[Non-halal] New style, old soul. Fung Wong Biscuit on Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur is a 113-year-old Chinese pastry establishment repackaged for modern times.
Featuring a facade more associated with new trendy cafes, Fung Wong’s new spot has been reinvented to offer classic Chinese pastries in a contemporary café setting.
Find classic pastries such as egg tarts, wife biscuits, and kaya rolls here to go with your Milo kosong or kopi peng.
Fung Wong Biscuit – 113 years of history
Fung Wong Biscuit is now run by fourth-generation Melvin Chan.
Fung Wong Biscuit was first started by Chan’s great-grandfather in Guangdong China in 1909, offering Chinese pastries and wedding biscuits to friends and relatives. Fung Wong made its mark in KL when Chan’s father and grandfather migrated to Malaya in 1946.
For decades, Fung Wong Biscuit operated at a shop on Petaling Street. Fung Wong thrived on tourists and walk-in customers prior to the pandemic, where its business was adversely affected by the lockdown in the last two years.
Chan then made the decision to relocate to its new home here in Jalan Sultan due to its cheaper rental.
The new address carries a rich history, as it also houses the Chak Kai Koong Kon Association founded by the late Kapitan Yap Kwan Seng – who also founded other KL landmarks like Tung Shin Hospital and Victoria Institution secondary school.
Fung Wong Biscuit – reinvigorated for the 21st century
From a pure retail shop on Petaling Street, Fung Wong Biscuit has reinvented itself into a cafe. The venue is spacious and comfortable – with large windows allowing plenty of natural sunlight into the cafe.
The 50-foot long counter displays Fung Wong’s freshly baked goods, with three kedondong (umbra) trees accompanying diners in the store. We especially love the use of marble-top tables and wooden stools indoors as a throwback to the kopitiams of yore.
We noticed a good mix of patrons from old uncles/aunties enjoying their coffee time, young families as well as young ones taking their Instagram shots.
Marry me, eat biscuits
(L-R: Wife biscuit, husband biscuit, kaya puff)
Baked with the same recipes for generations, Fung Wong Biscuit offers more than 10 varieties of traditional pastries and wedding cookies. All pastries are baked fresh daily.
As it was our first time here, we decided to try as much as we could possibly eat (haha) and got these based on the staff’s recommendations.
Piggy Bun and Egg Tarts
Off the bat, the Piggy Bun was extremely enjoyable. The filling is similar to what you’ll find in a char siew bun or Seremban siew bao.
However, we found Fung Wong to be generous with the filing of BBQ pork meat, with a crust that is flaky and thin. The filling was plenty savoury with good chunks of meat and gravy.
We also found the Egg Tarts to be excellent. The custard was soft and ‘not sweet’ (the older generation’s definition of delicious) and the crust was thin and flaky.
A case of two kaya
The Kaya Puff here is also one of the best we’ve eaten. Fung Wong is extremely generous with the filling, as it was filled to the brim. The crust was consistently thin and flaky – something we noticed to be consistent across the Fung Wong’s pastries we tried.
As for the kaya jam, we like that it uses the traditional recipe without pandan (which is Max’s preference). The jam had a good amount of sweetness with a lovely coconut fragrance. It is not very sweet, and very moist.
However, we found the Kaya Roll to be average. While the sponge cake was soft and fluffy, we would have preferred more of their kaya filling.
A tale of two drinks
As for the drinks, we found the Iced Coffee to be slightly diluted. We would have preferred a stronger coffee taste.
However, the Milo Ais Kosong is super gao (rich) and thick. They were really generous with the Milo powder; it is probably one of the best Milo Ais Kosong (Milo chocolate drink without condensed milk) we had in a while. Ming really enjoyed this.
Husband and wife biscuits
Finally, we also tried their popular Wife and Husband Biscuits, which we tapau-ed to enjoy at home.
We enjoyed the subtle sweetness of the winter melon paste in the wife biscuit. The husband biscuit also tasted similar with added sesame seeds on top.
Verdict
Fung Wong is more than a pretty cafe.
We really dig the concept of reinvigorating a traditional establishment for a new generation – with its modernised facade while retaining the standard and quality of traditional recipes.
RECOMMENDED!
Follow us on Instagram for the latest food adventures and recipes.
More recommendations in Chinatown
Looking for more food in Chinatown? Check out our archive below:
Fung Wong Biscuits
Address: 85, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 9am-6pm Daily
Phone: 03-2072 8888
Website: https://www.fungwong.my
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fungwongbiscuits/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FungWongBiscuits/