This corner lot (next to Koon Kee) was once occupied by Bananabro (which I expected to do well but didn't). Then the very short lived Mee Tarik Muslim occupied this space.
And now this corner is alive again.
Tuesday was the official opening with lots of congratulatory bouquets placed at the shop front.
The grand opening was indeed grand with a dragon dance troupe performing and all (and even a drone deployed to capture the event).
A canopy was set up outside the shop for invited guests. I planned to visit that day (but was not aware that it was grand opening day) and since there was so much hoo hah at the eatery, decided to come back the next day.
The concept here is your food is priced by weight. If you join as a member you pay RM2.95 per 50g. Non members pay RM3.25 per 50g.
I can't read Chinese so I am guessing that the Buffet Zone (+ RM2.00/pax) refers to the rice, drinks and condiments that you help yourself to after paying for your meal.
The procedure here is : take a plate - pick your dishes - weigh and pay at the cashier - help yourself to rice/condiments/drinks - find a seat and enjoy your meal.
Their promise - (1) fresh ingredients stir-fried daily (2) cooked fresh, full of wok hei (3) freshly cooked, never pre-made and (4) if you are not satisfied, they will 100% replace. Their slogan - We Cook with Hear(t) & Serve with Honesty.
So I started at this end. See the equipment on the right?
It houses these plates. So I took one.
And proceeded down the food line. Since I was early (11:30am) I was able to comfortably view the dishes (and not jostle with other customers).
There were braised dishes (the one at the left is vinegar trotters which I reckon will be heavy due to the bones, hence $$$) at the start of the line.
Some of the serving plates were empty since it was still early. So maybe visiting later would be better but then there might be more customers. I don't like crowds.
Behind the counter is where the action takes places. The chefs were busy "woking" to churn out the dishes. I could even see flames jumping up from the stove!
The dishes are tagged with the names of the dishes.
But some dishes were missing labels.
This is the end of the food line.
At the cashier you see two scales and this is where your food is weighed. The one on the left is for takeaway while the one on the right is for eat-in.
I reckon the scales are already calibrated to exclude the weight of the plate/takeaway packaging. I mean it would not be fair to include the weight of the plate/container (though it is very light).
This was my plate containing ladies fingers, spicy steamed chicken and Chef Special Pork Rib. Three dishes and the price came to RM24.40. Rather pricey I must say.
Then I made my way to the buffet zone.
This is where to help yourself to egg fried rice/plain rice, soup and condiments.
I opened the first container and scooped some egg fried rice not realizing that the big container next to it contains plain rice (which I would have preferred).
There is a drinks station but I did not get any beverages.
So there you have it my RM24.40 chap fan. I checked google review before visiting and the rating is below 4 with some unfavorable comments about the pricing.
To be fair, what is served here is restaurant quality dishes, cooked fresh from the wok and not the bulk pre-cooked dishes served at regular chap fan shops.
Besides the environment is clean and very pleasant though the floor space downstairs is small. There is more seating upstairs. So with these amenities you have to be prepared to pay a premium.
As far as taste is concerned, I found the food tasty. Just like what you would get at a dai chow.
I may have been a bit conservative in my helpings (hah..hah...) and was not quite satiated after the meal. So on a second visit I piled it on!
Guess how much this cost me.
RM36.78 whoa! Totally worth it because I enjoyed all the dishes I chose. There was beef, pork, chicken, green beans and a spicy (very crunchy) cold cucumber dish. And this time I was full and my tummy was happy.
I sat near the window where I noted that there is a strip of outside seating and I could see Koon Kee next door.
As the clock ticked past 12.oopm more and more people came in and before I knew it, the restaurant was packed.
Well, I don't rule out another visit and perhaps my partner might want to give this eatery a go.
Good that you had a filling and satisfying meal during the second visit. That is the dilemma, if charge too expensive nobody wants to patronize, but there is the high rental price you need to pay and cannot afford if charge too cheap.
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