KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Last Sunday, I had the misfortune of sitting through a deeply disappointing meal.
Not just because the food was subpar (which it was), or because the service was lacklustre (which it wasn’t), but because no amount of good service could salvage the systemic issues at play.
From only discovering that half the menu was unavailable while placing my order, to being charged for a dish that had to be refunded in cash, to the food arriving in hopelessly impractical tableware, it was one frustration after another.
Through it all, the lone front-of-house staffer remained unfailingly cheerful and efficient, the only saving grace in what felt like a sinking ship.
I won’t be naming names, but given the purported pedigree behind the operation, you’d expect better than amateur hour.
The more I stewed on it, and on the hundred-odd ringgit I had parted with that afternoon, the more annoyed I got. The next meal had to be much, much better to salvage the weekend.
Wong Chai Kei attracts a crowd of dedicated regulars and locals before it even opens. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Enter Wong Chai Kei, a fourth-generation bean sprout chicken stall in Taman Ayer Panas, Setapak. They’ve been at it for generations, so they must know what they’re doing, right?
You’re goddamn right they do.
The business dates back to the 1960s, originally located on Jalan Dang Wangi, then known as Campbell Road.
They’ve called their current location home for around 20 years, and judging by the crowd of regulars on a Sunday evening, it shows.
Though the stated opening time is half past five, service doesn’t actually start until six — I confirmed this multiple times over the phone.
Regulars patiently wait at their seats to get their orders taken. — Picture by Ethan Lau
That said, I highly recommend arriving around half past five. I got there at quarter to six, and by then, only two tables were left, which quickly filled up as I sat down alongside another small group.
A small but steadily growing queue had also formed for takeaway, with some having called or WhatsApp-ed ahead of time.
Do not attempt to order before six.
Follow the locals, some of whom walked here from the surrounding neighbourhood, and sit patiently while the team, made up of the fourth-generation owner, his sister, and one staff member, carries out the last bits of prep.
This includes a balancing act of slinging hefty cauldrons of stock and porridge with one hand while pulling out poached chickens with the other.
The young owner prepping orders. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Boom. Six o’clock. It’s go time.
He moves fast, taking every table’s order in one sweep before diving straight into the madness.
The mouth shield goes up. The cleaver comes down. Plates stack at an alarming pace.
He somehow keeps track of every order, every modification, while bowls of steaming porridge and plates of silky poached chicken fly out in quick succession.
The takeaway queue inches forward, plastic bags rustling as they’re filled and handed off, yet he doesn’t miss a beat.
Richie from The Bear was impressed by the team at upscale Ever expediting orders with spreadsheets and highlight notes.
He’d cream his pants watching this guy do it all in his head. Orders, prep, payment — he handles it all, and still has time to crack jokes with his regulars.
There is, of course, now a slight wait before the food arrives. After all, he did stack the kitchen for himself when he took all the orders at once. Garrett wouldn’t be impressed. No matter.
Poached chicken here bears the same pale look of Ipoh-style poached chicken. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Ten minutes later, half a poached chicken (RM33), a large portion of bean sprouts (RM8), two bowls of porridge (RM3 each), and a bowl of hor fun (RM3.50) materialise in a flurry of bowls and plates.
The chicken ticks all the boxes: supple flesh, smooth skin, and a flavourful seasoned soy sauce mixture.
To me, a measure of good poached chicken is when the thickest part of the breast is just as moist as the thigh or drumstick, which is thankfully the case here.
Bean sprouts here are good, but not great. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The bean sprouts are decent, but not short, fat, or crunchy enough to be anything special.
My prevailing theory is that the carb options, usually rice and hor fun, at any good bean sprout chicken spot are mostly a formality.
The ‘hor fun’ is a mere formality. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Here, the hor fun only reinforces that belief. But the porridge throws a wrench in things. Smooth and deeply chicken-flavoured, it stops just short of debunking the myth entirely.
Still, it’s light enough to avoid feeling like a filler while giving you something to break up bites of chicken and spoonfuls of bean sprouts. It’s easy to see why it’s the most popular option here.
When it came time to pay, he rattled off our exact order faster than I could’ve and did the mental arithmetic while chopping up someone else’s meal.
The total came to less than half of what I had shelled out for that calamitous display in the afternoon, yet I felt double the value.
Sure, I was sitting under a crude shack of tarpaulin and zinc, but for the level of skill, precision, and hard graft on display here, I would’ve gladly paid more.
Anyone who baulks at paying over RM30 for half a poached chicken but happily drops the same on truffle fries isn’t someone worth eating with anyway.
Wong Chai Kei (4th Generation) 旺仔記飯粥雞飯粥粉檔（第四代）
79, Jalan Ayer Panas,
Taman Ayer Panas, Kuala Lumpur
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 5.30-10pm.
Tel: 016-266 8680
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
