Hakka Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur

During PC Fair on Saturday, rif dragged me around like a bedraggled puppy, looking for his new monitor. Ok lar...not THAT drama -- rif took me along to find his new monitor, but I did feel like a puppy being dragged into the human mob, hall after hall after hall. Once we were done, we walked over to Hakka Restaurant for dinner with his family. As the name suggests, Hakka specialises in Hakka food and has quite a bit of foreign customers, especially the Japanese.Good thing we sat inside the air-conditioned room. It was rather humid that night. Dinner started with the steamed chicken with shaoxing wine. Cooked just right, the flesh was smooth and firm with a nice pink centre. The Hakka stuff fried tofu was simple, but tasty. It was piping hot and crispy on the outside, and soft yet firm on the inside. The stuffing was made of minced pork and fishpaste with distinct taste of salted fish. A bit plain on its own, but it went well with the garlic chilli dip.Stewed Pork Belly was sublime. Tender slices of pork with layers of melt-in-the-mouth fat, it was seriously good stuff! A pity there weren?t enough for seconds.
Steamed cod fish was not bad, but I?m not a fan of fish so this didn?t wow me. Albeit slightly oilier than usual, I liked the Hakka Noodles. The noodles were flavourful and had a good bite.The highlight of the night was the fried pork knuckles. Deep fried till crispy perfection, the skin was light, crackly and incredibly moreish. Beneath the crispy cracklings were a layer of melted pork fat and tender, falling-off-the-bone meat. Possibly the best tasting fried pork knuckles (Chinese style) I?ve eaten so far.Salt & pepper fried brinjal was addictive. The brinjal was soft and tender on the inside, while crispy on the outside. The fried garlic bits and chopped scallions gave the brinjal more 'bite' and aroma. Stir-fried kalian was ordered to offset the meaty dishes we ordered. Nothing bad, but not great either.Desserts were Gui Ling Gao and Chinese Lotus Pancake. The bitterness of the jelly was balanced by the sweetness of the honey. rif who doesn?t like Gui Ling Gao thought it was alright.I found the Chinese pancake very oily -- I tasted mostly oil and lotus paste. Not something I would recommend ordering. Overall, the food was decent, but according to rif, the standard has dropped.
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 4/10
Food: 6/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Decent food, slightly higher prices. It?s best to call and book a table beforehand.

6 Jalan Kia Peng,
50450, Kuala Lumpur
03 2143 1907