I stumbled upon New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head on my way to our usual sang har noodle spot in Happy Garden – the place was quite crowded during lunch hour, so I made it a point to check them out the next time I’m in the area. The restaurant is located along the row of zinc roof shoplots so suffice to say, one should dress accordingly.
Spacious and airy, but dress accordingly as it gets pretty humid.
Like the name indicates, New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head specialises in steamed fish head, in several cooking styles. Their highlights include ginger, sambal sauce, black bean, assam and clear (soy sauce) steamed fish head. Jien and I tried the ginger steamed fish head (RM36) on our first visit and we found it to be quite good.
Ginger steamed fish head, claypot pork belly with salted fish and stir-fried yau mak
Plenty of kick from this steamed fish head.
The fish was steamed just right so texture is firm yet smooth. It came topped with plenty of aromatic minced ginger and scallion, which helped mask the muddy flavour of the soong fish. That said, the fish itself was fresh so the muddy taste wasn’t that apparent. I liked this better than the one in Ampang Mewah.
Claypot pork belly with salted fish
New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head also serves tai chow (big fry) dishes such as claypot pork belly with salted fish, lala soup, claypot kangkung and Guinness pork ribs. We had the claypot pork belly with salted fish (RM25) – decent, but not something I’d hoo haa over. This could use more Chinese rice wine for flavour and aroma.
We went back the following week with our little girls and a friend, who’s a big fan of steamed fish head. Incidentally, this is the friend who introduced us to Big Tree Lin Kee (my personal favourite) and also the steamed fish in Ampang. This time, we tried the sambal sauce steamed fish head (cheong cheng) and black bean steamed fish head, and the remaining tai chow dishes I earmarked for ordering.
Sambal sauce steamed fish head
The sambal sauce steamed fish head (RM35) was the best of all the three flavours we ordered. Spicy, garlicky and rich in flavour (lemak), the sauce was appetising and deserving of an extra plate of white rice.
Black bean steamed fish head
Also decent is the black bean steamed fish head (RM34), which comes with a mix of julienned ginger, chopped cili padi and Chinese parsley. The sauce was a mix of spicy and savoury, but it didn’t have enough kick to offset the muddy smell of the fish head – it gets stronger around the gills and cheeks, which can be off-putting for some. Myself included.
Guinness pork ribs
The Guiness pork ribs (RM30) came highly recommended, but it was a huge letdown. The dish looked delicious upon serving and it looked good on camera too. But looks can be deceiving, for the pork ribs were mostly bones and of not so good cuts, it could dislodge dentures and jaws. Fortunately, the sauce was alright so I got to use that as gravy for our kids’ white rice.
Claypot kangkung
The claypot kangkung (RM22) at New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head was not too bad – savoury and aromatic from the pork lard and salted fish. Definitely order this over their stir-fried yau mak (RM20), as the latter is boring compared to this.
Lala soup
I usually wouldn’t order lala soup (RM30) given our humid weather but it was raining in the morning so it was pretty cooling at noon. Nothing great, granted the lala is fresh. The soup had a good kick from the ginger and rice wine but somehow, there wasn’t enough depth in flavour.
Overall, we enjoyed the steamed fish head at New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head, especially the sambal sauce version. Portion for the fish head is generous but for the other dishes, not so. Pricing is affordable for the fish head but when it comes to the tai chow dishes, I feel their portions don’t justify the price they charge.
Best to go early as the place packs up during peak hours, especially on weekends. Parking can be a challenge so be prepared to park further and walk a little.
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Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: The steamed fish head is worth trying but I wasn’t impressed with the other tai chow dishes.
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New Mun Kee Steam Fish Head
43-A, Jalan Lazat 1,
Taman Gembira,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 010-310 4727
Business hours: 11.30am till 3pm, 5pm till 9.30pm