Yan Kee, Pudu: A grandson’s attempt to carve out a claypot chicken rice legacy of his own, beyond Heun Kee’s shadow

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — When Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice in Pudu announced its permanent closure earlier this year, the news was met with a mixture of surprise and resigned acceptance. 

The bulk of it came from regulars who had been patronising the restaurant for the better part of two decades — before it received a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. 

But confusion also followed. 

A similarly-named establishment in Taman Connaught, Cheras, acknowledged the closure, but put out a statement saying that it would continue operating as usual, while Heun Kee in Pudu maintained that it has no other branches. 

The opening of Yan Kee quite soon after, serving the same food in the same exact premises, only added further to the confusion. 

Is there a connection between the two? Was it just a facelift and name change for Heun Kee? Why? 

These questions cropped up in the aftermath of the announcement, not least because Heun Kee’s closure meant it lost the Bib Gourmand recognition that transformed it from a beloved local spot to a still-beloved local spot, just now filled with tourists.

In the weeks that followed, Bryan Yun, the grandson of Heun Kee founder Heun May Lan, revealed himself as being behind Yan Kee. 

He started working at his grandmother’s business over a decade ago, and was at the helm when it closed. 

However, when I reached out to him after a recent visit, he clarified that “Yan Kee is not a continuation, branch, franchise or successor of Heun Kee”, and that he wanted to “build an independent brand with its own identity”.

Despite that, Yan Kee is still a lot like Heun Kee in many ways. 

Sure, the interior received a facelift, swapping out the white, pallid glow of fluorescent light tubes for warm ceiling lamps; the logo, signage and branding is all new, and the expanded social media presence points to a more modern way of doing things. 

But the charcoal-fired stoves still rage at the front of the shop just like they used to, and the offerings on the menu, down to the specialities, will no doubt be familiar to anyone who’s been to Heun Kee: claypot chicken rice (RM28 for big), claypot waxed meat rice (RM47 for big), pig stomach pepper soup (RM21 for medium) and homemade seafood tofu (RM15 for 5 pieces). 

The claypot chicken rice is cooked to order, so expect a bit of wait. 

But when I visited at about 6pm on a Tuesday, there was zero wait, perhaps due to a combination of it being early, and the fact that the ongoing bridge upgrading work along Jalan Yew has made driving towards Yan Kee very inconvenient. 

Still, the restaurant was about three quarters full, mostly with families, some I saw walking home after their meal. 

When it arrives, there is a heady perfume of smoke (thanks to the charcoal-fuelled inferno) and the distinct aroma of dark soy sauce, which lends the rice a touch of sweetness. 

Once the mui heong salted fish is mashed in, its funk adds a briny, savoury depth to the bouquet of fragrances. 

Yan Kee uses large chunks of chicken, and the benefit of doing so is that by the time the rice and every other aspect of the meal is cooked through, the chicken retains a beautifully moist, succulent texture, as opposed to the dry, overcooked blocks I sometimes find in my claypot. 

The pieces are marinated in a house mixture that I strongly suspect contains ginger, which balances out the sweetness of the sauce.

Most importantly, the rice is allowed to develop into the all-important fan jiu, crispy cracker-like pieces of scorched rice on the bottom of the pot that boast a toasted, nutty flavour. 

It’s arguably the most essential part of claypot chicken rice, and it acts as a marker of proper technique. 

The rest of the specialities, such as the pig stomach pepper soup and homemade seafood tofu, are decent enough, though not particularly memorable. 

If anyone is going to make the trip to Yan Kee, the focus should be on the claypot chicken rice.

Time will tell if Yan Kee is successful in growing out of Heun Kee’s shadow. 

With the closure still so fresh, along with the family connection, comparison and association of the two is bound to happen. 

For Yun, Yan Kee represents a chance to build something of his own, on his own name, not his family’s. 

But it is hard not to see it as a kind of “passing of the torch” moment. 

On a personal level, Yun sees it as him “carrying forward the knowledge, passion and tradition [he] learned from [his] grandmother, while building something that is distinctly [his] own.”

Yan Kee Claypot Chicken Rice

59, Jalan Yew, 

Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily, 11am-9pm

Tel: 016-259 0110

Instagram: @yankeepudu

• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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