Pan Heong Restaurant, Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur

Not sure about you, but one of the things I missed most when I was living abroad was the food in Malaysia.

So it was only natural that The Unc had a whole list of food that he wanted to eat during his short break in KL. Amongst them was sang har mein (freshwater prawn noodles), which he had been craving for months.

Delicious Sang Har Hor Fun from Pan Heong

Being new to KL and all, we didn't quite know where to go. But nothing a little research on the internet won't solve.

So, one weekend, armed with a GPS and hungry stomachs, we started our journey to Batu Caves and 45 minutes later, we were standing outside Pan Heong Restaurant. It was barely 9 in the morning, but the place was packed to the brim. However, we managed to secure a small table in the corner. Service is brisk here, place your orders and you will get served within 10-15 minutes.

Pan Heong's Wall of Fame; cookies are sold here

There are many types of porridge here, from frog legs to abalone to pork ribs. However, we settled for the sang yu with century egg porridge (RM7.30). The consistency of the porridge was lovely, thick and smooth. The sang yu (snakehead fish) here was very fresh and chunky with a nice bouncy firm texture, while the century egg had a nice creamy centre. We only ordered a portion for 1 person but it was definitely enough for 2-3 persons to share (if you're ordering other dishes besides this).

Sang yue porridge topped with century eggs, spring onions and fried shallots

Nice firm fish slices

Next to arrive was our order of Stir Fried Kangkung with Belacan (RM7). Belacan is a spicy shrimp paste, which some may find pungent, however it just goes so well with the kangkung (water spinach).

This is what we came here for, the Freshwater Prawn Noodles (sang har hor fun). It was darn good, I tell ya. Eating sang har hor fun is akin to eating a luxe version of wat tan hor, with the addition of big, juicy freshwater prawns. Instead of the usual sang meen (egg noodles) used, Pan Heong uses hor fun (flat rice noodles) which I feel soaks up the rich eggy sauce better. A dish which shouts WOK HEI, the sauce was delicious, lusciously rich from the eggs and prawn roe. The freshwater prawns were fresh, meaty with a firm and sweet flesh. There is a minimum order of 2 prawns, and we only ordered 2 this time as we weren't sure how much they would cost us here since they usually cost a bomb in the city.

So, when it came to paying the bill, we couldn't believe the price of the sang har hor fun here.. an absolute steal at RM33! The same would probably have cost double the price, if not more at a certain restaurant in SS2. So, next time I wouldn't hesitate ordering a few more prawns with my noodles.

Simply divine sang har hor fun


Wonderfully rich and flavoursome eggy sauce

Another famous dish here is the Nam Yue Fah Yuk (deep fried pork belly marinated in red fermented beancurd). The skin is a beautiful golden brown. While the skin is crisp, the meat was still tender and extremely flavoursome. The pork belly used here is also not too fat, with just a thin layer of fat complimenting the lean meat. It's so good, it's addictive.

The right proportion of fats to lean meat

Verdict: Good food at a reasonable price. The only downside is the location; it is quite a long drive for us from Cheras to KL.


Opening times: 8.00am to 3.30pm (Do call before you go as they close on random days every month)


Location: Pan Heong Restoran, No.2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2, Batu Caves, 68100 Selangor, Malaysia. (parallel SRJK Kheow Bin)

Tel: 03-6187 7430

GPS Coordinates: 3.233434, 101.674165