MK Porridge in Petaling Jaya is about more than is implied by its name and the sight of a kitchen worker stirring a tall pot of the very same dish with a large wooden paddle. 

Wantan noodles, rice and roast meats in various combinations are also the mainstays of this new restaurant.

The plump shrimp dumplings (RM16.50) on the menu caught my eye. They sat in a clear soup with a sprinkling of dried flounder powder which added flavour to it. In the dumpling was a whole shrimp on a base of minced pork with a fragrant lift of sesame oil. I could have had just the bowl of dumplings and considered it a satisfying meal.

There’s a variety of porridge, from the famous Hong Kong teng zhai porridge, or sampan porridge, to the more unusual ming kee fried porridge, topped with fish, prawns and roast pork. I settled for the peanut and salted egg version (RM9) with an extra serving of fish slices (RM5). 

The porridge, served bubbling hot in a claypot, was velvety smooth and of the right consistency as a result of constant stirring. The peanuts were soft while salted egg just belongs in a porridge; I should have added a century egg too. The fish (garoupa) was fresh, sweet and lightly cooked.

On another visit we had the roasted duck porridge (RM10).  We liked this porridge for the smoky flavour imparted by the small pieces of duck as well as the heat from ginger strips and a drizzle of sesame oil.

The dry-style wantan noodles are done well. The noodles are springy and delicious, having been tossed in sauce and lard. We had a combo of roast duck and roast pork (RM16) with our noodles. The duck was meaty but a little tough. The pork had a thin crispy skin with the right combination of meat and fat. The servings of meat were generous.

Soya sauce chicken (RM9) is a good choice for the dry style noodles too. The chicken is tender and both skin and meat are well infused with the poaching sauce. 

Spicy duck shredded noodles (RM12.50) are in Sichuan-style ma la (numbingly hot) soup. Salted vegetables, spring onions and crispy lard bits complete the noodles. The soup was hot and spicy enough but lacked flavour.

MK Porridge has a range of dishes that go well with rice or porridge. The pork mui choy (RM15), a Hakka dish, was a well balanced mix of salty and sweet from the preserved vegetables flavouring the slices of pork belly. 

There are side dishes like braised trotters with nam yu beancurd (RM25) and dry-fried four-season beans (RM14.50).

For breakfast and tea, the restaurant serves soyabean and yu tiao, or Chinese crullers (RM6). It also offers a zesty and hot ginger tea (RM3.80), which I like.

MK Porridge or Ming Kee Porridge is at 61, Jalan SS2/64, Petaling Jaya, tel  03-7865 7768. There  are branches in Bandar Menjalara and Kepong in Kuala Lumpur and in Kota Damansara. – November 7, 2020.

* 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.