The name Meng Kee carries a lot of weightage when it comes to char siew – I would expect the char siew to be one of the best in town. When I tried Meng Kee Char Siew in Happy Garden, I was disappointed. While the char siew wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t the usual standard I was used to from the Meng Kee branch in KL and Glenmarie.
Char Siew Wantan Mee
We ordered a portion of char siew wantan mee (RM5.50 – small, RM6.50 – large) and despite my request for half lean half fat, the char siew was lean and bordering on the hard side. The noodles were quite good though – springy and evenly coated with gravy and lard oil.
Chicken Hor Fun
I was less impressed with the chicken hor fun (RM5.50) as it lacked sweetness and aroma which one would expect from the use of prawn head. I reckon there wasn’t enough prawns used, hence the muted flavour. The noodles didn’t have a smooth texture so it tasted like an ordinary kuay teow soup rather than kai si hor fun.
Hot & sour vegetable
Pork sausage
They serve hot and sour vegetable soup (RM6) here and I rather enjoyed this. While it could have been warmer (this was tepid), the soup was thick, spicy and sour. Just the way I like it. We also shared a portion of pork sausage which lacked flavour and fat. This was a tad dry too.
If it wasn’t for the name “Meng Kee”, I wouldn’t be that disappointed with my experience. If you’re ever there, skip the chicken hor fun.
Ambiance: 5.5/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 5.5/10 (non halal)
Verdict: I found the char siew average but the wantan noodles were not bad.
Meng Kee Char Siew
541, Jalan Riang 11,
Happy Garden,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-7972 3629
Business hours: 8am till 10pm