Photo By: Elin Chow

Founded in 1948 by three brothers, Sek Yuen is one of the oldest surviving restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. Despite its current success, the decades-old restaurant has a very humble beginning. It started from a push cart in a hawker center selling Wantan Mee, which eventually transformed into a full-fledged restaurant in 1953 specializing in traditional Cantonese cuisine.

Their first restaurant was opened along Jalan Pudu, which has remained in the same location till today. As business grows, the restaurant has expanded from just one shop lot to several air-conditioned shop lots next door in order to meet the increasing demand. Today, the restaurant occupies five shop lots along Jalan Pudu, and can seat up to 800 diners.

All three restaurants were already packed with diners when we arrived. We didn't have a reservation, but we were lucky to secure a table as soon as we arrived. There are no official parking operated by the restaurant. You may park your car in the alley behind the restaurant. However, parking spaces are pretty limited, so I would really recommend you to come early to avoid disappointment. Alternatively, you may also park at the Park n' Ride LRT Pudu that is located just a few minutes walk away from the restaurant. 

At Sek Yuen, diners will be spolit for choice with its extensive 25 pages menu. Please note that there are certain dishes like Eight Treasure Duck and Cold Jelly Chicken must be ordered at least two days in advance due to their complexity. You will also find a number of unique dishes on their menu that you cannot find elsewhere.  

Sek Yuen is also one of the very few restaurants that still uses wood-fire stoves to cook, which I believe is the key to retaining traditional flavors.

One of their signature dishes is Pipa Roasted Duck. This is a must order dish here  There are actually very few restaurants that serve Pipa Roasted Duck in Malaysia.

Perfectly roasted over wood fire, the skin was addictively crispy without too much fat underneath. While the skin was not amazingly crispy as Peking Roasted Duck, the meat was deliciously tender and flavorful. Remember to dip the meat into the special sweet plum sauce for an enhanced taste!

Their Boiled Kampung Chicken with Soy Sauce was equally good as well. The chicken meat was firm but not rough. It was tender and juicy, and so refreshing and delicious when paired with the mashed ginger sauce that was served along with the dish. I really like the ginger sauce as it brings out the flavor of the chicken. 

A simple yet delicious dish. The leeks were so crunchy and sweet. 

This is a classic Cantonese dish. The beef was incredible. It was tender, juicy, flavorful and succulent. To be honest, I am not a fan of Kailan, but this one was really delicious. Perfectly cooked, the veggies were tender and easy to chew. I love the sauce not too salty, with some sweetness.  

This is one of my personal favorite because I love anything yam. The mashed yam is shaped into a ring and deep fried till golden brown. Then it was filled with Sweet & Sour Fried Pork. It is not an easy dish to make, but it was so delicious. The yam ring basket was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

I love that it was not oily or thick. The yam paste inside was also smooth and creamy, which was an absolute delight to eat. 

Crispy on the outside and tender within, the sweet and sour pork blends well with the yam ring, with the tartness of the tomato based sauce balancing the richness of the fried dish. Taste wise, it was good, with a great balance between sweet and sour.

This is my least favorite dish among all the food we had ordered. It is not that it tastes bad but rather it is because I don't really like thickened egg-drop soup. The texture is somewhat similar to Shark Fin soup. It was filled with the savory and natural sweetness of seafood like crab meat, egg, sweet corn and tofu. 

The total bill came up to RM 190, which was quite reasonable. Overall, the food was good and service was fast. If you are craving for some authentic Cantonese food in Kuala Lumpur, then Sek Yuen should be in your list. 

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Hours: Tuesday - Sunday (Closed on Monday)

                 11.00 am to 3.00 pm. 5.00 pm - 9.30 pm