San Peng Steamed Chicken and Kai Si Hor Fun

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My mother in-law has been raving about the steamed chicken and kai si hor fun from Guang Ji Ho Fun & Chicken Rice at Jalan San Peng so much so she sounded like a broken record. Seeing how often she sang praises about this place, Jien and I decided to check it out recently.

We arrived pretty late in the afternoon (circa 2.30pm) so most of the steamed and roasted chicken were gone. Fortunately, there was enough left for me to place my order. I ordered half a steamed chicken (RM28) and half a roasted chicken (RM28) for comparison. We also snapped up a portion of char siew (RM22), good for 4 pax or more.

My father in-law ordered a plate of braised pork with tofu because according to him, they make it really well. This stall has been around for quite some time – I remember seeing it often when I ate at the chapati stall next door. It was perpetually crowded, which is also why I never tried it back then.

Since my mother in-law sang high praises about the kai si hor fun (in her words, it’s better than even the ones from Ipoh), I skipped the rice and opted for a bowl of kai si hor fun (RM7) instead. Jien ordered a bowl of plain hor fun to go with his chicken.

The kai si hor fun is quite good but claiming that it’s better than the ones from Ipoh is an overstatement since the hor fun from Ipoh is silkier and the beansprouts there are far superior. This one from San Peng has a sweet and flavourful broth with specks of burnt orange oil that I presume, comes from prawn oil.

If you’re looking for something more basic, get the plain hor fun soup (RM5) which has no chicken or prawns inside. You also get a bit of prawn oil on top, though not as much as what you’d get when you order kai si hor fun.

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The char siew is delicious – a good balance of fat and meat with a nice caramelised char around the edges. I’d say this is one of the best char siew options I’ve encountered from a chicken rice stall. The braised pork with tofu is also worth a mention as both the pork and tofu are well flavoured from the braising and the gravy has a good balance of savoury, sweet and spices.

As for the chicken, I feel it’s decent but certainly not the best there is around. I feel my MIL overhyped this as I was expecting a spectacular plate of steamed chicken in a light yet flavour-packed gravy. But San Peng’s steamed chicken was just moderately tender and the gravy was sodium heavy.

The roasted chicken isn’t as tasty as the steamed chicken, so I suggest you order the steamed chicken if you’re planning to eat here. For some reason, the roasted chicken flesh is coarser and drier – definitely not as enjoyable as I expected it to be. Again, the gravy is quite salty so if you’re adverse to sodium, this might not be your plate of chicken.

Overall, I like the char siew, kai si hor fun and braised pork but find the steamed chicken just slightly above average.

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Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 6.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Try the char siew, kai si hor fun and braised pork. The steamed chicken is not bad but definitely not the best around.

Guang Ji Ho Fun & Chicken Rice
Jalan San Peng, Pudu,
55200 Kuala Lumpur.
Business hours: 7.30am till 4pm