Thursday, December 18, 2008

Happy Hakkas at Ying Ker Lou, The Curve

My Hakka heritage has been attacking my tastebuds for a while, so it was opportune when my very Hakka dad and my very obliging Hokkien mom were in town to revisit some familiar flavours.

Dad had been to Ying Ker Lou at the Curve some years ago and it left a good enough impression enough for him to say, "Let's go to the Curve!" when asked where he'd like to head on the first day they arrived. My Dad is of the school of seniors who refuse to remember names of places, preferring instead to associate places to sights and sounds and more importantly, food! So that specification of a location alone augured well and dandy.

We couldn't go too heavy on the meat, in observance of "eating light in the evenings."

Hakka Minced Pork Bantiao. A slightly more upmarket version of the local Hakka Mee, this package was as light as noodles and fatty minced pork can get. Noodles were springy and toothsome, coated with the juices of pork and dare we speculate, generous lashings of "ham yue chap" (salted fish sauce).

Hakka Bamboo Shoot Dumplings. Glistening fat pockets full of bamboo goodness and more minced pork. We like our meat, even if that means shooting to hell our interpretation of "eating light."

Hakka Yam Abacus. Now my parents make this at home on occasion, and take to the tedious process of kneading yam and tapioca flour like fish to water. They conceded that this deserved a half thumbs up, which is no small feat. The crunchy texture of Chinese parsley and black fungus was a fitting finish to the substance provided by the nicely balanced yam-and-flour dough.

Hakka Chives Rice Rolls. Now, by this time, the flour and meat mixture was starting to get a bit much, so we probably could've done without this dish. It was a decent rice roll attempt, with chunky filling but just too much of the same for us to be rightfully appreciative.

Siu Pak Choy with Ginger and Black Fungus. The "eating light" comes to play. Nevertheless, this added the much needed non-dough and meat dimension to the meal. Dad was somewhat resistant though, as he felt it wasn't cooked thoroughly enough but Mom and I relished this happily.

And to wash it all down and to accompany Dad's stories of his childhood entrepreneurship back in China, Pu'Er Tea served in lovely china. I can't heap enough praise on outlets that take pride in the tableware with which they choose to pageant their food and beverages.

The meal came up to about RM77 for 3 pax. Not dirt cheap, but by no means ridiculous either, especially when I got a good, exclusive one-on-one re-telling of one of my favourite stories ever from Dad.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like to try the bamboo shoot dumplings which is hardly seen over in Pg.
The yam abacus reminds me of those that you shared with us in the gathering...those were good.

worldwindows said...

Just like the look of the dumpling. Bursting with fillings. I like it fill with sauces too!

J2Kfm said...

awwv .. thats so sweet. a family tell-all? from generations apart.

over a simple, light and 'healthy' meal ...

Rebecca Saw said...

If your parents approves, being old-gen Hakka; then this place is a muz try for me!

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

heard up n dwns abt this place..tats y i havent gone in there..looks like if i need a carb loaded meal, this would be the place

Food Paradise said...

I loves hakka foods. Must visit this place when I go to KL. hahhahahhaa......

-j- said...

i've never tried hakka food. must go try!!

email2me said...

The hakka noodle looks like maggie mee ... hehehe .... authentic hakka mee slightly thicker than maggie mee but thinner than normal yellow mee.

I personally not yet visit this restaurant even though always hangout at The Curve.

minchow said...

CK Lam, yes, exactly! This is like a commercial version of that homemade one I brought to the gathering!

Worldwindows, bursting is about right! No sauces though, but we got a rockin' chilli dip to go with it.

J2Kfm, yes the generation gap closing over hot Chinese tea as Dad shared nostalgic memories of his time in China...

Nomad Gourmand, must try must try! Not quite enough Hakka outlets in town, and this one's the most accessible to me.

Joe, yes it does look like carbs central doesn't it? They do plenty of other dishes as well like braised pork trotters.

Food Paradise and Duckie, yup, do pop in!

Email2me, it's definitely tastier than Maggi mee, trust me!!

Anonymous said...

dumplings!!! i see dumplings... arghh i'm hungry in themiddle of the nite!

Little Inbox said...

Eating light is not cheap lo, LOL. Well, the Hakka food is nutritios and healthy.

Steven Goh said...

wah.. nice traditional hakka noodle. But I still prefer the Yam Abacus that you cooked on that day. When are you be cooking us that great dish again?

Anonymous said...

wah, you call all that 'eating light' ah? I wonder what's your definition of a 'heavy'meal... ;-)

minchow said...

Desmond-T, dumplings good for any time of the day or night! :-)

Little Inbox, not sure if it's entirely healthy but tasty, yes!

Steven, at some point, I'm sure I'll get around to it again :-P

Foong, there's nothing light about the meal, I totally agree! My folks keep insisting that they "eat light" in the evenings - I suppose anything less than an 8-course meal is considered light to them!

backStreetGluttons said...

we never believe you can eat light in this kind of place ! more than 100 items on the menu , shoots and yams with ancient millenia imperial tales ! hakka , cantonese,hainanese ?
we never get them right ...so far but yes , they are strikingly fair alright