When Gluttons Bumped Heads @ Hong Ngek Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur
April 1, 2010 | 1,308 views| 31 Comments » |
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Rarely do I venture out to the streets of Kuala Lumpur for my meals, especially with the sheer number of air-conditioned eateries in the malls promising convenience and comfort, paired with the myriad of international cuisines readily available almost everywhere. Moreover, KL’s streets and public transportation systems are NOT the most accessible options, in the first place.
All dishes and condiments (including Hong Ngek‘s signature ‘sambal’ on the lower right of the photo), halfway to being polished off in a flash. I tell you, when gluttons bumped heads, all hell broke loose. Literally.
And worse is, when you’re hunting for grubs in the most congested nightmare that is Petaling Street and its vicinity, you’re probably learning a smattering of new curse words you’ve probably never heard before. And putting them to good use. For the pesky “double-parkers” (me thinks this should be a term coined by Malaysians) lining up by the streets in a parade-like camaraderie will test your patience to no end. Not to mention the incessantly-blaring horns, buses and cabs bellowing smoke sufficient to paint the skies black, and far-from-courteous drivers with a penchant for dagger stares, and flipping fingers.
No, they rarely use the thumbs-up sign, in case you’re being optimistic.
Eat with family members and everyone digs instantly. “If not, it’ll get cold ma ….”
Eat with food bloggers, and everyone’s eating cold dishes. “Lighting, angle, composition ma …”
(Ciki snapping the fried ‘peh koh’, or sliced chewy glutinous rice cakes – Nian Gou)
Thanks to Monkey (of course not his real name lah …), this lunch was made possible on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Hong Ngek came to my attention when I was reading EatingAsia’s brilliant post on Top Ten Eats in KL, then reading Monkey’s comical intepretation a short while later. I am a sucker for all these charmingly nostalgic kopitiams since the colonial days, preserved miraculously until this very moment. Yut Kee on Jalan Dang Wangi comes to mind, if I am to ever compare Hong Ngek to another similar eatery. But the former champions their Hainanese cuisine, while Hong Ngek is essentially a Hokkien food Hing Hwa cuisine (subgroup of the Hokkien clan?) specialist. (Thanks to Tham for the clarification)
Yin Yang Pomfret – Much like Harvey Two-Face, the fish was steamed on one side, and the other half filleted then stir-fried with a thick, dark black pepper-based sauce.
All the ordering was left to Monkey, and dishes started appearing on the table almost instantaneously after we took our seats. Kenny was there early with the Devil himself, and so was Nigel; hands-down the loudest of the lot. Ciki whipped out her trustworthy RED Sony Cybershot and …. well, you know the deal when floggers meet. 
Sweet and Sour Pork – Staying true to its roots, as good Gu Lou Yuk should be; Crunchy on the outside with a lightly coated batter that’s not too thick, and a gravy that’s proportionately-flavoured – Not too sweet, sour or spicy.
The dishes at Hong Ngek screamed HOME-COOKED, for you can throw caution to the wind and order away (from the many laminated pieces of printed photos of the dishes pasted on the tiled walls, or pointing to the plateful of delights ordered by your neighbouring tables), and yet came out mighty contented with the food. Decades of legacy strengthen my stand on this. The restaurant does not occupy the most strategic of location, and could easily be written off as another generic coffee shop, but yet the steady stream of customers come lunch hours renders the place significant amongst the rapid development/commercialization (or degeneration, depending on how you look at it) of the area.
Fried Glass Noodles (Tang Hoon) – Definitely too small of a portion to be shared. One of the better fried noodles in town, without the needs for unnecessary oil, lard or extravagant ingredients (crabmeat in Char Koay Teow, anyone?)
Guinness Pork Ribs – Not the most memorable, yet should be a hit. And what better way to introduce your kids to alcohol than these sweet, glistening pieces of tender, boneless meat?
Beancurd, Beancurd Sheets (Foo Chuk or was it Tau Kan?) and Yue Wat (Fish Paste) – This could have easily passed off as another one of those generic vegetarian dishes, saved for the pieces of “yue wat”
Or Chien (Oyster Omelette) – Merely passable, for the soggy/bland omelette did not do justice to the plump oysters used in the mix. And the salty chili sauce did not help either.
Mostly hits, some misses; the meal at Hong Ngek tied bonds, satiated hunger pangs, and brought me relief in knowing that these establishment still exist in the heart of the city that has been already choked with development. Maybe, just maybe, we all should let our hair down someday, walk away from the chic eateries/cafes/bistros we have all been pampered with, and seek solace in dining in such timeless restaurants.
After all, you will never know when Hong Ngek will turn into another Old Town White Coffee or Hon Kee Porridge, and goes all fancy-whimsy/ too commercialized for its own good.
Address & Contact Number :
HONG NGEK RESTAURANT (in Chinese, it’s pronounced as Foong Yut)
50, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee,
50000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Telephone No : 603-2078 7852
Business hours: 10:30am – 7:00pm from Mondays til Fridays. 10:30am – 5:00 pm on Saturdays.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays. (information from A Lil’ Fat Monkey)
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Hong Ngek for easy reference.
For the other takes on Hong Ngek : Eating Asia, eatinout, foodbin, Babe in the City
no need to blog oredi la.. hehe.. great post.. you are so funny j2kfm. great descriptions on the food, the ambiance as WELL as the people!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 am
Aiya, slightly late only okay? I need to catch my breath ma …..
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The sweet & sour pork looks very old school. I like!
When am I going to meet you in person??!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:06 am
Hi Babe, soon enough, soon enough …. but your schedule’s perpetually packed right? Hehe.
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Bangsar-bAbE Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Can still make time for good food ma!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Oh okay okay ….. no problem! I wanna see how you walloped the RIBS!
Something wrong with my comments… tried to post twice but failed…
anyway, I like old school stuff but one thing for sure is that I have to get familiar with Jalan Tun H.S.Lee… total chaos downtown KL
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all made in an old traditional way. paiseh. kl-lang, din know there is the existence of this good place
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Yummmzzzz I thought the food was good. If you’re looking for decent, good, better-than-home-cooked-and-couldn’t-be-arsed-to-cook food, this is the place
Also, being loudest of the lot, isn’t tough laaaa. Everyone else is so softspoken by comparison.
And I PROJECT. I like the writeup. Good fun that day and good to meet you
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:57 am
Hahaha, yeah yeah, though it was really nice meeting you guys lah. Let’s do lunch again sometime.
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ok.. i din know about this place.
thanks for the info! will dig out for it
Gu Lou Yuk is one of my fave.!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 am
Me too, Gu Lou Yuk is also my personal favourite since childhood. Can’t go wrong.
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food looks good.. cheers for sharing
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Oh man I always try to avoid that road and any other roads within that vicinity if possible. The parking is a b*tch, not to mention the myriad of sounds and smells (smoke, not food) that attack your nose buds. THAT aside, this looks like a shop from a vintage kampung or town, very home-cooked!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Yeah, Sek Yuen in Pudu also came to mind when we’re discussing Hong Ngek, and Yut Kee. You can find this type of restaurants almost everywhere in Penang though, right?
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LOL at
“Eat with family members and everyone digs instantly. “If not, it’ll get cold ma ….”
Eat with food bloggers, and everyone’s eating cold dishes. “Lighting, angle, composition ma …”
wahahha…luckily 50% of the time I eat with my gf, and she is caring enough to let me take pictar.
and the fish certainly looks nice, and when are you comming to northern area?
we shall met up with some other penang floggers too who i never met b4 beside criz :p
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Oh, Penang ah? Paiseh, I actually have only met a few Penang floggers myself. Found myself repeatedly in KL for work more than holidays though, really.
Okay, the next round in Penang, or Kedah, you’re in for some tour guide’s duty, alright?
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samlee860407 Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
haha, i also met with 1 nia also till now LOL
but soon maybe will be more la
if come penang, better cari other flogger kai siao, me still following them nia, but if at sungai petani, then can la. So you no need go eat shit food at Cinta Sayang hotel again
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aisay din order the crabmeat balls? and how come never ask me along
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
All orders left to the Monkey! Hehehe, erm on the second question, I was actually in KL for a short weekend seminar, hence the lunch was a simple fare. No biggie, really.
We can always do another meet up… maybe Sek Yuen this time?
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??Hong Ngek is a Hing Hwa restaurant that had been there for as long as I can remember (more than 50 years old). They have very good fried mee sua. Great place to eat but parking is a headache. Better to go in LRT and walk from Mesjid Jamek station.
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Thanks Tham. First time hearing about the Hing Hwa clan, and asked my mother about it. They’re a branch of the Hokkien clan, right?
Parking is a terrible, terrible headache really. Yeah, I’d take the LRT option if I’m ever going again.
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wow! congrats! i read both thestar.com.my and rasamalaysia webbies. read the latter but how to read the article of yours on thestar webbie ar?
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adel Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:17 pm
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/3/sundaymetro/3800170&sec=sundaymetro
found it!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Hi adel, that was a rather old article, when I was still blogging from my other blog. Thanks for the reminder, anyway.
The article’s on Menglembu’s famous Chee Cheong Fun served with a variety of curried dishes, manned by a pair of twins.
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It’s not often that we get to dine with a northern superstar like yourself. The honour was all mine. Glad you liked the food *phew*
Let’s go do a few more different places next time ur in town. Sek Yuen perhaps?
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Northern SUPERSTAR?!!! Hahahahaha .. that made me choked.
Sek Yuen it is !!!! I’m awaiting the chance.
Or Pudu Wai Sek Kai, IF …. everyone’s up for it.
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samlee860407 Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
wooo sek yuan is nice!!!!
just went there last weekend, pity just 2 of us, and i only can order the pei pa duck and fish….but still its good
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Last weekend? Wah, you’re everywhere la! Hahaha, drag me along! i can wallop another dish or two.
Can do a Pudu crawl
after Sek Yuen cross over to Wai Sek Kai!!!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Yeah, true also. Since they’re within reach. But then again, after Sek Yuen I doubt I can down another piece of fried chicken. Or a bowl of Hakka Mee/CCF.
Maybe the tong sui would do?
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