Lan Je is a good example that you do not need an elaborate menu to attract customers. Coming from Penang where fresh seafood is abundant at affordable prices, I never really understood the appeal of farm raised tilapia. But considering the high cost of living in KL, no wonder it’s a popular choice of fish.
Whenever we order a tilapia at any restaurant, the thing that concerns me the most is whether there would be a muddy taste. To me, no matter how cheap or how well you prepare the tilapia, as long as there’s an earthy-musty taste to it, the dish is ruined.
Luckily that wasn’t the case at Lan Je. Maybe it’s because they have been in the business long enough to know how to mask the fishy taste, or simply because they have a good supplier.
Lan Je uses black tilapia instead of the usual red species for their signature steamed fish. Since each steamed fish is not very expensive (around RM15-18 depending on the size, different every day) the idea here is for every customer to order their own individual serving.
The fish had a simple garnishing of diced ginger, bird’s eye chillies and some secret ingredients and sauces of their own. For those who enjoy a spicier taste, you could ask for the extra-hot version which comes with loads more cili padi that almost guarantees to knock your socks off. Flavour wise it was really good. Fantastic? Maybe not, but it was truly a delicious steamed fish done well.
Besides steamed fish there are also a dozen of other affordably priced dishes (refer above) The dried chilli cuttlefish @ RM9 was satisfying and there’s simply nothing to complain about for the price tag. We also ordered a fried veggie to complete the meal and it was tasty as well.
All in all, we were very happy with our dinner. Hence we won’t hesitate to return again to try the other dishes. It is also worth mentioning that the ladyboss here at the Aman Puri branch is friendly and treats her staff well. You could see that the staff has good morale due to this and therefore customers here enjoy both good food and service. More restaurants like Lan Je should exist in KL, don’t you think?
Restoran Lan Je11-A, Jalan Desa 2/8,
Desa Aman Puri, 52100 Kepong
Business hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm (Mon to Sun)
The fish certainly looked delicious. Is it for one person? 500g? How much did you pay for it as I know nowadays tilapia doesn’t come cheap anymore.
Yeah I guess the fish was about 500g or so but don’t take my word for it. We were charged RM16.50 for it. The restaurant’s fish sizes differ daily