Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Hakka Rang Restaurant @ Kota Damansara – A Hakka feast for 3 consisting of 4 dishes and 1 soup for RM35.80/USD12

It’s no big secret that we Malaysians love to eat. That being said, there will be times when we tend to get complacent and stick to the same old cuisines day in, day out. Especially when one does not have the luxury of choice during work days, barely squeezing through with an hour of lunch amidst the rush.

Routinely, we would rather walk to wherever these battered feet can take us to, and whack a bowl of noodles or a plate of rice and be done with it.

Balanced diet? When one’s a lifelong participant of the rat race in KL? Dream on.

Thus, on weekends or off-days, I’d usually set aside time for a leisure lunch (or brunch, depending on how I can manage to drag this lifeless carcass our of bed on Sundays ….) lasting anywhere between 1 to 3 hours. Or I settle for simpler, Chinese dishes with rice where there’s a dish of meat, another plate of greens, one beancurd or egg, and preferably a heart-warming bowl of soup.

Just to reminisce about home cooked food.

Yam Abacus Seeds (RM10.80/USD3.60)

It was by chance that we were brought here for lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Hakka Rang Restaurant (actually Hakka LANG’s more like it; referring to the Hakka people) has been operating for a good half a decade or so now, and also been featured on 8TV’s Ho Chak! once.

The three of us opted for a 3 Pax Set that came with 4 dishes and 1 soup, and rice included. We picked the Hakka Char Yoke; batter-coated deep fried pork marinated in fermented bean sauce that will be a surefire hit with the kids. A bit dry, but since the other dishes were well … erm, lubricated (hehe), this was not a spanner in the works.

The stir-fried Sweet Potato Leaves and Steamed Beancurd in soy sauce and garnished with chopped scallions and crunchy “Choy Pou” (preserved salted radish) were passable affairs, though the former was a bit fibrous and could have been better.

The last one was an egg omelette with chopped French beans; simple but worked. A bit too much oil though.

We ordered another unmistakably Hakka dish; the Yam Abacus Seeds stir-fried with chopped garlic, beancurd cubes, scallions and even crushed peanuts. If I remember correctly, there were bits of egg and ginger in there as well. Relatively bland and less oily compared to the others (usually redolent with tastes of dried shrimps and intense smoky aroma from the heated wok), Hakka Rang’s version may take some time to warm up to.

In its defense, the chewy bits of abacus seeds were not too shabby, though as SC put it; could have been more QQ though. And more yam, less flour.

The lunch came to RM56/USD19 for 3 pax, and we ordered a serving of Gui Ling Gao (Herbal Tortoise Jelly; without any actual tortoise meat in it … no worries) to be shared. A little pricey given the small portions of the food served but this is in the midst of a business area; hence still considered reasonable.

So, where’s your pick for a good Hakka restaurant in Klang Valley?

HAKKA RANG RESTAURANT (non-Halal)
13-1, Jalan PJU 5/18,
Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara,
47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel No : 03-6156 9701
Business Hours : Tues-Sat : 12-3pm, 6-10pm, Sun : 5.30pm – 10pm.
Closed on Mondays.