Sek Yuen @ Jalan Pudu

When asked to name one restaurant that could represent history (for educating and nostalgia) and at the same time serve one hell of a dinner to the extent of captivating a foreigner to forever dream of the food, I could only think of Sek Yuen.

Situated in the heart of Pudu which is barely a jog away from the Bukit Bintang area, this place has been around for MANY, MANY years. Years beyond when i was born and probably a place that used to serve my dad and my granddad.

Having embarassingly not been there for a full course dinner (therefore on uncharted territory), Sek Yuen was chosen to leave a memorable experience for my guest from Australia, a good friend from Australia (someone who was born in 1 part of the world, and grew up in the remainder parts of the world, exposed in both the Western and Asian culture).

Where else can one find a place that looks its age coupled with the "auntie" waitresses and captains that had looks like they had working there since their youthful days.

We were not disappointed, i particularly as i was surprised at the delicious dishes and also getting comments from my friend that this was awesome.

A story (warning) to tell, make sure you order more than enough in your first order. We had to resort to using our most powerful weapon; the Auntie Killer to charm his way to the captain's heart in letting us order more food. That itself is virtually an experience and story to pass on to the next generation.

Imagine the pleas and the rebuttal that there was way too much food for us.

I didn't think eating dinner could cause such commotion.

The Pat Poh Ngap ("8 treasures duck") Braised with lots of goodies that had been stuffed to the tender duck. The gravy was full of flavour and would have been good if we had rice, we didn't.

Their "Chiu Pai" Tau Foo (Signature Tau Foo). This was simple yet refreshing for what we had installed.

The Pak Cham Kai ("Poached Chicken?"), This was smooth and tender, matter of fact, smoother than you can imagine. The accompanying "kai lan" lends a nice crunch to the dish.

The Pig Intestine with Chive Flower. For serious "babi"tarians only. The chive flower was equally as crunchy as the pieces of intestines although the slight stench may put those more neutral to pork away. [Babi = Pig]

The real let down of the night, the sweet and sour pork. The batter was on the thick side and the sauce basically drenched the crunchiness away.

The Steam Carp Fish with Minced Ginger. I expected a way bigger portion than on the picture for 8 pax. In any case the bones scared half the people away, and i had my fair share.

The highlight of the night. The roast duck. Two whole ducks in 1 meal and we actually contemplated on adding some more. Crunchy skin and again very tender meat. Obviously given a hot oil bath before being served, this dish actually got my Korean friend to give them a visit.

Imagine a korean pronouncing "duck" like "dog" to aunties that don't understand English. When the sign language and the "quack" came out next, one can only understand how good it was and to what barriers people are willing to pass, to get to this duck.

Just before people start to comment on the lack of vegetables, the belacan kangkung was also ordered which tasted also so so. Conclusion, be a carnivore and come, dont bother with vegetables.

All the details you will need

Verdict:

4 stars out of 5 stars. Where else can one find good food with loads of history embedded in the tables and chairs, along with the actualy building itself, for a cheap price. The whole meal, was only RM28 per pax.