Weekend trip ideas: Your ultimate food guide to SS2 Petaling Jaya

A carnivore’s delight can be found in SS2 when one pays a visit to The Butcher’s Table. Aptly named when one considers the spread at offer, this deli-style restaurant encourages diners to peruse its wide assortment of varied cuts, which can then be prepared in a style of your preference. Of course, a menu of other staples, such as fried rice and pasta dishes, are available for those in need of a carb top-up.

Operating hours: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm (Mondays to Thursdays), 11am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm (Fridays to Sundays)

Where Chinese brunches are concerned, dim sum reigns supreme. A solid purveyor of these little baskets of heaven can be found at Soon Hing Ducklicious and Dim Sum Restaurant, which often witnesses packed crowds come noon between their two outlets. But as their name would overtly suggest, you should also make a point of sampling their roast duck, which is adored by locals for its succulent tenderness and crisp skin lined with just a smidge of fat for added texture. Have it with their signature wonton noodles to complete your meal.

Operating hours: 7am – 5pm (opens daily)

Bowlfuls of hearty comfort are served from the very moment you step into HK Porky Noodle House. And the key to that lies in the restaurant’s incredibly rich broth, which undergoes a labour-intensive process of broiling to ensure that the pork bones used in it fully yield their umami sweetness. Each portion is served with generous heapings of assorted accompaniments, from pork slices to crunchy pork lard and offal, alongside your choice of noodles. Alternatively, have the noodles dry with soup on the side.

Operating hours: 9.30am – 9.30pm (closed on Thursdays)

Peranakan cuisine can often be a bit of a hit-or-miss in the Klang Valley, with a great many eateries having made the bold attempt to recreate the flavours of Melaka, but rarely succeeding in their entirety. Nyonya Restaurant in SS2 is one of the few exceptions to that majority, given their enviable repertoire for dishing up reliably delicious nonya classics for well over three decades. Must orders include their savoury-spicy kangkung belacan, bite-sized morsels of pai tee served with garlic chili, and ayam kapitan so good, you’ll likely ask for second servings of rice.

Operating hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 9.30pm (Mondays to Fridays), 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 9.30pm (Saturdays and Sundays)

If iberico pork is your calling, then it is high time you paid a visit to Iberico Kitchen. While initially making a name for itself among Klang Valley restaurants for being one of the most reliable suppliers of meats derived from the Spanish black Iberian pig breed native to the Iberian Peninsula, their operations have now expanded to include a restaurant that serves their products in a variety of different recipes. Keep things simple by ordering the iberico pork cheek with a side salad if you wish to savour the meat’s succulent texture on its own, or incorporate it into Malaysian favourites such as pork satay for a more local twist.

Operating hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm (closed on Mondays)

If you can’t nab a table at Song Hing for their wonton noodles (a plight that many are sure to have experienced), fret not. Chan Meng Kee along Jalan ss2/75 impresses with all the same merits. Famed for caramalised bites of sweet charsiew with brittle bits of crisp lard and savoury slices of siewyoke with crunchy crackling, you can opt for either of the two to be served atop a bed of their springy egg noodles. If you prefer soupy nourishment, then don’t hesitate to give their curry laksa a try, which comes with pork crackling for a contrast of textures. Or enjoy the best of both worlds by having your wonton noodles with a drizzle of curry and a portion of pork ribs.

Operating hours: 8am – 5pm (opens daily)

Bak kut teh purists will insist that the only way to enjoy the dish is to simply make the drive over to Klang town. But for those of us who simply do not have the luxury of 45 minutes to an hour to spare for herbal meat broth, then there are a few spots across the Klang Valley that can potentially scratch that BKT itch in a pinch. Take Kee Hiong in SS2, for one. Appropriately served in claypots, the ‘meat bone tea’ here is suitably thick and rich, leaving diners with a lip-smacking stickiness in every sip that is indicative of a soup cooked properly. You may also sample their dry bak kut teh, which like its soupy counterpart, gels well with hot white rice.

Operating hours: 8am – 3pm (Mondays), 8am – 10.30pm (Tuesdays to Sundays)

The curiously named Restoran Aunty Melon has an even more curious storefront, occupying only a half-shop that is shared with a salon next door. But looks may be deceiving, as this unassuming and indeed, almost easily missed hole-in-the-wall eatery in SS2 has been known to whip up some home-cooked comforts for weary denizens in need of a no-frills meal. Menu offerings here are kept to a minimum, but while choices aren’t extensive, what they have on offer shines with equal aplomb. Your choice of pickled suan chai vegetables, steamed pork patty with salted fish, or herb-enriched beggar chicken, are all served alongside a portion of rice, making this an ideal stop for off-work corporate workers before heading home.

Operating hours: 11am – 6pm (Closed on Mondays)

The name Solomon is often associated with the story of King Solomon of Israel and his vast gold mines, as the Biblical record claims. While you won’t find Smaug’s bounty in SoloMen Cafe, you will discover a treasure trove of good food at the SS2 eatery. Specialising in Japanese fare ala chūka ryōri, otherwise known as a style of Japanese cuisine adapted from Chinese dishes, a hint as to their star dish lies in their name, SoloMen: men, as in ramen. noodles.

Made from scratch daily, their crisp bite cooked al dente pairs perfectly with the umami sweetness in its broth. As for their gyoza, each individually wrapped piece is packed to the very brim with minced pork, cabbage, and garlic chives, best had with vinegar dipping sauce.

Operating hours: 11.30am – 9pm (Mondays to Thursdays, closed on Wednesdays), 11.30am – 9.30pm (Fridays to Sundays)

If there is one dish you are most likely to find in any hawker centre you visit in Malaysia, it is probably chicken rice. And the adoration for this Malaysian staple is almost universal as well, providing ample nourishment at a relatively low price. But good chicken rice on the other hand, takes a bit of searching. In the case of SS2, you’ll find one of the best spots in Prosperity Bowl Chicken Rice, where their poached free-range chicken, sporting perfectly yellowed skin, is succulent in every bite. But beyond poultry, you should make a point of trying their fish balls and cuttlefish pork balls, which are also a restaurant specialty.

Operating hours: 7.30am – 8pm (opens daily)

Where no-frills dining is concerned, places like Lim Mee Yoke in SS2 do it best. While unassuming in its facade and offering only an incredibly pared-down selection of menu items, its appeal comes down to heritage recipes that have been passed down between two generations. Operating for nearly three decades, Restoran Lim serves just one dish with astounding aplomb: Penang-style prawn noodles, or mee yoke. Thick, bright-red broth cooked with prawn shells sloshed over noodles, fresh prawns, pork slices, and kangkung, are accompanied by a half-boiled egg and shallots for a truly classic rendition of this noodle favourite.

Operating hours: 9am – 4pm (opens daily)

As far as comfort food goes, something that settles warm in your stomach is probably your best call. Hence when the rain patters and you’re in dire need of quiet solace in the form of food, head on over to Ming Kee Porridge’s SS2 branch. Specialising in rice congee, a few variations on the popular Chinese staple can be found here, ranging from teng zai porridge popularised in Hong Kong, to classic pork ribs porridge and minced pork porridge. A surprisingly extensive menu also encompasses delights such as roasted meats, whether it be caramalised pork belly or duck.

Operating hours: 11am – 1am (opens daily)

Given its considerable Teochew diaspora, it comes as little surprise that Malaysia harbours some genuine gems where Teochew cuisine is concerned. One such stalwart guardian of storied recipes from the community comes by way of Restoran Teow Chew Meng, who have minted a firm reputation among food lovers in the Klang Valley for their seafood Mee Sua Tow. Rice vermicelli noodles cooked in a thick seafood broth comprised of crab sticks, prawns, squid, and fish slices can be paired with a drizzle of vinegar for a dose of sprightly intrigue on the palate.

Operating hours: 10am – 4pm, 5.30am – 9pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 10am – 4pm, 5.30pm – 9.30pm (Saturdays and Sundays)

For most conventional diners, the prospect of going European for any meal can come with some degree of trepidation, especially when one considers the rather steep price points they tend to command. But in that regard, SS2’s The Italian Job looks to run against the grain of popular preconception by offering classic dishes from the Old Country at equally palatable prices. Expect everything from staple pasta favourites to wood-fired pizzas that will whet appetites and satiate hungry bellies with ease.

Operating hours: 11am – 9pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 11am – 10pm (Fridays to Saturdays)

All that talk of savoury cuisine, we would be remiss to not touch upon a few sweet morsels that SS2 is renowned for. A good place to chart your dessert journey would be to head on to the secluded grounds of The Hub, where Slow Coffee occupies a prized lot facing an idyllic water feature that draws families and brunch enthusiasts from all across the city. While coffee is in their name, seasoned diners will often order their jiggly towers of souffle pancakes that are delicately light on the tongue and fragrant to taste with gentle hints of vanilla.

Operating hours: 8am – 6pm (opens daily)

But if your penchant for after-meal treats takes the guise of more traditional desserts, then be sure to visit KTZ Food. Formerly known as Kai Tak Sek, which translates from Cantonese as ‘remember to eat’, this spot has earned wraparound queues for its array of Chinese sweets. These include a plethora of tong sui, soup-based desserts made typically of legumes, as well as squares of crisp red-bean pancakes that are typically only served at Chinese banquet halls on special occasions. Of course, millennial and Gen-Z-approved shaved ice mounds topped with fruit can also be had, if you need to cool off.

Operating hours: 12.30pm – 12am (opens daily)