KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — It’s always a pleasure to discover an eatery like Zheng Kee Restaurant that takes the utmost pride in their food. Behind every bite, there’s a determination to excel and continuously improve.
Located in a humble zinc-roofed shack, this no-frills establishment is run by husband and wife team, Mok Wai Kin, 53, and Lim Yong Mooi, 49. They serve a simple repertoire of steamed rice with poached chicken, roast chicken, siew yoke, char siew and steamed soups.
What also makes them exceptional is the little touches in the presentation of their dishes that bear a close resemblance to that at high-end Chinese restaurants.
Originally a business that was started by Mok’s family, the 36-year-old eatery was once located at Jinjang Utara. They relocated here 
about 13 years ago when the rent increase forced them out of their original premises.
The family business started out with just coconut chicken soup. Later, Mok’s brother’s friend kindly taught the family how to make poached chicken and roasted meats which saw them expanding their business to include chicken rice.
Mok picked up his skills when he was working with his family. Most importantly, he has the talent for recreating dishes after tasting them just once. Nowadays, his brother also runs his own chicken rice stall at Bandar Sri Damansara.
The star of the show here is their siew yoke — shatteringly crunchy skin paired with succulent meat layered with fats. Order a large plate and you may mistake it as a dish from a top Chinese restaurant, as each piece of siew yoke is perfectly arranged in an even row.
The origin of this version of siew yoke is an interesting one. About 12 years ago, Mok was surprised when his friend from Butterworth visited KL to eat siew yoke at a famous Pudu place rather than his version. Curious to know why that particular siew yoke trumped his own, he started experimenting to produce a far superior version.
After a few tries, he was extremely happy with his siew yoke as it has more balanced meat and fat layers with a crispy skin. The secret behind his siew yoke, he explains, is he steams it first before the whole slab of pork is roasted using a fiery charcoal fire.
You will also notice that his siew yoke has a distinct savoury taste. This he attributes to careful massaging of five-spice powder into the meat to allow the flavours to deeply penetrate into the meat.
Mok also likes to try new things and improves his dishes continuously, like his poached chicken that is juicy with a firmer flesh and a smooth yellow skin. Unlike other places that tend to drizzle sesame oil and soy sauce all over the chicken, he prefers to lightly douse it with superior stock or siong tong with a dash of soy sauce.
He had tasted a similar dish in Guangzhou and believes the stock enhances the natural taste of the chicken and adds a silkier texture to the meat. The poached chicken uses chou kai, or free range chickens that are sourced from Ijok while the roast chicken uses the normal chicken.
Even his ginger sauce is a little different, as it’s green in colour! Again, the little touches he adds to his dishes show how important presentation is... he chops up spring onions to impart that striking green colour to his ginger sauce.
The char siew is also a superb version albeit the sauce that coats it is a little too sweet for me. On certain days, you can score the premium pork neck cut that is not too fat but melts in your mouth with its soft texture. Pair this with fat rice grains puffed up from steaming the grains with chicken broth. It’s a healthier alternative to the typical oil rice that is served at most stalls.
Accompany your meal with their coconut chicken soup which is a crowd favourite. Chicken pieces and an assortment of Chinese herbs like dong guai (angelica root), pak kei (Astragalus root), tong sum (codonopsis), kei chi (goji berries), yuk chuk (Solomon’s Seal), longan and black dates, are brewed within an old coconut.
Mok prefers to use the Malay chicken variant, as it’s smaller in size with less oil. There is also a secret to enjoying the soup, as explained by Mok. Just press down the chicken pieces and this releases the sweet tasting chicken jus within the meat thus enhancing the soup’s taste.
The soup has a comforting savoury taste with a deep umami flavour that makes you want to keep drinking it. Regulars also know how to ask for their premium aged soy sauce (lou chau) sprinkled with pepper. Add a drop or two of the mellow tasting soy sauce and it’ll add a deeper dimension to your soup.
If you fancy something different, there’s an assortment of 15 other soups to choose. This includes old favourites such as pig’s tail soup with peanuts, watercress soup and old cucumber. The steamer is kept going continuously to ensure that the soups are always kept hot.
You would think a roadside stall will have slapdash service but you will discover a lot of warmth in theirs. The incredibly personable Mok is always on hand to give helpful recommendations. You can often see him interacting with newcomers or even his regulars to ask their opinion about his food.
Zheng Kee Restaurant,
No. 19, Jalan 17/42, Taman Lawa (Taman Kok Doh), Off Jalan Kuching, Segambut, KL. Open: 10am to 4pm.
Closed one day in a month.
Tel: 012-3830621.
