Kuala Lumpur is a city that effortlessly blends the old with the new, and nowhere is this more evident than in its food scene. So where do you find the best food in Kula Lumpur? Tucked away in Happy Garden of Taman Bukit Indah area is Canton Z. You won’t find any tourists in this area, but if you’re a fan of authentic Cantonese flavors, you’ll want to pay a visit to this spot or its sister location, Hong Kong Taste 1975, near the iconic Berjaya Times Square.
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Canton Z — Where Tradition Meets Perfection
Owner and head Chef, Kenn Ong, of Canton Z specializes in three dishes. Char Siu, Siu Yuk and Hainanese Chicken Rice. What they lack for in variety is more than made for in the quality. The moment you take your first bite of any of his dishes, you’ll understand why this place has earned a cult following. If travelling to Taman Bukit Indah is problematic, Kenn also has his Hong Kong Taste 1975 location near Berjaya times square.
And this process starts early. Kenn and his family start their day at 3:00am prepping their dishes for an 8:00am opening time at Canton Z. They start early because they purchase and cook all the meat that morning.. And he makes a ton of it with everything at the Canton Z location sold out by 12:30pm and many days by 11:00am. That’s right, some days it is only open for three hours to the public.
I’ll tell you about all of these dishes, but first I can say with 100% certainty say that his Char Sieu and Siu Yuk are the best I have had anywhere in the world.
Fresh Ingredients
He purchases all of the pork shoulders and bellies daily and sells them as quickly as he buys them. I was lucky enough to spend the morning with him as he started preparing his slabs of pork heave. And I am not joking when I conservatively say that daily he prepares at least 20 large slabs of pork belly, at least another 50-60 pork shoulders and at least 2 dozen chickens. He sends some of this to the Hong Kong Taste 1975 location, but everything left at Canton Z sells out within 3-5 hours.
Where to Stay in Kuala Lumpur
- Luxury Accommodations: – Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur – Attractively located in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. This 5-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk and a concierge service.
- Mid-Range Accommodations: – Axon Residence By Leo Suites – Boasting a patio with city views, a rooftop pool and an indoor pool, Axon Residence By Leo Suites can be found in Kuala Lumpur, close to Starhill Gallery and 300 metres from Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
- Budget Accommodations: – Opus Residence by Great Service – Set in Kuala Lumpur, 1.6 km from Berjaya Times Square, Opus Residence by Great Service offers accommodation with an outdoor swimming pool, free private parking, a fitness centre and a garden
For more places to stay in Kuala Lumpur:
The Best Food in Kuala Lumpur — Char Siu
You may be asking yourself, “what the hell is Char Sieu or Siu Yuk?” So let’s start with the Char Siu. Char Siu is a Cantonese style BBQ’ed pork shoulder. If you don’t know it by name, but have travelled anywhere in Asia, you have probably had it before. It’s popular in many Asian countries and every country has their own version of it. Originating in China it rapidly spread throughout most of Asia. Malaysia has a large Chinese population, so it’s no surprise to find it there despite being a predominantly Muslim country.
Char Siu often features an overly reddish sauce that lacks any real flavour mainly because of the use of food colouring to give it such a deep red color. Kenn makes his char siu marinade with 4 ingredients. Soy sauce, cinnamon, sugar and five spice. That’s it. The second key is his perfect mixture of lean meat to fat ratios. With the lean meat being extremely tender without the use of any meat tenderizer and the fat being the melt in your mouth variety.
Cooking and Finishing the Char Siu
After marinating and skewering the pork shoulder, they place it into these gorgeous cylindrical ovens to cook for a couple of hours. They periodically remove the char siu, baste it again in the marinade, and return it to the ovens.
After a few hours of roasting and marinating multiple times, the final product turns into a melt-in-your-mouth extravaganza of flavors that will leave you craving more. Pair it up with some fresh steamed rice and you have a perfect meal.
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The Best Food in Kuala Lumpur — Siu Yuk
Siu Yuk, or crispy pork belly, is a dish that epitomizes the mastery of Cantonese cuisine, and at Canton Z, it’s an art form. The journey to this masterpiece starts with Kenn’s careful selection of pork belly, to get that perfect balance of fat and lean meat. And the preparation process is nothing short of meticulous—with every step designed to achieve the ideal texture and flavor.
The pork belly is first skewered in both directions to maintain it’s shape during cooking. Kenn marinates the meaty side in a blend of traditional Chinese spices, infusing every pore of the meat, and coat the skin side with sea salt to encourage crisping.
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Cooking and Finishing the Siu Yuk
Usually, the next step would be to poke the skin side of the pork belly with a needle and blanche the pork belly in boiling water. Not at Canton Z. Have you ever had roasted pork belly that the skin is hard but it’s not actually crunchy? This is due to the boiling process. While it does render down some of the fattiness, when roasting takes place it tuns the “fatty” skin into a solid mass that is hard to chew.
At Canton Z, the slabs go directly into the cylindrical ovens to roast for 30-45 minutes and they will never see a vat of boiling water. After the initial roast, they remove the meat from the ovens and perforate it with needles. This releases the moisture trapped inside the pork belly and prevents the skin from bubbling.
About halfway through cooking, they remove the pork belly from the ovens. Kenn then scrapes away any charred bits and coats the entire belly in pure pork lard before returning it to the ovens to finish cooking.
The finished product is the stuff of dreams: perfectly crunchy skin and succulent, fatty meat. Lovers of crispy pork belly won’t want to miss this experience—it’s undeniably one of the best foods in Kuala Lumpur. The char siu and siu yuk come with a side of fragrant steamed rice cooked in chicken broth, garlic, and pandan.
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The Best Food in Kuala Lumpur — Hainanese Chicken
Hainanese chicken is a dish that originated in Southern China. But in SE Asia countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore have made it a staple within their cuisines. Malaysia owes much of this to their large Chinese populations that have called Malaysia home for centuries now. At Canton Z, they take it to another level with two varities of the chicken. Let’s break each one dow.
Traditional Hainanese Chicken
If you are looking for the classic Hainanese chicken that is so popular you won’t have a problem finding it here. Traditional chicken is poached. The process involves simmering the chicken in a pot of water flavored with aromatics like ginger and garlic. Guaranteeing a juicy and flavourful meat. Once poached, it will be immediately dropped into an ice bath to tighten the skin and form a gelatinous layer
Hainanese Chicken Rice on Steroids
Kenn goes full gangster on the chicken with this version. And honestly, I have never seen anybody else prepare chickens like this. Kenn’s chickens start with a quick blanching in boiling water. 5 -10 minutes tops. Afterward, they are left to dry out. At this point they throw them into those beautiful cylindrical ovens to roast until there 80-85% complete. They finish the chickens with a quick deep fry to make the skin extra crispy. Sealing in all of the juiciness of these glorious birds hold. My God I love these birds
Both options come with fragrant steamed rice and garlic chili sauce. Literally one of the best things you will ever eat in your life
The Best Food in Kuala Lumpur—Hong Kong Taste 1975
To make his food more accessible, Kenn opened a second location near Berjaya Times Square. While the chicken is cooked at this location, all the pork products are prepared that morning at Canton Z. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still spectacular but there is something special about trying this right from the ovens. Hong Kong Taste will be open a bit later in the afternoon though so if getting to Happy Garden in the mornings is an issue you can still try it here. It will still be the best Char Siew and Siun Yuk you have ever had
Canton Z — The Best Food in Kuala Lumpur
In a city with a food scene as diverse as Kuala Lumpur, finding Canton Z literally blew my mind. And I had a lot of good food in this city. If you find yourself in Kuala Lumpur, I highly suggest seeking this place out. You won’t regret it. And be sure to tell Kenn I said hello if you have the chance to meet him.
Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have or ever get to try either locations. And be sure to check out the rest of the website for more content from around the world.
