Saturday 29 August 2020

Teak Kee Restaurant ~ Happy Garden, KL

It's not often that my dad excitedly tells me about a particular restaurant and how good the food is unless he's trying to bait me to come home for dinner but more often than not, the strategy works and the food, delicious.


Teak Kee Restaurant is a neighborhood Chinese restaurant in the vicinity of Lucky Garden that is not the easiest to get to without help and not located in the best location but is always full, hectic even at dinner time on the weekends. They serve mostly traditional Chinese dishes but some evidently shows off sparks of creativity and the rest, executed very well.


First up, the carbs. I'm pretty particular about Hokkien noodles cause I really dislike overcooked noodles swimming in a sweet sauce so I just avoid it all together to prevent myself from being disappointed. My dad was pretty adamant about ordering the Hokkien noodles and I can see why. It's braised long enough to get an intense flavor and just the right amount of sauce. 


The hailam noodles here is easily the best I've had in a long time. There was lots of meat, seafood and vegetables served with thick noodles cooked just right in a sauce that was flavorful, sour and not too starchy. 


I've seen recipes of fermented black beans being part of fried rice but I have never actually had the dish before. This unique and surprisingly good combination of black beans, fried eggs, long beans and rice is one I'll continue to enjoy if it tastes like Teak Kee's rendition. 


My dad doesn't eat fried chicken but would gladly eat this. Considering how crispy it was on the outside, it was surprising that it was still moist and juicy on the inside. It does also help that only chicken thighs and drumsticks are used and the lam yu coating was thin but very flavorful. 


Fried without any flour or coating, the bulus/sa chui had crispy skin with tender meat. Looks like their deep fried food done well is a reoccurring theme. 


Finally, the most interesting dish served that night was a stir fried kailan with preserved olives and mustard leaves. Salty, earthy, oily are the flavors and textures that come to mind when eating this dish but the flavor profile is closest to kailan stir fried with mui choi and black beans. It's a pretty addictive flavor as it's rather salty but it's just the right level with rice.

The bill came up to RM188 for 6 dishes which overfed 6 adults as the noodle and rice dishes were huge for 2 pax portions. I foresee many more visits to Teak Kee to try other dishes - my parents have already dined here half a dozen times, they're practically regulars!

Restoran Teak Kee
Jalan Riang 13, Taman Gembira, 
58200 Kuala Lumpur
https://goo.gl/maps/hxNhQuho3UpWR53j9