KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — For a long time, I had seen Time2TongSui advertise their tong sui on the Facebook groups I follow. What attracted me were the gorgeous photos of their various tong sui and the rave reviews everyone gave.
But before I could order, they switched their business model. Previously a home-based business in Subang Jaya, they have now reopened as a cafe based at Crown Regency Serviced Suites, which is located near Suria KLCC.
You also can grab a variety of simple cooked dishes such as fried rice, noodles and so forth. As they cater for the office crowd, the food is designed for a quick meal.
All of their menu items of fried noodles, fried rice and the single portion of cooked dishes with rice are priced at RM9. It's only the petai fried rice that is RM10.
Select from the likes of Cantonese fried noodles, moonlight fried kuey teow and Singapore beehoon. You will be spoiled for choice with their fried rice. There's the classic yong zhou, tom yam, sambal and pineapple fried rice.
I tried their petai fried rice and it was incredibly satisfying with stink beans, prawns and sliced fish cake. The portion was so huge that I reckon it would be enough for two small eaters. It's not too spicy, making it ideal for those who can't eat super fiery tasting food.
If you want rice dishes, there's lots to choose from. First, you select the protein such as chicken, beef, prawn, squid or fish. Then just pick a style whether it's kam heong, lemon sauce, sweet and sour or spring onion and ginger. There's also Thai prak kaw pao style.
I sampled their buttermilk chicken with rice (RM9) that was served with chunks of battered fried chicken with a creamy sauce.
While it would have been better eaten at the cafe since the battered chicken was a little soft after some time, I still enjoyed the chunks of chicken lightly coated with the creamy sauce.
Their tong sui is completely worth a trip here. They taste just like how you would have made it at home... thick consistency with a well-balanced sweetness and most importantly, a generous hand is used for their quality ingredients.
This makes their tong sui a class above that sold at the other places in the Klang Valley and I would rank them my all-time favourite place now when I crave for some tong sui.
The menu consists of about six types of tong sui. Every week, there's a special tong sui so check their social media to see what they will be serving.
It's nice to see them add twists to their tong sui to make it their own. For instance, the classic red bean soup (RM6) has chunks of orange sweet potato and plump dried longan. What I liked was how the red beans weren't mushy in texture and retained their whole round shapes. Just add a drizzle of salted santan to give it a touch of creaminess.
When I want a more refreshing dessert, I like cheng teng (RM8). It's also what I like to call a bowl of goodness since it's loaded with yummy ingredients. In this case, you can find apricot kernels, snow fungus, red dates and dried longans. I also liked how their version uses golden pears that add a nice natural sweetness to the clear broth.
High on my list of must order here is their mak chuk (RM6). Also known as bubur gandum, this tong sui isn't my must pick when I visit any tong sui stall but I will make an exception for their excellent rendition.
Traditionally this soft, creamy wheat pearl dessert is cooked with santan and sugar. Time2TongSui makes this an ultimate dessert by drizzling gula Melaka syrup to give it a lovely fragrance and a more balanced sweetness.
As this tong sui has a lovely thick consistency, it gets even better the next day. Just leave it to chill overnight and eat it straight from the refrigerator... it will taste like divine custard.
For those who love pulut hitam (RM6), this version is just the right consistency to make and served with their salted santan. They use Thai glutinous rice that gives it a slight bite. You will also find hidden treasures such as dried longan with each spoonful.
If you want to cool down, try their barley fuchuk and ginkgo (RM6). This isn't like the watered down versions you usually get but it's got a nice bite with the just cooked barley pearls and the fuchuk. They offer this served hot or cold. Opt for cold, if you need a heat buster.
Should you be undecided about which tong sui to order, you can also mix the tong sui orders. You just need to add an extra RM1. Since I had ordered all their tong sui, I actually kept them for a few days to space out relishing them so they do keep quite well. Just start with the creamier ones with santan and end with those with clear broths.
Every week, there's a different special tong sui. This week, it's leng chee kang. Last week, it was the perfect heat buster with their snow bird's nest wintermelon luo han guo for RM8. I'm not usually a fan of luo han guo as it's an acquired taste but this was refreshing especially when eaten chilled.
Apparently they did nasi lemak for the first week they opened and that was very popular. However that is not available now so hopefully they bring that back. They do take bulk orders for the nasi lemak though with at least 48 hours' notice.
Time2TongSui, Third Floor, Crown Regency Serviced Suites, 12, Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 11am to 4pm (Monday to Friday). Closed on Saturday and Sunday. Tel: +6016-6252390. Facebook: @Time2TongSui Instagram: @time2tongsui
