Hua Xing is one of the places that has all the hallmarks of a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It's located on the first floor of unassuming Wisma LBS, which is accessible from a small road from Sungai Way market or from a small slip road right after the Sunway Motorola bridge. If you're planning to dine here, be sure to call up in advance to reserve a table. The place usually fills up quickly with large groups from 6.30pm.
Most of the patrons are families spanning 2 or 3 generations (another good sign that they serve good food!) and they only have about 20 tables in two air-conditioned shoplots including a few tables out in the walkway.
Large pictures of their famous dishes adorn the wall with English descriptions, so ordering isn't a problem for most bananas from PJ. Hua Xing is famous for Hokkien styled cooking (which gets a hearty approval from my Hokkien parents in law). The 'living shop signage' is a cool old lady who mans the cash register / takes our orders. She's also the original cook and the many newspaper clippings and her photos with many celebrity foodies attest to her 'power'. This lady is so laid back and cool that I don't think you could faze her with anything.
Alright, so we went there on a Saturday at 6 pm and there were already 4 occupied tables. Their menu is easy to understand, you can select from the different meats, rice, soups or noodles section. Interestingly, their noodles and tofu section had the widest variety. We ordered about 8 dishes - there were 12 of us, including 3 kids and a very 'wai sik' 1.5 year old. Here's what we had :
1. Hokkien Braised Pork with Alkaline Kuih
This was served in a claypot and the meat serving was rather generous, with both lean and fatty pork swimming nicely in a lovely smoky sauce. The accompanying alkaline kuih was served separately, and they had a smooth and slight chewiness to eat. It goes nicely with the braised sauce, which is a change from mantous usually served with this dish. I'd say that I prefer these to the mantous, but a word of warning - alkaline kuihs are very filling ! If you like to eat alkaline bak chang dumplings, you'll love this. I rate this at 4/5.
2. Fried Egg Plant with Shrimps
The humble egg plant seems to be a 'fashionable' dish these days, along with pumpkin dishes which are also gaining popularity. It's typically cooked in such a way that it results in a soft and slimy taste, so not many people (at least the younger set) would purposely order egg plant. Hua Xing's fried egg plant is a very aromatic dish; fried golden with a generous dollop of shrimps, garlic (always welcomed) and scallions. This dish is best eaten while it's fresh and hot, it softens quickly under air conditioning. It would be better if they included some chopped chilli padi to pack in some heat. I rate this at 3/5.
3. Home Town Tofu with Minced Meat
Hua Xing's tofu is freshly made and the result is a soft, yet gives enough texture and taste as compared to the mass produced variety. It has a faint sweetness to it and is still solid enough to be cooked in hot oil without falling apart. The tofu is topped off with minced pork and dressed in a simple sauce which was not too salty. This gets a 3.5/5.
4. Yau Mak cooked with Fermented Bean Curd
Fermented bean curd or 'Foo Yue' doesn't sound as yucky as its name. It's commonly used for vegetable dishes or as a condiment for eating porridge. Generally, Foo Yue has a salty, pungent and slightly spicy taste which can add flavor to bland dishes, depending on the amount used. The Yau Mak was cooked just right, retaining its color and the flavorful sauce was just right for the kids to enjoy. This gets a 3/5.
5. Hokkien Mee with Bitter Gourd
We ordered this out of curiosity, although it can be without the bitter gourd. The noodles itself was decent, nether too salty or oily and there were sufficient ingredients. The bitter gourd didn't particularly enhance the flavor but it was sliced thinly and still crunchy. I give it a 3/5
6. Peh Ke (Rice Flour Flat Noodles)
Peh Ke or flat noodles made from rice flour is usually made by hand in the old days. These days, you can buy ready made ones from the wet market also, but like the tofu, freshly made ones taste the best. I didn't enjoy Peh Ke at all many years ago. Anyway, over the years, I've tasted a wider varieties of this dish, in small towns and restaurants and I enjoy eating it now. You tend to get different types of Peh Ke - some too thick, some undercooked (it's chewier than Pan Mee) and some too dense, and since its usually hand made, it's time consuming and not many new generation restaurants serve it. Hua Xing's Peh Ke is thin and porous enough to absorb the flavor of the sauces and ingredients. The person who kneaded this dough is clearly experienced :). The accompanying sauce tastes similar to the Hokkien mee's dark smokey taste, but I'd say it's still a very subjective dish - not for everyone ;). You can usually find great peh ke in predominantly Hokkien areas like Klang. This gets a 3.5/5
7. Cheong Ching Fish (Steamed Fish with Taucu Sauce)
This is a simple fish, not many small bones and the hearty flavor of the taucu sauce (a type of fermented beans) complements the fleshy fish nicely. It's lightly steamed and the sauce is poured over it, so you can taste both the sauce and the freshness of the fish. This gets a 3.5/5
This is another great dish to accompany rice, which both young and old can enjoy. It's too thick to be a soup since there are so many ingredients, from the soft fish bladder, egg shreds to mushrooms and carrots. I give it a 4/5.
The meal cost us RM 199.99, which I must say is affordable, and works out to less than RM 20 per pax. I would add that they have other interesting dishes such as Curry Chicken with Bread, Tapioca Flour noodles, Ulu Yam Noodles etc. which are equally tasty.
Restoran Hua Xing
No. 1-12, 1st Floor, Plaza Seri Setia, Jalan SS9/2 Seri Setia, Sg. Way 47300, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening Hours
11.30 am - 3.00 pm (Lunch)
6.00 pm - 10.00 pm (Dinner)
Closed on Wednesdays
Tel : 03-78763288 (remember to call first)
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