豚味無窮 Rice & Pot Empire — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Just when I wasn't expecting anything but a simple dinner...

I think that every place deserves a try - and this has been my motto ever since I started compiling my list. If it's good then I'll be back again, if it's not then that'll be my first and probably last time. Running out of idea on what to eat one evening, I turned my car into Uptown area from Sprint Highway to check out on this busy commercial area.

Spotted Rice & Pot Empire ... The word "Empire" sounds big and majestic & since I saw a steady stream of customers going in and out, I dropped them in front of the restaurant and quickly drifted into The Starling Mall to park my car.

The design of the restaurant was similar to traditional China restaurants but it's unmistakably local. Anyway let the food do the talking.

◾Signature pork bone broth - I went for the Ultimate Pork Indulgence to see what it's all about and it came with all the bells & whistles namely back ribs, sliced Spanish pork belly, HK bursting meatballs and crispy pork patty. I appreciate that they served the broth and my choice of mi xian separately. The soup was brimming with sweetness from the long boiling process and I didn't feel thirsty afterwards. ◾Taiwanese Lu rou fan - the bowl generously topped with the braised pork that it almost covered the top. ◾Spicy mi xian with Taiwanese braised pork - I quite like the flavour.. fragrant and numbingly sour & spicy (due to the peppercorn) but not too overwhelming. Peanuts added the crunchy element to this dish. ◾Crispy pork patty rice - 2 pieces of crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-and-tender-on-the-inside meat patty and topped with another fried egg. Made me reminiscent of my childhood year.

The flavour of the pork bone broth can rival some of the best pork noodles out there...

I feel that this is one of the most under-rated restaurants at Uptown Damansara.

I work nearby, and I have gone around to most of the eateries here. At many places - same old same old - and laden with so much MSG, seasoning, salt and sugar. My barometer is always whether I am dying of thirst from MSG overload whenever I eat at a place.

Not here. I don't get too thirsty after a meal here. I just love the wholesome and homemade taste of all the dishes here. They do every dish well. The pork patties are divine, the soup is robust and flavourful, and the rice dishes are competently made. I once saw the owner in the shop and asked about the dishes. He told me they were family recipes that the family came up with themselves. It is no wonder I like this place so much. Authentic, down to earth.

They lack a piquant chilli sauce to pair with the dishes. The acid would cut the pork grease. I used to ask them to serve me the vinegary chilli sauce that came with the pork trotters rice. But they have since stopped serving the pork trotters rice. So that means no more acidic chilli sauce from the restaurant.

Well, I have since resorted to bringing my own chilli vinegar to maximise my enjoyment of the dishes here. Yes, that is how crazy and committed a...

Both of the original and tomato soup base are very good. The pork patties is one of the best I have tried, crispy and juicy, and big portion. Busting pork ball is good too. Signature Lu Rou rice is one of the my favorite, very flavourful and the egg is perfectly made. Tried the dumpling once and it is pretty good. The pork belly is too far for my liking, the ribs are a little too hard. But everything else are very delicious. I always finish the broth, both the tomato and original, they are sooo good. Haven’t tried the mixian and I heard it is good, probably will give it a try in my next visit.

Overall food here are awesome, well prepared and worth trying. The Price is reasonable in my opinion. The service is relatively fast and staffs are attentive. Boss is very friendly too. The only problem here is usually it is extremely hard to find a parking here.

This is my favorite restaurant in uptown apart than Village Park, always struggle to decide which place to go whenever I come to Uptown for lunch.

Highly recommended. Give it a try if you have not been here, the place will exceed your...