You can now get 'char siu wantan mee' from the founder of Chan Meng Kee at Damansara Jaya's Restoran Times Kopitiam & Cafe

PETALING JAYA, June 17 — For PJ folks living around the SS2 area, they would be familiar with Chan Meng Kee.

Opened in 2008, it was where you went for wantan mee. What stood out was their luscious char siu with a dark crust that hid a juicy combination of tender meat and melt-in-the-mouth fat.

Started by Chan Yoke Pui or Ah Pei as he is fondly known, the name of the place is an amalgamation of his surname and "Meng Kee", a tribute to the iconic char siu from Tengkat Tong Shin.

Unfortunately Chan had to relinquish Chan Meng Kee to new owners, after being burnt badly from overexpansion and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last month, he decided to start again, opening under his own name, Ah Pei. This time, it's a scaled back operation, where he offers his signature items from two stalls located inside a coffee shop in Damansara Jaya.

Char Siu Wantan Noodles is the classic must-eat here with the springy noodles and luscious 'char siu'.

On the side, you're served with two pieces of 'wantans' with a broth perfumed with dried flounder fish powder (left). The add-on dumplings have a pork and prawn filling with chopped carrots for a satisfying bite (right).

That coffee shop has also seen a change of hands and is rebranded as Restoran Times Kopitiam & Cafe.

Chan tells Malay Mail, "I just want to do what I am passionate about and concentrate on doing good food."

True enough, you will see Chan at hand as the master roaster, tending to his pride and joy, his char siu.

With him are trusted workers who have followed him for many years too. When he is not roasting, he will be the one taking orders.

Since Chan was young, he was enamoured with Meng Kee's char siu. You could say it was love from the first bite.

The 'wantans' are filled with minced pork.

'Char siu' is roasted on site under the watchful eyes of Chan Yoke Pui.

It's been a life-long passion of his to recreate that same taste.

As his family owned coffee shops, he picked up his cooking skills from there.

Through years of research, trials in the kitchen, many visits to Meng Kee and through talking to various food lovers like renowned food writer KC Lim, he has perfected his own recipe for char siu.

In 2018, Chan was also invited to showcase his char siu at 3 Michelin starred Le Palais, Taipei for an event celebrating Malaysian Chinese cuisine.

The char siu goes through a few rounds of glazing with a thick, brown sauce to create that glistening crust, while the juicy fat and meat are retained inside. The sauce is his secret concoction.

He achieves that charred exterior by glazing it with his special sauce layer by layer (left). It may look like ugly brown food but it was a delicious mess of curry sauce, braised chicken feet and 'hor fun' (right).

The glistening 'char siu' is ready to be chopped and served with noodles.

He prefers using the pork belly cut for his char siu to get the layers of melting fat and tender meat. What I found was that unlike other eateries, the crust of the char siu here isn't too sticky or sweet until it sticks to your teeth.

The classic way to enjoy the char siu is with wantan mee. Here, the egg noodles are slick with a thicker dark brown sauce. The springy noodles are great paired with the luscious, thick cut char siu.

Your order is also served with two pieces of wantans, filled with minced pork. It's RM9 for a small portion of Char Siu Wantan Noodles and RM10 for an upgraded size.

Usually one tends to ignore the soup served with the noodles since it can be bland.

Here, you'll want to drink every drop of the broth as it's perfumed with dried flounder fish powder, a flavour that harks back to the old days and eateries in Hong Kong.

The workers helping Chan Yoke Pui have been with him for many years.

The coffee shop has had a makeover with a brighter, cleaner look.

You can, of course, order a small portion of wantans with egg noodles and that same broth, recreating a comforting bowl for RM8. A bigger portion is also available for RM9.

There's also Dumplings Noodles using the same broth. The hefty dumplings or sui kow are filled with a pork and prawn mixture that includes chopped carrots for crunch. It's RM9 for a small bowl and RM10 for a big one.

Or just order the sui kow on its own. It's a minimum of two pieces for the add-on, which is priced at RM5.

Another classic pairing of wantan noodles is also available here, with braised chicken feet and mushrooms. The chicken feet is the type where you get puffy soft skin that makes each piece easy to relish until all the tiny bones are cleaned up. It's RM9 for the small portion and RM10 for the big portion.

As Chan is originally from Ipoh, he also offers Dry Curry Pork Ribs Noodles served side by side with his Curry Laksa. The creamy laksa is served with fried wantans, pig skin, beancurd puffs and their glistening char siu. Expect to fork out RM10 for the small portion, while the upsized version is RM11.

With a new owner, the corner coffee shop next to the multi-storey carpark and food court has been renamed.

The Dry Curry Pork Ribs Noodles is also a popular item with his regulars. The fragrant curry is cooked with pork ribs and potatoes. Try it with smooth hor fun tossed with dark soy sauce, for a super tasty meal. It's RM10 for a small portion and RM11 for a big one.

When I returned the second time, I couldn't get to taste the pork ribs as one diner almost wiped out everything. Instead, I paired my smooth hor fun noodles with curry sauce and the braised chicken feet, which was a great combination too.

Ah Pei Char Siu and Curry Noodle, Restoran Times Kopitiam & Cafe, 42, Jalan SS22/25 (behind Atria Shopping Centre), Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya. Open: 7.30am to 3pm. Closed every second Friday of the month. The next day off will be on June 21.

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.