food

Taste Test: Seremban siew pau

BY HUNGRYGOWHERE
September 25, 2015

Seremban siew pau normally has flaky and slightly sweet pastry and a savoury meat filling.Seremban is synonymous with siew pau, and rarely do people visit this town without buying a box of these fragrant, (usually) pork-filled pastries.

We’ve travelled all over Seremban to find you the best of the best, read on to find out which siew pau HungryGoWhere thinks you should bring home!

Kee Mei's mushroom siew pau is a delicious option for vegetarians.Kee Mei Siew Pau

Kee Mei’s siew pau (RM1.60 each) came in a square box that easily fit six of their buns (these are smaller and cuter compared to the other brands).

The shop is a clean, small establishment slightly out of Seremban town, stocked full with all kinds of Chinese pastries aside from siew pau, giving patrons a variety of food gifts to choose from.

Try the mushroom siew pau, this vegetarian equivalent pink coloured option was only found at Kee Mei. It’s a great alternative for those who don’t eat meat, as the filling was still satisfying, though the bright pink of the crust kind of threw us off.

We kept expecting a strawberry flavour, but that’s just our years of mouth-eye coordination talking.

Asia Master's chicken siew pau is generously filled with sweet, savoury meat.Asia Siew Pau Master

Asia Siew Pau Master's old whitewashed shop is constantly churning out siew paus (among other pastries) with their many ovens, so customers can expect their products to be fresh and hot.

There’s usually a short line outside, but service is quick so you won’t have to wait any longer than about 10 minutes.

The shop is usually covered by a thin veil of smoke and embers from firing their ovens, consequently their siew pau (RM1.60 each) have a nice roasted flavour compared to the other brands.

For Asia’s chicken siew pau, we felt that there was more filling in the bun with less of a crust, which gave the overall pastry more flavour.

Biting into one of these would guarantee a burst of sweet, savoury meat, though it did run just a tad bit dry.

Empayar Siew Pow

By far the most popular and largest supplier of Seremban siew pau, Empayar is a force to be reckoned with – complete with a seafood restaurant in front, a wide range of Tasti East products in the back, and a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records for being the largest pau franchiser.

We’d have to say that out of all the brands, Empayar is the most consistent with balancing the amount of meat and pastry in their siew paus.

The filling was not too sweet and one of our team members said that the pastry was very easy to munch on – those with dental needs, take note!

Empayar's crispy siew pau is the shop's best offering.In our humble opinion, Empayar’s newest edition of crispy siew pau is the best of their offerings.

The crust is incredibly buttery, and falls apart easily when you bite into it, making a delicious flaky mess that we are happy to clean.

The absence of oil also does something to the filling as the pau cook, making a healthier-tasting pastry that’s truly addictive.

But what about the pork siew paus, or the other siew paus we tried in Seremban? Check out the full taste test here now. Or if you’re not just driving through or hunting for food gifts, then enjoy the best food in Seremban with our Seremban food trail. – September 25, 2015.

Heading to Seremban or Port Dickson for a weekend? See where and what others are eating, download our new HungryGoWhere app which shows you what places are around your current location up to a radius of 5km! Or you can just look up any location, and see what's popular among fellow foodies. Disliked your service? Leave a quick and easy review so the owner can fix it or warn other diners too! Now available on iTunes and Google Play.