Monday, June 14, 2010

Restoren Tak Kee @ Gohtong Jaya, Pahang

A slight detour for a delicious meal in Gohtong Jaya...

On the way back to KL (from Fraser's Hill), Soo Jin suggested we make a sliiiiight detour halfway up another hill to eat at this Chinese restaurant that he and his family love - Restoren Tak Kee in Goh Tong Jaya:
Corner lot, in the middle of the block...

Tak Kee is located about halfway(?) up to Genting Highlands,... and it's kinda crazy how many restaurants are in that stretch of road!

Anyway, like most of the other restaurants there, Restoren Tak Kee is basic but comfortable enough, especially with the cool night air wafting in:
Typical simple chinese restaurant setting...

We shared quite a few dishes that night so I'll put them up in order of how much I liked them (from least to the most).

First up, the Sizzling Beancurd (RM 12) and the Stir Fried Vegetables (RM 8):
(Sorry, forgot to take a photo of the veggies.....)
The tofu on a hotplate...

Ok lah*.
(*Nothing wrong with these actually. They were a good addition to balance out the meal, but were neither fantastic nor bad. Just normal....)

Then came the Deep Fried Brinjal (RM 13):
Strips of brinjal...

Yummy - tender on the inside, crispy on the outside and very hiong (fragrant)....
:D
(Apparently, there is a pretty painstaking multi step process involved in making this dish. First, the strips of brinjal are boiled till tender,... then deep fried to give it a nice crisp exterior and finally, stir fried with garlic, dried shrimp and chili to make it super fragrant...)

The Fried Crispy Pork Belly Strips (RM 16):
Deep fried pork...

YUMMY!! - Sinful, (quite) crispy slices of deep fried pork strips, coated in a slightly spicy, sweet and sticky sauce.
:D :D
(Went soooooo well with the rice... as it can be a bit too strong tasting to eat on its own)

The Prawn Soupy Tung Fun Claypot Thingy (RM 36**):
(**The price can fluctuate depending on how many prawns/ other seafood you decide to order for this - will generally be adjusted according to the number of people at your table...)

OH. MY. GOD.
Heaven in a claypot:
The steaming claypot...

Here's a closer look:
My bowl...

LUVERLY.
Fairly thick, hearty broth served piping hot - sweet with the taste of the prawns and with a complementary kick of Chinese rice wine.
(Note: SooJ mentioned that the quality of this can vary between good to great, depending on the type/quality of prawns the restaurant manages to get that day...)

Just note that, since this area is generally quite tourist-y, there are 2 little businesses running in that shop trying to sell you stuff:
- bottles of dragon fruit wine/ enzyme, and
- freshly roasted chestnuts,

It's not like they are very intrusive...
... but they run a fairly aggressive "let you try first, then you decide whether you want to buy or not" business model - quickly placing samples of their products on your table (eg. a chestnut each and a small plastic cup of the wine) before approaching you later.

No one at our table bought anything...
(I felt so bad! I thought it was some sort of free appetizer from the restaurant and drank the wine/ ate the chestnut. It was really yummy actually but I just didn't end up buying any...)


So it's: Reasonable pricing (considering Gohtong Jaya is a bit of a tourist area), fairly good range of local Chinese dishes, simple but comfortable environment BUT why is it so far from my house? Can someone arrange a mini road trip soon please? :(....



Summary Information:
Restoren Tak Kee @ Gohtong Jaya

Opening Hours: (approx.) 12noon till late
Phone: +?* (Sorry, lost the number, will find it asap)
Address: No. 52 & 53, Jalan Jati 1, Gohtong Jaya, Genting Highlands, 69000 Bentong, Pahang Darul Makmur

NOT HALAL



OTHER REVIEWS:
- Malaysia Food Talk


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11 comments:

  1. I like crispy pork belly!! But don't know what is it called in Cantonese...

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  2. I like crispy pork belly!! But don't know what is it called in Cantonese...

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  3. I always tofu when I have tai chow. It completes the meal.

    The prawn soupy thing looks like it packs a lot of kick....especially when the weather is chilly! ;)

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  4. yeah that caramelized pork is famous in that area!
    r u organizing roadtrip ar?? yay!

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  5. i go to another restaurant but yeah people have their preferred outlet..

    the "chao far yuk" is awesome hor, have it noodles i.e. sang mee, is like the bomb!

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  6. to jason:
    Hmmm. I think its called "faa lum yuk"?
    (Although I shouldn't say! - my cantonese is so bad.... haha...)

    to Bangsar-bAbE:
    Yeah... the prawn soup thing rocks! Still craving it now... :D

    to CUMI & CIKI:
    I can organise if you can volunteer a car - no way my old Satria is gonna make it even halfway up the hill! :(

    to "Joe" who is constantly craving:
    Which restaurant do you usually go to then? *curious*
    :)

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  7. I hardly go up to Gohtong Jaya... normally I would stop by Bukit Tinggi which is conveniently located by the side of Karak Highway :)
    most of the food that you mentioned can be found there as well.. and they taste rather good!

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  8. to thule aka leo:
    Yay! More yummy places to try.
    :)

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  9. no food for you! it's for your waistline's sake.. and mine.. =P

    september k? why sept.. because it's an arbitrary date far enough in the future that will allow my gym sessions to not completely go wasted.. =P

    i can drive but find another car la.. then can try abit more stuff.. and i've been to bukit tinggi as well and you can find the same things there but I'm used to going up to gohtong and well at least one of the staff there recognises me so.. =) familiarity la.. lol

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  10. Went to this restaurant yesterday as I was leaving Gentings. Was greeted by the lady boss who changes her expression like a chameleon when we wanted to order just noodles and a fried rice. To me, if they get a simple dish right then we can talk of other more complicated ones. She even told us that they don't serve single portion! WTF! What if I come and dine alone? How stupid! Both the noodle and fried rice was good but tad oily. Will never return as I don't believe in lousy reception, regardless how freaking good the food is! What more Tak Kee is just ordinary in my books and there are so many other restaurants to choose from in Goh Tong jaya!

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  11. to Anonymous:
    Well, the service has never been a highlight there :) (as with most Malaysian restaurants unfortunately)....

    ReplyDelete

Appreciate your thoughts, opinions and feedback. :)