Soup Restaurant @ Jaya Shopping Center PJ - Its Not Just A Soup Place

Every time I visit Jaya Shopping Center, something new opens. It's always exciting to watch what pops up next, like the restaurant I will be telling you about shortly.

Soup Restaurant

Soup Restaurant has taken up a shop lot right next to Bariuma Ramen, for about three months to date.

Not to be misled by its less-than-inspiring name, Soup Restaurant not only carries an array of wholesome soups in its menu - which also covers nutritional values and health benefits, but also an abundance of traditional Chinese dishes. From Samsui chicken to sweet and sour prawns and even fried fish belly - one of my favorites of the meal.

And I was there that evening to sample some of their signature dishes. From what I initially presumed to be a soup-centric meal, turned out to be an unexpectedly bounteous dinner affair.

The first dish that I sampled that evening had a history of its own.

They say - this is a festive Chinese dish, traditionally consumed by the Samsui women (henceforth the name) and is specially prepared during Chinese New Year only. A so-called celebratory dish. You have to order this here! 

Samsui Ginger Chicken. Rm33.90/Rm75.90.

What a beautifully lined-up dish to kick start our meal!

There's an art in eating this - dip the steamed chicken slices into fragrant but mild ginger sauce then wrap it with crunchy fresh lettuce before popping it into your mouth. It was delectable. Before we knew it, the entire plate was greedily wiped out.

Double Boiled Soup.

The beauty of devouring intricately prepared soups - the nutritional values that comes with it. You pick based on what your body needs! To note: Double-boiling is a Chinese cooking technique to retain the natural essences of delicate foods being prepared.

Double Boiled Waison & Ginseng Roots with Chicken Soup (Rm17.90). Relieves stress and tiredness.

Double Boiled Pork Ribs with Four Divinity Herbs (Rm17.90). For health strengthening. Nourishes the blood and tonifies the Qi.

Double Boiled Dried Scallop with Black Chicken Soup (Rm23.90). Invigorates blood circulation, relieves stress and enhances complexion.

Traditional Boiled Soup of the day. 1 pax (Rm9.90). 2-4 pax (Rm22.90). 5 pax and above (Rm33.90).

Lotus root and steamed chicken are great compliments, especially when it comes to soups. This left a sweet lingering taste in my mouth that kept me going back for more. The pot is huge, so there's plenty to go around.

Tofu Prawns (Rm35.90). Mantou (Rm9.90).

Best eaten with fried mantou - dunk it into the sweet-sour egg gravy, made heavenly by bouncy prawns and luscious egg tofu hidden beneath. 

Hometown Fried Fish Belly. Rm23.90.

One of the highlights of my meal - perfectly done fish belly that was crisp outside yet moist and nicely flaked inside. We had half a portion with chili and the other half on its own. Its really difficult for you not not to like this.

Steamed Hand chopped Minced Pork with Salted Fish. Rm18.90.

This steamed patty with chestnut mix was also one of those home-styled inspired dish that I really liked - rich pork flavors, toothsome textures and well-balanced minced meat. Only 30 servings of these are served daily!

Ah Kon Fan Shu Leaves. Rm15.90.

Plain sweet potato leaves fried with homemade chili - the standard vegetable dish that everyone order nowadays. To me, this resembles the kangkung belacan dish. I thought the leaves were a little chewier than usual however.

Penang Fried Mee Suah. Rm17.90.

If I were to pick my least-favorite dish of the night, it would have to be this. The fried mee suah was a little flat in terms of flavors and didn't really have that oomph I was hoping for.

Ah Kon Ginger Fried Rice. Rm17.90.

I thought the ginger fried rice was also lacking in that little something and I would prefer the rice to be a bit more stickier than served.

Double Boiled Snow Fungus with Gingko (Rm8.90). Sea Coconut with Longan (Rm7.90).

Herbal Jelly (Rm7.90). Double Boiled Pear with Snow Fungus & Almonds (Rm8.90).

Even the chilled desserts here are double-boiled. My pick - Sea coconut with longan dessert. What I really liked about it was the refreshing cuts of lemon inside. A great twist and thr perfect pick after a rich and wholesome Chinese meal if you'd ask me. 

We also had the New Zealand Venison with Black Pepper (Rm27.90) dish. I guess I was in a hurry to dig in that I missed the snapshot. Anyhow, the venison, or deer meat, came surprisingly scrumptious. The flavors of black pepper will hit you on the very first bite, followed by a chew of beef-like textures, ending with a savory yet flavorful finish. 

Overall Rating: 7/10. The dinner I had tonight was definitely better than expected - probably because this meal came as a pleasant surprise. I was, after all, merely expecting a good dose of soups that evening. That said, having more set meals would definitely be a plus - something that is currently lacking in Soup Restaurant's menu. Again, the choice of restaurant name could have been a bit more attractive but really - its all about the food right? To date, this is the only Chinese restaurants in Jaya Shopping Center, PJ.

Soup Restaurant is located at:
Address: Level 3, Jaya Shopping Centre, Jalan Semangat, Seksyen 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya.
Opening Hours 10am - 10pm Daily.

Address: Lot G210A, Ground Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, No.1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, 47800 PJ.
Phone: +6 03 7727 2788
Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm Daily.