Sin Yuan Kee • Best KL Chicken Rice & Cantonese Roasts near Cheras LRT 新源记滑鸡饭 ☎ +6012 313 0079

Sin_Yuan_Kee_Chicken_Rice_Cantonese_Roasts_新源记滑鸡饭

This is the proverbial "hidden gem".

I walked about 10 minutes to here from Cheras LRT station. Had it not been for the trusty GPS and the help of passersby, I would seriously have thought that I had lost my way.

(Don't be like Tony, come here by car please.)

The gem like a crown jewel - This made my day, if not my whole trip to KL this time.

Sin Yuan Kee's shop front was a makeshift wood and zinc structure, a shanty town shack. Doesn't give any clue or hint that it is a treasure trove of delicious food inside.

I was here at 11am, before the lunch rush hour. I like this charming corner by the window.

If you look past the raw, pitted cement floor, wooden boards, zinc and plastic sheets for walls, Sin Yuan Kee is actually very clean inside.

The tables were wiped and with full complement of sauces, utensils in plastic box, tooth picks, and tissue paper. Many restaurants in Singapore and some in Malaysia, do not provide complimentary tissue paper for customers (or charge a small fee for it).

The char siew in the window didn't give any clues that it's a palette charmer. Neither did char siew's leathery looking sibling (siew yok). So dry and shrivelled looking, I forgot to take its picture 🤣

Anyway, since already here 来都来了, I had wanton noodle and a combo plate of char siew and siew yok. All these food for RM15 (2026 price).

As I didn't give any additional instructions, I got served the default KL black - dark soy sauce and lard.

Not bad at all.

The egg noodles looked generic and light, but it packs a nice crunchy light spring. (Boss told me later that his supplier made the noodles by kneading them with bamboo 竹升面, the traditional way. Bamboo kneaded egg noodles are very rare - none in Singapore and Johor today.)

The dark soy and lard blended sauce was savoury and lardy, complementing the crunchy noodles well.

I got just a bit of char siew and siew yok.

The char siew was mind blowing.

The fatty chunk of roast meat was soft, juice saturated, tender savoury sweet.

(Boss later told me that the char siew was made from pork cheek. Win already lo... 赢了咯 )

Sin Yuan Kee's pork cheek char siew 玻璃叉烧 compares very well with Char Siew Yoong of Pudu Ulu, Spring Golden of Shah Alam, and other best of KL.

I am not normally a fan of siew yok but Sin Yuan Kee's rendition got me. The siew yok skin was very crisp and crackly. The skin was neither chewy nor oil saturated. It was light like an airy cream cracker.

Dare I say this reminds me of Wong Mei Kee of Pudu 😯

The meat was tender and the fat was engorged with savoury juice. It was just the right flavour intensity for me, not overly salty.

One of the best crispy skin roast pork 脆皮烧肉 that I have tasted.

The nice gentleman at the next table suggested that I also try Sin Yuan Kee's chicken rice (it's a chicken rice stall after all 😁 ).

I didn't at first because, I am really a small eater 🤭 But with unker's encouragement, I ordered a roasted drumstick with rice. Sin Yuan Kee roasts their chicken while most other stalls now deep fry their birds (but still called them roasted 🤔 ).

Roasted drumstick with rice RM9 (2026 price).

Chopped in large chunks, the golden brown drumstick came doused with a light savoury sauce.

Roasted to perfect doneness.

The meat was tender and moist, sweet savoury with slightly more intense flavour from the skin.

The rice was fluffy, lightly greased grains, separate, tender, tasted sweet savoury. It's nice just like next table unker said.

Sin Yuan Kee is very proud of their savoury spicy house made chili sauce.

I am quite impressed with Sin Yuan Kee's attention to details. Even this pickled chili which looked anaemic was crunchy and sweet tasting.

Even the self service soup was made with a lot of pride which shows in its delicious umami and sweet flavours. Sin Yuan Kee is not stingy with dried seafood for their soup.