MOST people think of bak kut teh when Klang is mentioned. Seafood comes to mind, too.

It was a surprise to find classic Cantonese cuisine in New Harvest, a restaurant that has been in Klang for 21 years.

Our lunch began with stir-fried scrambled egg with crabmeat. It was exquisite. We uncovered pine nuts and chopped water chestnuts amidst the flossy egg threads and crabmeat, and ate small heaps of these with a little chilli sauce in lettuce wraps. It was a wonderful starter.

The signature braised abalone with goose webs impressed too. The fairly large three-head Australian abalone glistened in a rich sauce, accompanied by a well-braised goose web and a broccoli floret. The abalone was tender and sweet, and the goose web tasted marvellously gelatinous, falling off the bone. The abalone could be paired with sea cucumber too.

The signature shark’s fin soup delivered layers of flavour from the long simmering of old chicken, chicken feet, lean pork, ham and dried Japanese scallops. The flavourful soup left a gummy feel on the lips and tasted so good, with small arcs of New Zealand shark’s fin and fish maw. The shark’s fin soup cost RM48 a bowl.

Chicken rice was on the menu too. Fried, then steamed rice came out in a claypot, trailing the aromas of ginger and pandan. The fragrant rice was so delicious and could be eaten on its own. The free-range chicken from a farm in Ijok, was poached perfectly, turning out smooth, juicy, and tasty meat. It’s a Dutch breed of chicken, said chef and owner Simon Lee. He honed his craft at a top restaurant in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.

This was chicken rice on another level, served with a zesty ginger sauce and vegetables. It has to be pre-ordered, at RM145 for a table of 10.

We savoured the wooi wor yook, or pork belly slow braised in a sauce of garlic, ginger, cloves, star anise, dong quai and surprisingly, peanut butter. The sauce was excellent, though we would prefer more fat on the meat.

In between we had stir-fried mixed vegetables with almonds, baby corn, shimeji mushrooms, celery, sugar peas and celery.

Next was the pumpkin buttermilk prawns in a sweet, creamy, and buttery sauce. Both were well executed.

What stood out at New Harvest were its affordable prices for dishes with top-notch ingredients and cooking style that you would get at the more expensive Chinese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. There’s a menu on the wall to take note of before you even sit down.

Chef Simon rears his own soon hock, or marble goby (which means cheaper eating).

New Harvest Restaurant is at 19, Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Klang. Call 03 3345 2288, for enquiries. – April 27, 2024.

* 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.