Hit up PJ Kampung Cempaka Restoran Dan Pub Sin Hoy Kee for a small town vibe and peppery pork offal soup paired with yam rice

PETALING JAYA, June 15 — Eateries next to a market often have an added advantage because they have access to the freshest items. 

Pair it with good know-how and chances are you'll find one or two stalls skilled enough to whip up a good meal that will have you returning again and again. 

Tucked all the way at the back, this stall inside the busy Restoran Sin Hoy Kee offers piping hot bowls of Pork Offal Soup (RM8.50) laced with white pepper. 

The soup may look clear but as you drink it, the pepper works its magic to warm you up. 

With 10 years of experience, this stall owner perfectly balances the potent pepper as this version isn't the fiery type that chokes you up after one sip.

This corner coffee shop inside Kampung Cempaka is a popular hangout — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi

Instead, this version is mellow, humming away in the background. 

Consider having this bowl of soup for lunch rather than for breakfast, as the soup strengthens the longer it stays on the stove.

Inside the bowl is a treasure trove of thick cut pork belly, perfectly cooked to a softness that made it easy to eat. 

The offal is also well prepared without any unpleasant odors. 

Usually diners pair it with a bowl of white rice but yam rice is also offered. 

A bowl of Yam Rice here isn't loaded with yam pieces but each grain is infused with dried prawns — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

When it hit my table, I was puzzled, thinking they might have mixed up my order because it looked like plain brown rice. 

While the yam flavour is milder, the rice grains have a distinct aroma of dried prawns, making the dish easy to finish. 

The fun part comes next: this stall offers Hakka homestyle dishes, portioned for solo diners.

Find this stall right at the back of the coffee shop — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The first dish I selected was an all-time favourite: Braised Yam Pork Belly (RM15) or Wu Tau Kaw Yoke. 

Perhaps I was subconsciously compensating for the lack of yam in my rice, as each slice crumbled with just a prod of my chopsticks. 

This rendition of Braised Yam Pork Belly was good, featuring soft yam pieces sandwiched between thick, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

It was the perfect sidekick to the tender pork belly, which had a savoury, not-too-salty sauce. This was definitely one of those dishes where you want to scrape up all of that sauce, 

I decided to take away the Braised Pork Belly with Mustard Greens (RM15)  to eat back home and yes, this was good too. 

It is definitely worth seeking out again: it will be one of the dishes I secretly hide in the freezer for a quick, satisfying meal when I don't want to go out. 

Braised Pork Belly with Mustard Greens was well-cooked, featuring tender pork belly and mustard greens that weren't overly salty — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Vinegar Pork Trotters (RM11) is a classic dish and many renditions exist, each with its own preferred flavour. 

This version nailed the luscious pork trotter part. However, the sauce tends to be neither sharp nor sweet enough, settling at a mid-level, perhaps to please diners' taste buds.

Plenty of brown food, including Yam Rice, Braised Pork Belly with Mustard Greens and a decent Vinegar Pork Trotters — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Even though this place is in Petaling Jaya, I often find Kampung Cempaka has a slow village vibe that comforts me when city life gets too hectic. 

This particular stall's days off are not fixed but it will be closed on Sunday, June 21. 

Pork Offal Soup Stall 

Restoran dan Pub Sin Hoy Kee

497, Jalan PJU 1/1, 

Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya.

Open: 9am to 2pm or until food is finished. Days off are not fixed. 

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

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