FISH skin crackers dusted with salted egg has become a trendy and delicious snack, but the chef at The Ding’s, a new restaurant at The Hub in Petaling Jaya, has created crispy eel skin sprinkled with a chilli spice mix. 

The spices hit your palate as the eel skin (listed as fish skin in the menu) crackles at the bite. It is served with a light dip of chilli, garlic and vinegar. Altogether, it tasted wonderful and irresistible. Imagine it with a glass of cold beer.

Where there is soup, there is sake in it at The Ding’s. We had Sake + Noodle + Pork Schnitzel, and Sake + Pork Balls. There was a crisp, clean sake flavour in the broth, the base of which is ikan bilis. We were pleasantly surprised that there was no fishy smell at all, possibly because of the ginger in it. The soup was clear and sweet and its flavours seeped into the mee sua (from Sitiawan) the longer they sat in the broth. The pork schnitzel could have done with more seasoning as it tasted a little bland.

The pork balls in the sake soup were bouncy, with a slightly rough texture that spoke of hand-chopped pork instead of the meat going through a grinder. They had bite and lots of flavour.

What stands out too, at The Ding’s is the crispy back ribs. They were scrumptious as they were well marinated with some chilli and spices before frying. The ribs were meaty, tender and juicy, with a little heat from the chilli.

If I were just there for a quick lunch, I would go for the Lu Rou + Calrose Rice. It’s rice covered with lovely, melty pork belly that has been slow braised for hours with spices, spring onions and ginger. The rice is drenched in dark, sweet braising sauce and served with a lava kampong egg and vegetables. It makes for a yummy, satisfying meal.

We had a serving of fried gyoza, filled with prawn and fish meat. They were well fried and crispy, with a generous, tasty filling. The wantan skin, however, was a little too thick. They would have been perfect with a thinner wrap. The owner has taken note of our comments and we can expect an even better meal on our return.

The butter fried rice with bacon also had corn and cabbage in it. We thought “wok hei” (wok heat) was lacking in the rice, which had all the right ingredients for a good fried rice.

Other dishes I would like to explore at The Ding’s include the seafood noodles in a chilli broth with sake, dry noodles with dong bo rou, porkie sesame mantau and a vegetarian dish, buttered rice with bunapi and white button mushrooms.

Prices are reasonable: the sake with noodles and pork schnitzel is RM18.90; crispy fish skin (RM14.90); lou rou rice (RM16.90); buttered rice with bacon (RM13.90); crispy back ribs (RM19.90); and, the sake and pork balls (RM19.90). The portions are hearty and can be shared. 

We like the vibe and the serene surroundings of The Ding’s at The Hub, a new condo and business development in SS2.  

The Ding’s is at Lot A-G-03a, The Hub, SS2 Jalan Harapan, 19 Sentral, Section 19, Petaling Jaya. It can be reached at 03-7496 7657. – March 9, 2019.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.