Mock Meats in Pudu

Pudu is a haven for good Chinese food. It is home to the best siew yoke, teochew porridge, wanton mee and roast goose to just name a few. With so many places on offer, I do wonder why I don't eat there more often. I think its partly because I identify it as a breeding ground for criminals, thanks to my parents for scaring me with endless stories about the prisoners of the old Pudu jail. The only time I go to Pudu these days is when I have to meet my printer, Mr. Cheong. Pudu is lined with printers so if you are thinking of getting any invitations printed, you should head on over to Pudu. No gangsters here, just templates and heavy printing machinery operated by tattooed criminals. Well, there are tattoos but I may be exaggerating somewhat about them being criminals!

Anyway, last Saturday, after asking Boolicious for a recommendation, I dragged Hunky and Rafs to Pudu for dinner at Yu Yee Chai on Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah. It was easy to find but it was not easy to park. We ended up parking on the divider illegally like all the other cars. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would considering it was a Saturday night. But then again, people who come here probably eat quite early as they open from 5:30pm for dinner. It was 8:30pm when we arrived and they were going to close in an hour. I'm not sure what I ordered as I was getting confused between the nam yue, fu yue and mock meats. I did order the kao fan mantou which was also recommended by Boolicious. That was really good! It was very gingery and full of mushrooms. It reminded me of crispy pork knuckle in mantou. It was very crispy on the outisde and tasty within with a lot of chewy texture. Very good!

We also had fried spinach with fu yue (which I don't remember ordering), lai yau ha and mock goose with lotus root & fungus. The prawns had the texture of fish balls but the sauce was very tasty. I enjoyed the mock goose dish the most. I didn't even realise it was meant to be goose as I was just eating the lotus and fungus at first. It had a nice sesame aroma with a hint of ginger. I definitely want to go again eventhough I did feel slightly thirsty after the meal. The dishes came up to be RM44 but the total bill was RM59 (inclusive of taxes) which included nuts, rice and tea. RM2 for nuts that we did not touch. Hmmph. While looking for parking earlier, we came across even more restaurants tucked away in the back roads. I must come back and explore this place a bit more.