Shin Ong Lai Restaurant — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

This Chinese restaurant is seriously underrated – reservations are a must!

Hidden in Lorong Tiong Nam 3, this place has been our go-to spot for family dinners since before the MCO! And let me say this — it has never disappointed.

⚠️ A friendly tip: Make sure to book a table in advance, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant runs in seating time slots, so walk-ins are usually turned away (yes, it gets THAT full!).

🥢 Recommended Dishes – You’ll keep coming back!

🧂Salted Egg Chicken A must-order! Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with a rich salted egg coating that’s full of flavor. Not the cheap, powdery kind – this one hits different!

🐣 Marmite Pork Belly Perfect for those who love sweet-savory dishes. The pork belly is crispy and tender, coated with a sticky Marmite glaze – super appetizing with white rice.

🐟 Signature Steamed Song Fish Head Great for sharing. The fish is fresh, steamed to perfection, and topped with soy sauce and garlic – no fishy smell at all, just pure umami goodness.

🔥 Stir-fried Fragrant Pork Belly If you love strong flavors, this is for you. The pork belly is wok-fried with fragrant spices – rich, punchy, and very satisfying.

🦪 Special Fried Oyster Omelette (Oh Jian) Crispy edges, soft center, and loaded with fresh oysters. Dip it into their homemade chili sauce for the full experience!

🌕 Golden Salted Egg Prawn Balls Cute presentation and big flavor! Juicy prawns wrapped in a golden salted egg yolk crust – crunchy, creamy, and very addictive.

🍜 Hokkien Mee (KL Style) Deep, rich wok hei flavor – smoky and savory. A little chili mixed in takes it to another level!

🫕 Claypot Pork Belly with Tendons Rich in collagen! The pork tendons are soft and gelatinous, cooked in a flavorful claypot sauce. Ideal for sharing in cooler weather.

🐟 Steamed Patin Fish (清蒸巴丁鱼) Light and delicate – the fish is fresh, and the ginger-soy dressing keeps it clean and fragrant. A great choice for those who prefer something lighter.

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🌟 Overall:

✅ Consistently delicious food ✅ Fast service ✅ Huge variety of dishes ✅ Reasonable prices ✅ Perfect for family dinners or group gatherings

📍 Just remember to make a reservation, especially on the weekend – or you’ll...

Heard about this restaurant from the social media but never gotten a chance to try until now. We booked a table as my friend said the place is pretty booked out daily. Finding a carpark was a problem as there weren’t many around. We parked onto the foot path and paid the guy who doesn’t own the shop. 😅 The restaurant was not full but still pretty packed. There were lots of choices in the menu, we ordered Lala with special sauce, a Patin steamed with superior soya sauce, the pork tendon and a vegetable. The food arrived shortly so we were happy as it was almost 8.30pm. The Lala came first. One the first bite, I can taste the bitterness in the dish due to the slightly burnt sauce. What a let down indeed. It was black bean sauce with chilies and oyster sauce. There were some crispy pork lards sprinkled sparely on top. If it was not of the badly controlled fire, the dish would have been pretty tasty. Then came the pork tendon. The tendon was softly cooked to perfection with plenty of pork bacon. I felt it tasted a bit sweet to my taste bud. Otherwise, it was not bad a dish to go with the rice. The fish came soon after that. It tasted ok but I didn’t think it was superb. Pretty ordinary and so was the sweet potato leaves. Overall I felt the food was so so only. May be I have too high an expectations after watching that video. Perhaps I will try other...

This is an interesting place to eat at. If you were to walk by, you might not have even thought to walk in. The door leads to a small reception area and the whole ground floor is filled by the huge kitchen. The dining area (2 shoplots large) is upstairs accessible by stairs or lift.

The dining area is spacious with a simple design. The menu is pretty extensive and you will be spoilt for choice. The waiter is friendly and gives good recommendations. So if you are at a loss, you can ask him for guidance.

As for the food, I enjoyed all of them. Simple unpretentious style but delicious all the same. The oyster egg had a generous amount of oyster and the egg was tasty with a little crunch that I love. The fish may seem gingery to some, but I found the soup tasty with good salt and ginger tone. The vegetable was unique with the addition of kidney and intestine. Maybe not for everyone but they taste great together.

Prawn and lala was average but taste good. I found the prawn sauce a little off balance between the saltiness and sourness. The prawns were fresh though. As for the lala, its sauce was overwhelming spicy overpowering the remainder of the taste. Heavy on spice with slightly overcooked lala.

Parking is a major headache. The food is good but definitely not one of the best when it...