If taste can transport you into the past, then Hai Onn Restaurant is a special little time machine.
Hainanese cuisine has always had a place in the hearts – and stomachs – of Malaysians, from the staple chicken rice (with Malaysians and Singaporeans hotly debating its origins), to the potato gravy-based chicken chop with roti bakar on the side, and the hailam char (yellow noodles in white gravy).
Hainanese food is also much sought after to feed guests at Chinese weddings. Dishes such as kiam chye ark and jiu hu char are common at such events.
In recent years, fans of the Hainanese flavour have been flocking to venues like Yeng Keng Cafe, Khoon Pastry House and the latest addition, Loke Thye Kee, to get their fill of chicken chops and savoury chicken pies.
Or to Hai Onn Restaurant on Jalan Burma, where the food gets as old school as is possible. The premise takes up two lots in a row of shophouses, and is essentially a kopitiam – no frills, just good food.
