Just off Jalan Raja Laut which is one of the busiest areas in Kuala Lumpur, you can spy this tai chow place that is available only at night. It's not too hard to find this place especially once you figured out the signs i.e. Mungo Jerry and Bee Seng Hotel. Once those landmarks have been spotted, all you need to do is turn left into the lane and you will find this makeshift stall with a huge kitchen complete with woks and a stand alone steamer. At first when you walk in you will think it's just stalls but wander further and there's also a shoplot which you can sit in peace and from the rain.
As this place is right smack in one of the seediest areas in town, it's preferable you don't dine here alone but with a whole group of people. It's always a good idea also to bring a crowd to help finish the food as the portions are huge. Ong Lai specialises in a few dishes such as this Fried Pei Kueh Hokkien Style. Pei Kueh has many names as it's also known as Shanghai Nien Gao, Pak Kor Meen and etc. We all thought this was pretty okay, definitely better than the Hokkien mee place in Jalan Maharajalela.
Another specialty they are famous for is their O Chien i.e. the oyster omelette. Tiny oysters are marinated in a mixture with tapioca flour and then cooked in a wok with eggs. They're quite generous with the oysters and it had the right amount of chewyness versus the crispy egg. Definitely a favourite among us all as this was the only dish we finished that night.
Ong Lai is notoriously famous for their Steamed Wan Yu Fish Head which we ordered. I'm not too sure what style this is but it had sinful belly pork slices on top of it. We had great expectations for this dish after hearing so many raves about it but sadly it wasn't our night as the fish had a slight muddy smell to it. Besides these dishes, Ong Lai is also famous for their Fish Head Mee Hoon which looks interesting based on what I have read so I guess we will give this place another try.
Ong Lai Restaurant
Jalan Tiong Nam, Off Jalan Raja Laut
Kuala Lumpur
(Food served here is non halal. The restaurant is right behind Bee Seng Hotel and off Jalan Raja Laut. Turn left from Jalan Raja Laut when you spot the Mungo Jerry sign on your right hand side. See KY Speaks for a location map.)
Other reviews:
hmmmm.. looks like da fish is steamed in a 'TeowCheow' way.. corret me if i am wrong..
ReplyDeletemeiyen - I think so but since I wasn't the person who ordered, couldn't confirm it.
ReplyDeletei usually go there for yue thau mai with thick bee hoon. hardly order the fish since hubby dun fancy steamed fish. for fish head i liked the jalan 3 one.
ReplyDeletefish looks good
ReplyDeletethis restorant is that near the mango jerry pak kuk teh ??
ReplyDeleteMany many years ago I was told that this was a favoutite food haunt of Taiwanese Movie stars like Lin Chin Hsia & Co. Good to know they are still doing so well today ! Must be one of those evergreen M'sian National Treasures of local foodlore
ReplyDeletemm, judging from your pictures, i believe my yu tau mai is from another stall, could be just beside at the same street. nevertheless, your place looks good, only that a colleague told me the prices is quite high
ReplyDeleteThe O chien looks divine....!!!!
ReplyDeleteAiyo, boo, just went to times warehouse sale, only one issue of donna hay magazine left lar. drat. were there a lot when you were there?
butttt, managed to get the donna hay classics 2 and off the shelf for a steal la, which are gonna be birthday presents, so that made the trip worthwhile.
babe - yeah the yue tow mai is also famous and looks good per umami's blog.
ReplyDeletepengkritik makan - go try it out!
bearyip - mungo jerry is on the right hand side of the road, this is on the left hand side, u need to turn left inside the small lane and you will see it.
jackson - when is the makan trip to Imbi mkt? then you adjourn here for the o chien?
tonixe - wow! really didn't know it's famous.
rokh - yeah, I think KY mentioned quite a large amt per pax.
fatboybakes - there were stacks of the Donna Hay mags when I was there but then I was there for the preview which was not publicised in the papers.
oh then i knew where it is la .. it is teow chew tai chow la ... the most i like is sou yuk kai lan .. woooo yammy .. but the price a bit high fornormal tai chow la ...
ReplyDeleteI didn't know of this place. So much food, so little time...sigh! LOL..Thanks!
ReplyDeletebearyip - yeah, it seems this taichow is quite pricey.
ReplyDeletewmw - lots of food, not enought tummy space for all.
make sure you ask them to break down the price though, they have a habit of giving you only the total amount.
ReplyDeletebut the fried oyster... *slurps*
this restaurant really not bad...
ReplyDeletethe price is quite high becoz the ingredients are many and i feel it's worth.
i m this restaurant supporter, actually this is not teow chew Tai-Chow, is hokkien style. And the steam fish head has their own style, not the teow chew way.
i like this restaurant very much and my family too... this restaurant is about more than 30 years ago...
i have oso saw before the HK stars and taiwan singer (李茂山)
recently there is a new ong lai restaurant at menjalara, the chef is came out from this original restaurant... but the taste is damn bad.... no need try
this fish head called （松鱼头）
ReplyDeleteWow...this o-chien looks very delicious! i'm missing them very much! When i come bak from UK next time, i must go n try!
ReplyDelete