Shun Fa Restaurant in KL
[Non-halal] For authentic chicken rice nearby TRX, check out Shun Fa Restaurant in Imbi.
Located on Jalan Barat, this chicken rice restaurant is currently run by the third generation with over 40 years of operations.
The restaurant is just a two-minute walk from the entrance of The Exchange TRX, and is a popular lunch spot for the working crowd on weekdays.
We checked out Shun Fa as it was recommended by a chef.
Shun Fa Restaurant in Jalan Barat
Shun Fa Restaurant is a restaurant that specialises in Tai San Kiok Gai – a type of steamed chicken dish that originated in Penang.
Compared to the more popular Hainanese Chicken Rice and Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice, the chicken skin here has a more pale complexion while retaining its tender meat.
Shun Fa also offers char siew, siew yoke, homemade pork balls and a very special braised chicken feet dish. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Shun Fa also serves Spicy Sour Vegetable soup.
Chicken rice at Shun Fa
As mentioned, Shun Fa is popular with the working crowd and often gets packed by 11.30am on weekdays.
According to third generation operator Eugene, it is advised customers to call and pre-order in advance to reduce waiting time (see the reel for the contact number). This is because Eugene’s dad is the sole person chopping each meat to order.
The restaurant is quieter on Fridays and Saturdays if you want to avoid the crowd.
Very tender and sweet meat
As it was our first time here, we proceeded to order two servings of steamed white chicken breast, char siew and siew yoke.
At most places, the chicken breast cut tends to be dry and hard – but the one here was exceptionally tender and naturally sweet as well. The sifu sure had mastered the cooking style to yield such a great result.
The chicken is best enjoyed with the chilli and ginger condiments. We also liked that the rice was not oily or dry at all. In fact, it was fragrant and went well with the chicken.
According to Eugune, the family does not use any MSG for its food and there’s no shortcut in recipes. The food here is prepared daily fresh from 4am (except Sundays to observe the Sabbath).
Good siew yoke and decent char siew
We also enjoyed the siew yoke as the skin was crispy, and we liked the good ratio of meat and fat. It also had the right amount of saltiness to go well with the chilli sauce.
We thought the char siew was just decent – as the chicken was definitely the star at Shun Fa restaurant. Nevertheless, we appreciate that the char siew cut was not overly fatty, and not dry hard at all.
Excellent braised chicken feet
Eugene recommended us to try their Braised Chicken Feet which was unlike anything we tried before.
As we are accustomed to the Cantonese-style Braised Chicken Feet in Soy Sauce, we were surprised to see the chicken feet served de-boned and white in colour. And we enjoyed this quite a bit.
Eugene has accurately described the chicken feet as “bouncy” with a QQ texture – which is unlike the soft chicken feet we usually eat with wanton noodles. Chicken feet may be an acquired taste but we both liked this.
Pork balls with choy gon soup
We also tried the Pork balls which were huge and served in peanut choy gon (dehydrated bok choy) soup.
The balls were tasty but we especially liked the soup, which was very flavourful thanks to the core peanut and choy gon ingredients. No MSG was used for the soup at all.
Summary
Overall, we really enjoyed the food here in Shun Fa. We liked how Eugene patiently explained the dishes and history of the family. The restaurant is also very bright and clean.
If you’re looking for good chicken rice near TRX – this is the spot to visit.
RECOMMENDED!
Shun Fa Restaurant
Address: 53-2, Jalan Barat, Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 9.30am-3pm (Mon-Sat)
Phone: 012-3666372
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