Restaurant Review: Ong Lai Restaurant
By The Editorial Team

Ong Lai Restaurant TiongNam Settlement Off Jalan Raja Laut (Behind Hotel Wilayah) There is no denying how popular Ong Lai is. The many times we frequent the place, it is only once or twice that we found the place to be (relatively) quiet. After trying to keep this place a secret for a while, we finally decided that it's time to share the news. So what's so special about Ong Lai? First and foremost, the location. Most people would be most surprised to hear that Ong Lai is located somewhere behind the Sime Darby building. The standard answer we got was "What's there? Isn't it the Gombak River?" In fact the restaurant is located in the Tiongam Settlement (between Hotel Bee Seng on Jalan Raja Laut and Hotel Wilayah), which is very much hidden from public view due to the high rise buildings around the area. One trick to finding this place is to go along Jalan Raja Laut. Keep left after passing Sime Darby building. Keep your eyes peeled for a sign that says "Hotel Wilayah". Follow that sign into a left turn and you will find Ong Lai on your left. The place is open air but there is section that is indoors which is air-conditioned.

Category Chinese (TaiChow) Halal NO Food Ambience Service Parking Price The IT factor Great hokkien mee and fried oyster right in the heart of KL! Our artsy rendition of Onglai

Ong Lai is the place where Chinese towkays hang out. It was reported that politicians and cabinet ministers were also sighted here. That's why you will find many Mercs and Beamers parked around the restaurant.

Succulent Hokkien Mee

Ong Lai is famous for its fish head beehoon - nearly every table had some sort of steamed fish. We once found a foreigner (Caucasian) eating steamed fish here too. I suppose that speaks for itself.

We personally recommend the hokkien mee, yinyong kung foo chow, fried oyster (o-chien) and bamboo lala. The hokkien mee here is moist and they use medium sized egg-noodles. The yingyong is hot and the gravy is clear and delicious. One suspect that the secret to the good taste is their generous dose of ingredients and their use of charcoal stove. Although the price here is steep (yes-beware-all-ye-water-fishes), we think that it is value for money for the ingredients they heap in your noodles like succulent prawns, pork strips, sotong and sometimes oysters.

Damn Syiok O-Chien

Bittergourd-Soup: Good Stuff, this!

The fried oyster here is one of the best we have tried. Ong Lai uses really big oysters and they cook the egg mixture really well giving the dish a nice aroma and taste. The same goes for the bamboo lala. The fried oyster is also not cheap - RM15 minimum. We also recommend their bitter gourd soup. Though we suspect that MSG had a lot to do with the taste but we still think it is great - what the heck you only live once.

Eating at Ong Lai can be a pricey affair. The trick is to ask the price first before ordering - otherwise you might just get a shock when they give you the bill. One value-for-money tip is to order many dishes but ask for the smallest portions.

Ong Lai is open every day except Monday from around 6pm till late.

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