030509 Ah Khai Famous Char Siew, Seaview, Malaysia

If you’re making a signboard with your stall’s name on it, why not add the word ‘famous’ in there?

A concept I totally agree with, especially as the food is so very definitely unmistakably good.

Before this place came along, we used to like the char siew (BBQ roast pork) at Tengkat Tong Shin in KL. Whether or not this char siew actually was at said place is another debate altogether, because in Malaysia, people tend to refer to a restaurant or stall by it’s commonly known name, which may or may not be its actual name.

Thing is, if you’re from Malaysia, you already know which char siew place I’m referring to.

When my parents then took me to this char siew place, we immediately knew we’d found a more than adequate substitute for the KL version. It also helps that the guy manning the place likes being photographed, and has such a cherry smile.

Roast chicken and steamed chicken with cucumber and sauce

If the East and the West could do chicken-part-exchange, everyone would benefit. While Western cuisine tends to favour chicken breasts in almost every type of dish, this is one part of the chicken that does not sell too well in Malaysia. The reason for this is because it’s seen as tougher, drier meat which is less tasty compared to the other bits of the chicken, namely the thigh and the ribs.

Thus, in almost every dish, people will take the effort to tell the chef not to include any chicken breast in their dish.

The plate of chicken seen here had smooth, tender, tasty chicken which was eaten with rice cooked in chicken stock.

Char siew superstar (BBQ pork extravaganza)

There are no words to describe this dish. OK, there are a FEW words to describe this dish, but those words can only be:

Magnificent
Incredible
Unbelievably delicious

The pieces of pork are so tender, so meltingly smooth and soft, and so tasty with sticky caramelised sweet and tangy sauce. Each bite starts with a satisfyingly sweet crunch, followed by a soft and chewy meaty centre, ending with a mouthful of flavoured rice to cleanse the palate.

You have to try this to believe it.

The Super Noodle-Tossing Man

While waiting for our food to arrive, we were distracted by the guy at the wantan noodle stand who, every few minutes, tossed noodles into the air. Usually, a man tossing noodles into the air won’t get much attention, but when you’re tossing noodles 5 metres into the air, and catching it successfully with a metal sieve, that deserves some oohs and aahs.

When my dad and I asked if we could take his picture, he nodded but didn’t say much. His friends then started shouting ‘Woooo, you’re being photographed!!!’, and the show-man in him emerged. Tossing the noodles not once, not twice, but FIVE times in the air and successfully catching it (oh I was so worried for the noodles), it was an impressive display.

I’d recommend this char siew to anyone, so I would most definitely like to come back to this place.

This is how much we like it.