KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — If you're looking for something different, try this coffee shop at Taman Pertama, Cheras.

Restoran Foo Shan, which opened last July, is housed in a corner lot and offers seats under a canoy.

I only discovered this place, thanks to a friend who brought me here. We had met up for the customary Chinese New Year gift exchange (basically a biscuit trade): One can of kuih kapit for a bag full of homemade cookies!

Our mission was to try out the highly recommended steamed bee hoon. Tucked at the back of the coffee shop, the stall serves a steamed dish of rice vermicelli with a cleaner taste anchored by a clear chicken broth.

The dish is a concoction of the stall owner who is known as Chow and his partner, May Yong. Previously a technician, Chow came up with this dish after much experimentation hence it's very much a passion project.

The keen food lovers came up with this dish after honing their taste buds by eating at various places. As they wanted to be different from the usual coffee shop offerings, this was the dish they decided to debut in their food venture.

Basically you have a clear broth made with chicken bones that gives the whole dish a nice, light taste. A spoonful of ginger paste made from a blend of Bentong ginger and normal ginger is also added for a slight pungent taste. You're also given a squeeze bottle with rice wine to add to the broth for a richer taste.

Select from a choice of smooth bee hoon or the bouncier, curlier version of bee hoon for your choice of noodles.

They also have hor fun, if you like the smooth flat rice noodles. The noodles are a pretty substantial portion for me so ask for half portions if you prefer a lighter meal.

We decided to try their lala clams (RM12) and the clams were fresh and sweet. The prawns (RM12) were just as nice albeit smaller and perfectly cooked. I added the omelette too which was nice with shreds of wood ear fungus.

They also serve fresh toman fish slices, smooth boneless chicken or their homemade pork patty with the noodles. You also have their homemade minced pork balls that can be added on to their noodles. There's also an egg version with an omelette and any additional items like pork meatballs.

Pair the noodles with the fiery red chilli sauce served at the side, a concoction of Chow's after he tasted something similar from a trip down south.

When I walked into this place, what caught my eye was the Taiping Petai Char Kway Teow stall, hence I decided to order it on a whim. It was a good choice as the petai char kway teow (RM10) totally exceeded my expectations.

It sounds like a weird combination but it works if you're a big fan of both. You definitely know there's petai, as one can smell the stink beans the moment the plate of char kway teow hits the table.

I was surprised it came with quite a lot of beans as I expected just a few as a garnish. What I really liked was how well the noodles were fried and infused with wok hei.

Also recommended is the fried nian gao from the youtiao stall. While the fried coating is not super crispy, what we really enjoyed was the pairing of gooey nian gao sandwiched between fluffy soft purple and orange sweet potatoes. Each piece is RM2 and it's definitely a snack you want after a meal here or take it away for later.

For Chinese New Year, the steamed bee hoon stall's last day of business will be January 19. They plan to reopen on January 29 after a long break.

For the coffee shop, business will resume on January 25 but various stalls have different dates of reopening. For instance the Crispy U Tiao stall will be closed from January 21 and start business again on January 27.

Steam Bee Hoon Stall, Restoran Foo Shan, 4 Jalan Serkut, Taman Pertama, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 7.30am to 3pm. Days off not fixed.

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