One of our all time favourite places to eat is in the vicinity of Puchong. Why? Because there are just so many restaurants to choose from.
Tonight, we were undecided what to eat... Seafood?
Or maybe Ah-Mah's porridge... Set for 2 at only RM28.00, cheap!
Taiping Cuizine looked inviting too...
Then there is always Gao Ren Guan, for Hakka food...
Even a cute little Jelly Cake shop(where all cakes sold are made from jelly) for supper later perhaps..
Finally we decided on Fatty Tiger.
Many of you may have already read about its famous branch in Connaught. Fatty Tiger is pretty famous in that it has appeared in both the Chinese and English newspapers pretty often.
This place serves every fish under the sun. But not just any fish, WILD river fish specifically, i.e. only those that live in pollution free tropical waters. Most of those you see in other restaurants are cultivated river fish, which are actually less sweet due to the quality of the water. Also because of stress. I mean if you were a fish, wouldn't you get stressed out swimming in a glass aquarium when everything within you screams to be free?!
The distinct sweetness of the flesh, firmness and smoothness is undisputed in the wild river fish.
Anyway, each and every wild river fish has its own unique distinct taste, and the best part really is... from the BELLY! (gimme, gimme belly).
The price? Well, as you can imagine since 60% of the fish actually come from the Orang Asli(100% authentically caught by the indigenous people of Malaysia) the price is on the high side. However, it is still considered pretty affordable if unadulterated river fish is what you are looking for.
The price for a fish goes anywhere between RM60 per kg, to RM600-1000 per kg, as in the case of the Empurau you see in the photo above! This is like the Lamborghini of all fish! And there I was thinking that Soon Hock was the be all and end all... haha..
First we had the sayur manis(pan mee vege) with egg. Delicious! RM8.00
Then special toufu pok in claypot RM8.00. The sauce is thicker and sweeter than normal They use fish rather than pork and 'Kau Choy'.
Ah, one of my all time favourite dishes... the wild boar! Oh, in keeping with the theme, every thing WILD, obviously we had to try the wild pig instead of the cultivated one right?
We were not disappointed - Taut and sweet and just with the right amount of fat, this wild boar is less gamy tasting due to the fact that it is generously seasoned in cinnamon.
And if you think it looks small, it actually comes like this (above). One layer of 'Pai Kuat' (rib) and one layer of the succulent belly ! LOVE!
Wild boar in special sauce - RM18.00
The Man Tau drenched in the wild boar sauce is addictive. We devour the entire plate.
Riddle: When is a fish, NOT a fish..?
Answer: When it is a DRAGON PIG Fish ! (Well not even that, more like eel. Still the fishermen call it a fish and it goes by the pet name
Chi Nar or
For Loong) .
Chi Nar (pig) because it has a mouth the shape of a pig's.
For Loong because the tail is brightly colored in fiery orange and red and looks like the dragon tail! When it is deep-fried, it automatically curls into the shape seen above! This fish/eel is rare and rather hard to come by.
How cool huh? Delicious!
Ikan Tilan - RM60 per kg.
Some info on the fish: Ikan Tilan/Sili (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia)
The Tilan is from the family Mastacembelidae and Ordo Perciformes. It also goes by the name, Fire Eel or Spotted Fire Eel. Though it swims calmly, this fish has the capability of flying out of the water through the air. The Tilan is a predator fish and hunts for food at night.
Mr Joe Fong is a delight to talk to. An avid fisherman himself, he is passionate about nature and all things wild and free. He believes that the best foods are those found closest to its source and we agree!
Joe in his younger days! An amazing fisherman no doubt.
Some of the weird and wriggly things that ended up in Joe's net along with the catch! This python can still be seen in the Zoo Negara today:)
Add1:
Fatty Tiger,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
No.123, Jalan Kenari, 23A,
47100 Puchong, Selangor,
Tel: 03-80752647
Add2:
Fatty Tiger,
Taman Connaught Giant,
Lot 12G Grd Flr South Walk,
CMC Centre, Jalan Cerdas,
56000 KL
Tel: 03-91003990
