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Malay Mail
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Fuss-free ‘yong tau foo' and an espresso tonic surprise in Sungai Way at Restaurant Sungai Way Hakka Yong Tau Foo
PETALING JAYA, June 29 — Two weeks ago, we featured Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah in a story about pan mee being sold out of a home in Sungai Way. This week, we return to the same neck of the woods, quite literally only a few hundred metres away: Restaurant Sungai Way Hakka Yong Tau Foo. Run out of a house, the business sells yong tau foo, as its name suggests. But the immediate smell of coffee may lead you to believe otherwise. Like many businesses in Sungai Way, this is also run out of a house. — Picture by Ethan Lau A closer look at the decidedly lived-in setting reveals personality scattered across the shop, with Hello Kitty plushies sitting side by side with posters of The Mandalorian, and a drinks menu that offers everything from matcha lattes to, quite adorably, babyccinos. Then there's the espresso tonic (RM12 for a large), not something I'd ever expect to drink with yong tau foo, but an ideal remedy for our ridiculously hot afternoons. The menu claims it tastes like beer; I find it far more refreshing and effervescent, with a bitter edge that works like a palate cleanser. Anyway, onto the main event. The selection of yong tau foo here is short and sweet, so it's entirely plausible to try a little bit of everything. Most pieces go for RM2 each, with the exception of white tau foo and fish cakes, which are RM2.50. Unlike at larger stalls or restaurants, every piece here is fried or cooked to order, so even as the second table there, there was a short wait. So, what separates one yong tau foo place from another? Is it the breadth of options, or the quality of each offering? I think the proof is in the pudding. Or in this case, the stuffing. The stuffing is the best part of the 'yong tau foo' here (left). Fishcakes with chives are another highlight (right). — Picture by Ethan Lau After all, the part that's usually proprietary in stuffed tau foois the filling, not the tau foo itself. It can be fish paste, ground pork, or a mixture of both, and to me, it's the standard on which yong tau foo should be evaluated. By this metric, this place is a winner. Whether it's stuffed into bitter gourd, brinjal, okra or chilli, or wedged between sheets of beancurd skin, whether it's fried or served in soup, the filling retains a springy, snappy, meaty texture and carries a subtly savoury profile with just a smidge of sweetness. Here's how you know the filling is a point of pride: you can order it on its own, comically named 'fish slippery', a literal translation of the Cantonese yu waat, or fish paste. I highly recommend getting a few pieces and dipping them into the sharp, punchy chilli sauce for maximum enjoyment. They are best enjoyed with a healthy dipping of chilli sauce. — Picture by Ethan Lau The only anomaly that falls outside the purview of filling is the fishcake, which mixes chopped chives into the fish paste before frying it into a bouncy mass of satisfaction. The green edge of the chives adds just enough balance. It's also a good idea to get a few of these. Between the decor, matcha lattes (which I scoff at nearly anywhere else) and simple but good yong tau foo, Restaurant Sungai Way Hakka Yong Tau Foo is a family-run place that I feel embodies the classic family dynamic of existing with both tradition and looking toward the future, right down to the painfully utilitarian name. Some aspects, like the yong tau foo, harken back to a simpler time. Others, like the espresso tonic, are adapted to changing tastes, but all with the earnest charm of genuine human personality, rather than some agency's idea of a relatable brand identity. Restaurant Sg Way Hakka Yong Tau Foo 74, Jalan SS 9A/1, SS 9A, Petaling Jaya. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-8.30pm. Closes at 5pm on Saturday. Tel: 017-354 7986 * This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal. * Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
Malay Mail
15-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Find a great ‘pan mee' out of a house in Sungai Way, at Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah
PETALING JAYA, June 15 — With its narrow, densely packed roads and many businesses still run out of converted homes, Sungai Way has an aesthetic unlike other suburbs in Petaling Jaya. While rapid development has transformed much of the city into a landscape of shopping malls and bustling commercial hubs, Sungai Way retains its distinct roots. Established as a Chinese new village under the Briggs Plan, it remains one of the city's last visible vestiges of Malaysia's colonial past. As in many former new villages, the eateries that have become pillars of the community are often still run out of a family home, with the people behind them still living under the same roof. Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah is one such spot, and despite the kedai in the name, it is pretty clearly the front of a house. 'Kedai Kopi' Hoh Piah operates out of a house. — Picture by Ethan Lau The time-honoured setup is full of worn tables, old but not obsolete, and many regulars come from the neighbourhood for their breakfast, particularly on the weekend. Young families with kids still in their pyjamas, young couples still in their pyjamas... or maybe everyone just felt like pyjamas that morning, and I missed the memo. Everyone's gathered here today for the simple, soul-soothing bowl of noodles that is pan mee. In addition to the standard offerings of dry and soup pan mee (both RM9), there are also left-field options like tom yam, mala soup pan mee, and even a bak kut teh noodle. Noodles being made from scratch. — Picture by Ethan Lau It's telling, then, that when I walk in, it's not the medicinal scent of bak kut teh or the sharp sting of chillies and tom yam that greets me, but the mild aroma of anchovy broth. Soup is by far the most popular order, and it's easy to see why. The broth is clear and very light in colour, but it has more depth than it lets on, with a gentle sweetness carried by the anchovy base. A scoop of minced pork adds a touch of savouriness, but the real punch comes from a handful of well-fried, crispy, salty anchovies. Tying it all together is a smack of spicy, tangy sambal. Whether you go for the hand-torn or thick-cut noodles, it's a satisfying bowl. I personally prefer the dry preparation, as I like to really ruminate on the texture of hand-torn mee hoon kueh. The noodles aren't tossed in a particularly noteworthy sauce, but they're fairly thin, with a smooth, slippery texture that makes for an easy eating experience and doesn't demand much chewing. It looks light, but the soup 'pan mee' is filled with depth from the anchovy base. — Picture by Ethan Lau I suspect that's part of the appeal for much of the crowd here. Hoh Piah is far from the only eatery in Sungai Way that operates out of a home, and it's not the only pan mee shop in PJ either. But there's something about it that feels undeniably Sungai Way. Maybe it is the way it stays put, holds on, and keeps feeding the people around it the same way it has for years. Dry 'pan mee' is my favourite way to eat these noodles, which have a satisfying texture. — Picture by Ethan Lau As PJ continues to grow and businesses come and go in the name of progress, I suspect we'll come to miss places like this — even if the parking never really improves. Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah 75, Jalan SS 9a/4, SS 9a, Petaling Jaya. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am-2.30pm Tel: 03-7875 5910 • This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal. • Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. • Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
