When I was growing up in Klang, Bukit Tinggi didn’t even exist.   Now, it’s a bustling hub with several major hypermarket stores and eateries that have established a name for themselves within the Klang community.   My parents moved to Bukit Tinggi this year after an increase in the crime rate in their previous neighbourhood.  Their preoccupation with locking every door in their last home was testament to their fear.   Their fears have been alleviated since moving to a gated community, but what little comfort that brings, knowing that the problem has not been dealt with at the source.   The senseless attacking of people has not been curbed; only a couple of years ago, my father-in-law was attacked in his home by a drug addict wielding a parang.   Thankfully, he had the strength to shield himself, but how many more people have not been as fortunate?

One of the eateries in Bukit Tinggi which the family frequently visits is Restoran Whatt Kee.   I can see what pleases them about this place.   When cleanliness is almost non-existent among kopitiams in Malaysia, this one glimmers like a diamond, the tabletops and floors bearing no debris or mold.

We particularly like the roast duck at Restoran Whatt Kee.   Served with either noodles or rice, the roast duck has a glistening skin which unfortunately isn’t crisp (the crispness is usually attained by bathing the duck in hot oil before serving), but the flesh is tender, plump and flavourful and is less salty compared to that found in other eateries.   The herbal dipping sauce is also very good.  I found the char siew and siu yoke nice, but not spectacular.   The char siew was firm (not overly hard), but without much of the tender melting quality that I appreciate in a good char siew.  The siew pak choy, blanched and served with a garlic sauce, was delicious.

Restoran Whatt Kee
29, Jalan Batu Nilam 1,
Bandar Bukit Tinggi,
41200 Klang

Tel: 012-238 1728 (Yong Sze Whatt)

The lure of seafood is too good to resist.  Its location is in the middle of a kampung, surrounded by wooden houses, lush greenery, enveloped in a billow of exhaust fumes from passing vehicles and shadowed by an ancient power plant at Connaught Bridge.   As children, my brothers and I would visit this plant where my father worked; it was a lot smaller than what it is now, and connected to the outside world by a rickety, clanking wooden bridge which allowed only one car to pass through at any one time.   Times have changed since then, and the wooden bridge has been replaced by a modern two-lane bridge.   The novelty of holding one’s breath while crossing the seemingly precarious bridge of yore is gone, leaving bits and pieces of memories that seem to fade away with age.

Precious Pea demonstrates how to de-shell a crab.   Knocking with a hammer in frustration is not recommended.

Not much seasoning goes into the grilled crabs at Hing Ket.  Grilled whole, it is quite an art to de-shell the crab as one needs to be familiar with the uhmmmm anatomy of the crab before pulling the shells apart.  Precious Pea aka. The Queen of Crabs did a marvelous job in dissecting her crab; the rest of us dutifully followed her example.   What emerged from that minor operation was a most wonderful crab eating experience where the flesh was juicy and tasty and extremely fresh with no condiments, save for salt and pepper, that would have masked the flavour.

Other popular orders include grilled seafood such as prawns and squid, charred in places, in a light curry sauce.   The fried tong fun (glass noodles) is also good.

My favourite is the grilled lamb chop (which I like to call Chinese style simply because it is served in a Chinese restaurant but in reality isn’t Chinese at all), extremely tender and well marinated, and served with mint sauce.   I’d love to find out how it found its place in a Chinese Seafood restaurant.

This was our farewell to Precious Pea who is now in Melbourne.   Missing you loads, precious sista.   It ain’t the same without you.

Hing Ket Grill House
Lot 3569 Batu 3¼
Kampung Jawa, 41000 Klang
Tel: 03-33713913 / 33710861
Opening Hours: 11.30 am – 2.30 pm, 5.30 pm – 10.30 pm

For detailed directions, check out Precious Pea’s blog.