Chinese Cuisines @ Restoran Lee Hong Kee (李雄記酒家) and Jeff Lee Kitchen (鲜味馆)

Both Lee Hong Kee Restaurant and Jeff Lee Kitchen are located in rural area of Kampung Baru in Sungai Buloh. As most colleagues have recommended on the Chinese cuisines, we have decided to have family dinner at the mentioned restaurants during weekends in April. As both restaurants are having most positive reviews from Trip Advisor as well as food patrons' blogs, we were having high expectation towards the food as well as dining experiences. Here's my unbiased reviews of both restaurants beginning with Lee Hong Kee Restaurant.

Restoran Lee Hong Kee (李雄記酒家) 

Lee Hong Kee Restaurant offers call-in booking service and able to extend the booking service for 15 minutes on the appointment date (time). It's best to arrive on time to avoid disappointment as it's as crowded as the Jeff Lee Kitchen. The relocated Restoran Lee Hong Kee was very spacious with high ceiling, therefore the noise level was much reduced although the restaurant was packed with food patrons.

Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu Pork) 

The grilled pork with a sweet-and-sour marinade was the first dish to be served. We had requested for more meaty type and quite satisfied with the barbeque pork as it's well marinated and crunchy.

Signature claypot bean-curd
The home-style bean curd with braised peanuts, minced meats and broad beans.

Stir-fried sweet potato leaves
The sweet potato leaves were stir-fried with garlics and chilis. The portion was big and flavorful.

Deep fried tilapia fish with petaiNothing was more stunning at the dinner table than serving a whole deep-fried fish with sweet-sour sauce and generous amount of petai. The combination with fragrant petai and fresh tilapia was interesting for us as we used to order steamed fish, this dish happened to be the 1st runner dish after Barbeque Pork.

Sweet and sour pork chop 排骨王Hmm, sweet and sour pork chop was also one of the recommended dishes here yet it's unsavory for me.


The Standing Chicken (栋笃鸡) was the prominent dish that attracted food patrons from other states. To me and my family's dismay, it was just a roasted chicken serving in a "standing" position. The disposable plastic gloves and a pair of scissors were provided, but you may request the waiter to chop it for you. Being the lazy eaters, we opted for the latter option to taste the dish.

Photography of the "standing chicken" would just nice for satisfying readers' curiosity. Upon  was rather dry and almost tasteless. It could be the reason why the chili sauce and mixed salt (MSG) being provided as well. We were quite disappointed with this famous dish of Restoran Lee Hong Kee and thought it would be marinated with herbs.

We footed the bill for about RM170 and the overall dining experience was still good except for the roasted chicken that had failed to pamper our taste-buds.  

Jeff Lee Kitchen (鲜味馆)

The restaurant has 2 adjacent shop-lots with another shop-lot next to two doors. It's located at Kampung Baru near the wet market. Jeff Lee Kitchen does not allow table booking service for less than 10 persons per table. The business could be too overwhelming where the staffs were quite rude to speak with even on the phone.

Upon arrival at 6.30pm, it was a rainy day and we were quite shocked to see long queues in front of Jeff Lee Kitchen. Without hesitation, we approached the cashier counter to have our list of foods to be ordered. We had been requested to wait outside of the restaurant and the staff will call us when there's any vacant seat. We waited for 15 minutes and foods were served after another 20 minutes.

Deep fried tilapia fish with petai
The combination of sweet and sour sauce with pungent petai complemented the flavor of the deep fried tilapia fish. The portion of the fish was considered small for 7 of us.

The signature bean-curd with minced meats.

 Claypot Lou Shu Fun

The claypot of lou shu fun (also known as silver needle noodles) was served next, coming with minced pork ad topped with an egg. Stirred and mixed the raw egg and noodles for smoother and thicker gravy. It's one of the dishes most had raved about, yet my family and I just felt it's a decent dish but not the top notch food that worth a thumb-up yet. Overall, it's well stir-fried lou shu fun and this claypot of noodles costed around RM40.

Stir-fried sweet potato leaves

Signature Crispy Pork Belly

As the roasted duck was out of order, we had been recommended to try their signature crispy pork belly. It appeared to be the only dish that we liked. The pork belly were well marinated and crispy.

The tables here were packed to each other, giving us the uncomfortable dining experience. The environment was very noisy and bursting. The after-meal experience became worse when one of the food patron broke a glass and the family left speedily on the spot. The waiters came out to clean the area and found a dirty pampers left under the table. It was most probably left by the family that we saw just now.

As for the eatery opinion of mine, the food was not up to scratch and more expensive (RM 195) compared to the Restoran Lee Hong Kee. We had a raging thirst all night after the meal and it was a terrifying experience guessing how much Monosodium Glutamate was included in the dishes. Well, the overall dining experience here had fallen from my expectation. It's probably my last visit to Jeff Lee Kitchen even though I would like to try their minced pork egg noodles.

Address:

RESTORAN LEE HONG KEE (formerly known as RESTORAN LYJ)

No.3, 5, 7 & 9, Tingkat Bawah, Jalan Kati GU 19/G,

Kampung Baru, Sg. Buloh,

40160 Shah Alam

Malaysia.

Tel: 03-6140 2678 / HP: 016-667 4810 (Mdm Nin / 阿珍)

Jeff Lee Kitchen

Lot 4133 Jalan Perkhimatan(Opposite the market)

Kampung Baru Sg Buloh

47000 Selangor Te; 03-6156 1817

Reunion dinner of the Year of Roaster at Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant (蓬莱茶房台湾料理)

Chinese New Year is slightly more than a month away but reservations for reunion dinners were filling up fast and most restaurants were fully booked. In line with the festive season, we had chosen to have dinner on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year at Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant. Reunions Sets were offered from RM388++ onwards depending on number of pax.

It was the 2nd time we dined here , the service wasn't pleasant as the waiters were not attentive even though the restaurant was not fully occupied. The desserts were served after 30 minutes of waiting time. Food were with good quality yet the price of reunion dinner set is at high edge. We opted for RM588++ set and the final bill was around RM800. Based on the food menu of restaurant, each food was priced approximately 20% increment compared to foods' price during non-festive season.To save on feast of Chinese New Year period, I think fast foods, western foods, Korean/ Japanese foods might be cheaper and more budget-saving compared to Chinese restaurants.

Tea set

Cute toothpick holders

4 dishes platter with Taiwanese snack foods including:
fried spring rolls, Taiwanese sausages with cucumber slices, meat with salad sauce and stir-fried octopus

Assorted vegetables with lily bulds and almond flakes

Shark's fin soup with crab meats
The soup of our choices had finished with this being replaced.

Abalone chicken soup

 3 Variety Supreme Chicken or Three Cup Chicken 

 3 Variety Supreme Chicken or Three Cup Chicken 

Steamed fish with  with their special starchy soy sauce with chilies, spring onions, garlic, etc

 
Prawns cooked in two different styles: fried prawns with salad cream and fried prawns with peppers

Fried prawns with salad cream 

Fried prawns with peppers

Braised pork meat with vegetables to be paired with array of mantou

Braised pork meat with vegetables

The waiter recommended the Taiwanese eating style where the pork meat was placed inside the mantou with sprinkles of peanut flakes

The desserts came with red bean soups and pancake.

Red bean soup with two glutinous balls which was over sweet for us.

Top 12 Activities to Do During Your First Trip to Hua Hin Thailand | 4 Days 3 Nights in Hua Hin Itinerary

It's always a blessing where you don't have burden (family, personal life, work, etc. ) to have a short getaway at the age of mine. 7 days 6 nights of hopping onto a flight to Hua Hin and Bangkok trip was a great reward to myself after the tiring work. Since the short getaway to Krabi happened to be a pleasant and relaxing, my friend and I had an impromptu trip to Hua Hin and Bangkok in last June. Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel was our accommodation in Hua Hin and they did offer free shuttle bus at certain hours towards Railway Station, Hua Hin Night Market, Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village and Hua Hin Beach. Apart from sharing my 4 days 3 nights itinerary spent in Hua Hin, there's a list of activities or places to go in Hua Hin; Thailand: Top 12 Activities / Places to Go in Hua Hin; Thailand

1. Sight-seeing at historical place related to Royal Family- Maruekatayawan Palace

2. Have a glimpse of Greece at Santorini Park

3. Get close to animals with Swiss Sheep Farm

4. Sight-seeing at Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village

5. Stroll along the night markets of Hua Hin-shop for souvenirs, pamper yourself with massage service from locals and write a postcard to friends/yourself { Hua Hin Night Market, Cicada Night Market, Chatsila Night Market and Chatchai Night Market}

6. Enjoy Thai cuisines at Hua Hin

7. Wine-tasting and visit to Hua Hin Vineyard

8. Visit to Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market

9. Stroll along Hua Hin Beach

10. Scenery viewing at Chopsticks Hill (Khao Takiab) 11. Photography and sight-seeing at cultural heritage- Hua Hin Railway Station

12. Other places to visit: Hua Hin Market Village 1. Sight-seeing at historical place related to Royal Family- Maruekatayawan Palace Mrigadayavan Palace: Palace of love and hope is one of the top highlighted Royal palaces which had been published in most websites and magazines. It is comprised of 3 charming beachside groups of wooden pavilions used as a summer palace by King Rama VI (King Vajiravudh, 1910-1925). The palace had been neglected since King Rama VI passed away in 1925 and being ordered by King Bhumibol for renovation to be carried out for this palace in year 1965. It's a historical place with information provided to let you understand the events happened in Maruekatayawan Palace. The visit towards the upper floor of Maruketayawan Palace was with entrance fees and rules like cameras were forbidden and remained silent during the visit had to be abide to. The craftmanship of the artisans and delicate architecture were really amazing and I saluted the efforts that they placed in remaining the palace's glory by seeing how well it's maintained. The landscaped garden was also one of the place we loved to stroll along to take photography while enjoyed the sea breeze. 2. Have a glimpse of Greece at Santorini Park; Cha-am Santorini Park is one of the popular tourist attractions in Cha-am/Hua Hin, Thailand and it's opened since May 2012. It's the ideal place for photography session as we have met several pairs of couples and pre-wedding shooting session during our visit to Santorini Park Santorini Park is inspired by the architecture in Santorini, the place which I dream of visiting one day. The vivid and colourful Santorini Park with most buildings are painted in white with blue windows, stone-paved streets with blue borders and lots of decorative miniatures that provide you endless photography opportunities. An artsy place which would remind you of Greece whitewashed building with windows painted in blue. Since budget-wise is cheaper at Thailand, it's a good idea to visit to Santorini Park to have a glimpse of Greece. The miniatures which I had longed for yet did not purchase due to each costed 400++baht. Check out the Hollywood Studio, Haunted House or just having fun with photo-snapping. My favourite photo with the blue windows and doors of whitewashed buildings. Endless photography opportunities as long as your partner is photography enthusiast and camera is not out of battery :) 3. Get close to farm animals at Swiss Sheep Farm If you love to get close with farm animals, you might find Swiss Sheep Farm worth to be visited. Activities like riding horse and feeding animals are available here. As there're many photogenic setting in Swiss Sheep Farm; European-style farm with many Western cliches such as European-style building, Dutch Windmill and English photobooth, we had a great time here. Oh yea, there' re many background suitable for lovers such as paddocks of love, frame of love, love sculptures and etc. Do enjoy the swing before you leave Swiss Sheep Farm. 4. Sight-seeing at Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village; a themed shopping village inspired by the Good Old Days of Hua Hin let you have a glimpse back in time with the vintage vibes and traditional-looking shops. Another good place for photo-enthusiast. If you have ample time during evening, you may drop by Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village to have a relaxing walk. ‘ka lor jee’ (similar to Japanese mochi) icecream is sold by one of the hawker cart  5. Stroll along the night markets { Hua Hin Night Market, Cicada Night Market, Chatsila Night Market and Chatchai Night Market} Roaming around the night markets in Thailand was the evening activities which you could eat the local cuisines/ snacks, find the souvenirs, get massage service and etc. Hua Hin is a small town yet it has many happening night markets such as Hua Hin Night Market, Cicada Night Market, Chatsila Night Market, Chatchai Night Market, etcetera. Cicada Weekend Night Market is the most favourite night market I had visited in Hua Hin and had many things that I missed out exploring. Cicada Night Market is divided into four venues: Art A La Mode, Cicada Art Factory, Amphitheatre and Cicada Cuisine. Art A La Mode is where art and craft vendors alongside the paths on the site sell items of clothing, handmade bags, fashion accessories, souvenirs, crafts, used items and cards. The foods here required coupons to be purchased at counter.  Wooden phone case which the designer would draw according the picture you show to him on it upon purchase. Unfortunately, only for Samsung and Apple Iphone models. Awesome Tower Bridge Lego Would have purchased it if the price was lower. Elephant magnets Regretted for not purchase one for my mom. The handmade tak tor toys caught my attention.  The shop had handmade home decoration items as well. Chatsila Night Market and Chatchai Night Market were mainly my source of souvenirs to be bought back for family and friends. Below're the shopping hauls' photos. The foot therapy service had been enjoyed at Chatchai Night Market on the last night before we left Hua Hin. Hua Hin Night Market is located in the midst of the town and leads up to the railway line, near to the both Chatsila and Chatchai Night Market. Lovely painted postcards 6. Enjoy Thai cuisines in Hua Hin Here's the list of places which I had eaten the local cuisines in Hua Hin: Pak Jua Mango Sticky Rice, Koti Restaurant, Jek Be Ak Restaurant and Friendly Kitchen Thai Food. The Thailand cuisines here were considerably affordable and large portion.  7. Wine-tasting and visit to Hua Hin Vineyard Without flying to Australia/ Europe countries, you could have the wine-tasting experience pairing with tapas at Hua Hin Vineyard. A great place to enjoy the view of vineyards and have a cozy chat. You could stroll along the vineyards or rent a jeep tour from there. Elephant rides are offered by Hua Hin Vineyard with fees incurred. Read more by clicking the link above. 8. Visit to Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market There are two popular floating markets in Hua Hin, namely the Hua Hin Floating Market and Sam Phan Nam Hua Hin Floating Market. Both floating markets are built in 2011, located near to each other with less than 10 minutes drive. Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market is not like the floating market in Bangkok if you expect having full of boats selling food and fruits. It is just a lakeside market which rows of stalls are built around a huge man-made lake. I personally think the time could be well spent else where than this floating market because you could also get the items you want to buy at night markets in Hua Hin. 9. Stroll along Hua Hin Beach Hua Hin signifies “stone head” in English due to large, smooth rocks at the North end of the beach. Since Hua Hin is famous as a beach town, why not allocate some time to stroll along Hua Hin Beach. Horse riding is the main activity offered at Hua Hin beach. Well, I prefer strolling along the sandy beach while enjoying the sea breeze.  Horse-riding activities are available here. 10. Scenery viewing at Chopsticks Hill/ Monkey Mountain (Khao Takiab) Khao Takiab is located in the southern part of Hua Hin and it's lucky to have the rental car service to reach there as it's quite far away from our accommodation. Khao Takiab is also named as Monkey Mountains as many monkeys could be seen here, there and everywhere. So beware and hold your camera tight. Khao Takiab is also named as Chopsticks Hill. From The Rock beachfront spa resort in Hua Hin, you can view a hill with a prominent golden Buddha from far. You need to walk on the sandy beach along the seacoast leading towards the mountain. There's a temple at the top of the hill, but we just went to Khao Takiab Chinese Temple due to the sudden change of weather. It's quite quiet here and it's best to have few companions when you go to visit this place. Just to remind that not to expect too much from Chopsticks Hill/ Monkey Mountain, you got to see some shrines, small temples, some views from the beachfront and from top of the hill and thats's all. The Gold Buddha Statue Monkeys were spotted along the staircase towards the temple at the top of the hill. Before rushing down the Chopstick Hill The view of fishing villages from the Monkey Mountain/ Chopstick Hill The view of the beachfront hotels at Hua Hin from the Monkey Mountain/ Chopstick Hill 11. Photography and sight-seeing at cultural heritage- Hua Hin Railway Station Hua Hin Railway Station is worth for a quick visit since it's exclusive of entrance fees and you could visit any time in Hua Hin. Just slot in some time for this iconic cultural heritage in which you could see the old yet well maintained train station with waiting room for Thai Royal family (in the past). A landmark of Hua Hin which is definitely worth for a visit and it could be a good cultural heritage for sight-seeing and photography. The Royal's waiting room Similar to Jiu Fen in Taiwan, you could take countless photos at railways. The iconic building which you could see in the various Hua Hin Postcards. 12. Other places to visit: Hua Hin Market VillageHua Hin Market Village had been visited during our visit as we had almost 1 and half hour free time due to Phra Nakhon Khiri Royal Palace (Khao Wang) closed for renovation. A shopping mall where you could shop for good quality of clothes and beauty products. Well, I had gone back with a photo with the icons of "I love Hua Hin" .. LOL... 4 Days 3 Nights in Hua Hin Itinerary : Day 1: Bangkok Airport - Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel  ( Drop by for lunch at a restaurant ) Cicada Weekend Night Market Day 2: Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel Breakfast Buffet Hua Hin Railway Station - walking journey from Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market Hua Hin Hills Vineyard for wine-tasting pairing with Tapas at The Sala Restaurant Lunch at Friendly Kitchen Thai Food Hua Hin Market Village Hua Hin Beach Koti Restaurant for dinner Hua Hin Night Market, Chatchai and Chasila Night Market - Window shopping Simple birthday celebration for my travel partner. Complimentary cake has been given by the Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel for the birthday girl. Day 3: Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel Breakfast Buffet Maruekatayawan Palace; The Palace of Love and Hope Santorini Park; Cha-am Swiss Sheep Farm Chopsticks Hill/ Monkey Mountain (Khao Takiab) Jek Be Ak Restaurant- delicious dinner Hua Hin Night Market, Chatchai Night Market, Chatsila Night Market Royal Pavillion Hua Hin Hotel - Skybar with free redemption of  welcome drink Day 4: Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel Breakfast Buffet Pak Jua Mango Sticky Rice Patra Boutique Hotel, Bangkok Places that we did not manage to visit or not include in itinerary: Phra Nakhon Khiri Royal Palace (Khao Wang) , Camel Republic, Vana Nava Water Jungle, Pa La-U Waterfall, Huai Pa Lao National Park Protection Unit 3 and etc. Bye, Hua Hin!  Hi, Bangkok! Accommodation: Royal Pavilion Hua Hin Hotel Advantages: 1) Free shuttle service with schedule and pre-booking needed from hotel to Hua Hin beach, railway station, Cicada Weekend Night Market and Plearnwan Eco-Vintage Village. 2) Bus / minivan service from Bangkok-Hua Hin is just next to the hotel. 3) Attentive staffs and good service 4) Spacious room 5) Free welcome drink and free complimentary birthday cake for the guest who has birthday here 6) Walking distance to Hua Hin Railway Station, Hua Hin Night Markets and nearby has Family Mart Convenience Store Skybar The welcome drinks given were quite refreshing.  Disadvantages: 1) Limited choices of breakfast buffet and repeated choices of food 2) Nothing much to view from its skybar Transport: Rates given were in 8000 Thai Baht [ 2000 Thai Baht per day tour -8 hours ] including for. -Air-conditioning vehicle- Toyota Camry -Chauffeur Driver -Express Way -Gasoline used -Tax and services charge  Contact person: Mr.Roong  Contact number: (+66)0623298789  Email address: roongsayam@gmail.com