Dian Huo Xin Wo 点火心窝 @ Kelana Jaya - Best Steamboat Restaurant In PJ

This thing about restaurants with non-English names, its not easy to pronounce, let alone remember off hand. Like the one I'll be telling you about shortly.

Dian Huo Xin Wo

"Sharon, can you recommend a good steamboat restaurant in PJ please."

"Erm....." 

"Anything apart from DV, not too expensive and not the frozen-factory-type please", my friend added.

"Ahh..... I've got just the right place for you then", I grinned.

This Chinese steamboat restaurant has been around for about a year. In fact, I drive pass this stretch of chaotic roads everyday, while commuting to and from work. I have noticed the glaring-green signboard before of course, but obviously not tempting enough to lure me in for a meal just yet. 

I'm beginning to feel that I've missed out on something really good.

Since the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, we started our meal with a toss of yeesang.

Have you ever had Smoked Bacon Yeesang (Rm68) before? Quite good, but hindered by the splatter from the purple dragon fruit. This could get a little wet and messy after all the fun.

These sauces definitely had a fiery punch to it. For those who enjoy hot sauce - you're in for a treat. For those who don't, like me, I was really just hoping for some sweet sauce.

Crunchy Fried Salmon Skin (Rm6) dribbled with special sauce. These were seriously addictive, though not as memorable as the ones I had in Hong Kong Sheng Kee 1 Utama.

It has been awhile since I've last had Century Eggs (Rm4.50) and these Tongsum variants were nicely done with a slightly mushy middle.

Only order if you're a fan of Japanese Cucumber (Rm4.50).

Let me now talk about the soup base. A vital element of what makes-or-breaks a steamboat experience.

We tried all three types of the soup base offered here - Black Chicken Herbal Soup (Rm23) and a mix of Pork Oriental Soup and Clear Tomyum Soup (Rm18). My favorite? The Black Chicken Herbal Soup. This felt like a rather rich soup base to be honest - flavorful even on its own. That said, my preference always lean towards soup laced with traditional herbs, it makes my steamboat experience more wholesome all in all.

Now comes the best part of my meal.

Signature beef ball (Rm8). Golden yolk pork ball (Rm8). Mushroom pork ball (Rm7). Dumpling (Rm6). Crystal Fish Ball (Rm6). Squid ball (Rm7). Shrimp ball (Rm8). Seafood ball (Rm8). Quail egg chicken ball (Rm7). Fish skin dumpling (Rm7). Pork intestine (Rm10). Enoki mushroom (Rm6). Beancurd skin (Rm5). Seafood tofu (Rm6). Watercress (Rm6).

A lot of hard work goes into making these amazing meatballs. All of it are handmade from scratch!

The key to making it work - one hour of massage. Not on the chef silly - but on the meatballs. The diced meat is massaged for an hour, then mould into a ball, only upon ordering. Coming from a finicky steamboat eater, I can dare say that these had substance and taste - succulent textures that left me urging for more.

American wagyu beef slice (Rm36). Australian snowflake beef slice (Rm18). Mongolian lamb slice (Rm25). Pork loin slice (Rm16). Chicken slice (Rm12). Fresh prawns (Rm20). 

The meats were equally good, sliced to the perfect thickness and all it really needs is a quick swivel in the bubbly hot pot before popping it into my mouth. For me, the lamb and wagyu slices were the best.

After playing dunk-and-drip on what seemed like an eternity of meats, we finally relaxed ourselves, with a bloated belly to add, and savored the remaining of the soup. For me, one of the best parts of steamboat is enjoying the soup afterwards and the natural sweetness that comes with it.

Signature Herbal Tea. Rm3/glass.

Ending our hot meal with a glass of chilled herbal tea, infused with carrots and sugar cane. You have to try this!

Overall Rating: 8/10. Jotting down today's write up was really quick and easy for me. I walked into Dian Huo Xin Wo that evening, matched with no expectations whatsoever and was literally dazed by the great quality of food here. The signature handmade meatballs was the clear winner of my meal. Those deserves the double thumbs up - it was bouncy, meaty and fresh, by far one of the better ones I've had in the longest time. Notwithstanding, I was told that this restaurant used to serve some pretty amazing dim sum variants - bring it back for the weekends please! Withal, if you're looking for a commendable steamboat restaurant in PJ, this would be perfect for you. I will definitely be back. 

Dian Huo Xin Wo is located at:

Address: 19, SS4D/2, Petaling Jaya.

Phone: +603 7887 4557 / 012 296 3886

Opening Hours: 5pm - 11pm Daily

Take the first turning to the left after passing Kelana Jaya LRT Station.