KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Among the many Chinese restaurants in Kepong, none have a name half as cool as Nice Soup Gang.
It’s an intriguing translation of "靓汤一族”, which more or less translates to "good/pretty soup clan”, but "gang” is an inspired, if not amusing, choice.
It’s located in Taman Daya, sandwiched between auto workshops, occupying both the first and second floors of two shophouses.
The dazzling new sign belies the decades-long residency of the restaurant, which got its start in 1994.
Inside, the dining area is split in half with air-conditioning on one side, as well as luxe private rooms — karaoke systems included — with an upstairs area that opened just last year.
But even if you’re without a Phil Collins’ Greatest Hits album to massacre, the food here gives plenty to sing about.
As the name suggests, it’s all about good soup here, and there’s plenty for Adam Driver to appreciate.
Two whole pages worth of soup, some of which they recommend you to call ahead and book, especially if you want to get in on some of that double-boiled goodness.
I took that advice, reserving a portion of Double-boiled Shark Bone and Pork Rib Soup (RM18) and Double-boiled Fish Maw and Maca with Chicken Soup (RM23), which arrived to start the meal.
Despite what the name suggests, the soup isn’t literally boiled twice, rather it's placed in a ceramic pot which is then submerged in another pot to boil or steam, not unlike a bain-marie.
It ensures little to no liquid loss through evaporation, yielding and retaining maximum flavour from the delicate and usually expensive ingredients.
The soups arrive, possessing a brilliant, pristine bronze colour that hints at remarkable purity and depth of flavour.
In the case of the shark bone and pork rib duo, milk shark is used, resulting in a sweeter soup that gets most of its savouriness from bits of conpoy inside.
The latter soup similarly features conpoy, but striations of deep yellow chicken fat and slices of slippery smooth fish maw offer a much richer experience.
To this end I find myself agreeing with Louis P. De Gouy: soup really is "cuisine’s kindest course”, as it "steams consolation” into every fibre of my being in spite of me not really having had that rough of a day.
But soup cannot be the only course, and we picked a few other standouts.
Sabak clams, bigger and meatier than the conventional lala clams, fried in cooking wine, ginger and spring onions (RM45) made for a moreish dish that encourages sucking on every last clam to extract every last bit of sweet, sweet juice.
Yellow rice wine also featured in a simple Stir-fried Kai Lan with Wood Ear Mushrooms (RM18), which held a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness in the sauce while retaining plenty of crunch in the greens.
A special on the night was Deep-fried Pork Belly with Black Garlic (RM32), which was just the best kind of greasy fried deliciousness we all crave, but elevated by the almost liquorice-like flavour of black garlic, free from the usual pungent profile of its fresh predecessor.
Since no Cantonese dinner is truly complete without steamed fish, we went ahead and got ourselves a monster.
A portion from the head of a wild patin (RM277) was more than enough for the three of us, and its flesh, perfectly steamed through, practically melted in our mouths.
Delicate, supple and rich, made even better with bowls of rice to soak up every last bit of seasoned soy sauce, it was a more than satisfying conclusion to the meal.
Nice Soup Gang Restaurant
8, Jalan Daya 11, Taman Daya, Kuala Lumpur
Open Wednesday to Monday, 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm
Tel: 012-359 3213
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nicesoupgang/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicesoupgang/
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