KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 – If your idea of a good char siew is tender succulent meat with less fat, you will enjoy Restoran Char Siew Yoong’s version.
Just open for seven months along Jalan Pudu Ulu, the restaurant is pulling in the crowds with its BBQ pork, crispy roast pork or siu yoke, and braised pork trotters.
The restaurant’s owner, Yoong Ah Yun, ventured into the F&B business about seven years ago, with his stall in a shack along Jalan Peel. Patrons nicknamed the unnamed stall, “Kar Kar Lai”, based on an old sign that the previous tenant had left there.
He moved to the present premises because massive re-development of the area for the MRT project threatened his previous location.
Originally Yoong worked as an electrician, first in Singapore and then Kuala Lumpur. He picked up his cooking skills when he part-owned a chicken rice stall with friends.
Despite paying for a char siew recipe from another hawker, he discovered not all the secrets were revealed to him. Instead, he tweaked the recipe through testing various recipes from cookbooks.
Initially, he planned to open a wantan mee stall, but decided to settle on a chicken and BBQ meat rice stall instead since making the noodles was a back breaking job.
Unlike other places, the char siew here is lightly charred but maintains a succulent bite with a nice ratio of meat to fats. Yoong uses the pork belly
cut for a juicier taste.
He also chops the char siew according to the diner’s request. Patrons also favour his braised chicken feet with its tender bite and slightly gelatinous texture.
For large groups, they like to order the braised pork trotters. Other favourites include the crunchy siu yoke or roast pork, steamed tilapia with assam sauce and their old cucumber or white radish soups.
Yoong who is Hakka has also introduced a new dish: the classic Hakka dish of yam with pork belly.
Restoran Char Siew Yoong, No. 23, Jalan Pudu Ulu, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 012-2137163 Open: 10am to 5pm. Closed on Thursdays.
This story was first published in Crave in the print edition of The Malay Mail on December 13, 2013
