[Kuala Lumpur] Restoran Sin Kee - signature dish braised rice

[naf]

How could I forget to post this?! It was our last meal in Kuala Lumpur some 10 months ago. We wanted to find a place to eat, closed to our hotel in KL Sentral station, so we would not be too stress to go to the airport afterwards.

We saw some good reviews on Sin Kee, it has been around since 1969 and they have been serving authentic Hainanese food as well as Western dishes at reasonable price. On of their signature dish is Mun Fan. The plate was served with an upside down bowl, by lifting up the hot bowl, on found beneath the steamed rice with stewed pork, sausages, shrimps, squid, omelette with vegetables. Unique and quite delicious.

Sambal squid

Crispy fried prawns

It was close to these Indian decorations.

The other dishes were alright. Since I wasn’t expecting much, it was a bit better than what I expected, and the price was cheap. The rice dish was around 10RM. Quite happy with the meal.

Restaurant Sin Kee
No. 194, Jalan Tun Sambathan (Brickfields)
50470 Kuala Lumpur

[naf]

By the way, if anyone has a recipe of this Mun Fan, I would like to make it at home! Thanks!

[klyeoh (Peter)]

I don’t think I’ve seen a recipe for “mun fan” - but Mauritius’ Bol Renverser seems to have the same origins:

Bol Renverser (Upside Down Bowl)

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Just arrived into KL from Penang, in time for the annual Michelin Guide to Kuala Lumpur & Penang awards ceremony tomorrow at the Four Seasons Hotel.

My first meal in KL? Sin Kee’s pork chop, which I’d been dreaming of all these years since I was last back there (pre-COVID).

Absolutely packed dining room, as always. It’s actually quite common in this ever-busy restaurant to have to share one’s table with strangers. Today, I had to share mine with a Spanish couple visiting from San Sebastián, one of the world’s great food cities. They absolutely adore the food at 𝗦𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗲𝗲.

Sin Kee’s unique take on the Hainanese pork chop: a large, minced pork burger patty (instead of actual chops used in other places), smothered in the signature traditional Hainanese brown sauce, garnished with potato wedges, peas and onions. But at Sin Kee, they also added in bit of baked beans - and it actually works!

Hainanese fried noodles. Their version is closer to the Singapore-Hainanese version, with dark soy sauce added.

Sadly, the larger-than-life restaurant founder-chef, David Foo, had passed on 5 years ago. Now, his equally effervescent daughter, Sharon Foo, manages the front of the house, whilst her brother, Edwin Foo, runs the kitchen. Their mother, Jane Ng, is still around to lend a hand at both ends.

Always good to see an old, favorite place continue to flourish.

Address
Sin Kee
194, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +6012-380 1842
Opening hours: 12noon-2pm, 6pm-8.30pm Wed to Sun. Closed Mon & Tue.

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

That pork chop looks like a one of a kind treat!

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Oh yes, best in Malaysia, if I dare say so!

[Phoenikia]

Lovely photos, especially the portrait.

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Was just here less than a fortnight ago as I came down to Kuala Lumpur for the Michelin Guide to KL & Penang 2026 awards. Back in KL again, this time for the 36th International Baba-Nyonya Convention hosted by the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor chapter of the Peranakan (Baba-Nyonya) community.

1. Simply could not resist ordering its signature Sin Kee Mun Fan - this Hakka-inspired dish is absolutely delicious: stewed chicken, pork, Chinese sausages, squid, egg omelette, sliced fish cake and onions, served in an inverted bowl atop rice.

https://youtube.com/shorts/5X5hpco5ITA?feature=share

2. Sambal prawns here is also irresistible: the chili paste, although it retains quite a bite, was not overly aggressive, so one could still savor the flavors of the fresh prawns. Fresh cucumbers add some crunchy texture to the dish. Absolutely addictive.
   
   

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Beautiful. That Sin Kee Mun Fan looks delicious! I like that type of presentation, just invert the bowl and serve. And it highlights the meaty nature of the dish plus the gravy looks outstanding

[klyeoh (Peter)]

The Foo family have their complex, subtly-flavored sauces which elevate their dishes to a whole new level. Even for their version of mun fan - a common, everyday lunch-time, one-plate meal found in many KL Chinese lunch spots. But over here, it tasted so very special - I tried to isolate and analyze each ingredient/taste component contain therein, but it was an impossibility.

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

That is one of the things I notice about SE Asia dining. The complexity of the dishes can sometimes be amazing. My first experience of this was a pushcart vendor of Som Tam and grilled chicken legs way back in the day on Bo Phut Beach/Ko Samui. She would prepare the Som Tam in her mortar and pestle and season it to your liking. For me that was just telling her how many mouse shit chilis I wanted but she had at least a dozen ingredients, probably closer to 15 or 16 ingredients, that she added at various stages of prep. And the final product was near perfection. The layering of flavors was not just to overpower you, but to balance each other, just so.