This no-frills restaurant serves simple home-style dishes, leaning more towards Kong Sai (or “Kong Xi”) flavours. Its location in Taman Equine may seem a bit off-the-beaten-track but it’s actually fairly easy to get there, coming from the Kesas Highway. The chef is from Lenggong, a little town in northern Perak with a major community of Kong Sai residents. So that explains the Kong Sai influence in the dishes here.
With the Chinese New Year upon us and 15 days of celebration ahead, if you have exhausted your list of places to feast at, well, perhaps you can check this place out for some affordable comforting food.
The signature Leng Loong Homemade Noodles is a must-order, in my books. The noodles are all the way from Lenggong which the chef personally brings back a few times a month whenever he “balik kampung”. The fresh alkaline-free eggy noodles are bouncy with a bitey flavour. Cooked only with pork, prawns and choy sum, the noodles are so good we had to order a 2nd plate. I kid you not – maybe it’s due to the lardy crunches sprinkled liberally on top of the noodles – yeah, I think that made the difference!
A medium-sized red snapper, halved, are laid out flat on a claypot. This Kong Xi Claypot Fish looks deceptively simple in presentation but the aroma and flavours are spot on. Flavoured simply with just ginger strips, chopped garlic, pork lard, superior soya sauce and tendrils of coriander leaves, the fish is sweet and tender.
Kong Xi Tau Pok is a typical home-style dish that’s served in almost every Kong Sai household. Dense fluffy bean curd puffs are stuffed with a minced pork and prawns paste and cooked in a clear broth. I can just eat these on their own and be happy.
The next few dishes are more robust in their flavours so it’s best to order some white rice to go with them.
Rice Wine Claypot Chicken is an all-time favourite with me. The unmistakable fragrant “fa tiew” Chinese wine wafted up to my nose immediately when the pot was placed on our table. The thick moreish gravy is excellent with white rice.
Fried Pork Belly would satisfy most porcine fans. Crispily fried, the nam hue-marinated pork is just to die for. It’s not surprising at all how fast the pork disappeared – it’s that good.
The chef does a Lenggong-style Stir-fried Petai with Minced Pork and Sambal. Flavours are mild and it didn’t work quite well with me. I like my petai sambal a bit more fiery and I’m not sure if minced pork complements the stinky beans well. I still prefer prawns to go with petai.
Golden Salted Egg Prawns is a crowd pleaser. Salted egg and prawns are partners made in heaven. The chef left the salted egg yolks a bit chunky for that sandy mouthfeel. It worked very well with me.
Assam Steamed Tilapia – Buried beneath a pile of brinjals, tomatoes, ladies fingers and long beans, the fish was executed well. However, I found the broth a little thin, although the flavours were adequate.
Old Cucumber Soup – this definitely has a very “home cooked” feel to it as I cook this very often at home.
Nai Tung dessert is a simple milk and cream jelly that’s easily made at home and that ended our Kong Sai meal on a satisfying note in Leng Loong Seafood Restaurant.
Drop by Leng Loong for some of these Kong Sai favourites – simple rustic dishes that require lots of white rice to go with! For the Chinese New Year, they do serve special set menus priced at RM398 or RM588 for a table of 10 person. Oh, there’s also Yee Sang of course, to toss for everything good for this Year of the Goat.
Do call to make reservations in advance.
Leng Loong Seafood Restaurant
No.21, Jalan Equine 9B
Taman Equine
Bandar Putra Permai
43300 Seri Kembangan
Tel: 017-247-1183 /017-912-8414
Business hours:
Lunch: 10.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 5.30pm to 11pm
Closed every alternate Wednesday