PETALING JAYA, Feb 13 — The name Chef Chew is synonymous with tasty, well-executed Chinese dishes. Having honed his cooking skills at a popular chain of Chinese restaurants, he now runs his own place at Petaling Jaya Section 19.

For those who dine at his restaurants, expect comforting dishes like chicken and ginger rice. There's also sweet and sour pork buried under ice cubes, a presentation method designed to keep the fried batter exterior crunchy.

His second place may be called Chef Hong Kitchen Restaurant, but it's essentially the same menu. The difference is Chef Hong is in charge of the kitchen there.

The brand has now extended to include a noodle house. Started late December last year, it specialises in siu chow dishes. Solo diners can happily order a portion of fried noodles or even fried rice. Families or even office mates can share a variety of fried noodles with a side order of simple cooked dishes.

The chef here fries up a good Signature Fried Sang Mee (RM14.80). The springy egg noodles are tasty with a smoky flavour. The portion is generous that can be shared with another person. I greedily ate it all by myself.

You also have Sang Har Mee. Here crispy fried noodles are generously covered with an eggy gravy and a freshwater prawn. Eat the crispy bits with the strands soaked in the gravy for a contrast of textures. My only complaint is the roe tends to be hard rather than oozing. The meat for the prawn is bouncy though.

Fork out RM30 for smaller prawns, or RM35 for larger sized ones.

Other fried noodles to consider include Hokkien mee (a choice of yee mee, hor fun or mee) and Cantonese fried noodles. The price for the fried noodles is RM14.80.

You also have fried rice topped with what they call "caviar" which looks more like ebiko from the pictures and prawns for RM15.80.

I like pairing my fried noodles with a side dish or vegetables and this place offers some interesting choices. There's, of course, the run of the mill items like fried chicken wings or even fried spring rolls.

What I totally enjoyed was the Crispy Pork Belly with Garlic (RM18). The pork belly slices were crispy and delicious paired with the garlic and curry leaves. I couldn't stop eating this.

Another unusual item is the Pork Jowl with Vegetables (RM22). You get caramelised strips of pork neck that you eat with the lettuce lightly drizzled with some tangy juice. This gives an appetising taste that undercuts the sweetness of the pork. It's also another dish that you won't have trouble finishing.

I'm a big fan of clams and what grabbed my attention were the Salt Grilled Clams (RM20). There's also a signature style clam dish which I was told is fried with shrimp paste or har jeong. Bite into the clams to get a combination of juicy mollusc and a hit of salt that makes you crave for a second clam.

My only gripe would be parking around this area can be scant especially on weekdays. It's much better during the weekends as the offices are not open.

Restoran ChefChew Noodle House, First Floor (Above Zao), No. 50A, Jalan 19/3, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 11pm. Closed on Thursday. Tel:+6016-5257948 (Kah Mun) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088000116879

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