I felt like a kid in a candy store.

It was my first time trying poon choi, and I was mesmerised.

It is said that a long time ago, poon choi was cooked in large wooden wash basins to serve the multitudes.  Things have evolved since, and in Restoran LYJ, the poon choi is served in a metal tray and kept warm on a portable stove.  The interesting aspect of this dish is that the ingredients are layered, starting with the bottom layer consisting of the braised foods like pork knuckles, fish stomach, abalone, mushroom and chicken feet.  The second layer consisted of the rest of Old McDonald’s farm – roast duck, chicken, fish and vegetables.   After a while, the essence from the various meats seeped into the sauce to create a wonderful synergy of flavours. 

This dish can feed between 10 to 12 people and is a popular dish during the Chinese New Year festivities.  It was RM218 for this platter last year; prices may have gone up since.  To order this dish, call one day in advance.  The good news is that you can also order this dish and have it at home.  I believe there is a deposit to pay for the container if you wish to tar-pau.

Finding this restaurant can be a nightmare if you’re not familiar with the Sungai Buloh area.  If you’re driving along Jalan Batu Tiga Sungai Buloh (off Jalan Sungai Buloh), shortly after the army camp (on the right) is a right turning to Jalan Welfare.  If you see Loong Kee Bak Kut Teh and a petrol station soon after that, you will know that you have gone beyond the turning.  Once you are on Jalan Welfare, keep going even if you think you’ve arrived at another country.  Jalan Perkhidmatan is on the left.  Military fatigues are optional.

The restaurant also serves a mean fish head dish served with black bean paste and chillies, and Thai-style tiger prawns cooked with fragrant caramelised onions.  Fasting before going is recommended.

For more reviews, go HERE, and HERE, and HERE.

Restoran LYJ
PT 11, Jalan Perkhidmatan, Kg Baru, 47000 Sungai Buloh.

Tel: 03-6140 2698

Operating hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.00pm to 10pm.  Closed on Monday nights and during CNY.

When we came back from our three-week vacation, most of our plants were either dying or dead. I’m not sure if I willed it. What used to be our pride and joy turned out to be the neighbourhood eyesore, just because we were too involved in our own lives to do anything about the garden. We used to tend to our garden lovingly, and spent many hours admiring the blooms. We knew which plant had new buds. We welcomed the sweet scent of the white ginger in the middle of the night. I painted glass jars and put tea lights in them and hung them out on the tree, and its branches would be illuminated by the flickering flames. Sometimes, I’d cook dinner and we’d have it out on the patio, so that we could drink in the colours of the garden, and be entertained by the sounds of the water feature. And occasionally, we’d have a guest – Tom, the frog. He’d hop over to us like an old friend, and he knew we’d never do him harm. Tom doesn’t visit us anymore. He’s probably found a nicer garden.

It was time to bring back the colours and scents to my garden.

Home is not far from Sungai Buloh where nurseries stretch as far as the eye can see. Which is convenient if one wants an instant garden. 🙂

I got into my little car and drove to my favourite nursery owned by Albert. I was euphoric as I selected plant after plant for my garden. Eventually, I knew I had to go home as every tiny space in my car had been filled with plants.

Driving back, my gastric juices started acting up. Without hesitation, I drove straight to Subang Permai where Restoran Teck Kee is located. Subang Permai is located about 5 minutes from home (Bukit Jelutong) and if you’re coming from Bukit Jelutong, you will have to skip the Guthrie Corridor expressway and use the trunk road to reach this place. Upon arriving, I knew what I wanted. If you read my blog last week, you will know that I had an unsatisfactory meal of ginger wine chicken. I still had cravings, so instead of ordering bak kut teh like everyone else, I got myself a meal of ginger wine chicken with onion rice.

The ginger wine chicken here has got generous servings of ginger, chicken pieces and wine. Lots of wine. It was an interesting combination of sweet and hmmm…how does one describe alcohol? 🙂 Eaten with the onion rice and side servings of chopped garlic in soy sauce, it was a very satisfying meal. The meal, priced at RM10 for one person, was worth every cent.

I’m probably going to make it my mission to find the best ginger wine chicken in the Klang valley.

Teck Kee
Jalan Alfa D
Section U6
Subang Permai.