When the city is quieting down, Most kitchens have gone dark. But tucked along the familiar stretch of Old Klang Road, lights are still glowing warmly inside Chef J Restaurant — a beacon for the hungry, the curious, and the insatiable lovers of traditional Cantonese flavours done right.
Open daily until 2:00AM, Chef J doesn’t just stay open late — it thrives at night. Whether you’re fresh from work, catching up with friends, or simply craving something soulful after hours, this is where you come to be fed in more ways than one. Here, the kitchen honours heritage, technique, and above all — flavour. The menu reads like a love letter to Guangdong, from Guangzhou to Foshan, Taishan to Xiguan, each dish telling a story of culinary roots carried across generations.
Where Roasts Are Religion: The Chef’s Signature Juicy Roasted Chicken
No visit to Chef J is complete without ordering the Guangzhou-style Chef’s Specialty Roasted Chicken. It’s not hyperbole to say this is one of the finest roasted chickens in town. Glazed to perfection, the skin is bronzed, delicate, and audibly crisp. But the true magic lies beneath where the flesh, succulent and tender, with juices that brim in every bite. This is not a chicken that hides behind sauces. It shines in its own right, thanks to a precise roasting method and the use of fresh, hormone-free poultry. You taste the difference which is clean, juicy, and deeply satisfying.
Claypot Luxury: Chicken and Thick Soup That Warms the Bones
From the roaster, we moved to something that felt like a warm embrace — the Chicken Claypot with Thick Soup. What arrives at the table is more than just soup. It’s an elixir, brimming with collagen-rich essence, slow-brewed to a comforting thickness. The chicken chunks remain perfectly tender in the bubbling broth, their flavour enhanced by the claypot’s even heat. The soup coats your lips, glides down your throat, and warms your chest. Every spoonful feels restorative — this is soul food, elevated.
Seafood Grandeur: Tiger Prawns Drunken in Nu Er Hong Wine
The Aged Shao Hsing Nu Er Hong Wine-Steamed Tiger Prawns deserves a standing ovation. Served delicately steamed in a traditional clay vessel, the dish speaks volumes through its simplicity. The aged rice wine imparts an intoxicating aroma which comes earthy, sweet, and complex; that soaks into the prawns without masking their natural brininess. With each bite, the prawn bursts with juice, and the lingering perfume of the wine makes you want to savour it slowly. It’s refined, luxurious, and dangerously addictive.
From Foshan With Love: The Legendary Five-Combination Pan-Fry
Few dishes surprise and delight like the Foshan-Style Pan-Fried Five Combination. A rare offering even in specialty Cantonese restaurants, this dish brings together a medley of textures — crispy, chewy, tender, juicy, and even a hint of bounciness. Each item, from stuffed beancurd to fried fish cake and rolled omelette, is pan-fried to golden perfection, served sizzling hot. The experience is not just delicious — it’s interactive, layered, and fun.
Braised Goose With Hometown Flavour
Perhaps the most rarefied item on the menu is the Chef’s Special Braised Goose, a dish seldom seen on local menus due to sourcing challenges. At Chef J, it’s a signature and rightly so. Braised long and slow in a master stock that’s been seasoned, reused, and cared for over time, the goose is luscious, yielding, and richly infused with aromatics. One bite brings you back to Guangdong where this is the flavour of tradition.
Claypot Rice, Reinvented: Taishan Shrimp Paste & Pork Perfection
The Taishan Shrimp Paste with Minced Pork and Brussels Sprouts, and its bolder sibling which is the Taishan Shrimp Paste, Pork and Tendon Claypot Rice. This is a are must-orders for lovers of deep umami.
The aroma hits you first where the funk of shrimp paste balanced by the sweetness of pork, the nuttiness of Brussels sprouts, and the sticky rice forming a crispy crust at the bottom of the pot. Crackle it with a spoon and mix, the result is a hearty, savoury, and unforgettable one-pot wonder.
For the Adventurous Palate: Offal, Pigeons, and Nostalgia
Chef J also dives into Cantonese comfort dishes that few dare to serve. Their Guangzhou Crispy Roasted Pigeon is a masterclass in texture where they comes with the crackly skin, rosy tender meat, and a flavour profile that’s at once gamey and elegant.
Meanwhile, the Fresh Pork Offal Congee is an ode to old-school Hong Kong suppers, a creamy, ricey porridge elevated by expertly cleaned and braised pork liver, intestines, and more. It’s bold, comforting, and not for the faint-hearted — but deeply rewarding.
And then there’s the Xiguan-style Pork Liver & Pork Chee Cheong Fun which a sleeper hit. Silky rice rolls envelop perfectly seasoned offal slices, and every bite sings with savoury sweetness. You won’t find this in your typical dim sum restaurant.
Traditional Desserts with Farmhouse Charm
Just when we thought the meal couldn’t get any better, dessert arrived — and it blew us away.
The Guangdong-Style Deep-Fried Giant Sesame Balls are eye-catching and irresistible, filled with molten lotus paste, perfectly crisped outside and chewy within.
But the real showstoppers are the Steamed Farmer’s White Sugar Rice Cake that is ethereal, spongy, subtly sweet and the Baked Farmer’s Egg Tart, featuring a buttery shortcrust shell and smooth, egg-rich custard that’s still warm from the oven. Each dessert is a quiet triumph, ending the meal on a note of nostalgia and delight.
Final Verdict: A Hidden Jewel That Deserves the Spotlight
From the first crackle of roast chicken skin to the final bite of sugar rice cake, every dish feels personal as if cooked by someone who not only understands flavour but respects the roots behind it. Combine that with its rare 2AM closing time, and you’ve got a restaurant that doesn’t just feed you — it leaves a lasting impression.
If you find yourself craving something meaningful, hearty, and a little bit different after hours — make your way to Chef J. This isn’t just supper. This is Cantonese cuisine at its finest, and it’s waiting to be discovered.