Final installment of what we ate at Petaling Street 2024. Read more about Part 1 and Part 2.
Lunch
Restoran Nasi Ayam Kam Kee
We were supposed to check out by 1230pm, so went over to this chicken rice shop that's just nearby to the famous Michelin Bib one, which we also tried before some years back.
My sis says Kam Kee is not bad, so here we are to have a quick lunch before we head back to our hometown.
shop front
menu
The shop seems to be specializing in kampong chicken, but we didn't order that because my parents (and myself too!) are getting on with age, and we prefer not to work our jaws that much.
The lady boss is friendly with a sense of humor while the younger chap wears a more serious face and seldom interact with the customers except to accept payment when the meal is done.
We ordered roasted and steamed chicken drumsticks, one portion of charsiew and one portion of roasted pork. For vegetables, we chose the beansprouts. They have other things like curry mutton, beef soup (!) which are uncommon for a chicken rice shop, no?
Food was served a few minutes after we ordered.
food is here
chicken rice
The rice here is flavourful and not oily.
steamed chicken drumstick
roasted chicken drumstick
roasted pork
blanched beansprouts
char siew
We were pretty surprised by the texture of the chicken. We looked at one another and wondered why their normal chicken has similar chewy-ness as kampong chicken? Haha, not too tough but it wasn't exactly the 'normal' chicken that we were expecting.
The best sauce award goes to the char siew. But health-wise, you might want to stay away from all the charred bits (which came up to quite a bit). But I liked these charred bits...
The taugeh (beansprouts) looked nondescript but it was tasty! And juicy!
And, our meal was the most cost effective through-out our stay at Petaling Street as it came up to RM66 for all the food that we had and fed 5 adults comfortably.
Address: 42, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hence asked if I would like to join him and Tracy for lunch at Kelim Dakdoritang. I said "Ok" as I was curious on this dish loaded with mountain of minced garlic that I saw in instagram recently. Haven't tried any and didn't see much of it during previous travels to Seoul. Searched it up a bit and dakdoritang (닭도리탕) is essentially a spicy chicken stew.
shop front
menu
We did not make any reservations (and from what I read online, seems like walk-ins are encouraged). Reached the place at about 12.45pm and there was a queue. Put up your name so that you are in queue. Staff will periodically scan this list (usually after the earlier table had left) and call out to the party or phone them. From what we saw, the staff will usually call more than once.
We waited for more than half hour and then it was finally our turn. It might be a longer wait if the person in front of our queue had turned up.
Orders were quickly placed as we were hungry. Opted for the Dakdoritang (small) as there were only 3 of us, and added the Jumeokbap (DIY Flying Fish Roe Seaweed Roll) and the Grilled Semi Dried Squid.
Jumeokbap 주먹밥 @$9.90
mix it yourself (cr: Tracy's hand)
Jumeokbap is literally translated as 'fist-rice', so am guessing you need to make one as big as a fist? Hmmm, kid's size fist will do for me!
tasty rice ball
Next up, I was curious about semi-dried squid. It looked like a regular dried squid and thankfully, not tough. It was still chewy and the squid was flavourful.
Grilled Semi Dried Squid @$20.90
rice ball with grilled squid toppings
And then, our stew arrived. Small is a good size for 3-pax. And indeed, there was a mountain of minced garlic in the stew. We added the King Oyster mushroom with a top-up of $5.
Dakdoritang @$36.90
The stew itself came with potato chunks, chicken (fresh chicken is used) and rice cake (ttokpokki). The MVP were the chicken and the potato!
let it boil up
enjoy!
We requested for one level up of spice for our stew when we ordered and the spiciness was not too strong. It was just a hint only.
The broth tasted good and appetising, chicken parts tender (even for the breast meat) and potatoes were so good! The chicken itself was flavourful and overall, this dish was somewhat comforting.
yummy
And then when you're done with the meat, just indicate to the staff that you'd like to have the handmade noodles. The stew comes with complimentary noodles but if you would like more, then it is also $5 per topping.
kalguksu added
The noodles takes a while to cook so just let it boil and you'll notice when the texture becomes softer.
not yet
noodles is ready
Unlike ramen when we could undercook it a little, the handmade noodles tasted doughy if you eat it before it is fully cooked. Unless, you like this texture... hahaa!
And we are not done yet, there's one more portion of rice after you're done with the noodles. Staff will scoop up the excess stew and place them in a separate bowl and leave just enough liquid to do the fried rice in the same pot.
fried rice in-progress
mix it around
flatten it
done
let's eat!
Depending on the staff that did the table-side fried rice, the end outcome might be slightly different. For ours that day, the rice didn't achieve the desired slight crisp at its bottom but that's ok too. I enjoyed the meal, though the place tend to be crowded during weekends.
The meal fed all 3 of us sufficiently, and more. It was rather filling with the potatoes, noodles and rice and we also had jumeokbap, so double double of that rice. Expect to spend about $35 per pax without alcohol for a hearty meal.
Kelim Dakdoritang (계림닭도리탕)
Address: 14B Kensington Park Road Singapore 557265
Was doing a staycation nearby, so suggested to the Easties to try Yi Zun for lunch. It's about 12 to 15 minutes walk from the hotel. With weather soaring, it was nice to have a meal in an airconditioned place. The interior of the restaurant was lovely. It wasn't busy yet on a Saturday afternoon as people seemed to be congregating more towards cafes and the newly opened Banh Mi places.
interior
we were seated at the round table
nice decoration
Staff was super casual and friendly. He informed us that we could order via the QR code on the table or just call him over when we are ready.
First things first, we ordered a jug of the sour prune juice (酸梅汤) to quench our thirst.
Sour Prune Juice @$5++
refreshing!
We ordered appetisers, a bowl of signature beef noodles and some skewers to try. Staff informed that the skewers need longer time to prepare hence, it is better to order it early.
Pickled Cucumber 酱黄瓜 @$4.80++
Chilled Shredded Beancurd Skin 凉拌干张丝 @$3.80++
Chilled Pickled Black Fungus 凉拌木耳 @$3.80++
Spicy Beef Tripe 香辣凉拌牛肚 @$7.80++
My favourite appetisers would be the pickled cucumber and the spicy beef tripe. Both are so yums! Black fungus was good too but the cucumber was best.
Signature Beef Noodles 伊尊牛肉面 @$10.80++
thin lean beef slices
scissors to cut the noodles
We chose the thick noodles as the wide noodles either sold out or not available. It was a good choice. The beef broth was clear and flavourful. Mild and not overly seasoned. The noodles were QQ and lovely to eat. If you're used to fattier cuts of meat, then the slices here will be overly lean. However, it provides a good mild taste to the overall dish.
Can add some chili oil provided on the table, to elevate the flavours up a notch.
chili oil
I was impressed when the skewers were served to the table. Such big skewers! We ordered a variety of skewers; chicken, beef, mutton and lamb chop.
assorted skewers
The best skewer was the mutton skewer. Well grilled, juicy meat and adequate seasoning on the meat. Very good! Must order.
Mutton Skewer 红柳羊肉串 @$3.50++ (per skewer)
If you prefer something fattier, then go for the lamb chop.
Lamb Chop 羊排串 @$6++
Overall, the signature noodle was a comforting flavourful bowl if you prefer something soupy. The chilled appetisers were good too, especially the pickled stuffs. For skewers, my must eat would be the mutton skewer. So good.
Heard about this place from Hence and Tracy initially. Then, Ivan had supper with them there at one point in time and I've heard good things, so been wanting to try as well. The rest of the foodie gang was activated for a meet-up and thanks to Ivan for helping to make a reservation by phone.
exterior of the restaurant
interior
our private corner
The restaurant has been around for some time and the condition of the hardcopy menu seemed to have seen better days. That aside, the staff are friendly and helpful.
menu
BBQ section
As usual, the group ordered up a feast! BBQs of both beef and pork sets, and staff kindly offered to do the cooking at another table, as ours were too full with other things.
cold water
banchans (one set per table, refillable)
My favourite side dishes (반찬) are the kimchi and seaweed. The special one here would be the candied sliced sweet potato.
Candied sweet potato slice (고구마 맛탕)
kimchi (김치)
Kimchi was bright and not too fermented. Tangy and appetising. I liked the seaweed because it is nutritious and tasty. Texture was lovely too.
miyeok julgi (미역줄기)
fishcake (어묵볶음)
And, then there's macaroni salad which was loaded with good 'ol mayonnaise. What's the deal with mayo that seemed to make food tastier?
macaroni salad
Hite Beer @$13
Let's have a look at the BBQ sets ordered.
Beef Set A has prime ribs, prime short-ribs, marinated prime short-ribs and briskets. The Black Pig Set D has belly, jowl and collar.
Beef Set A @97
Black Pig Set D @$75
briskets
beef briskets
My favourite cuts of the meats would be prime short-ribs anything for the beef (means, I didn't like the brisket as much as the rest), and for the black pig, loved the pork collar the most!
Marinated versus unmarinated? Still preferred the marinated!
beef short-ribs
pork jowl
pork collar
rice 밥 @$2
For something soupy, there's the odeng tang (fish cake soup). I'll only have this when eating in a group but it is not something that I'd order on my own.
odeng tang 오뎅탕 @$30
Have you tried Ganjang Gejang or marinated soy crabs in Singapore? Guiga has it and we ordered one to try. Unfortunately, the version here was a tad tiny, and not as flavourful. Perhaps, it is the crabs used, hence the texture/flavour here was not comparable to the ones I had engraved in my memory. Read more about it here.
Ganjang Gejang 간장게장 @$45
Nevertheless, I would recommend the seafood pancake here. Delicious and the batter was soft and fluffy on its inside. Plus, loaded adequately with seafood such as prawns and squids. It was almost like eating a seafood omelette. Yums!
Seafood Pancake 해물파전 @$24
Ah, and there's yukhoe. While many will not think twice about having sashimi (raw fish), probably most will shy away from consuming raw meat. Yukhoe is made of raw sliced beef, and commonly served with sliced pear and topped with a raw egg yolk. Here's a link to Wiki on yukhoe.
Have tried yukhoe in Busan and Singapore, and I think it was the novelty of eating such food that was the main motivating factor. The meat itself would be void of any beefy taste, texture was interesting as it had a good chew to it and some sweetness from the pear slices.
Yukhoe 육회 @$36
The makchang order arrived last. Only people who likes internal organs would probably order. Hmm, the intestine itself was only slightly crisp on the outer side (because Tracy put in a request for extra crispiness) and texture was kind of chewy. Not the hard chewy but it'll still give the jaw some work-out. The accompanying julienned leek and onions provided all the flavours.
Makchang 막창 @$30
All in all, it was a flurry of dishes, a continuous stream of hands and camera taking photos, of us scooping up copious amounts of food and some attempts at conversation with the person next to you.
We spent about $62 per pax and all the foods fed the 8 of us. For me, the aftermath was the same effect as after a buffet.
My top picks here would be the Beef BBQ of all the boneless prime beef short-ribs and the seafood pancake.
It was good to gather with Elle, Kris, Alvin, Hence, Tracy, Ivan and Tiara.
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