Best 'Char Siew' I have tasted is Overseas Restaurant in Imbi road. But for RM120 a kg. a bit high but nice.The one in Jalan Pasar, under the tree beside the closed petrol station is also quite famous for their 'glass char siew'. There is another one I heard in Taman Salak South which is sold for RM8 a plate of 'char siew rice' and will be sold out after 3 pm.

Not all 'siew lap' people use soda larr! Don't generalise. Some lazy one does. Normally char siew has to be marinated 3 days in the fridge to tenderise it. Some wants fast results so they add soda into it. Some marinate with dark soya sauce as this contains soda also.
But if you can find char siew using pork belly (far lum) then there's no need to tenderise it as the fat when roasting will make the char siew melts in your mouth. But too expensive to use as consumers sure 'marah' for a plate of char siew rice costing RM6. I wanted to try once but went againts doing it. Overseas Resstaurant uses the 'far lum'.