Not keen to drive to Klang or Jenjarom just for ‘hong bak’? Try Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh in Taman Cheras instead

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — How often have you driven far away for a particular dish or perhaps queued for a viral food item and emerged feeling disappointed?

All that time and effort spent for a mediocre, or even worse, unsatisfying meal. What sacrilege!

Psychologists call it effort justification, where people perceive a meal they had to work harder to get as special, better tasting, or worth the effort — whether it’s a long drive to Klang for bak kut teh or joining a snaking queue for many hours for the In-N-Out Burger pop-up or securing that elusive reservation at Khairul Aming’s Rembayung.

Perhaps a better approach to avoid this mind trap is considering whether a substitute is available nearer your home.

That possibility arose when I came across a review for Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh, a relatively new place in Taman Cheras.

Hong bak isn’t new; it’s what the Hokkiens love when they slowly cook pork, spare parts and chicken feet for many hours in soy sauce and a mix of herbs until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender with a sticky, glossy sauce rich with gelatin.

You find it in Hokkien enclaves like Segambut and Klang but Jenjarom is hong bak central where a few places offer that meaty wonder.

This place in Taman Cheras was strangely quiet when I walked in, making me assume it must be a dud.

However, since I was there already, I decided to order a dish to try.

The moment my order for the Big Bone Hong Bak (RM19) hit the table and I smelled those strong herbal notes, saw the glossy sauce and that supple fat with the tear-apart meat... it was a done deal.

There’s a long list of other stewed pig parts, like the coveted pork trotter, curved feet, pig’s intestines, tendons and stomach.

According to a previous interview, the meat is marinated overnight with five-spice powder, pepper and light soy sauce.

After deep-frying, the meat is braised for over five hours in a broth brewed with eight different Chinese herbs, creating a thick, rich dark brown, fragrant sauce.

The Sour & Spicy Hong Bak (RM19) intrigued me; it is reportedly a recipe the founder learned as an apprentice to an elderly couple in Klang.

One wonders what hardship he must have endured to learn this clever version of hong bak , where the tanginess and burning heat on the tongue alleviate the overly rich taste of the meaty brown sauce.

Eat the dish when it arrives at the table, billowing hot smoke from the claypot, as each piece of the pork belly is tender, yielding just slightly when you bite through the meat and fat.

It’s one of those dishes that can qualify for what Koreans call bap doduk , or “rice thief,” since the flavours are intensely savoury and require white rice to balance the strong taste.

There’s also Bak Kut Teh (RM19) featuring a dark, intense herbal broth that is fortifying; the meaty broth is said to be brewed with 18 kinds of medicinal herbs and roasted garlic.

Dig inside the claypot to discover enoki mushrooms, crisp iceberg lettuce softened in the broth, beancurd skin and thick sliced pork belly.

Even when you say it out loud, La La Bak Kut Teh (RM25) is such an off-the-wall combination that seems unlikely to work but weirdly enough it does, as the sweetness of the shellfish tempers the strong herbal flavour of the broth, leaving you with a more refreshed palate as you fish for more of those thick white shells that cradle the plump molluscs.

La La Soup (RM25) is more conventional but done very well as the clams are cooked in a golden liquid perfumed with rice wine.

You’ll want to tip all that heavenly broth, complete with plump, juicy clams, into a separate bowl to finish.

According to an old newspaper article I read, this place originally started in Seri Kembangan and created a buzz when it first opened.

Apparently, that location is closed, but they relocated to Kuchai Lama, where they operate out of an adjoining shop lot as a coffeeshop run by the founder while this Cheras location is managed by a related party.

I visited the two locations. Even though the Kuchai Lama location is supposedly run by the founder, the food felt off; their Sour & Spicy Hong Bak had an unpleasant sharp taste from excessive vinegar, making the dish difficult to finish.

Not only is the cooking subpar, but the Kuchai Lama location is also staffed by foreign workers who cannot recommend dishes or answer basic questions about the food, making the Cheras restaurant the better, more consistent choice for dining.

Restoran Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh

Taman Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily: 10am to 3pm, 4:30pm to 9pm

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems

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吉隆坡，11月2日讯——你是否经常为了品尝某种美食而驱车远行，或者为了抢购网红美食而排队等候，最终却感到失望？

花费了那么多时间和精力，结果却只吃到一顿平庸甚至令人失望的饭菜。简直是亵渎！

心理学家称之为努力正当化，即人们会认为自己付出更多努力才得到的一顿饭更特别、更美味，或者值得付出努力——无论是长途驱车前往巴生吃肉骨茶，还是在 In-N-Out 汉堡快闪店排几个小时的长队，又或是争取到 Khairul Aming 的 Rembayung 餐厅那难以捉摸的预订。

或许避免陷入这种思维陷阱的更好方法是考虑一下家附近是否有替代品。

当我看到一篇关于 Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh 的评论时，这种可能性就出现了。这家店位于 Taman Cheras，是一家相对较新的餐厅。

红烧肉并不是什么新鲜事物；它是福建人喜爱的一道菜，他们将猪肉、杂碎和鸡爪用酱油和混合香草慢炖数小时，直到肉质软烂脱骨，汤汁浓稠油亮，富含胶质。

在像 Segambut 和 Klang 这样的福建人聚居区可以找到它，但 Jenjarom 是红烧肉的中心，那里有一些地方提供这种美味的肉食。

我走进位于蕉赖花园的这家店时，感觉异常安静，让我觉得它肯定是一家不受欢迎的店。

不过既然我已经到了那里，就决定点一道菜尝尝。

当我点的红烧肉（RM19）端上桌，闻到浓郁的药材香味，看到油亮的酱汁和柔软的肥肉，以及撕开的肉块时……我就决定要吃了。

还有许多其他可以用来炖猪的部位，例如备受追捧的猪蹄、弯蹄、猪肠、猪筋和猪胃。

根据之前的采访，这道菜需要用五香粉、胡椒粉和生抽腌制一夜。

肉先经油炸，然后在用八种不同的中药材熬制的汤汁中炖煮五个多小时，制成浓稠、浓郁、深棕色且香气扑鼻的酱汁。

酸辣红烧肉（19令吉）引起了我的兴趣；据说这是创始人拜巴生一对老夫妇为师时学到的秘方。

人们不禁好奇，他究竟经历了怎样的艰辛才学会了这道巧妙的红烧肉做法，其中舌尖的酸辣味恰到好处地缓解了肉酱过于浓郁的味道。

这道菜端上桌时，砂锅里冒出滚滚热气，每一块五花肉都非常嫩，咬下去肉和脂肪之间只有一点点弹性。

这道菜属于韩国人所说的“米饭小偷”，因为它的味道非常鲜美，需要白米饭来平衡这种浓烈的味道。

还有肉骨茶（19令吉），汤底浓郁醇厚，具有滋补功效；据说这道肉汤是用18种药材和烤蒜熬制而成。

挖开砂锅，你会发现金针菇、在汤汁中煮软的脆嫩的卷心莴苣、腐竹皮和厚切的五花肉。

即使大声念出来，“啦啦肉骨茶”（RM25）也是一道非常奇特的组合，似乎不太可能成功，但奇怪的是它却很美味，因为贝类的甜味中和了汤底浓烈的药材味，让你在捞起更多包裹着肥美软体动物的厚厚白色贝壳时，味蕾更加清爽。

啦啦汤（RM25）比较传统，但做得很好，蛤蜊在用米酒调味的金黄色汤汁中烹制而成。

最后，你一定要把所有鲜美的汤汁，包括饱满多汁的蛤蜊，都倒入另一个碗里享用。

根据我读过的一篇旧报纸文章，这家店最初在斯里肯邦安开业，刚开业时引起了轰动。

显然，原址已经关闭，但他们搬到了古仔路，在隔壁的店面经营一家咖啡店，由创始人亲自管理，而蕉赖的这家店则由关联方管理。

我去了这两家店。虽然古仔路那家据说是创始人亲自经营的，但食物却让人感觉不对劲；他们的酸辣红烧肉醋味过重，味道很刺鼻，让人难以下咽。

这家位于古仔路的餐厅不仅菜品质量差，而且员工都是外籍人士，他们既不能推荐菜品，也不能回答有关食物的基本问题，因此蕉赖店才是更好、更稳定的用餐选择。

拉拉金丰肉骨茶餐厅/巴生肉骨茶餐厅

吉隆坡蕉赖花园。

每日开放时间：上午10点至下午3点，下午4点半至晚上9点

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