Eating in Kuala Lumpur - Hakka Restaurant

Hakka Restaurant is an institution in Kuala Lumpur. It has been around for more then 40 years, and is popular as ever. Located in Jalan Kia Peng, it is just behind the Pavilion Shopping Mall and opposite Novotel Hydro Majestic Hotel.

The restaurant itself is not much to look at. There is a large al fresco area covered under a tent, and the air-conditioned dining room is inside a converted old house. The interior is also pretty basic and simple.

The restaurant serves traditional Hakka dishes. Their signature dish is the "Mui Choy Khau Yoke" - thick slices of pork belly stewed in a sweet soy sauce with preserved mustard green. This is a very popular Chinese preparation for pork, the slight bitterness of the preserved mustard green (mui choy) set off the sweetness of the meat very way. You can ask for soft steamed buns to go with the meat. Put the pork belly slices between the buns and you have yourself a Chinese burger !

Another popular dish here is the "Yong Tau Foo" - basically a soup with a selection of stuffed bean curd, fishballs, fish cakes, stuffed eggplant, etc. Here it is served in a wok with pieces of deepfried bean curd skin on top.

The fish steamed with sweet soy sauce, chopped ginger, shallots and Chinese parsley was excellent. The fish was steamed just right, with the meat succulent and sweet. 

This is braised tofu with seafood. The silkiness of the tofu and sweetness of the seafood made the simple dish tasty and satisfying. 

The steamed chicken was not as successful. The meat was a bit tough, and taste-wise very bland. Hainanese chicken is definitely better.

Another simple but tasty dish, stirfried kangkong - a local vegetable also known as water spinach.

The meal was finished off with a slice of sweet papaya. 

Hakka Restaurant is the place to go for simple, tasty food. The dishes are generally not too oily, definitely a heathier choice compared to many other Chinese restaurants in KL.