Pak John Steamboat & Yong Tao Foo: Affordable halal steamboat and yong tau foo

Pak John Steamboat & Yong Tao Foo,
Lot GL-02 & FL-02, Wangsa Walk Mall,
Wangsa Avenue,
9 Jalan Wangsa Perdana 1,
Bandar Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 012-289 5529, 012-223 3636
Business hours: Mon-Fri, 10.00am-10.00pm;
Sat, Sun, public holiday and
eve of public holiday, 10.00am-midnight.

PAK John Steamboat & Yong Tao Foo is a newly established restaurant that aims to offer a wide variety of steamboat and yong tau foo treats at an affordable price for the halal market.

Managing director David Chong said the restaurant served as a natural extension, as he and his partners were involved in food manufacturing, wholesale, distribution and export businesses, with factories that are halal, ISO and HACCP-certified.

To be boiled or grilled: The steamboat pot is designed to contain one kind of soup, while the grill in the centre allows diners to barbecue their meats.

“We started with a Pak John Yong Tao Foo kiosk at KL Festival Mall offering a limited menu of noodles and yong tau foo.

“Then we opened a Pak John Steamboat & Yong Tao Foo Restaurant at Wangsa Walk Mall which features a more extensive menu that includes value sets,” he said.

Chong said a lot of effort was put into the setup, food, taste and service of the restaurant, which emphasised good food quality and affordable mid-range pricing.

“Everything at our restaurant is made locally, including the sweet and spicy sauces.

“We plan to franchise our business in the future, using our kiosk and restaurant business models,” he said.

Chong highlighted that the restaurant’s menu lists some very premium seafoods and meats.

The former, which requires at least two days’ advanced reservations and are based on seasonal pricing, includes Australian lobster, Australian meat crab, Californian geoduck and Australian abalone.

Australian wagyu beef cubes, New Zealand lamb slices, New Zealand beef slices and smoked duck breast are affordably priced at RM11.90 to RM12.90 per plate.

Spanning two floors: Pak John Steamboat & Yong Tao Foo can seat 120 diners.

The steamboat menu alone features 70 ingredients that can be boiled or grilled, including seafood, surimi seafood (fish-based food product) and vegetables.

Chong’s recommendations are the Fresh Norwegian salmon belly, fresh Norwegian salmon slices, abalone slices, premium Japanese baby scallop, fish dumpling, fish roe moji, premium Fuzhou fishball, layered seafood tofu, shitake mushroom bun and crab claw.

Diners can take their pick from the available steamboat sets, which come in the form of standard sets and premium sets, with the latter offering premium meats like salmon belly, pomfret fish and Japanese baby scallop.

The steamboat ingredients are also available a la carte, though a minimum order of five a la carte items is required when dining without a steamboat set.

Steamboat meals come served with chicken soup but those who prefer curry or tom yam soup can indulge themselves with an additional RM8 or RM10 respectively.

The steamboat pot is designed to contain one kind of soup, while the grill in the centre allows diners to barbecue their meats.

While waiting for their steamboat items to be cooked, diners can go for snacks like fried tempura nuggets, fried dumplings, fried tempura or smoked chicken chop as an appetiser.

Meanwhile, yong tau foo and noodle value sets are only available from 10am to 5pm.

The noodle value sets come with an option of curry, chicken or tom yam soup and 12 types of noodles and rice.

The restaurant, which does not serve alcohol, has a 120-person seating capacity, with both air-conditioned and al fresco dining ambience.

This is the writer’s observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.