Hainanese Food @ Sin Seng Nam, Kuala Lumpur

Another old school place which all of you would have heard of - Sin Seng Nam at the heart of busy Kuala Lumpur. I love the building which has been spruced up with the white walls and bright yellow wooden shutters. You can either enter from this side or the front entrance. At the back of the building is the river and you can catch a glimpse of the courts and Masjid Jamek.

This place has been around for many generations and is currently run by the same family. There's the old man at the counter at the front entrance. On one side of the restaurant, they prepare the chicken rice and the curry chicken or curry fish depending on what is the specialty. Long ago, there were stalls at the back of the shophouse but these have now moved in. You can pick and choose yong tau foo, chee cheong fun, rojak, mee rebus from these stalls.

What's really popular here is their Hainanese Chicken Rice - it's a must order for every table. You get a choice between the poached version of the deep fried version. To prepare for the lunch crowd, everything is chopped ahead in small plates to speed up delivery. Must admit this is one of the nicest chicken rice I have tasted. The rice is fragrant and fluffy while the chicken meat is smooth.

Another specialty is their Hainanese Curry Chicken (RM5). Also another popular dish as people order a bowl of this which comes with a plate of white rice. Usually most people either opt for this as lunch or share a bowl of the curry with their chicken rice. Filled with chunks of chicken and potatoes, the curry sauce is fragrant with curry leaves and rich with coconut milk. Aside from the chicken curry, depending on which days they switch with fish curry that comes with chunks of fish and vegetables.

I've read quite a few accounts of people raving about their chicken chop (RM10). This takes a while to arrive so be prepared to wait especially during busy lunch time. There are significant differences between this version compared to Yut Kee. Here the chicken chop is served with baked beans and crinkle type french fries while the Yut Kee version is served with mixed vegetables and thickly sliced potatoes. At Sin Seng Nam the chicken chop is topped with chopped onions and carrots while Yut Kee's topping is chopped onions and tomatoes. Tastewise, the chicken chop here is nicer as it's tender and has an even thickness. Although the sauce here is tastier, I would have preferred the chunky potatoes from Yut Kee versus the crinkle type french fries which look like they came from a frozen pack.

Sin Seng Nam

Leboh Ampang

Kuala Lumpur

(Pork Free. Open for breakfast and lunch. Closed on Sundays.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Hainanese Chicken Rice

Other reviews:

• Eatinout