When Cindy Chai, co-owner of Lai Foong Lala Noodles, and her family learned that their restaurant had been recognised with a Bib Gourmand establishment in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023, it was a serendipitous moment.
"The notification letter went unattended for weeks as we were travelling back from Hong Kong! We opened the letter just a few days before the announcement and missed the deadline to confirm our attendance. However, we didn't consider it much because what are the odds? We received an outpouring of congratulations from our friends and regulars shortly after the announcement. It was as if a Christmas present had arrived early for us," Chai recalls fondly. "The first thing we did was to appreciate our staff." Chai and her husband and co-owner, Kenny Ho, gave each staff member a red packet as a token of appreciation.
Humble Beginnings
Chai reminisced how she and her husband started in 2008. "We rented a stall within Lai Foong Coffee Shop selling standard office lunch fare like fried rice and stir-fried noodles. We didn't even have a name!" Chai shares that her family enjoys seafood, and one of her favourite family recipes is lala (clam) noodles. Six months into the business, Chai decided to introduce the dish to her customers. "The office ladies love it. The nourishing rich broth of ginger and rice wine keeps them warm as they work in their air-conditioned offices," Chai elaborates.
Orders for their lala noodle soup began to gain popularity, eventually surpassing all other dishes. Over the next two years, local media started interviewing Chai and her husband. "The media referred to the dish as the ‘Lai Foong Lala Noodles’. It caught on, and we decided to call ourselves that from then on," says Chai.
Within 15 years, Lai Foong Lala Noodles grew from a single coffee shop stall to a full-fledged restaurant business with three locations and over 30 employees, as well as a line of ready-made lala soup. "Lai Foong Lala Noodles would not be where it is today without teamwork," emphasises Chai.
Expansion Despite the Pandemic
The small stall back then continued to see support from regulars, especially when the dining restrictions were lifted in June 2022. "We were overwhelmed by the response. Due to limited seating, our customers complained that the wait was excessively long. There were only so many orders we could serve in our tiny stall,” Chai recalls. “We then realised we needed to establish our own restaurant. Within a few months, we found a vacant space within a five-minute walk from our original post."
A few months later, in August 2022, Lai Foong Lala Noodles opened its first full-fledged restaurant with a seating capacity of 150 in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant is set to open its fourth branch in Petaling Jaya, another city on the western edge of Kuala Lumpur, and will continue to serve home-style lala noodles.
The Secret to Lai Foong's Lala Noodles
Even though the business has grown by leaps and bounds, Chai emphasises that every order is still freshly cooked to order. Every lala is inspected, handpicked, and cleaned by hand. "No shortcuts are taken." Chai insists. As the saying goes, "One bad apple spoils the bunch." In this case, one bad lala spoils the broth. "We are Hakka descendants, and we are known for our fondness for chong mei, a term for rich, strong but well-balanced flavours."
Chai explains how they derived the dish's signature taste. The secret lies in the chef's ability to bring out the "wok hei" or "breath of the wok". Patience and consistency are essential in extracting the essence of this dish.
Beginning with frying the ginger, chilli, and garlic in the smoking wok, the chef must constantly toss the ingredients to draw out the fragrance, contributing to the broth's sweetness. "The next difficult task is ensuring the lala is cooked appropriately. Seafood is extremely heat-sensitive. The key is to control the fire throughout the cooking process," Chai explains.
The Second Generation
During their early days, their children and nephews would assist Chai and Ho during school breaks. "When they expressed an interest in learning to cook, we taught them the recipe and, gradually, taught them how to run the business." Chai and Ho are committed to grooming the next generation. "We hope our children, nieces, and nephews will work together. Giving them shares makes everyone happy and invested in the business."
It was only natural for her son and nephew to take over all outlets' kitchen operations and R&D. Her daughter handles e-commerce, social media, and marketing. Chai and Ho are still very hands-on in the day-to-day operations and advise as needed. Chai can still be seen supervising her staff at their Chinatown outlet.
Chai advises other family-run businesses to groom successors from the ground up and provide opportunities for growth in order to hand over the reins to the next generation.
“The next generation is tech-savvy and knows how to promote the business. We must embrace change to keep up with the times.””
What to Order
According to our MICHELIN Guide Inspectors, a bowl of the flavoursome signature lala mihun at Lai Foong Lala Noodles is a must. The broth is aromatic with Chinese yellow wine and ginger. Portions are generous.
"Take in the aroma of the rice wine, ginger, and freshness of the lala that greets you," encourages Chai. "To this day, I enjoy serving this dish because of the aroma! Feel the warmth from the flavourful broth as you sip. It soothes the soul," Chai chuckles. Piled high with clamshells with a clean bowl afterwards is a mark of customer satisfaction.
This dish combines good ingredients, techniques, patience, and gentle care. This is why the taste reminds her customers of home-cooked food. Other dishes to try include Shang Har (large freshwater prawn) Lala Noodles, Lala Fried Rice, and Lala Fried Mihun.
Bib Gourmand • Inspectors’ favourites for good value
All photos are courtesy of the restaurant. Lai Foong Lala Noodles is located at 99 Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, 50000, Malaysia.
