KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — When I wrote about the Bandar Menjalara location of Lao Heong Seafood Restaurant a little over a month ago, my eyes perked up at a shop two doors away. 

Closed at night, it was easy to miss. Then I realised it was a restaurant, curiously shut while every other one in the area was open for dinner. 

Its sign read “Pey Feng Lo Bah Png.” Lo bah png is Hokkien for minced pork rice, the iconic Taiwanese dish better known to us as braised pork rice, or lu rou fan in Mandarin. 

And it just happens to be one of my absolute favourite things to eat.

Pey Feng has been in business since 2011, beginning as a food truck located next to Taman Tasik Menjalara, where it offered its signature braised pork rice, braised chicken, and other small dishes. 

It was parked across from Restoran Kai Wo Bao, a dim sum and bao spot about two blocks from their current location, which they moved into in 2022.

I visited on a quiet weekday mid-morning, when I was the only customer apart from a few others stopping by to tapau. 

Each spoonful of rice and pork is well balanced with salted vegetables. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Each spoonful of rice and pork is well balanced with salted vegetables. — Picture by Ethan Lau

The proprietress was quick to recommend the signature braised pork rice (RM9.50), served with salted vegetables and half a braised egg. 

But I had also noticed a sign out front for their braised chicken, and the sight of the glistening legs was too tempting, so I added a single portion (RM7) to my order. 

First off: the braised pork rice is really, really good. The mince leans on the leaner side, yet still delivers the rich, slightly oily mouthfeel you’d expect from lo bah png. 

Salted vegetables and a thick, tangy chilli sauce cut through the mild sweetness of the pork, which soaks into every grain of rice for deeply satisfying spoonfuls.

But the real surprise was the braised chicken, which is, in truth, soy sauce chicken. 

The braised chicken is actually soy sauce chicken, and it is the unsung hero here. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The braised chicken is actually soy sauce chicken, and it is the unsung hero here. — Picture by Ethan Lau

Pairing a classic Cantonese siu mei with Taiwanese braised pork rice might seem odd, but the chicken is terrific, so it hardly matters. 

For me, it’s even more impressive than the pork. The braising sauce has that familiar savoury-sweet profile, but the chicken’s smooth, supple texture is impeccable — like eating white-cut chicken, only braised in soy sauce. 

It’s no wonder that Pey Feng also offers poached chicken, which, like their braised pork and chicken, can be served either with rice or “dry” hor fun. Either way, this is a must-have.

For a shop so easy to miss at night, I find myself more than eager to return, if only for another plate of that braised chicken.

Look for the sign with red letters in front. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Look for the sign with red letters in front. — Picture by Ethan Lau

培豐魯肉飯 Pey Feng Lo Bah Png

14, Jalan 4/62a, 

Bandar Menjalara, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily, 7am–3.30pm. Closed on Tuesday.

Tel: 017-654 4833

Facebook: Pey Feng Lo Bah Png

Instagram: @ypf_food

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and self-deprecating attempts at humour.