KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Of all the ways to enjoy the sea’s bounty, from raw to steamed, from poached to grilled, there is something undeniably satisfying about a piece of truly fresh fish, simply deep-fried to perfection.
Yes, a puffed-up piece of beer-battered, flaky white fish comes to mind, but I have a preference for something a little closer to home.
Something a little sweeter, requiring a bit of deft manoeuvring, but rewarding you for the effort.
At Home Style Fish Cafe, an earnest little spot in Taman Cheras, the fried yellow eel fish (RM9) and fried tongue fish (RM9) do exactly that.
Some parts of the fried tongue fish are crispy enough to crunch through entirely. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Brave the sharp but large single bone in each piece of the former, and the many smaller pin bones in the latter — some parts are crisp enough to crunch through — and you’ll be rewarded with sweet, flaky flesh.
The garlicky chilli dipping sauce is no slouch either.
The yellow eel is a particularly moreish mouthful. After the first few bites, when you sink your teeth into the puffed-up batter with a satisfying crunch, it’s often possible to pull the main bone out cleanly.
What’s left is a crispy fish popsicle of sorts, perfect for repeated dipping into the chilli sauce, like a child thrilled with a naked hot dog and ketchup.
The restaurant is under a year old, but is located in the decades-old flats that define the Yulek area. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The restaurant is a little under a year old, located in the old flats facing the Yulek Morning Market.
It can be hard to spot, as the ground floor of these flats sits below road level.
Their catch comes fresh off their own fishing boats in Teluk Intan, Perak, which also hints at the slightly Northern influence in some of the dishes on their loosely coherent menu.
The jellyfish salad (RM12) is a take on Penang’s sotong kangkung, swapping out rehydrated cuttlefish for jellyfish while keeping the blanched water spinach, crushed peanuts, and chilli sauce.
Jellyfish salad, a riff on Penang’s ‘sotong kangkung’. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The absence of hae ko, or prawn paste, neither hurt nor helped it.
The mostly neutral flavour of jellyfish meant this was largely a textural experience, with springy jellyfish, juicy water spinach, and the crunch of peanuts.
There’s also the home style laksa (RM11.90), a balanced, more-than-decent rendition of Penang asam laksa, with big chunks of mackerel flesh and a healthy drizzle of hae ko over the top.
Home style ‘laksa’ here is a tasty ‘asam laksa’. — Picture by Ethan Lau
But the most intriguing offering has to be a series of Nyonya kapitan-style curries with rice, served with chicken (RM15.90), ming har prawn (RM16.90), or shark meat (RM16.90).
Obviously, I had to go with the latter — and I have to admit, it quickly asserted itself as my favourite.
The flesh is firm with a tender give, not mushy, and crucially free of any ammonia smell, which suggests they’re using smaller specimens, likely milk shark.
The kapitan curry itself was thick and rich with aromatics, and unafraid to put the distinctive flavour of kaffir lime leaf front and centre.
Have you tried ‘kapitan’ curry with shark meat? Here you can! — Picture by Ethan Lau
Finally, if you’re looking for a self-contained meal in one order, it has to be the Nyonya nasi lemak with the signature spicy chilli fish (RM15.90).
As the name suggests, it’s simply nasi lemak — not sure what makes it specifically Nyonya, but the sambal is excellent — with ikan cencaru sumbat, a whole fried torpedo scad stuffed with a spicy paste of chillies, onions, lemongrass, and the like.
This fish will require steady hands, but it’s worth it.
Fried to a complete crisp on the outside, the inside remains moist and flaky, and the stuffing packs a serious punch.
Simply superb, and the nasi lemak is pretty good too, with a proper sambal that’s both savoury and spicy.
The ‘ikan cencaru sumbat’ is excellent, and the chillies stuffed inside pack a serious punch. — Picture by Ethan Lau
家香鱼 | Home Style Fish Cafe
107, Jalan Kaskas,
Taman Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-8pm
Tel: 03-9134 7655
Facebook: Home Style Fish Cafe
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
