Not keen to drive to Klang or Jenjarom just for ‘hong bak’? Try Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh in Taman Cheras instead
Big Bone Hong Bak is served with a thick brown sauce fragrant with eight different types of Chinese herbs. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
By Lee Khang Yi
First Published: Monday, 02 Nov 2026 8:47 AM MYT
Last Modified: Monday, 02 Nov 2026 8:49 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — How often have you driven far away for a particular dish or perhaps queued for a viral food item and emerged feeling disappointed?
All that time and effort spent for a mediocre, or even worse, unsatisfying meal. What sacrilege!
Psychologists call it effort justification, where people perceive a meal they had to work harder to get as special, better tasting, or worth the effort — whether it’s a long drive to Klang for bak kut teh or joining a snaking queue for many hours for the In-N-Out Burger pop-up or securing that elusive reservation at Khairul Aming’s Rembayung.
Perhaps a better approach to avoid this mind trap is considering whether a substitute is available nearer your home.
That possibility arose when I came across a review for Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh, a relatively new place in Taman Cheras.
Hong bak isn’t new; it’s what the Hokkiens love when they slowly cook pork, spare parts and chicken feet for many hours in soy sauce and a mix of herbs until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender with a sticky, glossy sauce rich with gelatin.
Bak Kut Teh is brewed with 18 different kinds of herbs that give a deep flavour to the soup. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
You find it in Hokkien enclaves like Segambut and Klang but Jenjarom is hong bak central where a few places offer that meaty wonder.
This place in Taman Cheras was strangely quiet when I walked in, making me assume it must be a dud.
However, since I was there already, I decided to order a dish to try.
The moment my order for the Big Bone Hong Bak (RM19) hit the table and I smelled those strong herbal notes, saw the glossy sauce and that supple fat with the tear-apart meat... it was a done deal.
There’s a long list of other stewed pig parts, like the coveted pork trotter, curved feet, pig’s intestines, tendons and stomach.
According to a previous interview, the meat is marinated overnight with five-spice powder, pepper and light soy sauce.
After deep-frying, the meat is braised for over five hours in a broth brewed with eight different Chinese herbs, creating a thick, rich dark brown, fragrant sauce.
Sour & Spicy Hong Bak is an unusual version of the stewed pork belly with a hint of tanginess and distinct spiciness. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Sour & Spicy Hong Bak (RM19) intrigued me; it is reportedly a recipe the founder learned as an apprentice to an elderly couple in Klang.
One wonders what hardship he must have endured to learn this clever version of hong bak, where the tanginess and burning heat on the tongue alleviate the overly rich taste of the meaty brown sauce.
Eat the dish when it arrives at the table, billowing hot smoke from the claypot, as each piece of the pork belly is tender, yielding just slightly when you bite through the meat and fat.
It’s one of those dishes that can qualify for what Koreans call bap doduk, or “rice thief,” since the flavours are intensely savoury and require white rice to balance the strong taste.
There’s also Bak Kut Teh (RM19) featuring a dark, intense herbal broth that is fortifying; the meaty broth is said to be brewed with 18 kinds of medicinal herbs and roasted garlic.
Dig inside the claypot to discover enoki mushrooms, crisp iceberg lettuce softened in the broth, beancurd skin and thick sliced pork belly.
La La Bak Kut Teh sounds like an unlikely combination but the two items work well to create a dish where sweetness tempers the strong herbal aroma. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Even when you say it out loud, La La Bak Kut Teh (RM25) is such an off-the-wall combination that seems unlikely to work but weirdly enough it does, as the sweetness of the shellfish tempers the strong herbal flavour of the broth, leaving you with a more refreshed palate as you fish for more of those thick white shells that cradle the plump molluscs.
La La Soup (RM25) is more conventional but done very well as the clams are cooked in a golden liquid perfumed with rice wine.
You’ll want to tip all that heavenly broth, complete with plump, juicy clams, into a separate bowl to finish.
La La Soup is well prepared with just cooked clams and a rich broth laced with rice wine. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
According to an old newspaper article I read, this place originally started in Seri Kembangan and created a buzz when it first opened.
Apparently, that location is closed, but they relocated to Kuchai Lama, where they operate out of an adjoining shop lot as a coffeeshop run by the founder while this Cheras location is managed by a related party.
I visited the two locations. Even though the Kuchai Lama location is supposedly run by the founder, the food felt off; their Sour & Spicy Hong Bak had an unpleasant sharp taste from excessive vinegar, making the dish difficult to finish.
The restaurant can be found on a busy street in Taman Cheras. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Not only is the cooking subpar, but the Kuchai Lama location is also staffed by foreign workers who cannot recommend dishes or answer basic questions about the food, making the Cheras restaurant the better, more consistent choice for dining.
Restoran Lala King Hong Bak/Klang Bak Kut Teh
Open daily: 10am to 3pm, 4:30pm to 9pm
Tel: 010-9849740
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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