawns, crabmeat and eggs thrown in, garnished with fried shallots and red chillies, the price may be justified by the portion, as where else can you get a Lum Mee with crabmeat?! But tastewise, I'm not brain-washed to be a fan, YET. And the sambal belacan with lime is a perfect companion to spice up the otherwise rather bland plate of noodles.
Roti Babi @ RM7.50
But this, my friend .... is a MUST-TRY on my list! Roti Babi (aka Fried Pork Bun?) is one of their most popular/ordered item, alongside the pork and chicken chops. Though shockingly doubling the price of Roti Babi in Penang, the portion and fillings you get is different on an entirely different level.
The bread is deep-fried with eggs, much akin to French toast, and filled with lots of shredded pork meat, Chinese wax sausages, crabmeat (again making another appearance ... reminding me of M.Night Shyamalan in the movies he directed. Popping up un-necessarily) and sweet, caramelized onions.
Generously sprinkle some Lea & Perrins' Worchestershire sauce, and savour the delicious combination of flavour, punctuated by the slightly sour, sweet and saltish sauce. Definitely one for the pork-lovers, and a rather heavy breakfast for one. :)

Homemade Kaya Roll (RM0.80/pc)

Throughout our chomping-cum-oogling session at Yut Kee, we bore witness to the churning out of many Kaya rolls and butter cakes, an indication of how popular their confectioneries are. People from all over were buying them back in bulk, and I was curious on how good their cakes really are.

Feeling rather full from the SECOND breakfast of the day, (this was right after the Sarawak Laksa session) the cake was a less-than-feasible option. Hence I went for the kaya roll, a much-beloved dessert/snack of mine.

The fragrance, sweetness and richness of the kaya was spot-on. Sandwiched between layers of 'Kai Dan Kou' (egg cake), the slice was delightful, and perfect as a snack for tea break. One full roll for RM8.

The overall experience proved to be a positive one; the service was prompt and the staff were friendly and helpful. Eating at Yut Kee brought back a sense of nostalgia, as if we travelled back in time and ate amongst the ancestral citizens in a quaint, little coffee shop.

Location : YUT KEE @ 35, Jalan Dang Wangi, 50100 Kuala Lumpur. Tel No : 603-2698 8108. Opens everyday except Monday, from 8.00 am til 5.00 pm.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uncle, you blog so frequently, when you find time to eat ar? :-P I CANNOT KEEP UP WITH YOUR SPEED!!!

worldwindows said...

Another must go and have yet to go for a long while! I enjoyed the nice pics.

Anonymous said...

i like their chicken chop as well..my dad brought us there..this place was his generation legend

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

damn long nvr go to this place since i moved office..and the wkends are crazily packed to the brim..so fingers crossed when i can go back and eat some roti babi..hmmm

Ciki said...

remind me never to read your blog 1st thing in the mornings.. making me wanna go look for a second bfast.. arrrgh.... nice photos (almost TOO nice)...

Anonymous said...

Yalah, you blog so fast, so frequent... but good for me too, got something to read in the morning.

HairyBerry said...

i am soooo ashamed of myself. lived in this city for almost 20 over odd years and never once had i stepped into this babilicious place! argghhh!!!!

you da bomb, dude! ;)

Bangsar-bAbE said...

The picture of the roti babi looks so tempting! I love coming here for their pork chop and kaya roll. They do a kick-ass belacan fried rice too.

Little Inbox said...

The Lam Mee is the dried version?

JC @ Jessey said...

The coffee looks so "Old Taste" coffee, I love coffee..

Anonymous said...

The Kai Dan Kou is a must have from the coffee shop...can last for a few days in the fridge and taste good eating the cold kaya.

Anonymous said...

Where's the Hainanese pork chop and chicken chop photos? I missed finding a great shop selling these in Penang. Any intro? :P

http://crizfood.com/

Anonymous said...

james... slightly off topic i know but the name Yut Kee reminded me of Yung Kee in HK (you know the Roast goose place which you missed because you went too early). Anyways, Michelin just released the HK/Macau 2009 guide on Tuesday and Yung Kee was awarded One Michelin star... you were so close to having eaten in a Michelin Starred restaurant. ;)

p/s A full post of my thoughts on the Michelin stars in HK will be put up on my blog tomorrow.

gen

minchow said...

NICE! I like packing on the breakfasts too, but all this AFTER Sarawak Laksa?! The roti babi looks simply magnificent! This place is probably in all the KL travel guidebooks too.

Selba said...

Whoaaa.. 80 years! and still existing? Must be really good!!!

Anonymous said...

yup, agree that the roti babi is a must try! the only reason i head to YK to jostle with the crowds.

Anonymous said...

That kaya roll looks so nice with the "kau" kopi...certainly a nostalgic one

Anonymous said...

That kaya roll looks so nice with the "kau" kopi...certainly a nostalgic one

Food Paradise said...

You have been tagged by me, please visit my blog for details. lol

choi yen said...

Izzit this place just opposite Wilayah Complex?

J2Kfm said...

Lyrical Lemongrass and Jason : thats why i took a breather here. happy? =P

worldwindows : thanks. the place oozes charm on her own.

Simple girl : the chicken chop got mixed reactions from all quarters. thus I din go for that. but the roasted potatoes on the side looked kinda tempting.

Joe : go on weekend. and share a table with some strangers. :)

cumi and ciki : ahaha.. then read at night. so can supper and fatten that tummy.

Nic : geez... I bombed quite a lot after a heavy meal, for sure. whoops, thats not what u meant?

Bangsar babe : oh fried rice too? ok, will take note.

Little Inbox : not really dry nor wet. more like Mee Jawa type of gravy, but a lot clearer.

JC : yup, thick enough, yet without the bitterness.

ck lam : i shouldve tapau a roll or two. regretted. hmmm !!!

Criz Lai : oh, there's one hainanese pork chop on jln burma. Hai Onn or something.

genuiness : thanks, genuiness. read your post on Yung Kee. quite touched, considering Michelin awarded a star not only to a Chinese restaurant, but to one with no bells and whistles of a fine dining outlet.
good write up. I'll be sure NOT to miss Yung Kee the next visit.

550ml jar of faith : yeah, the laksa not that heavy lah .... ok ok only. plus i walked it off at Bangsar Village. =P

selba : yeah, the history runs deep. ask the locales, they'll know.

jasmine : it's entirely different from the ones i had in Pg.

Jencooks : yup, come try if got time. they open from morn til evening.

Food Paradise : oh, thanks!!!! sorry i'm late. will read that soon, promise.

mimid3vils : dunno where the complex is, sorry. me no KL-ites. but on Jln Dang Wangi, off Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It's the road where SOGO's at.

Anonymous said...

guffaw: again making another appearance ... reminding me of M.Night Shyamalan in the movies he directed. Popping up un-necessarily

are u not a fan of crabs and night shyamalan?

dang, i havent been here in awhile. time to revisit. did u notice the boy at the counter looks like a reincarnation of the b&w portrait of presumably his grandfather?

J2Kfm said...

well, I watched ALMOST all of Night's movies. even Signs and The Happening. Except the badly reviewed Lady in Water.

yeahloh! so much alike the grandpa. uncanny, yet eerie hor?

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