Langat Seafood Restaurant and Beer Garden - A great find off the beaten path -

My first visit to the restaurant was during a dark and stormy night. I am navigationally challenged at the best of times and could only hazard a guess that we were heading somewhere beyond the Ampang area. The last stretch of the journey was a bumpy ride through a dark and forbidding forest. If it weren’t for the fact that I was in the company of good friends who brought me there, I’d be mighty worried. It was precisely the kind of setting where the villains bring their victims to finish them off and dump their bodies deep in the jungle.

Subsequent visits in broad daylight made a mockery of my overactive imagination. Langat Seafood and Beer Garden is nestled in a forest clearing about half km from the main road, Jalan Sungai Tekali at Pekan Hulu Langat. There is nothing forbidding about the place in daylight. Quite the contrary, the view of the pond at the back of the restaurant and lush greenery all around it makes serene surroundings for a nice meal.

The owner of the restaurant used to operate a pay fish pond for anglers. He later opened a seafood restaurant at the site. How strategic! The restaurant itself is a typical Chinese ‘back to basic no frills’ restaurant. At the front the restaurants are huge tanks to hold fishes meant for the table. Try to snag a table at the balcony; it has an excellent view of the pond.
Alright, on to the serious business of eating! So, what’s good here? Fish! duh

Deep fried Tiliapia with ginger shreds and soya sauce

The 'fei chow yue' ( tilapia) was deep fried to crispy brown perfection, drowned in oil and soya sauce. It definitely will not make the top 10 healthy eating tips but absolutely delicious.

Steamed tofu with dried shrimp and onion topping

In my opinion, it was the onions strips that really made this dish. The onions were caramelized till just a tad burnt, together with dried shrimps (har mai) fried until crunchy and drizzled with a little sesame oil; made a perfect topping to an otherwise bland tofu dish.

Sambal sotong with petai

I have no comments on this dish as I don't like petai, but it was polished off by my petai loving friends, so I guess it pass muster.

Wild boar curry

The wild boar curry was another of the restaurant's specialty, with good reason. The meat was sliced thin and cooked in a dry curry style. It was such a hit at the table that I forgot to take a picture until it was half eaten.

Claypot Brinjal

'Kuan sui!' (Hot water!) The contents in the claypot was still bubbling when the waiter placed it on the table. My favourite dish for the meal was this. The skin has been stripped off and the brinjal pieces were simmered in oyster sauce and garlic until soft. I liked the texture of the brinjal which was soft and smooth; the pulp soaks up the gravy which makes every mouthful flavourful.

'German' Pork Knuckle

'They do pork knuckle here, do you want to try it?' my friend asked. Boy, do I want to try it? I love porky dishes, 'Bring it on' I replied.

The knuckle was deep fried until golden brown. I could eat just the crispy skin alone. The meat was tender and falls off the bones easily. I later came to know that the knuckle was first simmered in stock to tenderise the meat and hung up to dry before deep frying. My only complaint was that the knuckle was a tad too dry. It would have been better if there were more gravy to go with the meat.

Good until the last morsel!

We had 13 diners at the table. The bill was RM220+ for the above plus another vegetable dish. Very reasonable.


LANGAT SEAFOOD AND BEER GARDEN (non-halal)
Lot 100, Jalan Sungai Sop
Batu 14 Pekan Hulu Langat
Selangor
Tel: 03-9021 7215, 019-228 6037

Look for the restaurant sign on the map. The map provides excellent directions to the place. Map credit to the Tip Corporation Sdn Bhd.