Tom Restoran Pan Heong (aka 品香食家小馆) was where we visited to get our fix of Sang Har Hor Fun, just 20 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur at the Batu Caves area. Why Sang Har Hor Fun you may ask? Restoran Pan Heong is famed for its rendition of the large freshwater prawns that are not only fresh and succulent but also full of prawn roe that adds to the flavour of the hor fun. Also, instead of the Sang Har Meen or noodles rendition, we prefer to try out the hor fun version that really tests the skills of the chef in attaining the “wok hei” (smoky aroma) for the flat noodles. Here’s what we had at Restoran Pan Heong Batu Caves during this trip…
The Vibes of Restoran Pan Heong Batu Caves
Despite reaching at 1:30pm, just after the lunch crowd on this Monday afternoon, there was still a short queue waiting to get into Pan Heong. This ought to signal the quality of food that the restaurant serves up. Nonethless, the wait was not that long and we were seated after less than 10 minutes of wait time.
Inside, one of the first few things we noticed were the number of celebrities who had visited Restoran Pan Heong – most of whom we’re not familiar with and are probably local celebrities, office holders or Datok/Tan Sris. We did spot a familiar face, Malaysia’s most famous badminton player – Mr Lee Chong Wei. If an Olympic medallist bears testament to this restaurant, it must be pretty good. Also, we found the premise to be clean and airy. These days, you don’t have to go to a qwirky street alley where “Tom & Jerry” roam to get authentic good food. Restoran Pan Heong serves up excellent Cantonese cuisine in a relatively clean, spacious and welcoming environment. 😄
What We Ordered at Restoran Pan Heong Batu Caves (品香食家小馆)
As our foodie guide, GST browsed through the Restoran Pan Heong menu and quickly zoomed in on a few favourites that we were about to try today…
1. River Prawn Wat Tan Hor (aka Sang Har Hor Fun – 大生虾滑蛋河)
– We chose 3 River Prawns that came up to 189RM
2. Braised Pork Belly Bee Hoon (Kou Yok Bee Hoon – 扣肉米粉) 33RM
3. Penang Lobak (槟城卤肉) 16.50RM (for 3 pieces)
4. Garlic Fried Potato Leaves (蒜炒薯苗) 11.80RM
5. Nam Yu Pork Belly (aka Red Fermented Beancurd Fried Pork Belly 南乳炸五花肉)
We even ordered a small dish of fried pork lard at 4RM, just to elevate the tastes of the hor fun and bee hoon 😋
The star of our lunch this afternoon was definitely the Sang Har Hor Fun (aka River Prawn Wat Tan Hor). As you can see from the presentation, the river prawns were so fresh and succulent! It was also easy to remove the meat from the shell – another sign of its freshness. But what sets it apart is certainly the hor fun. It has perfect wok hei (not too overpowering), coupled with a hor fun that has that slight bounce on every bite. Of course, the gravy, having been infused with the roe of the fresh river prawns made the entire dish so rich and irresistable. Definitely a must-try if you’re in KL!
Unlike the Sang Har Hor Fun that came served with “pomp and pageantry”, the Braised Pork Belly Bee Hoon resembled something that is more homely. Not unlike what our mothers would have cooked when we were young. A comfort food of sorts. The braised pork was tender and the bee hoon had all the goodness of the gravy infused into it, that made it so much more flavourful. Of course, we also added the pork lard while having this dish, enhancing the overall texture and flavours. Yum!
As for the Penang Lobak, Nam Yu Pork Belly (red fermented beancurd fried pork belly) and the Garlic Fried Potato Leaves, we enjoyed them all. Especially the Nam Ru Pork Belly that was aromatic and fatty – to our liking! 😋
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All in all, we must say that Restoran Pan Heong at Batu Caves is definitely a gem. We love the dining environment where staff was friendly, making recommendations as we go along. The food was excellent – especially the Sang Har Hor Fun (Fresh River Prawn Hor Fun) which was one of the best hor fun we’ve had in a very long time. If you are visiting KL and have time for a ride out to the Batu Caves area, we’d strongly recommend Restoran Pan Heong as you’ll definitely have great quality food at affordable prices – no calories wasted here!
