Choy Kei, Jalan Lazat

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I’ve been wanting to visit Choy Kei in Jalan Lazat (Happy Garden) for quite some time as my in-laws are regular diners there. My FIL would sometimes takeaway the prawn noodles from the stall inside Choy Kei and it is delicious stuff.

So Jien and I made it a point to go for an early lunch (11am) with my FIL to beat the crowd – was told by my FIL that the waiting time can stretch as long as one hour during peak period. By 11am, the coffeeshop was crowded with regulars flocking in for their share of hawker grub.

There are several stalls to choose from but popular choices seem to be the sang har and fish noodle stall, seafood noodle stall (across the fish head noodle stall), wantan mee and pork noodles. We ordered the sang har noodle, fish head noodle, seafood noodle (my FIL’s favourite) and a plate of wantan mee to share among three of us.

What I like about the sang har noodle soup (RM20) from the stall at Choy Kei is the depth of flavour and strong aroma from the Chinese rice wine. There’s plenty of kick from the ginger and rice wine, with richness from the sang har prawn head in the broth. Slurp-worthy but note that Choy Kei isn’t that well ventilated so be prepared to sweat while indulging in this delicious bowl of noodles.

Also good is the fish head noodle soup (RM13), which has a strong Chinese rice wine flavour as well. I reckon if you’re like me and enjoy a good kick in your fish head noodles, this is for you. The broth has a good balance of evaporated milk to complement the rice noodles and fried fish head pieces. Between the fish head and sang har soup noodle, I would still go for the latter because it’s more indulgent.

The seafood noodles (RM11) from the stall across is quite decent – the broth is sweet, presumably from their stock base and also prawns. There’s also a nice aroma from the garlic bits and rice wine, and a sharp flavour from the generous toppings of Chinese parsley. If you dislike Chinese parsley, I suggest you tell the stall operator upon ordering as they really “load up the bowl” with parsley before serving.

I didn’t care much for the wantan mee despite its popularity. The egg noodles are springy and cooked just right but the sauce mix was just average for me. That said, if you’re a fan, give it a try; it is still a pretty decent plate of wantan mee. I ordered a packet to take home to my little girls, who ate almost 2/3 a large packet for lunch so I guess they are a fan.

By the time we left at 11.45am, Choy Kei was crowded and the wait for takeaway from the sang har stall was more than 30 minutes long. We waited no longer than 15 minutes for our sang har and fish head noodle soup to be ready. Your best bet is to arrive by 11.30am for lunch on a weekday. I was told by my in-laws that it’s a lot worse during weekends.

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Ambiance: 5.5/10
Price: 7/10
Food: 7/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: I like the sang har and fish head noodle soup stall best.

Restoran Choy Kei
73, Jalan Lazat 1,
Taman Gembira,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Business hours: 7am till 10pm
(Monday & Wednesday closed)