Food for the Peaceful(l) Soul: Lunch at Fok Wah Seafood Restaurant

I had never started a journey – or rather two, since one was physical and the other mental – feeling depleted before, but somehow on 23 Aug 2022, a Tuesday, I did. The stress I had been feeling had lasted for a few days, though Tuesday was in fact the better day compared to those that preceded it. Two hours before I headed to Fok Wah Seafood Restaurant for lunch, I had been reflecting and journaling, examining what had, to be a little melodramatic, gone wrong in my life – what had made me feel stuck. My reflection eventually led me to the decision to change my blogging schedule. It was an empowering decision, but two hours later, sitting in the car, I thought my valid concerns about the possible risks of changing my schedule would not go away anytime soon. Little did I expect a simple meal in a Chinese restaurant could prove me wrong in (such a peaceful or rather peacefull, so-called misspelling intended) style…

 

My family and I arrived at the spacious, air-conditioned restaurant at lunchtime. The clean, tidy and comfortable space lifted my spirit a little, as did the soothing music playing in the background – and oh, not to forget the lovely and thoughtful staff too, they definitely helped! Whilst the stress I felt considerably lowered once I stepped into the restaurant, my mind was still very much engaged in its favourite act of overthinking, this time predicting that since this was such a comfy place, the food here must be overpriced. It turned out, lesson learnt indeed, that minds could be inaccurate, however much overconfidence they possessed or rather, projected! Six of us went to the restaurant and we ordered four dishes. Those, along with six plates of rice and a pot of Chinese tea, amounted to RM130, proving me wrong, in style, again!

 

The four dishes we ordered were:

·       Butter fish

·       Salted egg chicken

·       Spring roll

·       Sizzling Hot Plate Tofu

Four dishes

The butter fish was crispy without being greasy. The side dish was thoughtfully separated from the fish, allowing us the freedom of tasting the flavourful fish with or without it. The fish was very well spiced without being hot. The generous amount of curry leaves was a plus for me – it definitely enhanced the flavour of the fish, making it richly delicious.

 

Butter Fish (medium) -RM53

 

Side dish of Butter Fish

Butter Fish with side dish

The salted egg chicken was boneless the way I loved it – ahh the convenience indeed… Like the fish, it was also crispy without being greasy. The versions of this dish that I had in other restaurants were often too salty for my liking – Fok Wah artistically and masterfully rendered this (piece)-full-of-goodness dish just right (daft pun I know but hopefully apt? Haha!) Because the seasoning wasn’t overpowering, it enabled me to savour the freshness of the chicken and that made the dish extremely addictive. Their Royal Highnesses my Taste Buds were absolutely charmed by that delectable delight, encouraging me to have more and more and more…

 

Salted Egg Chicken (medium)- RM25

The spring role was lovely. The vegetables used in it tasted fresh, but the greenish taste of the veggies was slightly overpowering for me. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the freshly cooked dish with its fresh ingredients.

  

Spring Roll -RM20

 

The sizzling Hot Plate Tofu was homemade, unlike the version served in most Chinese restaurants which used Japanese tofu. This was definitely a high-bar-setting bonus – or perhaps absolutely, used in the utmost literal sense of the word, was more fitting!

  

Sizzling Hot Plate Tofu (small) – RM18

 

My verdict? ‘Hmm… Let’s see…’ she pretentiously pretended to stall for time, for dramatic effect, as was her wont. Daft joke Ashley, daft joke – careful, don’t overdo it just because you’re nervous because this is your first time writing a restaurant review. #AffirmationToSelfOrNotLOL! Anyway, forgive me dear reader, for I have sinned by digressing. To come back to my verdict then, I enjoyed all the dishes; however the butter fish and salted egg chicken were the stars of the show for me. Because they were our favourite dishes to order in Chinese restaurants, we had high expectations and this restaurant definitely surpassed those expectations. When we had these dishes in most restaurants, my family and I would often find them too oily, too salty, not crispy enough or too heavily coated. The fact that they were so well balanced in this restaurant absolutely impressed us. I loved the soothing music played in the restaurant too because it allowed me to destress. Chinese and English hits from the 90s and 2000s were played. I heard ‘When You Believe’ and ‘Hero’, and I thought this might sound a bit woo- woo but those songs were Godsends – that I absolutely needed to hear the uplifting songs at the time. I thus emerged from my lunch feeling peaceful (or maybe more aptly peacefull, hence the title of my review) and most certainly rejuvenated.

 

Name: Fok Wah Seafood Restaurant

Address: 17-G, Jalan Semenyih sental 2, 43500 semenyih, Selangor D.E., 43500 Semenyih

Phone Number: 0133367238

GPS Coordinates: 2.92156,101.86212

Opening hours: 11.30-14.30 and 17.30-22.30 daily (weekends included) except Thursdays when it is closed.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100045277253563