THE Pan Fried Pork Dumplings won us over at Ho Min San, a casual eatery in Kuala Lumpur. 

We took a bite through the thin, steamed skin over a panfried, crispy base, and fairly hot soup covering a ball of pork burst out. We enjoyed the tasty soup and meat in this finely executed Shanghainese dumpling.

Ho Min San is also about noodles, whether in a “mala” or Sichuan spicy soup, Chongqing style, preserved vegetable soup, Teochew style, tomato soup or just plain soup. I had my eye on the Noodles with Pork Belly Slices in Mala Soup. That tingling, mildly numbing sensation hit my palate as I slurped up the smooth noodles in the soup laced with chilli oil and topped with long strips of pork belly, peanuts and pickled vegetables. I liked it.

The Boneless Roast Duck scored, too, with the crispy, spiced skin and moist, tender meat sitting on a sweet sauce. We added a drumstick to the portion usually served, and finished it all between the two of us, so good that it was.

But I suppose a Shanghainese-Hong Kong restaurant like this should stay away from serving curry. Some of the blandest curry I have ever tasted appeared in the Stewed Fish Balls, White Fish and Pork Skin in Curry Sauce.

I’ve always liked noodles with tomato gravy, such as the Sarawak Crispy Noodles in Tomato Sauce. I was pleasantly surprised by Ho Min San’s Rice Noodles in Seafood Tomato Soup. The soup was subtly sweet and sour, with fish slices, clams and prawns contributing to the flavour. Despite the crabsticks, which I don’t like, it remained a comforting bowl of noodles.

For me, well-braised beef brisket with radish is hard to resist if I spy it on a menu. The chef at Ho Min San does well with the Rice with Beef Brisket and White Radish dish. There was a delicious, spiced aroma as the dish was brought to the table. The tender beef brisket (with just the right amount of creamy fat) was well infused with the flavours of the braising sauce. So was the gelatinous beef tendon. The juicy chunks of radish were yummy, too. You can also choose noodles instead of rice with the beef brisket.

Breakfast is served here from 7.30am, at least at its Taman Tun Dr Ismail outlet in Kuala Lumpur. We tried the Asian-Style Breakfast of Century Egg and Shredded Lean Meat Congee with Stir-Fried Noodles with Soy Sauce (RM9.25) and the Sandwich Breakfast (RM12.80), which offers three-layered toast with scrambled egg and deep-fried lemongrass pork fillet. Both were fine and satisfying. Only the milk tea and coffee were not up to scratch. Still, it was a nice change from eating at the nearby coffeeshop.

The prices: the four-piece Pork Dumplings cost RM10.80; Noodles with Pork Belly Slices in Mala Soup and Tomato Seafood Noodles (RM14.80); Rice with Beef Brisket (RM16.80); and,  Boneless Roast Duck (RM19.80).

You can find Ho Min San at 16, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2, Taman Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur (03-7722 4688). It also has outlets Mid Valley Megamall and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, as well as Paradigm Mall, Johor Baru, with the menu presumably more extensive at the mall outlets. It is also a restaurant under the Dragon-i group. – October 19, 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.