Bittergourd at its Best at Fu Kua Restaurant
Growing up, I was never a fan of bitter gourd, or anything bitter for that matter. Being more of a spicy and savoury person, I usually left any dishes involving bitter gourd untouched. Recently, however, I have started to adapt my taste buds to bitter gourd, also known as ‘fu kua’ in Cantonese. Bitter gourd, celery and green apple blended juice was my first attempt at liking the green fruit. Then, it was bitter gourd noodles in soup. And finally, last week, I managed to graduate thanks to a certain restaurant that names itself after the fruit – Restoran Fu Kua.
Do you like bitter gourd?
Situated in a rather quiet row of shop lots (at night), this restaurant occupies all of 2 shop houses on the ground floor, with one of them air-conditioned. Parking was aplenty since there were not many other shops opened at night.
Interior of Restoran Fu Kua
Once we’re comfortably seated, we were shown a very yellow menu filled with words! It was rather overwhelming especially when the waitress stood next to you, tapping her pen on her order pad impatiently. We took one good look at the menu and decided to ask for recommendations instead.
The wordy and yellow menu
Bird’s eye chilli
Our first order was Marmite Pork Ribs, to replace the Bamboo pork that wasn’t available that night. The ribs were deep fried and coated with a gooey, sweet and savoury layer of marmite, making them very flavourful as the starter. The meat within the crispy surface was surprisingly tender as opposed to tough, which is common for most deep-fried items. This was a very nice alternative to the common Sweet and sour pork that I usually order.
Marmite Pork Ribs (RM20)
Of course, when we’re at the restaurant that names itself after a certain green fruit, it was only sensible to order dishes cooked with that fruit. The Black Bean Chicken and Bitter Gourd was one of those dishes. Ten years ago, when this dish was ordered, I wouldn’t have touched it. But now, under strong recommendations from fellow foodies, I took a bite of the bitter gourd and it was amazingly not bitter! I almost couldn’t believe it and took a second and a third bite, only to confirm that yes, bitter gourd can be pleasant. It must have been the black bean sauce that was able to mask the bitterness really well, for I found myself having more and more helpings of this, together with the tender village chicken mixed in this dish. At this point, I was starting to be a convert.
Black Bean Chicken and Bitter Gourd (RM21)
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Comments (25)
whoaaaa!!! :0 so many types of bittergourd dishes!!!
Caroline recently posted..A Change
i hate bittergourd too!! but then.. maybe i shud give this a try!! when wanna bring me go??? :p
Caroline recently posted..A Change
same here.. hated it when i was a kiddo.. love it now:p haha.. think tons of ppl can identify with that story yo;)
ciki recently posted..My 10 Commandments on Hiking in Europe
owh owh….looks nice….can go can go…LOL
ericleeh recently posted..Dining In Ishin
fu kua food.. my fav. . .
taufulou recently posted..Just Thai @ 1-Utama New Wing
Oooo, Sedapsss. I wanna go try
Thristhan recently posted..Stadium Negara Restaurant
I don’t think I’m a fan of Bitter Gourd, but I’ll still give it try lol.
I love the ones with salted eggs best. Yum!
suituapui recently posted..Every little step…
yeah, me too! i used to HATE bitter gourd with a vengeance when i was a kid. my grandmother and aunts would stir-fry it with regular eggs, but i’d only take a bite. if i could go back in time, i’d be sure to eat it instead!
Sean recently posted..Confeitaria de Belém
i try this before.. really nice food there…
nikel recently posted..Joez Coconut Kiosk @ KL Sentral- KL
i have been to this shop before, i love fu kua! ^_^ especially my mom’s yong fu kua with soup.
xin recently posted..DIY- Simple Breakfast Set Garlic Toast Recipe
all bitter gourd…i cant take it man
kumfye recently posted..Theater of Dream – Old Trafford
I eat bittergourd at home all the time, especially bittergourd with egg. My mum would NEVER allow me to eat bittergourd with salted egg. Maybe I should get my fix here…
Bangsar-bAbE recently posted..Lung Seng Seafood Restaurant- Tanjung Tualang
not really crazy about bitter gourd but can eat la. Cant eat too much as it lowers the blood pressure
smallkucing recently posted..The Kitten and The Bone
wow, bitter gourd specialty restaurant?? this is impressive leh.. i didn’t like bitter gourd when i was a kid, but as i grow up i started to accept it.. even when i go for YTF, bitter gourd will always be one of my choice lor.. that bitter gourd soup looks good woh, very cooling one..
[SK] recently posted..04042011 嶄新一章
Fu gua <3 !!!
pigpigscorner recently posted..Pea and Gammon Soup
I will LOVE This place as I LOVE bittergourd!!! YUMS!!!!! Salivating!
Merryn recently posted..Gap Malaysia RIO – Build a Bird Online
i don’t like bitter gourd too but i do eat or drink the soup if i dun get to taste the bitterness of it. somehow i will leave the vege untouched if possible.
So glad that you enjoyed it.
Bitter guard picture is looking too good. Thanks a lot for given here
Wow….a menu filled with bitter gourd….I have never seen such a restaurant so dedicated to bitter gourd. :p
tekkaus recently posted..Qing Ming- A Time To Remember & Pay Respect
went there a few times but lately lack of kaki cos ppl around me all don’t eat fukwa. tragic!
I also don’t really like bittergourd although I know all bitter food are good for health. OK, must try this restaurant! Gosh! So many bittergourd dishes!!
foongpc recently posted..Riding A Cannon At Baluarte De San Andres
Was tempted to go tonight actually. Then ended up in Puchong. Haha .. go figure.
LOL! From PJ to Puchong.. that’s a huge distance!