SHAH ALAM, April 10 — “You like fastidious artisans, eh?”
My instinct was to loudly protest, “No!” and to bring up many substantiated examples of not liking particular eateries that my partner had designated so.
But it slowly drowned in the sinking realisation that, yes, I actually do. If I recall correctly, my words to her at the time were, “I see a certain romance to them.”
Which is why, on a recent weekday, with plenty of better things to do, I embarked on a 30-plus-minute trip to Setia Alam with a friend in search of one thing, and one thing alone: Taiwanese braised pork rice.
In all honesty, the dish — also known as lu rou fan — is easy enough to find in the greater Petaling Jaya/Kuala Lumpur area.
But I’d heard tales of this spot all the way out in Setia Alam, of all places, open for only a few hours a day and, on most days, selling out of a supposedly superlative rendition of the dish.
Typically, when I encounter this sort of mythos surrounding a place that’s hard to track down, sells out before closing, and only serves one dish, I’m expecting to stumble upon a hawker.
Instead, Loba.png — the name refers to the Taiwanese pronunciation of the dish, lo bah png — is a first-floor shop in Sunsuria Forum.
It’s barely a restaurant, but the space is carefully designed in a Japanese-inspired minimalist style.
The eight-seater counter is reminiscent of Japanese yatai stalls, with a small waiting area behind it lined with books on the titular dish.
Behind the pass is the owner, a young, bespectacled man who barely utters a word, let alone lifts his gaze from his main task: frying eggs à la minute for each portion of braised pork rice (RM13).
There’s no ordering process. You arrive, wait for a seat to open up, take it, and about a minute later, a bowl materialises in front of you.
It’s a thing of beauty: a deep brown layer of meat and sauce, comprised of roughly diced pork belly and tiny globs of fat that barely hold up on your spoon and melt instantly on your tongue.
At its centre, a perfectly jammy yolk from the fried egg shines through like the sun.
Beneath the meat are some simple blanched greens and a starchy variety of short-grain rice.
One mouthful and it became immediately apparent why people queue for it on a weekday, why the drive was worth it, and why the owner doesn’t say much.
Between the copious amount of shallots driving the sweet sauce, the soft but not uniform texture of the pork, and the sticky texture of the rice, the food speaks for itself. I promptly ordered a second bowl.
My partner’s right. I do have a soft spot for this sort of thing. I still see a certain romance in the very human endeavour of striving to perfect something — in this case, Taiwanese braised pork rice — and refusing to compromise in the name of business or profit margins.
Less romantic is the struggle in locating the shop. My advice: park near the Village Grocer entrance, take the travelator up, and look for the Maybank ATM beside it.
From there, take the lift next to the ATM or the stairs in the corridor between to the first floor, and follow the signs.
Loba.png
F-1-40, Sunsuria Forum,
Setia Alam,
Shah Alam, Selangor.
Open daily, 12-4pm, or sold out. Closed on Wednesdays.
Instagram: @loba.png
* 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 occasionally self-deprecating humour.
