We came here because a friend was waxing lyrical about a fish head curry nearby to Sek Yuen. The restaurant’s name “Kari Kepala Ikan (Jalan Pudu)” is simple, but the tagline says it all – Fish Head Curry is indeed a favourite food of Malaysians.
The curry here is prepared the Chinese-style, which means the gravy is thicker with coconut milk, aromatic and the taste inclines to savoury sweet with a spiciness instead of hot and sour. And as per the standard across most of the FHC restaurants, the firm and fleshy grouper head is used.
At RM30 per serving like this, I think the price is quite high and it’s the main gripe I have. In places like Kepong and Puchong, you could easily get a significantly larger portion for RM25 or less. As for the taste, I thought it somewhat met expectations and the fish head given was fresh. But overall it was hardly anything impressive considering the intense competition of FHC in KL.
Steamed Lala in Garlic, or was it Siong Tong Lala? Forgot already, but this was really good thanks to the sweet and juicy clams.
Stir Fried Roasted Pork or ‘Bao Siu Yuk’ in Cantonese is a common household dish that is usually prepared using leftover roasted pork and lots of garlic for the extra fragrance. Here, the chef’s rendition uses a mix of light and dark soya sauce with a sprinkle of sesame seeds as garnishing. The resulting taste is different yet vaguely similar and appetizing.
I don’t think I have a ridiculously high standards or refined taste, but the FHC here is really just on the average level. Nevertheless, the other dishes we had were pretty good and they are only a tiny fraction of the available offerings on the menu. So this restaurant is still worth checking out again for hidden surprises.
Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan (Jalan Pudu)368, Jalan Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2143 4208
Business hours: 6.30pm till midnight (closed every alternate Tuesday)
