The sang har noodles are a hallmark at Galah Gala and definitely makes for a meal to remember. — Photos: Galah Gala
As a child, Tan Jay Wvin grew up in the busy, thriving womb of his father Tan Jau Wey’s famed Chinese seafood restaurant Green View in Petaling Jaya.
“I was born in 1991 and Green View was established in 1993. So I basically grew up with the business. In primary and secondary school, I was always there to help out during the weekends and festive seasons. So, to me, F&B is something I am familiar with,” he says.
The smart, capable Tan eventually pursued a degree in aeronautical engineering. Although he contemplated moving overseas to continue his passion in aircraft maintenance, he decided instead to join the family business.
“I am the only son in the family and I thought sooner or later, I would be back to help my dad with his business. So I think around 2014, I permanently joined the company to help manage the business,” he says.
Tan used his engineering background to apply modern processes and techniques to the 30-year-old business, including appointing new systems, regulating recipes as well as inducting a young management team. He also spent a year studying Chinese culinary arts to ensure that he had a better grasp of the subject matter and then eventually looked at ways that the business could be expanded to fill gaps in the market.
Tan (right) and his wife Tey now lead the charge at the halal-certified Galah Gala, which they hope to expand throughout the Klang Valley.
“On an off, we did have some Malay customers who would order our seafood dishes for takeaway. There were also many customers who wanted to host lunches or dinners for their staff, but because Green View served pork and alcohol, we couldn’t accommodate their needs. But I could see there was an opportunity and demand for halal Chinese seafood dishes,” says Tan.
It was from this kernel of an idea that Galah Gala was born in 2023. The brand new restaurant – which is located in the affluent enclave of Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur – is a fully halal-certified Chinese seafood restaurant, a point of pride for Tan and his wife Beatrice Tey – who runs the business with him.
The eatery is a bright, contemporary space that is instantly inviting. The menu has a strong focus on seafood dishes and Tan and his team source the best seafood from all over the world to ensure that each meal lives up to its fullest potential. The menu is derived and parsed from Green View’s original stable of offerings but with new R&D elements to reflect Galah Gala’s halal certification.
To start here, definitely look at indulging in the eatery’s signature Sang Har Noodle (RM95 per prawn). The dish has been one of Green View’s mainstays since 1993 with over 1.5 million tiger prawns sold since the restaurant’s inception!
The eatery has a contemporary vibe that gives it an instant appeal.
One of the reasons why the noodle dish is so expensive is because of the size of the India-sourced freshwater prawns used. To attain the required size, the prawns have to be allowed to grow for up to nine months, which most fishermen don’t do because this is a huge time investment. Additionally, allowing the prawns to grow for so long invites an element of risk, as prawns tend to eat each other, so there are fewer prawns that grow to this size.
At Galah Gala, the restaurant only uses U2 and U3 size prawns, which means each prawn is between 300g to 500g each and boasts plenty of prawn roe, which is what gives sang har noodles its creamy texture.
The restaurant’s noodle dish is cooked using a superior stock that has been boiled for more than six hours while the noodles are pan-fried to attain a crispy texture that isn’t oily. Tan says it took at least five tries to nail Gala Galah’s halal version to a point where he was truly satisfied with the results.
As a consequence of all the thought that has gone into the dish, the sang har noodles are mind-blowingly good. The dish has a lovely, rich sauce that highlights the natural aquatic flavours of the prawns and is great for soaking the crisp noodles in. And then there are the prawns – the fattest, hugest crustaceans you are likely to have encountered – each one furiously packed with voluptuous prawn meat in what can only be described as an epicurean underwater odyssey that is totally worth the price tag.
Crispy and oh-so addictively good, the squid is a thing of beauty that will make you ditch all notions of a diet.
Up next, try the Cheese Baked Oysters (RM28 each). The US oysters are live, which means they are selected from tanks and then cooked to order.
This is a dish where equilibrium is of the utmost importance because the oyster should be the star here. And thankfully, it is. There is a light brininess to each mollusc that is underscored by both a velvety texture as well as plumpness where it has been cooked a little more. The cheese adds dramatic overtures to the meal but doesn’t overwhelm or saturate the natural flavours of the oyster. It is a clever combination that utilises the strengths of each element without overdoing it.
Next, have a go at something insanely addictive in the form of the House Special Honey Squid (RM25) which features deep-fried squid lacquered in a sweet-spicy glaze. The squid has been fried to absolute perfection and retains a satisfying crunch and this segues into the sweet-spicy attributes of the meal, which give it an added sheen and allure. It’s the sort of intoxicating meal whose bewitching qualities are hard to stay away from.
The sweet and sour crabs are beautifully done here and feature huge crabs juxtaposed against a gravy that is intoxicatingly good.
Up next, try the Live Mud Crabs (RM200 a kilogram) cooked in a sweet, sour and spicy style. Akin to the famed chilli crabs, this dish features huge crabs that weigh at least 700g each. The crabs are packed with fat, fluffy meat and you can taste the freshness of this aquatic treasure from the very first mouthful. This is juxtaposed against a sweet-spicy sauce that is neither too thick nor too watery and has just the right quotient of sweetness and sourness with a lick of fiery heat to bring it all together.
The Kapitan Mixed Seafood in Sizzling Plate (RM55) is another firm favourite which makes use of 13 different ingredients and derives from Nyonya-style cooking. The platter is an olfactory hit that is packed with grouper fillet, squid, sea prawns, long beans and stink beans. This is coated in a gravy that is lightly spicy and redolent of the spices and herbs it has been cooked in (like torch ginger bud and lemongrass). It’s the sort of meal that offers instant satisfaction and a lingering pull.
The sizzling Kapitan seafood dish features a rich array of seafood in a rich, herb and spice-laden gravy that is intensely comforting.
Tan says he hopes to expand the Galah Gala empire to malls in the Klang Valley, so that more people in the city will be able to indulge in halal Chinese-style seafood dishes. Ultimately though, he says although the family business started off small, his parents are extremely proud of the direction it is now headed in – something that gives him and Tey immense pleasure.“I think for all parents, they do have that small dream in them that their children will take up their business and continue to expand it. So I’m sure my dad is proud of this. And I would say I’m also very thankful to my dad for empowering me and giving me a lot of support. He doesn’t really question my decisions. There is a mutual understanding and he is willing to let me try my initiatives.
“I feel like a lot of second-generation F&B operators have restrictions from the first-generation who don’t let them make decisions or learn from mistakes. My father on the other hand, has always fully supported me,” says Tan.
Galah Gala Seafood Restaurant
Level 1, TT Gardens
Bangunan Ahp
Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 014-930 4513
Open daily: 11am to 3pm; 5.30pm to 10pm
