Pan Heong's owner started their operation since 1988 from a little rundown shack, to the extended corner shop lot we see today. Although they possess a huge following and still growing, the owner choose to run his business in this only shop at Batu Caves, hence the sign "只此一家，别无他分行" (This is the sole outlet, no other branches available) hangs proudly in their premises.
It was 11am on a Sunday morning and the crowd was naturally overwhelming, workers controlled the crowd by giving out number tags on a first-come-first-serve basis. We were lucky to get our table after a ten-minute wait as a smaller table was cleared and catered just nice for four of us, jumping queue ahead of many big families.
The four walls of fame are enough to make them stand on firmer ground.
Sang Yu (snakehead fish or ikan haruan) Porridge (生鱼粥)- other than sang yu, you also get to choose from choices of frogs, pork ribs, prawns, century egg and canned abalone. This must be the best porridge I’ve ever eaten- it was stirred and cooked to a point where one can literally swallow it- almost as smooth as baby's food.
Braised Pork Belly Bee Hoon (扣肉米粉)- I was skeptical of this dish at first having to know that they are using canned braised pork belly. Then it got me- it doesn't taste can-like at all! Although these jingling layered meats made one's mind scream “DIET!!” in dismay, your chopsticks will always react faster than your brain. They were not stringy and complement the vermicelli well by adding a savory, meaty taste to it.
Steamed Fish (蒸鲫鱼)- The fish was steamed in an unfamiliar but pleasantly light soy sauce, garnished with coriander, cili padi and black Chinese fungus. It was fleshy and its freshness was preserved by good steaming techniques.
Sang Har (fresh water prawn) Hor Fun ( 生虾河粉)- This is a highly sought-after dish in the shop as nearly all diners were having it. Even the smallest portion will have two huge generous servings of fresh water prawns. The dish really taste as good as it looks-I liked the idea of substituting fried noodles with Hor Fun as they absorbed the eggy gravy better, making the rice noodles taste even thicker. We absolutely ADORE the prawns, each bite was so juicy, springy and succulent that we walloped everything within minutes till the last dollop of gravy.
Other than the slightly pricey Sang Har Hor Fun, the rest were fairly reasonable. The food was top of the crop, definitely worth revisiting.
This place will be terribly packed during lunch hours on weekdays and there is also a primary school nearby. To avoid the crowd on weekends, do plan for an early lunch or breakfast as mostly bigger groups of people will swarm here.
Location: No. 2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2, Medan Batu Caves, 68100 Bt Caves.
Opening Hours:
It closes twice every month (every first and fifteenth in Chinese calendar). Do call to avoid disappointments.
Map:
2 comments:
Definitely want to bring my parents or friends or colleagues to this place. The Sang Har Mee is the best I've ever ate. The prawn is so tender it's like eating expensive crabs. I had to use my hand to tear of the meat from its shell. Its definitely worth the price.
Bring lah all of them beramai- ramai so we can enjoy even more food. I'm looking forward to try their popular nam yue roast pork too!
Post a Comment