Restoran Leong Ah — Restaurant in Subang Jaya

When one craves for paper-wrapped chicken, where do you go? For foodies in the Klang Valley, the name Leong Ah inevitably springs to mind.

Leong Ah has become synonymous with that delicacy. The first-generation Mr Leong Ah, patriarch of the clan, had been selling it under a big rain tree at a spot in Serdang / Seri Kembangan. That spot now forms part of The Mines development. That was more than half a century ago.

Today, there are half a dozen or so Leong Ah eateries spread out in the Klang Valley - run by bona fide descendants albeit independently by different branches of the clan.

Incidentally, Mr Leong Ah had nine children but not all chose to take up the wok and spatula to continue his legacy. Those who did, have done him proud by establishing this network of Leong Ah eateries that we now see.

It was when the craving for paper-wrapped chicken struck one fine evening that I found myself seated inside this Leong Ah in Bandar Puchong Jaya - a visit after a multi-year hiatus.

This outlet is part of the three-store chain that belongs to one of Leong Ah's daughters. The other two being in Serdang and SS14, Subang Jaya. All three shops' Chinese signage carries the characters 梁雅(女) - Leong Ah (Daughter) - to differentiate this chain from the other Leong Ahs run by other blood lines.

We ordered:

1. Paper-wrapped chicken (RM6.30) - juicy, succulent, immersed in flavourful sauce reminiscent of the flavour of top-notch "loh mai gai 糯米鸡"

2. Yong tao foo 3 pieces (RM2.30 each) - fried fucuk was sadly, not crispy, tau foo was mediocre, dipping chilli sauce laced with belacan was a redeeming factor.

3. Yin Yong (2-variant) pork ribs (RM28.00) - rendered in marmite and salad styles, generous portion, decently tender and tasty.

Served with a complimentary soup of the day.

Service Level: Cheerful and fast. Barely had to wait for our dishes to arrive.

Atmosphere: Clean and neat with comfortable air-conditioning. Lack of interior decor didn't detract from the otherwise conducive dining setting. Good crowd, vibrant feel during my visit.

Menu Books: Unsightly, badly dog-eared. Certainly uncomfortable to handle and flip. New reprints long overdue!

Toilet Score: Clean and spacious.

Business Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30am-3pm / 5:30pm-10pm Sat, Sun, Public Holidays 10am-3pm 5pm-10pm Closed: None except during Chinese New Year

Final Comments: Overall, it's a good place to dine or to entertain guests. Prices are reasonable but don't expect food to be...

We have been here a number of times. Food quality and taste quite well maintained. We weren't disappointed except for one CNY dinner.

There's no price listed on the menu but very likely that you shall get a pleasant surprise when the bill comes.

Definitely worth a try. Good taste with a very reasonable price. Didn't have to wait long for food, probably due to how certain food was prepared.

MSG aftertaste was very mild.

Highly recommended but during peak crowd, quality might be compromised.

Update 01/02/2019 :

Just had our 2019 Family CNY dinner here and we were a little disappointed with the overall quality and taste of the dishes. Probably due to the crowd that quality of some dishes were compromised.

Quite disappointed with the suckling pig and chicken. Prawns were fresh but were let down by poor combination of garnish, seasoning and style of cooking. Seemed like trial and error. Steamed Grouper was fresh and well prepared, it went a certain way of providing some saving grace to the overall experience. Other dishes were slightly above average.

They should try to keep things simpler. Being adventurous didn't serve them well, no pun intended.

They were probably not ready for the "big time" yet.

Still worth...

Originally paper chicken popularity from Sri Kembangan by parents, children venture out to Puchong. Available under 20 large tables(8-10pax). Sufficient waiter/waitress to meet demand. Busy during lunch...may even sit 1 customer without sharing table. A well prepared and flavorful Japanese tofu soup mixed with 🦀 meat and medium/small 🦐 is a super alternative to traditional shark fin soup. Lightly sauté young crunchy French beans with garlic was good. Lotus in thin celery sticks was average and improve colorful dish is an option. Traditional Hakka almost melt in your mouth braised 🐖 belly slices in between yam is a worthy dish. A worthy dish on all tables: steam fresh water 🐟 head in almost smooth ginger paste. Non fishy, fresh, tender white texture fish topped by generous smooth ginger was surprisingly good. Featured double wrapped baked paper 🐓 generously rich oyster sauce with a future improved recipe could be a choice. Moderate Tea quality loosing its taste 3 rounds serving 5pax. Moderate rice quality serving. Prepare for a long “rounding” parking as Puchong is infamous for...