Kedai Makanan Ja Xiang, Taman Broga

My brother told me about this good tai chow place called Kedai Makanan Ja Xiang in Semenyih and wanted to bring me there before he goes back to UK. He isn?t as fussy when it comes to food - as long as it is edible, he won't complain. That was why I was hesitant when he said he?ll take me to his place of choice. The journey to the restaurant was long, with stretches of untarred roads and too many toll booths.Along the way, he pointed out a couple of nice places to eat - a pan mee stall, an ais kacang stall and a supposedly damn good ikan bakar a bit further from our lunch place. He drove until I saw the signboard, Sempadan Selangor / Negeri Sembilan. ?Oi! I thought you said we?re going to eat in Semenyih?? I asked. Kedai Makanan Ja Xiang is actually located in Broga, a small town in Negeri Sembilan.We reached the place late (2.15pm), and they were about to close for the afternoon. The boss recognised my brother, and decided to accommodate us. My brother came here almost everyday with his friends when he was studying nearby, claiming it was one of the better restaurants around. Good this the place was air-conditioned, it was sweltering hot that afternoon. We ordered the Marmite pork, dry butter mantis prawn, kung po chicken and fu yu yau mak. Like most people, uncle asked if the both of us could finish everything and we assured him that it was an easy feat. FYI, my brother has a pretty big appetite like me, and we are both slender in built.The dry butter mantis prawn came in a generous serving (RM12). Fragrant from the butter and egg coating, the prawns were crunchy and light. While the prawns weren't as meaty,they were very flavourful and addictive - I really enjoyed this. I found it a little odd that the kung po chicken (RM10) came with lady fingers and bellpepper; it usually comes with dried chillies and onions only. That aside, it was actually pretty good. The chicken chunks were lightly battered before being deep-fried, and then fried again with vegetables and gravy. It was crispy on the outside, and juicy and tender within. The kung po gravy was not overly starchy and was fully flavoured with dried chillies, onions, Chinese rice wine and soy sauce. It was a nice change from the usual commercialised Kung Po chicken I so often ate.The Marmite pork was decent, although not the best I've had. I would have preferred pork ribs, as I like my pork meatier. The pork slices were more crunchy than tender, and the Marmite sauce was sweet, sticky and slightly malty. I liked the Marmite gravy, and used the cucumber slices to mop up whatever that was left on the plate.I thought the fu yu yau mak (RM7) looked really plain, but it tasted everything but. It was as though the lettuce had been dancing in fire, as it was brimming with wok hei. The fu yu (fermented beancurd) to lettuce ratio was just right, and the dish was flavourful, without being overly salty. As usual, bro ate two bowls of rice with the dishes. He is a fan tong (rice pot), and cannot do without rice for more than a day. We ate everything, including the garnishing - the uncle was very impressed. Lunch cost us RM44, including 2 cups of herbal tea. Not dirt cheap, but reasonable enough for me.

Ambiance: 5.5/10
Price: 7/10
Food: 6.5/10 (non halal)
Verdict: A good place for tai chow, especially if you're staying/studying nearby.

No. 5 Taman Broga,
71750 Broga Lenggeng,
Negeri Sembilan
03 8761 1702
016 203 1323 (Kenny)
GPS: N 02 56.135, E 101 54.781