Top In Asia | Song Lim Restaurant

I’ve heard good things about the food at Song Lim Restaurant so Jien and I decided to pay them a visit not too long ago. They’re apparently known for their creamy butter loh shi fun on top of classic Chinese dishes and the menu is fairly extensive.

Air-conditioning section

Open-air section

The restaurant is divided into two sections – air-conditioning and without. Most of the old-timers seemed to prefer the open-air section while we opted to dine at the air-conditioning section on both visits.

Creamy butter loh shi fun

Overrated, sadly.

We found the creamy butter loh shi fun (RM19 – small) disappointing, especially since this was the draw factor for our visit Song Lim Restaurant. I expected the gravy to be golden and creamy, but it was watery with a curry powder aftertaste. Not the decadent buttery that one would expect given the name. There’s a strong dried shrimp flavour for aroma and umami, but hardly enough to elevate the lack of oomph overall.

Creamy butter chicken

Oddly, the creamy butter chicken (RM34 – small) on our second visit was a lot better. Gravy is thick, fragrant from the curry leaves and rich in flavour. Chicken pieces still retained crisp after being tossed in the butter gravy. Not bad, this one.

Special sauce steamed tilapia

I liked Song Lim’s special sauce steamed tilapia (RM8 per 100gm) – fish is fresh and the gravy is garlicky, savoury and lightly spicy from the bird’s eye chilli. You can also opt for other types of fish (threadfin or garoupa) to be cooked this style, but the standard option is tilapia. This cooking style reminded me of the tilapia at Great China, but the latter is spicier and oilier.

Yam basket with sweet & sour pork

Yam basket is one of our favourite things to eat at a Chinese restaurant and we opted for sweet and sour pork as the protein. Texture of the yam could be fluffier but we found the pork enjoyable. Tender and meaty while the coating had a good balance of sweetness and tang.

Dark beer braised chicken

The dark beer braised chicken (RM34 – small) seems to be a crowd favourite judging from the other tables who ordered the same dish. It was also recommended to us by our server – no regrets, as the chicken has a deep and rich flavour from the caramelised malt.

Yin Yong Kai Lan

Three-egg Spinach

Unlike the Yin Yong Kai Lan I’ve eaten, Song Lim Restaurant’s version (RM28 – small) is shaped like a dome, so you’ll have to mix it up to enjoy both the crispy and crunchy texture. I quite like the three-egg spinach (RM28 – small) as the gravy is thick and egg-y with bits of century and salted egg inside.

Curry fish head

We didn’t really fancy the curry grouper fish head (RM88 – small) here as the gravy is a tad mild and diluted for our liking. Perhaps it caters to their regulars (it’s one of their highlights) but it wasn’t to our taste.