KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Located in the popular Faber Plaza commercial development in Taman Desa, Hen Seafood Restaurant is one of the many Chinese restaurants that have served the neighbouring area for years.

Most have typical offerings like steamed fish, tofu, stir-fried vegetables and the occasional speciality, but Hen Seafood has all this and more.

On a friend’s recommendation, I made the trip in pursuit of hopefully yet another good meal.

Clad in red tablecloths and flanked by matching plastic chairs, the tables were filled with families, young and old, evidently out for a family night.

The menu is predictably seafood-centric, but I lasered in on a few items that truly piqued my interest.

Fish Head and Sliced Fish Soup in A Clay Pot (RM37 for a small portion) are served with bee hoon and bean sprouts on the side.

It was mostly families here for the night.

Sheng yu (生鱼) also known as ikan haruan or common snakehead is used, which is believed to be beneficial for healing wounds in traditional Chinese medicine; I’m sold more on its firm yet mild-tasting flesh.

The soup is thickened by the addition of some chunks of taro (or yam, as it’s popularly known as) and flavoured with some Shuang Xing rice wine, cabbage and what tasted like preserved mustard greens.

With a touch of soy sauce, polishing off a bowl of this soup and bee hoon has never been more satisfying.

Slices of fish, cubes of yam and slivers of cabbage make up the soup (left). Grey isn’t the new black, but a bit of soy sauce goes a long way to making this a hit (right).

Yam resurfaces again in the Deep-fried Boneless Chicken with Yam and Chives (RM18), which feels more like something I’d find as a bar snack at a trendy spot than here.

It’s crispy on the outside, with tender flesh and fluffy yam on the inside.

A true delight of a composed bite.

These fried boneless pieces of chicken with yam should be on the menu at every drinking spot in town (left). Look out, because these Dry Fried Frog with Salt & Spicy Chilli are spicier than they appear (right).

It’s an odd pairing at first sight, but the Deep-fried Pork Belly with Chef’s Special Sauce was a delicious one on first bite.

Deep-fried Pork Belly with Chef’s Special Sauce (RM28) was marked with a thumbs up on the menu, so it only felt right to give it a try.

What arrived was a collection of thick, craggy hunks of pork belly coated in a yellowish-orange sauce with the consistency of mayonnaise.

It looked a little peculiar, but they were perfectly fried and still moist in the middle while hints of lemongrass, cilantro and chilli in the sauce stood out in what was yet another enjoyable bite.

The homemade tofu was decent, but unremarkable.

Another signature on the menu, Steamed Eggplant with Soy Sauce and Onion Oil (RM15) was a dish that highlighted the distinct slippery smoothness of the vegetable, subtly enhanced by the savoury and slightly sweet soy and onion oil concoction.

An order of Mixed Pork Meat with Homemade Tofu (RM15) followed, which, while smooth, wasn’t anything to write home about and the only underwhelming part of the meal.

We couldn’t let things end on that note, so we ordered Dry Fried Frog with Salt & Spicy Chilli (RM30).

Follow the bright red and yellow sign to great Chinese cooking.

Fortunately, these were brilliant, like a much hotter remix of classic salt and pepper frog legs. Covered in a light batter, the frog legs were moist on the inside, well-seasoned and deceptively spicy.

This was a meal that underlined the sheer abundance of interesting, delicious places scattered around the Klang Valley alone. Long may this continue.

Hen Seafood Restaurant

7, Jalan Desa Jaya, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-10pm. Closed on Monday.

Tel: 03-7987 5796

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