Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Hong Bak. Or at least that was what I remembered from our meal way back in the first quarter of 2009! A Hokkien classic of braised pork belly (very fat, so beware … or throw caution to the wind!) served with interesting blocks of ‘kan sui gou’ aka alkaline kueh.

And can you believe that I have been itching to write about Hua Xing since April 2009? Yeah, this draft was left untouched; a solemn state of procrastination to the max.

When Motormouth loses his touch, it’s obvious. Since coming back from Ipoh; there’s this very urge to write more on food from Ipoh. There were few surprises along the way; in particular the fabulous old-timers that me and my family have been eating all these years; yet I never bothered to write a proper entry on them. But the imminent shift in the pace of life in KL compared to Ipoh rendered me almost incapacitated.

Catching up on deadlines for articles, screening through the archive for good finds OR at least something that caters to my tastebud (and I’m sure after following my blog for some time, you would have known what I like and what I don’t …), and proper time management on the whole calls for precedence; before I got swallowed by this wave of the rat race.

Clearly, this eatery is no amateur when it comes to serving the most authentic Hokkien classics; with a fused notion of Canton style cooking thrown in for good measure. (By the way, the bottom right was a glass of delightful sweet potato or pumpkin drink with barley)

It’s Friday now. And a good 9 months since this draft was first initiated. The second visit to Hua Xing happened because Sungei Way is a short distance away from where I am working now. Guess this won’t be the last trip there; judging from the overall favourable reviews from the others.

Let’s see what have I tried from both visits, and what you should NEVER missed …..

Fried Potato Starch Noodles – Lots of crispy lard, a pinch of dried shrimps, nibbles of chicken meat and bean sprouts for good measure. Oh, and not forgetting that vital dose of ‘wok hei’ (the incomparable smoky flavour from the heat of the wok)

Fried Glass Noodles (Tang Hoon) with Bitter Gourd and Mushrooms – Still the same redolent with ‘wok hei’ flavour, and I bet they can work wonders with their Hokkien Mee (or Dai Look Meen), and the other fried noodle dishes.

Clearly, the fried noodles are their forte. Even if you’re ordering dishes to go with white rice, just order a side portion of noodles to be shared. Any of the 10 or so choices; because guaranteed there will be ONE version that suits your fancy.

For me, the fried potato starch noodles had it all. Packed with flavours, possessing that chewy texture the usual ‘hor fun’ or ‘lou shu fun’ can never replace, and screaming for your undivided attention albeit the slightly mundane appearance. Don’t ever judge a book by its cover. Or a  person from the sheer gluttony that he’s been indulging in all these years. 😉

Of course, there’s this other tapioca starch noodles, and fried ‘pak kor’ or rice cakes sliced into thin slices like fish cakes. I snapped a picture of the menu back then, but of course….. I hope that I can miraculously scavenge that shot from the mountains of unsorted archive.

And if there’s ONE dish you cannot miss at Hua Xing, it’s THIS. You might be tempted to order some beer to go along with this, but this dish goes well with rice or even on its own.

Hahaha …. to imagine we ordered the SAME dish once again; on the second visit almost a year on. Still damn good, you HAVE to try this even if you hate brinjal/eggplant/aubergine like someone’s deary.

The fried brinjals with lots of fried garlic could almost passed off as salt and pepper squid, with generous amount of chopped scallions strewn all over. If you like tempura-like snacky fried foods, or finger food like this, then this is definitely up your alley.

Marmite Pork Ribs – This was okay, but paled in comparison to the other Hokkien style dishes.

Sounded something like Gar Heong Tau Fu (Homemade Beancurd or something), looks normal but the velvety smooth beancurd was further injected with flavours from the minced pork and dried shrimps (there was ‘choy pou’ aka preserved radish too, if I’m not mistaken) on top.

Most of the dishes scored well in our books. We polished off everything amidst the chatter. Not everyday that you get to eat such a splendid feast; at a restaurant located at such an unstrategic place; yet driving the crowd like bees to the honey every single day.

Not sure it was tapioca flour noodles, ot potato starch noodles, but TASTY all the same.

Another place that comes to mind when we talk about unconventional fried noodles the Hokkien style is Pu Yuan off Old Klang Road. Ironically, this type of old school restaurants are situated beyond commercialized areas; and definitely out of the way if you’re not good with roads in KL.

I am not praising myself here. Had it not been the wonders of GPS, Google Maps and food blogs, I probably will still be eating at Old Town White Coffee outlets, McDonald’s, or worse ….. clawing my way into the ground and chew on soils.

I guess the soberness runs out of steam. Good night, dear readers. And Happy Weekend to you.

HUA XING RESTAURANT
Lot 1-12, 1st Floor, Plaza Seri Setia,
Jalan SS9/2, Seri Setia,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Opens for lunch and dinner. Closed on Wednesdays.
GPS Coordinates : 3.085897,101.620214
Google Map to Hua Xing Restaurant
(The restaurant is on the FIRST floor, so you may miss this if you don’t look up while driving through the small lane. To come here is not hard, on the Federal Highway from Shah Alam’s direction, exit at Seri Setia/Sungei Way exit (Ext 223) and you will see the building immediately on your LEFT. Just find your way through, or park at the multi-storey building for about RM2-3 per entry)

*Here’s what masak-masak, wmw, foodbin, cumi & ciki and jason thought about this place.