Sek Yuen Chinese Restaurant @ Jalan Pudu, KL

Sek Yuen, an old Chinese Restaurant located in Jalan Pudu is one of the oldest restaurants in KL that has managed to maintain the look and feel of the 50′s. One can easily mistake the building for a community hall if not for the restaurant’s signage.
Stepping into Sek Yuen is like stepping into a time portal that brings you back to half a century ago, when the waiters wore vintage shirts and the captain clad in pure white t-shirt and short pants. Actually I never knew or even heard about about this place before but I feel most KL people should know it for its long history. It was not until a friend brought us there for dinner I got to discover this gem.

I was puzzled seeing there are two Sek Yuen Restaurants along Jalan Pudu – one with white signage and the other red. At first I thought it was due to family feud in business again, prompting the brothers or sisters to split the restaurant into two.

But that really wasn’t the case. Both are actually the same, just that the white one is equipped with ceiling fans only, while the latter with air-conditioning. Food ordered in the air-conditioned restaurant would still be cooked in the old kitchen, then delivered across the road to the diners. By the way, that’s a cool uncle doing a Lui Kei lol.

Before I go into the food, I apologize for the images’ poor quality so it might affect your perception towards the food in Sek Yuen. But if there’s any restaurant that doesn’t need good presentation in their food to appeal, I dare say Sek Yuen is one of it.

A whole Pei Pa Duck was RM42 and it’s seriously one of the things you gotta try in Sek Yuen. It was a meaty and lean duck roasted perfectly with great charcoal smell and flavor, very tasty. If you are interested in this dish it is advised to make a reservation for it or simply come early because of its popularity.

The whole Steamed Chicken (Pak Cham Kai) didn’t come cheap @ RM72 but it was justified for the portion. Can you imagine the size of a chicken, so big it’s more than enough to be shared among 7 adults? Anyway, I would think that the chicken meat would be tough for its size. But I was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness even at the chicken breast part. It’s a really nice dish and that’s coming from a person who never liked Pak Cham Kai at all, like me lol. Still, I have to say it was a bit weird to serve the chicken with its head though, it felt kinda creepy..

My mistake for not taking a photo of the RM40 Braised Pork Knuckle (Mun Chee Sau) before it was cut open.

Which resulted in a messy and unappealing photo like this lol. If I didn’t tell you it was pork knuckle, would you have known? To me, it was a damn guilty-pleasure food. Guilty because of all the fat consumed, pleasure simply because of it’s heavenly skin and fat (as well). I am not young anymore and getting out of shape so I felt more guilt than pleasure lol.

Lo Han Jai, a fair dish that made its appearance along with another vegetable as shown along with the duck. Just to avoid making the meal entirely meat only.

The old kitchen is still operating like a traditional one using wood fire instead of gas. It’s difficult to see a kitchen like this, let alone a functioning one. So if you are in Sek Yuen do take a peek.
For any restaurant that I’ve been to, I don’t really feel like returning again soon because I feel there are many more choices to explore. But Sek Yuen is an exception. I kept having this nagging feeling to return for another meal, and that I should bring my parents along too. I am sure they will like Sek Yuen’s food here especially the Pei Pa Duck and Steamed Chicken.

Address: 313-1, Jalan Pudu, KL (non air-conditioned)
315, Jalan Pudu KL (air-conditioned)
GPS Coordinates: N3 08.119 E101 42.741
Tel: 03 – 9222 0903, 03 – 9222 9457