品香食家小館 Pan Heong Restaurant

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Recommended)

Address: 2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2, Medan Batu Caves, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hR8Z49rL6rczkQxH9
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

🦐🍲 N05 River Prawn Wat Tan Hor = RM170.00

SST = RM10.20

Click here for the Full Menu and Receipt 
(Opens in a New Tab, Price is accurate as of Posting Date)

When I was doing my Research about Eateries around the Batu Caves Area in KL, 🇲🇾 this Eatery interestingly came up. Among all the Foods I've eaten in KL during my Trip, this has got to be the Most Expensive at RM170 (S$52.00). 💵😳 For this Price, I reckon you can probably go for 2 Mid-Tier Buffets in JB! 🍽️😳

Unbelievably Expensive for a Plate of Wat Tan Hor. 😅 Every Food Review that you will see Highly Raved about this Place and even Specifically Mentioned this Particular Dish so I was very intrigued. 📝🤔 So let us slowly dissect if this is really worth the Asking Price shall we? 🤔

The Actual Eatery is really a Big Kopitiam Styled Non-Airconditioned Tze Char Place that looks like its Very 老字号. 🤔 Just from the Looks of it, this place certainly looks like its been around for Many Years already. 🤔

What surprised me was that even at 9.00am on a Tuesday Morning, there were actually Alot of Customers! 😳 By 10.00am the Whole Place was Already Almost Full House! 😳 Just check out my Video to see what I mean! 🎥 This was Especially Unusual especially for a Tze Char Eatery on a Weekday. 🤔 Other than me probably the Only Tourist, all of the Customers look like Locals.

Really Impressive Place too as you can see from the Photos and Video, 📷 and is the type of Really Famous Place patronized by Celebrities. 🤩 The Staffs are Friendly, Polite and Welcoming and I particularly liked that there is also a Canto Community Feel about this place as everyone were talking in Canto. ♥️ It was nice to converse with them in Canto myself and reminds me very fondly of my time in Hong Kong. ♥️🇭🇰

The 大姐 that took my order was Very Friendly 💁 and I thought it was especially Amusing that she looked Visibily Stunned herself when I ordered this Dish Solo. 😅 She even gently reminded me that its a Very Big Dish of which I just told her to proceed. 👍 Anyway it took 7 Mins to serve up.

🦐🍲 N05 River Prawn Wat Tan Hor

Also known as "Sang Har Hor Fun" as mentioned in all the Food Blogs I've read, 📝 this Dish is actually Listed as their Very Top among their Top 8 Signatures of this Place. 🤔 Do note you need to order a Minimum of 2 River Prawns for this Dish. 🦐🦐 Price of the River Prawn is Seasonal and varies depending. 💵🤔 I was quoted the Price of  RM85.00 (S$26.00) for ONE RIVER PRAWN that day. Not Cheap at all. 🤔

Now when this Dish was served up, I kid you not, it felt like I was an Emperor being served an Imperial Dish 🤴 because it looks Really Impressive! 😳 There are even some Curious Looks by some of the Other Customers in the Eatery. 😅 Hahaha I reckon this is not something that Most Normal People will order at 10.00am for Breakfast! 🌞😅

That said, as Huge as the Dish was, it actually just comprise of a Few Components:

🍲 Gravy + Horfun

🥬 Some Slices of Lettuce

🦐 The 2 Main River Prawns cut into Half each.

That is it. there are no other Ingredients like Pork Slices, etc. 🤔
The Whole Dish is just made up of these Simple Components. Lets take a Closer Look at each of them. 🤔

🍲 Quality of the Gravy

There is a Very Delicious Appetizing Strong Seafoody Aroma. 🦐😋 Appearance doesn't look much Different from Regular Tze Char Hor Fun Gravy actually. Its has a Very Typical "Thickened with Cornstarch" type of Appearance. 🍲

When I took my 1st Taste, I was immediately impressed. 👍 This Gravy does NOT taste like your Average Kopitiam type of Tze Char Hor Fun Gravy. 🙅‍♂️ Oh No, No, No.

The Whole Thing was Creamy and Seafoody and tasted like its made with Alot of Crab Roe? 🦀🤔 Savoury, Super Rich Gao Gao. 😋 Not Overly Eggy and Not Overly Salty, this really feels like its made from a Very High Quality 高汤 🍲 that made use of ALOT of Prawns 🦐 and Crabs. 🦀 Lightly Thickened, Texture is Not Too Thick and Gluey. This tastes more what you would get from a Atas Restoran 酒楼 Level. 🍲👍

🍲 Quality of the Hor Fun

Despite how Impressive and Large the Whole Dish is, the Amount of Hor Fun just about fills up 2 Small Bowls. 🥣 Not alot tbh. So although this is meant more for 2 People, 1 Person with a Good Appetite can also Solo this I reckon. 😋

Soft and Smooth, this Hor Fun easily slides down my Throat. 😋 There is No Wok Hei, but still Delicious when mixed with that Superb Gravy. 🍲👍 Having said that, this still just tastes like a Regular Tze Char Level of Hor Fun from some Package. 🤔 Its not like they handmade this from scratch.

🦐 Quality of the 2 River Prawns

This is the Main Star of the Show and is primarily the Main Reason why this Dish cost so much. 🦐🤔 I'll be honest, I have never eaten such a Gigantic Huge Prawn before. 😅 No Kidding, these are Really Very Big in Size. 🦐 As you can see in the Photo, they are about the Size of a Typical Small Plate. 🍽️ They're so Big, I think they look like just a Few Steps away from being a Lobster actually. 😅

An Absolute Chonker of a Prawn, 🦐 I appreciate that Effort is being made to nicely trim their Heads for a Better Presentation. ✂️👍 What I especially love is the Amount of Tomalley 虾膏 that is a Beautiful Red or Golden Yellow in Colour instead of the Usual Brown Black that you'd normally see in Normal Prawns. 🦐😋

How does this Thing taste like? 🤔

Surprisingly not as Fresh Bouncy as I'd expect. 🦐🤔 The Meat Texture is more towards the Softer Side. 🤔 It is Clean Tasting with the Usual Sweetness you'd expect from a Prawn and doesn't taste Overly Prawny. 🦐😋 Just imagine a Big Fat Prawn and this is what it exactly tastes like. 🦐😅 It is what it is, a Very Big Prawn. What I do like is the Tomalley 虾膏 which has a Very Creamy Texture with a Delightful Prawny Sweetness. 😋

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At the Price of RM170 (S$52.00), this is Very Expensive. 💵🤔 Even the SST Tax of RM10.20 is equivalent of 1 Average Meal! 😅 The Dish itself as you can see is actually Very Basic. 🤔 Its literally just 2 Big Fat River Prawns resting on a Bed of Wat Tan Hor and Gravy. 🍲 What you are really paying for at this Price are the 2 Giant River Prawns. 🦐🦐

Having said that, the Quality of the Gravy is Really Good. 🍲😋 It has a Solid Seafood Base and as I mentioned tasted like it was made from a Very Good Quality Seafood 高汤 Broth. 🍲👍 There is alot of work done for this Gravy and it is not your Typical Downstairs Kopitiam Level of Tze Char Hor Fun. 😅 This is Atas Restoran 酒楼 Level. 👍

As for the 2 Giant River Prawns, 🦐🦐 I really can't tell if they are worth the price since this is the 1st Time that I've eaten such Giant Prawns. 🦐😅 I really don't know if the Asking Price of RM85.00 (S$26.00) for Each of them is really worth the Price. 🦐🤔 Only People who have eaten such Giant Prawns regularly will be able to tell, so I would appreciate if anyone can provide their inputs if this is considered Affordable. 😅

I'll also be honest, for such an Expensive Prawn, I wasn't really blown away by its Taste. 🦐🤔 Its certainly Visually Very Impressive thats for sure, but I thought I was just eating a Larger Prawn that's all. 🤔 Maybe I don't have a Delicate "Rich People" Taste, 🦐😅 but this tasted just like a Regular Prawn, albeit a Much Larger one. 

Texture was Soft, not Bouncy Firm although I'm also not sure if its because such Giant Prawns Texture is like this. 🦐🤔 I do like the Tomalley tho, that was Uniquely Creamy compared to Regular Prawns. 😋 So despite how Mind Blowing its been described in the Various Food Blogs about this place, I personally find this Decent, but not as Mind Blowing. 🦐🤔

And so this is it. This is my Honest Opinion about this Dish. 🤔 You will have to decide if this is a Price you are willing to pay for this. 🤔 Hahaha whether it is worth the money or not, it was still a Very Decadent Experience to be eating such an Atas Dish at 10.00am in the Morning! 🌞 Hahaha is this what Rich People eat for Breakfast Daily? 😅

Jokes aside though, what I am impressed is that Base Hor Fun 🍜 and the Quality of that Solid Seafood Gravy 🍲 they used. I'm pretty sure that this is the Same Base they use for their More Affordable Hor Fun Variations that I can definitely recommend to try. 👍

End of the Day, I am still very impressed with this place. 👍 The fact that its almost Full House on a Weekday Morning shows how Popular this place really is. 🤔 I can't even imagine how much more Crowded if you were to come on a Weekend! 😅 I'm not sure about the History of this Restoran, but I'm pretty sure it is Famous and 老字号 given its so Popular among the Locals. 👍 If anything, I'm really glad I had the chance to discover it on this Trip! 👍