KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — Have you noticed the boom of mee tarik shops all over the Klang Valley?
It definitely adds diversity to our food offerings but after trying out a few places, many fall short, leaving me disillusioned and searching for something better.
A friend had recommended Meshrep China Xinjiang Muslim Cuisine after trying out their food in the recent Chinese Muslim Food & Culture Festival held at 1 Utama Shopping Centre.
Things are done differently here at this restaurant housed in a bungalow along Jalan Inai, in KL city centre.
Through the lens of BBQ items and banquet style dishes, one gets to enjoy authentic Ughyur and Hui cuisine from Xinjiang.
It’s a popular place too. Everytime we visit, it’s packed with Mainland China natives and locals.
As servings are huge, one definitely needs to gather a group of people to enjoy the food.
Whatever I tried probably just scratched the surface of their menu offerings, which means more visits to deep dive into their food.
Navigating through their menu requires a little patience though as they were too busy for recommendations.
The menu is divided into sections like chef recommendations or the must try dishes, allowing you to be adventurous and order what tickles your fancy.
There’s also another section called “We Eat Everyday” that steers you towards daily meals like noodles, rice and breads.
There’s also a separate BBQ menu that offers extensive lamb, beef, chicken, fish and even seafood choices. If you’re stuck, just try to ask the owner’s wife for tips if she is not too busy.
What I noticed is that their lamb is exceptional. You get juicy meat brimming with flavour, as seen from the Xinjiang Original Lamb BBQ (RM10 per stick). Even the Beef Tenderloin (RM8 per stick) fell short, in terms of flavour.
Xinjiang Original Lamb BBQ (left) are chunky, juicy bites dusted with spices while the Beef Tenderloin (right) fell short for its flavours — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The lamb skewers have a wide range of flavours. You can enjoy it cooked tandoori style or even skewered on a rose willow branch, which is popular in Xinjiang to add the fragrance of wood to the meat. .
Bigger groups can order the whole lamb too but that requires a one day pre-order. There’s also a lamb leg, including one stuffed in bread.
It doesn’t stop just at the meat as one can also enjoy the lamb kidney, liver and so forth. They also serve other meats like chicken, fish and beef.
The temptation to order every lamb item I have not seen before was great. In reality, I could only muster up stomach space for their Golden Lamb Pilaf Set (RM22), also known as polo.
Golden Lamb Pilaf Set looks deceptively simple but once you start eating the rice, you will be fighting for the last spoonful of the lamb infused grains — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Appearances are deceiving here. It looks ridiculously plain with a piece of lamb meat and pickled vegetables, served on the side.
Each rice grain was, however, infused with the lamb flavour, making it super addictive that one will be fighting for the last spoonful of the rice, cooked with carrots and Xinjiang raisins.
The classic dish is XinJiang Big Plate Chicken (RM88), or dapanji which is served in one hefty portion that can easily feed four people.
A classic order for Xinjiang food is this XinJiang Big Plate Chicken where it’s a spicy stew that goes well with potatoes and hand pulled noodles — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Essentially a stew, the dish features chopped chicken (they use the tougher kampung chicken here) and potatoes cooked with a medley of thick ginger slices, capsicum, garlic, chilli peppers, leeks, where it uses ground cumin, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise for flavour.
The sauce is magical with the spices and hit of the chilli pairing so well with the soft potatoes.
Ask for it to be topped with their Wide Hand Pulled Noodles (RM5). These noodles have a chewy texture and is so delicious you will be looking for more of it in the big plate.
Braised Stuffed Beef with Egg (RM49) caught our eyes as it sounded unusual.
For something unique, go for the Braised Stuffed Beef with Egg, a Hui dish that stuffs minced meat in between two egg pancakes — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Apparently it’s a Hui dish known as jia sha, where the minced beef is stuffed in between two egg pancakes and deep fried.
The deep fried pancakes, cut into diamond shapes, were paired with a sauce that has a bit of vinegar to give it a slightly tangy taste.
It’s good just on its own too.
We were recommended the Fried Pearl Noodles (RM18), an Ughyur dish. At one glance, it looks like a kids dish as everything is chopped into tiny pieces.
Fried Pearl Noodles is a daily meal item, where hand pulled noodles are cut to resemble ‘pearls’ — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
It’s a take on the classic Ughyur laghman except the hand pulled noodles is chopped into small pieces to create the “pearls”.
The noodles are combined with a stew of diced beef and vegetables, lightly flavoured with ground cumin, making it easy to eat with a spoon.
This is the perfect at-home dinner, where a big bowl will satisfy all your cravings as you watch Netflix.
Last but not least, make room for dessert like the Hui People Stick Rice (RM18).
For dessert, don’t miss out the Hui People Rice Stick, a take on the eight treasure rice pudding — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
It resembles an eight treasure rice pudding, popular in China. Here, the closest I have seen is served in Bei King, a Foochow restaurant in Sitiawan. Their version includes yam paste.
This version has fewer ingredients but it’s a dessert I would happily eat again.
Ignore the kitsch coloured sprinkles as underneath it you get red dates, nuts and raisins that top a soft mound of glutinous rice.
This version is served with a red date sauce that gives it just a touch of sweetness to bring the whole dessert together.
Do also pair your meal with their drinks like the Hui People’s Treasure Tea (RM8) served in a mug. It’s sweet with the red dates and you’re given a jug of hot water to refill.
The restaurant is packed with Mainland China natives and locals (left) and one can spot the restaurant from the roadside with its distinct grill and tandoori ovens (right) — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Restoran Meshrep China Xinjiang Muslim Cuisine,
14 Jalan Inai, Off Jalan Imbi,
Kuala Lumpur.
Open: 11am to 3.30pm, 5pm to 10pm.
Closed on Friday.
Tel: 011-11861963.
TikTok: @orangxinjiang
Instagram: @xinjianglaimeshrep
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
