My Daddy Recipe 老豆食铺 — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Stumbled on this place because I was looking for fried mee hoon kuih, but the other options were too tantalizing to pass up and I couldn’t find it on the menu.

This unassuming corner shop is actually an oasis with a very industrial and otherwise grimy area. Neighboring restaurants look questionable at best and lack the subtle flair, cleanliness, and comfort of My Daddy Recipe.

The beef char kuey teow was like something you’d expect to find at a back alley gem in Penang, and the wok hei was a love note from the chef. The beef was tender and seasoned to enhance, rather than mask, the beef flavor, which was a nod to the quality of the meat.

As for the Shanghai pork rib noodles, you can imagine if wantan mee grew up in a gated community and went to a top university. The lardy noodles paired with the sweet and tender boneless pork ribs was divine, especially when complemented by their homemade pickled peppers.

My wife’s favorite, the prawn mee, was classic in its approach, and the nuances of the broth crept into the spotlight progressively as the meal ensued. The prawn essence in tandem with the Chinese cooking wine was a formidable flavor that is often lacking at run of the mill joints slinging the same dishes.

The palate cleanser, cham bing with less sugar, was also quite nice and paired well with the food. We added a second order once my MIL had a tester sip.

The service and atmosphere weren’t special in their own right, but they stood out against the industrial backdrop. I also gave a bit of a soft spot for these types of eateries; etched into an outcrop of urban decay, restaurants like My Daddy Recipe are comforting beacons of the human spirit that have resisted the sterile, cookie cutter infrastructure of modern developments.

I am already looking forward to...

A restaurant tucked away in the fringes of an industrial area, boasts a cozy dining experience with a rustic, greenery-filled interior. There's ample seating, albeit pretty close together, with airy, natural ventilation. Ordering is done via QR code, though a physical menu is available through self-collection. Condiments and utensils are also self service. There's quite a number of staff, but attentiveness is very minimal, you don't see them at all asides from meal and drink delivery if you sit inside. Though the food arrived swiftly, and the staff are friendly.

My Daddy's Recipe offers a unique menu, with different specials on different days of the week. We sampled two of their friday specials; The Asam Laksa (RM9) was flavorful with a strong tamarind flavour and perfectly chewy noodles, though the mackerel contained quite a number of fish bones, and overall the fish lacked freshness. The Fish Fillet Bihun Soup (RM12) was mildly milky and had a nice fragrance to the broth, although the lack of preserved vegetables made the flavours slightly muted and repetitious after awhile. Their signature Shanghai Mee with Pork Ribs (RM14/large) had a good noodle texture, with a mildly sweet and salty sauce, and came with a bowl of dumpling soup. It was tasty, but the pieces of pork ribs wasn't the typical bone-in pieces you'd expect. Overall, the food is of average to good standard, with a reasonable price. Would return for the broad menu, and...

Overall quite okay…

Peanut Butter Toast – It was alright. Normal bread with peanut butter which is something you can made at house.

Salted Bun – Added RM0.50 for butter, but all I got was just a bit of it. Was kind of expecting at least a small cube or slice haha. Taste-wise, felt like regular bread, nothing really special for us. Maybe we have different expectations when comes to Salted bun.

Western Breakfast – It was okay. Feels like it uses frozen food, but we appreciated the variety on the plate!

Ginger Duck Braised Yee Mee – Tasted pretty good! The Yee Mee noodles were quite thick, which was nice.

Hand-Pulled Pan Mee (Dry & Soup) – Both were tasty, though we preferred the soup version.

Shredded Chicken Hor Fun – Fresh soup based and not bad at all.

Portion-wise: You can refer to the hand in the photo for scale. Overall, the portions were okay for us.

Drinks: Hainan coffee and cham were okay. Teh was a bit too milky for our taste.

Will we come back? Yeah, come back...