Ampang Yong Tau Foo @ Restoran Foong Foong

What can you think of when you heard the name "Ampang"? Perhaps you can think of a lot, but for an outsider like me who is totally unfamiliar with the place, the first thing I can think of is its famous Hakka delicacy called "Yong Tau Foo".

As the food is so synonym with the place, therefore there are plenty of restaurants (coffee shops to be more appropriate) serving this delicacy. Among the plenty, there is one (or maybe more than one) which is particularly famous and had served Yong Tau Foo for decades. It is called Restoran Foong Foong or Foong Foong Yong Tau Foo if direct translate from Mandarin. I visited the eatery with family members while I was in KL recently.

The shop is consider big but full with patrons at all time which indicates there must be something attractive, either people come for its "legendary" or because they serve good foods, but definitely not for its ambiance as the place is noisy and hot especially during lunch time!

The specialty of this shop is that you need to order the foods at the counter. The persons in charge of taking the orders will then use PA system / microphone *yes! no need to rub your eyes, you are exactly reading the right thing!* to communicate and pass the message loud and clear to the kitchen to prepare the foods!! Now you know why I said ambiance is definitely not the reason people like this restaurant?

You have no rights to choose which variants of yong tau foo you prefer. Just tell the person in charge how many pieces you want and which type you don't want, then the kitchen will arrange the assorted yong tau foo dish for you.

Drink is ordered separately where a worker of the restaurant will go to your table to take the order which normally is homemade herb tea. It's hard to understand why the shop is practicing the unique dual-ordering system, but its effectiveness is unquestionable as foods and drinks will be placed on your table relatively fast!

Assorted yong tau foo dish consists of various vegetables such as lady's fingers, bitter gourds, brinjals / eggplants and red chillies, white and fried bean curd a.k.a. taufu, all of them stuffed with mixture of fish and pork paste and also bouncy fish balls. Rice is optional and available upon separate order. Each yong tau foo costs RM0.80.

The taste is nice with sufficient paste fillings for each items. Adding some homemade sauce to the foods will definitely make it better for your taste bud.

You shall also try the dumplings cooked in broth (soi kaw) which is equally delicious!

For those who love deep fried foods, there is also option to order for deep fried soi kaw as well as foo chuk (beancurd sheet) with fillings. They're not greasy and every bite is so crunchy and crispy! You would definitely like it!

Restoran Foong Foong is located at 621-A, Jalan Merdeka, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan. If my information is correct, the eatery is opened from 10am to 7pm daily except Tuesday.