Restoran Mei Gai Hup @ Jalan Ambong Kiri 1, Kepong

Many of our Saturday nights are spent with friends, and yesterday was no different, even though it was my birthday. Tony had called, and it was our turn to suggest a new place to go to.  Out of ideas, hubby searched the internet for places we've never been to, and came across this restaurant which had been interviewed by various media. 


Although we've passed by this restaurant umpteen times, we've never stepped foot inside the premises. The menu is in Chinese, and none of us could read Chinese to save our own lives. But armed with recommended dishes by the media, we were finally brave enough to venture into  a restaurant where they expect their customers to be Chinese-literate.


One of the recommended dishes was Siew Haw Kuat (RM15), their signature dish. Literally translated, Siew Haw Kuat means Smilling Thick Rib.

Except for the sauce, this dish is similar to the barbecued honey spare ribs prepared by chefs from Hong Kong in Bournemouth, England. Why do I bring up a Chinese restaurant in Bournemouth, of all places, as comparison? Well, the best grilled spare ribs I've ever had in my entire life happened to be in Bournemouth (pronounced as born-mirth), a beach town in Dorset, and that has become the benchmark I use when it comes to grilled or barbecued spare ribs.


It has that lovely combination of honey with Worcestershire sauce flavour, and is so tender and succulent, yet with a crisply edge, that I actually picked up the rib and gnawed the bits and pieces to the bone, like a dog (or should I say bitch, since I'm female?!). It was a good thing I had some wet tissue with me, or I'd have been a sight to behold, with the lower part of my face smeared with the caramel.  


Another recommended dish was their homemade tofu with minced meat sauce (RM10), steamed in a bamboo steamer. The tofu is excellent, very smooth, but the minced meat sauce is nothing extraordinary. It tastes like bolognaise sauce made of pork instead of beef.

While perusing their menu, which we didn't understand a word, a photo drew my attention. It looked like something we've never eaten before, so after consulting Tony & hubby, I ordered it. Don't ask me what the dish is called, but it is some melon with mushrooms, green bell peppers, carrots, baby corns and small, square bits of pork (RM15). It tasted as good as it looked.

We also ordered a bowl of shark's fin soup (RM8) each. And before animal activists scream murder, it's not the real deal. It's what the Chinese would call fake shark's fin, or what my hubby likes to call, the poor man's shark's fin. The taste? Not too bad, for the price. We didn't pay RM24 for a bowl, so our expectations weren't high.

The total damage was RM71.20, including 5 bowls of rice and a pot of Chinese tea for 3. Thank you, Tony, for the birthday dinner!!  :)