December 4, 2024

Penang Kimberley Street’s kway chap in PJ

I love kway chap and that’s the one thing I will look for when I’m in Singapore or Penang as KL doesn’t really have a good one. There have been more shops offering this homey dish in the last few years, some of Thai origin which is similar but not quite the same as the Penang version. When (Whiskey Por) Wei Kee brought his family’s legacy to PJ and opened Wei Kee Kimberley duck in Damansara Uptown in August last year, I was elated! Finally, kway chap as it should be, sold in clean surroundings, an air-conditioned environment!

The original Kuan Kee started as a street stall over 4 decades ago, expanded into a shoplot behind the cart and offering tong sui as well. What’s different is that this one is specially sells braised duck.

Made out of rice flour, kway chap is like a cross between kway teow (flat rice noodle) and hand-torn pan mee (made out of wheat flour). Smooth and slippery, yet slightly chewy in texture, it comes in a broth that is full-bodied and robust, and a bunch of ingredients such as duck meat and some not so popular stuff like pork intestine, coagulated blood, pig ears, hard boiled egg, preserved vegetable and pork belly. The taste is an acquired one as not everybody is comfortable with the assortment of ‘spare parts’. But I love it (except for the blood which I normally ask to be excluded if I remember) and for each signature RM15 bowl, it comes generously chock full of ingredients.

I’ve been to Wei Kee several times, glad that finally, authentic Penang style, real kway chap is in KL. The only setback is the parking at Uptown which can be quite challenging, unless you don’t mind parking at Starling Mall and walking a bit further.

You can also order side dishes like the Teochew kuih Quang Chiang and spring rolls, and add other stuff like pickled vegetables, stir fried sawi, pig ears, intestines, tofu, and half or 1 full braised duck. Don’t like kway chap but don’t mind the innards? You can order porridge or rice to go with it as well.