Catch of the Day

A few Sundays ago, after a vigorous workout aimed specifically at carving out a big space in our bellies for lunch, we followed a tip about dao shao mian (lit. "knife-cut noodles" -- thick, irregularly shaped soup noodles sliced with a cleaver off of a big hunk of dough into boiling water) downtown, to Changkat Thambi Dollah Street.  A few passes through the area, on both sides of the street, turned up no knife-cut noodles but did succeed in amplifying our appetites.  "I'm about to eat my fist," said Dave (translation: he was really very hungry); it seemed fortuitous indeed that at that very moment we were within spitting distance of Ah Koong Eating House.  We had no idea what Ah Koong served, but most of the outside tables were occupied -- and we felt it safe to assume that any place called an "eating house" might be able to assuage a ferocious hunger.

It turned out that Ah Koong specializes in things fishy -- fish porridge, fish balls with noodles, fish cakes, and fish paste-stuffed veggies and tofu (a.k.a. yung taufu). 

The growls emitting from our stomachs told us to "Go ahead, try it all!" and we did our best to oblige, ordering a big bowl of fish porridge to share, a fish cake, and, from the yung tauhu display below, red chilies and okra (bottom middle and left), eggplant (upper left), and firm tofu chunks.

Porridge -- it sounds unappetizing, doesn't it?  So 1800s British boys' orphanage (though I suppose that would have been wheat, rather than rice, porridge).  But truly, Asian rice porridge -- in all its national variations -- is a wonderful, soul-satisfying dish, the simplest of elements (rice, water or broth, and a few other ingredients) elevated to heavenly heights. 

   

Customers ordering fish porridge have a choice of three types of fish.  Unfortunately between the staff's Fujianese and my mangled Mandarin we weren't able to decipher what types of fish they were, so we simply ordered the middling one (10 ringit a bowl, to the others' 8 and 12 ringit price tags).  No matter.  Ah Koong's fish porridge did not disappoint.  Really more of a Shanghai-style fan tang (loose rice soup) than a Cantonese-style jook (thick and creamy rice porridge), this generously-sized bowl -- well more than enough for two -- held plenty of big, tender chunks of boneless fish (grouper, I think), seaweed, and lettuce, in an aggressively gingery fish broth seasoned with fried shallots, coriander sprigs, and lots of shredded ginger. 

As fond as I was of the porridge, I had mixed feelings about Ah Koong's fish cake.

This is a cake of well-pounded -- and thus quite springy -- fish paste, formed into a patty, deep-fried, and served with a tomato-based sweet-hot chili sauce.  Very tasty, if not especially distinctive, and very light on the grease, but ... really the sort of thing that one would gnaw on absentmindedly, rather than savor with full concentration.  After a couple of pleasant bites I ignored it in favor of the porridge and the luscious yung tauhu soup.

Big chunks of fresh-tasting bean curd and our chosen fish paste-stuffed veggies in an extremely garlicky, rich soup broth (did I detect Maggi seasoning? probably -- it's almost ubiquitous on this side of the globe), perked up with the usual (and always welcome) Malaysian garnish suspects of deep-fried shallots and garlic and sliced scallion.  Okra and chilies were tender but not at all overcooked and eggplant was meltingly soft; the fish paste stuffing (possibly the same paste that formed my spurned patty) a perfect protein foil to the veggies.  A delicious sour-spicy dipping sauce accompanied, but was hardly necessary.

In short, mission not accomplished (not that weekend anyway -- we did find the dao shao mian and I shall report on it in good time), but a memorably delicious fishy feast well enjoyed.  Not bad for a Sunday lunch.

Ah Koong Eating House, Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, behind Berjaya Times Square Mall.

Comments

[Kalyn]

Very nice photos. I really enjoyed visiting your blog.

[Robyn]

Thanks Kalyn -- I'll pass the photo compliment on to Dave, since he's responsible for the pictoral part of the blog (apparently you didn't review enough past posts to see my photo contribution to the site -- a pretty awful picture of fish head noodle).

[Maukitten]

Why do I torture myself looking at your blog before lunch?! Where's Changkat Thamby Dollah? Is that near the Sheraton Hotel?(I dunno most street names!)

:-)
Maukitten

[Robyn]

Near Berjaya Times Square, Mau! I would suspect this is not the best in town (what do I know after only 2 mos in KL?) but I did really like the porridge.... the nice big boneless fish chunks.