Disclaimer: The visit to Kong Sai was before the MCO was implemented. Kindly check their Facebook page for their opening hours for dine-in or pick-up/delivery options at the end of this post.
I first have to declare that steamed chicken is my least favorite preparation of chicken (except when mum makes it) because I can't appreciate the bland, part rubbery, part fatty steamed chicken skin. With that being said, it's really difficult to get me to like any other steamed chicken... until now (my other favorite being Wai Kei Restaurant located on Old Klang Road).
Kong Sai's steamed chicken (pak zam kai) is smooth and really well done right down to the shockingly moist chicken breast. Flavorful even without much sauce, their steamed chicken is served with a garlic and coriander oil/sauce which is a great accompaniment. I'm usually not a fan of coriander but a slight dip into the oil really brings out the flavor of the chicken and makes it that much more enjoyable.
Kong Sai also specializes in steamed soup - there are two gigantic steaming pots outside of the restaurant that's not just for show. The peanut and lotus root soup was very flavorful with lots of ingredients.
The stir fried romaine lettuce with fermented tofu (fu yu yau mak) had a strong fu yu flavor despite the bland appearance. The flavor really did not match the appearance of this dish.
On a separate occasion, we ordered the kampung chicken (choi yin kai) which was darker in color, deeper in flavor and much tougher in texture. As much as the texture of the chicken was expected but even the usually smoother parts like the chicken thigh and drumstick were tough.
I may like the pak zam kai more but I've been told some willingly tolerate the texture for the deeper chicken flavor and the health benefits of a free-range chicken. As usual, the vegetable stir fry, stir fried cabbage this time was well done with wok hei and a very homey flavor.
Their specialty in chicken dishes continue with their soy sauce chicken. Tender chicken in a herbal-tinged soy sauce. This was pretty good as well.
Overall, Restaurant Kong Sai is indeed an all-rounder. Everything was good from the steamed chicken to the steamed soup to the dai chau items at value for money prices. The two shoplot restaurant seems to always have lots of customers in a neighborhood full of competitors, a strong testament to their good quality food.
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No.39, Jalan 20/16, Taman Paramount,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Open daily for lunch (11:30am – 2:30pm) and dinner (5–10pm),
Closed on Mondays.