SUBANG JAYA, May 6 — When it comes to your local neighbourhood coffee shop, it always pays to have a familiar face who eats there almost every week to guide you on where you should place your bets.

Away from the commercial Taipan area, these two rows of shophouses were once a desert for eateries but that has changed now, with loads of places where you can choose to sit down for a meal.

Opened since last year, Restoran Yum Cha has an impressive line-up of goodies, including kolo mee, pan mee, wantan mee, char kway teow, curry mee, chicken rice and even Chinese zhajiangmian and dumplings.

With its corner lot, the coffee shop offers an airy environment for dine-in customers. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

My friend picked two evergreen family favourites: tom yum fish head noodles and Thai braised pork leg noodles.

The fish head noodle stall offers the usual repertoire, ranging from fresh fish slices, deep fried fish and fish paste.

Customise your bowl with various broths: plain, milky, rice wine infused or the refreshing Thai tom yum.

The Tomyum Milky Fried Fish Noodles (RM15) beats all the others with its mouth watering spiciness and tanginess, making it incredibly drinkable to the last drop.

This stall uses mangrove snapper, which has moist flesh that flakes easily, in its fish head noodle. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

While the plain and milky broths are decent, even when accentuated with a liberal dose of rice wine from the plastic bottle, they lack the natural sweetness I crave in a fish head noodle bowl.

Their fish is exceptional because they take the trouble to source the freshest ingredients all the way from Klang.

Usually it’s mangrove snapper (kakap) or siakap, but occasionally it could be just the fresh catch of the day.

The mangrove snapper I tried had what I love in a good fish: smooth, moist flesh and thin skin.

Just for that, I would travel all the way here to savour the exceptional texture.

Each bowl is cooked only upon order with your choice of broth. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Even when fried, their fish retains a flaky texture that pairs well with the funky tom yum broth.

Complete your Thai adventure at the Yaowarat Khao Kha Moo stall, which sells braised pork leg with rice or noodles (RM13) plus kway chap with offal.

This stall is said to be a casual offshoot of the Royal Siam restaurant located in USJ9.

Inside the bowl, find a Thai braised pork leg with hard boiled eggs and Thai rice noodles. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The usual pairing for this Thai favourite is rice, but try it with Thai noodles, where the rice flour strands have a slightly chewier texture.

Mix the chilli sauces on the side into your broth for an appetising tangy, spicy touch that gets your tastebuds salivating,

The braised pork hock has a soft, tender texture from long hours of cooking in a broth infused with herbs and spices.

'Char kway teow' is a popular order here and it’s moist with softer strands. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Many have talked about this place’s char kway teow too so I had to sample it for myself.

This version appeals to those who like their noodles soft just on the brink of turning mushy, resulting in a moister bite rather than one packed with wok hei.

Leave some room for dessert at Amachi’s Palagaram which is now located a few doors away from the coffeeshop where a crispy brown appam with jaggery and fragrant masala tea is the perfect after-meal chaser.

Tables and chairs are arranged in rows in this corner coffee shop. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Note that the fish head noodle and Khao Kha Moo stall is open for breakfast and lunch, while the restaurant continues till night time with a siu chow stall.

Restoran Yum Cha

2, Jalan USJ11/3J,

USJ11, Subang Jaya.

Tel: 011-35059827

Open: 6.30am to 10pm. Days off are not fixed.

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

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

PETALING JAYA, May 4 — Nasi lemak is definitely the breakfast of champions in every corner of Malaysia. 

The dish is a humble one, usually cooked at home or even offered in makeshift stalls in front of a house where a makcik or pakcik showcases their best dishes to earn some pocket money. 

It’s grown into a huge business over the years, evidenced by famous places opening all over the country and commanding long queues. 

With so much focus on the flashier places especially in the crowded social media space, small neighbourhood stalls that provide locals with their morning sustenance often don’t get the spotlight. 

A classic pairing of Nasi Lemak with Daging Rendang. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Nasi Lemak Pak Din is one of those places with 40 years of history, quietly offering its homecooked fare to residents near the flats around Jalan 17/1A, where he also resides. 

The rice is soft with a lighter santan touch, probably to cater to a diverse crowd, especially Chinese patrons who tend to avoid anything too rich for health reasons. 

Those fluffy grains are just the backdrop for the sambal, which is made by grinding dried chillies, shallots and sugar to create a version that isn’t overly chili-intense, featuring slight sweetness and a tinge of tanginess, 

For a change from rice, try the Fried Beehoon with Ayam Sambal. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

A concise menu of side dishes laid out in trays will tempt you to add more to your breakfast. 

The Ayam Rendang is different, resembling a curry with less intensity, yet one keeps eating it as the smooth, silky meat entices with the coconut rich gravy. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the Daging Rendang has more concentrated flavours from the kerisik but the meat pulls away with some resistance—a sign that it requires more time in the pot. 

End your meal with a sweet treat with ‘kuih dadar’ and ‘the tarik’. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Paru or cow’s lungs is one of those dishes that sounds scary but I’ve always liked it especially with nasi lemak. 

This version is the rarer spongy type paired with pounded chilies and delightful small bites of fluffy potatoes. 

The nasi lemak is priced according to the type of protein selected; where a choice of chicken or beef is RM8. 

For the paru dish, it’s RM7 with the nasi lemak. 

As early as 8am, expect a short queue to get your breakfast. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Like all breakfast spots, there’s an assortment of fried noodles for those seeking a change from rice. 

Their fried beehoon (RM8 with chicken) is well-prepared, featuring a savoury flavour and perfectly cooked strands that pair well with the sambal. 

I added a Sambal Chicken, which is essentially a piece of fried chicken doused with a sambal sauce that’s not too spicy. 

Supplementing your meal is an assortment of kuih for a sweet treat – which we appreciated – in the form of kuih dadar or pandan flavoured pancakes filled with grated coconut mixed with gula Melaka syrup. 

This small food court is very ‘muhibbah’ with stalls offering Chinese, Indian and Malay food. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Nasi Lemak Pak Din

Stall 2, Gerai Makan 17/1A, 

Jalan 17/1, 

Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Open: 7am to 11.30am. Closed on Friday

Tel: 011-60931914/013-6155877

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

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.