Chef Chew Kitchen — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Chef Chew Kitchen

It was a family occasion, and called for celebrations and the venue was picked - Chef Chew Kitchen. Of course we’ve all heard good things about this restaurant, particularly their crunchy chilled sweet and sour pork. You have to call or text ahead to make reservations and put orders down for some of their dishes.

They had advised that certain fish would need to be ordered ahead along with their other signature dishes such as the the Signature Chicken with Ginger Rice. We reserved 2 tables, as there were 15 of us. One with younger people and the other with the elderly. Lucky me got the one with the younglings and it was decided that there would be a couple more meat dishes at the one with the young and a fish at the table for the elder.

So the signature chicken with ginger rice is a must order. This was the first dish that was served. There was a little pomp and pageantry that came along. The rice was presented in a clay pot, and with the sizzle came some stirring to ensure that the ginger was properly mixed into the rice. Didn’t ask them about the type of ginger used, but ginger is certainly the best pairing for chicken in any type of Chinese cooking. It worked really well with the rice, and I could have had 3 servings. While on the other hand, the chicken tasted as any steamed kampong chicken would. I was not spectacularly blown away by it. It was full-flavoured and the texture was reasonably tender for free-range, but the rice was definitely the show stealer.

The other show stealer would of course be the chilled sweet and sour pork. The operative word here being — chilled because the sweet and sour pork is served on a bed of ice. The pork is coated in syrup and then it solidifies over ice creating a crunch when you bite into it. It is not unlike the candied sweet potato (拔丝地瓜) you get at desert. Having this for the first time brought some delight, and it was good even for a second or third bite. But the novelty kind of wears off eventually. But in any case, the pork was not too fatty and had a nice bite.

Another stand-out dish was the Stir-Fried Intestines with Chili & Shrimp. There was contentious discussion at the table whether it was fallopian tubes or if it was the lower reaches of the small intestines. I’ll leave you to do your own research. Anyways, there was good crunch, and no evident odour, and the chilli and shrimp sauce lent the intestines a good patina of rich flavour to create a well-balanced dish.

Shout outs must also be given to the Claypot Kangkung with shrimp paste as well as the seafood in signature curry. The seafood consisted of sotong (squid), prawn and clam. The large portion was really quite substantial. Didn’t get down to counting the pieces of prawns, but it looked really generous. The curry was quite robust and almost all of us liked it - I guess it was well balanced between the spiciness and coconut milk richness. The seafood were also fresh and well cooked. The depth of flavour in the shrimp paste was really brought out in the sizzling claypot, served piping hot. It raised the otherwise bland kangkung to another level. Loved it.

Overall, Chef Chew Kitchen is a stand-out in the crowded F&B scene in KL. Food is good, and reasonably priced. Worth the anticipation and homework required to make the booking etc. Will return...

UPDATE:

Returned to Chef Chew Kitchen, in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia to try some other house specialties that I did not have on my last visit.

Tonight’s dinner:

Steamed Tiger Garoupa - excellent. Fish steamed just right and the superior soy sauce base was spot on. Really delicious.

River big head prawns in a curry sauce accompanied by vermicelli. Tasty if not spectacular.

Stir fried French beans - simple yet delicious. Hallmark of a good chef that he can elevate simple dishes to a memorable experience.

Ordered the sweet and sour pork chilled in ice as a repeat order. No regrets. This house specialty is an absolute must order.

Going to up my rating to 5 stars. 😊

Had dinner here recently. Food is tasty. A number of common dishes are given interesting twists here.

Sweet & Sour Pork - served under a blanket of ice. Pork was tasty. The ice blanket meant the outside of the pork was chilled and the inside was still hot. Excellent.

Steamed Chicken with Chicken Rice topped with generous amount of ginger mince. Star of the dinner for me. Chicken had good flavour and texture was not too tough. The rice cooked in the chicken stock within a claypot was mixed with a generous topping of minced ginger. Delicious!

Deep fried sea grouper with a pomelo sauce/topping. Fish was filleted and cut into bite sizes. It was just OK. Sauce was tasty. Needed more sauce. The head and main spine of the fish was deep fried till crisp. Yummy.

Deep fried quail - the spices on the dry rub made the skin super yummy. The quail meat was tender. Good.

Taufoo with “tau kan” (beancurd skin). Simple dish, well prepared. Tasty.

2 vegetables - decent if not spectacular. Probably just me not being a big fan of veg. 😊

7 individual bowls of longan and red dates sweet broth for dessert. Sweet yet tasty. A quality preparation.

Bill for seven pax was just under Rm560.

Rating of 4 rather than 5 stars because all the food is brought out near simultaneously. They are in a small space so look to turn over the tables a few times each night. Can’t blame them. It’s just what it is. I do prefer a more...

[holiao]

1. Overall - Chinese restaurant, pre-order and reservation are highly recommended, limited seating and parking capacity, ok cleanliness and service, do expect queue during peak hours, signature dishes are sweet and sour pork, steamed chicken and ginger rice, charcoal tofu, pork lard, prawn curry, shark bone soup and many more from Chef Chew Kitchen
2. steamed chicken with ginger rice - tender, succulent chicken, gently steamed to perfection, accompanying the chicken is fragrant jasmine rice infused with ginger
3. chilled sweet and sour pork - succulent pieces of pork, typically tenderloin or loin, which are marinated, fried until golden and crispy, and then chilled until cold, unique preparation results in a crispy exterior that retains its texture even when chilled, while the interior remains juicy and flavorful
4. stir fry bitter gourd and pumpkin - bitter gourd brings a distinctively bitter and earthy flavor profile, while the pumpkin adds a subtle sweetness and creamy texture
5. braised tofu - tasted ok
6. lady finger with crispy pork belly - tender crunch of crispy pork belly with the subtle sweetness and gentle bite of lady's finger
7. stir fry vegetable - fresh and tasted good
8. abalone, chinese sausage, mushroom rice in claypot - tasted alrigh
9. scrambled eggs with tomato - average
10. steamed fish with nyonya sauce - not recommended. feels like fish was being boiled...