Fish Head Noodles Second To None

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


JUST when I thought I had seen them all, my colleague James Lam, an avid foodie, invited me to have lunch with him.

“Eh Sam ah, you free or not? We go to Jalan Kuchai Lama for makan?” he said. I needed no coaxing, it is always an honour to makan with Lam because he goes to great lengths for a decent meal.

Lam and I had earlier met over breakfast and our topic of conversation was ... what else, but food, glorious food!

After making the necessary arrangements, the man said he knew of a secret spot that served yee thau mai (fish head noodles). I had been alerted to many such makan places but, according to Lam, this was one of the “unspoilt” places that I must visit.


Yummy: The Udang Galah beehoon is a notch better than the fish head noodles.

“It’s not commercialised yet and very few food critics know of it. So, we must check it out before its prices go up — especially after a review is posted in the newspaper.”

So, we met up for lunch on a Friday. The place is about a 15-minute drive from Section 16 in Petaling Jaya. Lam manouvred his vehicle through a series of housing estates before we ended up at Jalan Lazat, which is located near Happy Garden in Old Klang Road.

To the uninitiated, this is one place at the fringe of the city centre where there are plenty of good makan places. I can go on and on about the food here, but this week’s pick is a yee thau mai stall at the Choy Kei coffee shop in Jalan Lazat.

If you are not familiar with the housing estates in Old Klang Road, finding this coffee shop can be a real adventure. The landmark here is a row of hawker stalls; Choy Kei is the last corner coffee shop if you are coming from the direction of Happy Garden.

This housing estate brought back plenty of memories of the time when I was a secondary school kid. This was the neighbourhood my friends and I visited when they first acquired their driving licences.

High school romance was blooming and if you were a schoolboy with wheels, your social circle expanded tremendously. And, during the Chinese New Year, there was no shortage of red packets when we went visiting around the area.

My first encounter with the good food here was some 18 years ago. I was introduced to a steamed fish head stall in Jalan Lazat and well, that was the first and last time I visited the place. So, Lam’s invitation held sort of a “Happy Garden revisited” nostalgia for me.

At Choy Kei, he wasted no time in ordering the yee thau mai.


Creamy and tasty: A small portion of Choy Kei’s fish head noodles.

Now, prices here are at a premium. For RM6.80, you get a bowl of fish head noodles with extras like the yee wat (fish paste) thrown in.

To my surprise, the noodle dishes can cost up to RM13.50. I asked the food handler what the extras were and he said: “Ah, for the highest price, you get halved udang galah and yee wat along with the fish head.”

I found his description satisfactory and when the noodles arrived, I found it to be one of the best fish head noodles I had tasted so far.

The gravy was creamy as expected, and the portion of noodles and fish head were generous, so there was hardly anything that I could complain about.

Lam also ordered the sang har mai (prawn beehoon), which was a notch better than the fish head beehoon.

I had fresh sauteed udang galah halves and the the prawn’s aromatic flavour blended with the evaporated milk gravy to give it oomph! At RM11.50 a helping, this is the second most expensive noodle dish in the house.

Now, the “secret” ingredient that made my yee thau mai experience at Choy Kei complete was the chee yau char (pork cracklings).

No other fish head beehoon stall can come close to what this coffee shop offers and so far, it is the top contender for the best yee thau mai in the Klang Valley.

I was also told by Lam that there is a dancing cook in this coffee shop. Ah, well, that will be my excuse for a follow-up visit to Choy Kei.

If you plan to head to Jalan Lazat, be sure to get there early as the coffee shop is usually packed during lunch hour.

The GPS coordinates for Choy Kei coffee shop are 3 4’ 35” N, 101 40’ 43” E. This time round, I will be a bit generous by including the map from my Nokia maps screenshot that cost me a bomb for your reference.

And lastly, the fish head beehoon is a lunchtime treat, so be advised on the timing, and to all you foodies out there — happy hunting!

Old School Meals

Compiled by RENITA CHE WAN


THIS may not be the discovery of the year, but it may as well be the rediscovery of the year.

One rainy Saturday night, en route to Jalan Alor’s Wong Ah Wah in Kuala Lumpur for dinner with the gang, blogger qwazymonkey suddenly thought of Woo Lan Restaurant.


Tasty variety: The different dishes you can find at Woo Lan Restaurant.

To his surprise, none of his friends have ever been to (or heard of it for that matter) this legendary restaurant. So, they made a detour and headed for Brickfields.

Woo Lan, which is housed in a nice air-conditioned and brightly lit establishment, is tucked nicely in a quiet corner of Brickfields.

It wasn’t until a couple years back when qwazymonkey started getting his regular blind-massage therapies that he found this place again by chance.

“After a session, I was hungry and stepped into this place. I looked around and saw some rather familiar dishes. I happily ordered and ate. I’ve only returned once again for dinner out of laziness to go any where else after a massage,” he wrote.

Now his decision to dine at Woo Lan Restaurant was no mistake. He ordered everything that was recommended by the “Si Tau Poh”, and no matter how many dishes he ordered, the Fried Mee Suah is still a must.

“This has got to be one of my all-time favourite noodle dishes. I do miss it every now and then, but never really took the effort to get my butt here ever since I stopped my massage sessions.

“It’s a simple dish and subtle in presentation. But do not be fooled by its unappetising appearance. This signature dish is quite the con-artist. The flavourful combination of gluten starch, Chinese cabbage, pork, prawn, crunchy seaweed, fried egg that were held together by ‘some’ lard is just droolsome,” he added.

All in all the dinner was satisfying. He couldn’t agree more with his friend when she said that the place serves rather traditional village-tasting food and it’s not very often that he gets such cooking in this big city of ours.

Based on the taste of the food alone, they wouldn’t mind driving out of the way every now and then to savour some “good ol-skool” (old-school) dishes.

“Despite whatever I’ve said, do try the food there when you can. Just do not expect to pay the price of your neighbourhood Tai Chow.”

Woo Lan Restaurant is located at No.19, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Splendid Spread

Street Food


PENANG
NEW LANE
Open 1pm-late. Traders’ day off varies but most close on Wednesdays

NEW Lane is one of the best places in town to get a feel of Penang’s grastronomic offerings. With about 40-odd stalls operating on both sides of the lane, the choices are seemingly endless – from noodles to satay, freshly made apom balik to piping hot kuih dadar. Take a walk around the stalls before making that difficult choice of what to eat.



Many come here for the intestine porridge or chee cheong chook. Pork intestines are marinated in sugar and sauces and then smoked before being deep fried. The crunchy, peppery intestines are served on mushy, smooth porridge with offal added. The only stall that offers this opens at 1pm, and the porridge usually runs out by 7pm.

Also good is the pork satay from the Satay & Ayam Panggang stall (opposite Maxim Cafe). The pork satay is succulent while the peanut sauce (tangy thanks to the addition of tamarind juice) will perk up your appetite for more!

Some stalls on New Lane open early in the afternoon, while most only start their business after 5pm.


KAMPUNG BARU, KUALA LUMPUR
Nasi Lemak Raja Abdullah
15, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Kg Baru
Open 7am-10pm. Closed during Raya

THE first thing you’ll sniff out at this 21-year-old stall is the aromatic rice, steamed in a wooden bucket with coconut milk and pandan leaves. Join the morning queue to pick what you fancy – chicken rendang, sambal sotong, etc.



The sambal ikan bilis here tends to be sweet rather than spicy. The deep-fried paru (beef lungs) are especially good, served with a mix of shredded deep-fried lemongrass, ginger and galangal. You’ll need to get here early if you’re after this dish, as it tends to run out quickly.

For lunch, a variety of dishes are served, including asam pedas and masak lemak cili api, as the owners hail from Malacca. In the evenings, nasi lemak is served from 5pm.


KOTA BARU
Yati Ayam Percik
847, Jalan Long Yunus (Jalan Pekeliling). Tel: 09-747 9867
Open Saturdays to Thursdays noon-11.30pm / Fridays 3-11.30pm

SURE, the ayam percik here is fantastic – but the nasi kerabu is simply to die for! Most folks swear by it. The fluffy rice comes with heaps of vegetables such as bean sprouts, finely cut cabbage and polygonum leaves, as well as budu (fermented anchovy sauce), kerisik, sambal and fish crackers. Mix it all together for a wonderful burst of flavours in your mouth.

There are three colours of rice available – white, yellow and blue. The daging bakar or roast beef is tender and aromatic. Kerutup ayam – a type of rendang synonymous with the East Coast – is another good choice; the chocolate-coloured kerutup is full of spices with a tinge of sweetness but isn’t spicy.

A Quacking Bowl Of Duck Thigh Noodles

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


A stall in Puchong wins hands down for the best Ngap Thui Meen

NGAP THUI MEEN or duck thigh noodles is a dish that you won’t find everywhere especially in the Klang Valley.

This noodle dish is made famous by the Pun Chun restaurant in Bidor, Perak. Now, I must say that I am a huge fan of the ngap thui meen and my quest for a perfect bowl had taken me to many places around the country.


The best: The duck thigh noodles stall at Ramai coffee shop in Puchong.

Well, many folks I come across hated duck. Why? It is an acquired taste. Some say it’s gamey while others simply do not know how to appreciate duck.

So, if you are still reading, that means you are interested. All right - for starters, this particular noodles comes in two variants. You can either have the kwon-lou (dry) or chee suay (soup).

In the soupy version, you will find a piece of double-boiled roasted duck thigh (at this point, the meat is tender and less gamey in taste) with Chinese herbs.

The soup base with its meat is double boiled for at least six hours before it is mixed with egg noodles. So, you are actually tasting the essence of the duck.

But don’t be confused with the use of herbs because as far as I know, there is little medicinal value in this soupy noodle dish. What I like, is the clear and smooth taste of the herbal soup and since the duck thigh is so tender, even toothless senior citizens can enjoy it.


Tasty duck: Pun Chun coffee shop’s ngap thui meen.

And just when I thought the Bidor duck thigh noodles are second to none, one contender from Puchong stands out.

My perception changed when I tasted what Puchong had to offer. This, in my humble opinion, is one of the best ngap thui meen around.

Best of all, the stall is located in a corner coffee shop called Ramai food centre near Tesco, which is about a 10-minute drive away from where I live.

I discovered the coffee shop by chance when I took my wife to a clinic there. The moment I saw the stall, my immediate reaction was to order a bowl.

And in no time, the lady owner of this stall came with a steaming hot bowl of ngap thui meen. Compared to the Bidor version, the soup base of my noodles was crystal clear.

Even the noodles were different. Instead of giving preserved green chillies as a dip for the noodles, this stall offered sliced chilli api.

Now, that gave it the required ‘ooomph!’ that got me sweating buckets.

Although the portion seemed small, the tasty and tender duck meat and excellent herbal broth made up for it.

I was also surprised to find out that both coffee shops charged the same amount. A bowl of ngap thui meen costs RM6.30. But if you want to compare the taste, then you will have to take a drive up north to find out whether Pun Chun can live up to your expectations or not.

The Ramai coffee shop in Puchong caters mainly to the local crowd while Pun Chun, once a thriving eatery from the old KL - Ipoh trunk road era is now experiencing a revival. Many tourists from out of town frequent this coffee shop in the heart of Bidor that also caters to wedding functions.

The Puchong coffee shop caters more to people working in the area and if you are around the Tesco hypermart, you might want to give this place a try.

Speaking of Pun Chun, a colleague of mine told me that the restaurant has a branch in Kota Kemuning near Klang.

You can find out more by accessing its blog at: www.punchun.blogspot.com. The Lat, Long coordinates for Pun Chun in Bidor, Perak, is Lat 04 06 693, Long 101 17 255 and the coordinates for Ramai coffee shop is Lat 03 01 995, Long 101 36 897.

Please note that the GPS coordinates works only with handheld and in-vehicle units. Google mapping software is not compatible with the position given, so, good luck and happy eating!

Cheap And Good Vegetarian Fare

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


READER Phang Hui Leng wanted to know where she can find vegetarian chap-fan (economy rice) at dirt cheap prices. I received her e-mail recently and got cracking. As far as I know, there is one place in the shopping district of Kuala Lumpur that fits the bill.

It's located in a place called Kam Hor (golden river) in Jalan Sultan Ismail and yes, you guessed it right, it's Sungai Wang Plaza.

There, you can find a rooftop hawker centre that had been around for nearly 30 years.


Affordable: Le Tian vegetarian stall at Sungai Wang Plaza's rooftop hawker centre.

Today, it's still one of the hottest places in the city centre for cheap food.

Having worked in this area for three years, I found a vegetarian chap-fan stall called ‘Le Tian' at the far end corner near the shopping mall's lobby.

The food here is good and after a series of return visits, I still find it affordable and tasty. I also frequented this place occassionaly on Fridays taking advantage of the long lunch breaks.

The Sungai Wang rooftop hawker centre was also the place where I rekindled ties with my ex-schoolmate CK Ching. Ching, a regular at the stall said he was satisfied with the choice of dishes and usually satiated by a small serving of rice, tofu and vegetables.


Tasty: The vegetarian chap-fan from Le Tian costs RM5.50 a plate.

What suprised me at this stall was the wide range of vegetarian dishes. From stir-fried leafy vegetables to processed soya bean meals, there's enough variety to satisfy even the most fussy vegetarians.

And at prices below RM5 per plate (rice and a choice of two dishes), you could not complain. Highly recommended is the vegetable curry and fried Chinese cabbage with glass noodles.

Also on top of my list, is the vegetarian char siew (mock sugar-glaced roasted pork) and siew ngor (mock roast goose).

Since this is a self-service outlet, you just take what you want to eat and proceed to the counter and pay. Usually, my tab would come up to RM5.50 inclusive of a glass of Chinese tea.

I found this to be consistent throughout my visit to the stall. The stall opens for breakfast and is usually packed during lunch hour.

Just a block away from Sungai Wang Plaza, there's another vegetarian makan place.


Tasty: The vegetarian chap-fan from Le Tian costs RM5.50 a plate.

But this one is rather upscale, so, if you expect some good food, it can be found here.

My buddy Ching showed the way to the lower ground level of Low Yat Plaza. The eatery is called ‘Vegegood Restaurant' that serves a decent selection of local fare prepared a'la vegetarian. The person who manned the counter recommended their "Hainanese Chicken Rice" at RM5.50.

Since this is an upscale makan place, the average pricing for a plate of rice and dishes starts from RM5 and above. My buddy paid RM14 for two persons.

Now, compared with the rooftop in Sungai Wang Plaza, the Vegegood restaurant is a place where you can hangout and chit chat because it is a cozy environment.

To get to Sungai Wang Plaza, the fastest and most convenient way is to hop onto a KL-Monorail service to the Bukit Bintang station.

Once there, you could access the rooftop hawker centre on its fourth floor via a link bridge and elevator.

I believe address is not necessary since Sungai Wang Plaza is a well-known landmark in KL. For the Vegegood restaurant, it is located at Lot LG 13-15 in Plaza Low Yat.

To get there, take the KL-Monorail to the Imbi station.

Famished For Fishballs

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


DO you know that there is a makan place that specialises in fishball noodles in USJ 9, Subang Jaya?

I came to find out about this some time back. And, occasionally, my wife and I would dine at the outlet. Called Ah Koong, this place is located just a few rows away from the neighbourhood nasi kandar restaurant.


Enticing: Fishballs, fish cake and seaweed in a soupy broth.

I would say that the fookchow yuen (Fookchow fishballs with meat filling) is one of the star attractions here.

A couple of these will set in your stomach like cement and even seasoned fishball lovers are rarely known to order more than a pair of the delicacies at a time.

With fishballs so good, the price is at a premium but I think it’s well worth it.

What’s interesting about this eatery is that you can actually pick what you want to go with your bowl of noodles The standard fare for a single person at Ah Koong’s costs about RM6.


Fried delight: The fish cake is a perfect accompaniment to a bowl of noodles.

For those who would like some variety, there is a vast selection of Teo Chew dishes from to choose. One of my favourites is the Teo Chew fish roll.

Basically, its a slice of fish cake with a piece of lobak (turnip), celery and red chilli rolled together. I understand that a piece of this delicacy costs about 80sen or more.

For me, I have the appetite of a dinosaur. So, I will fill up my bowl with a selection of fishballs, fishcake and yong tau foo, yong choy (stuffed beancurd and vegetables) and foo chuk (beancurd sheets).


Tasty find: Ah Koong’s noodle shop on USJ 9, Subang Jaya.

To add more zing to the noodles, you can also add fresh hor chien or oysters, which are an essential part of the Teo Chew style of preparing soup noodles.

With the whole works thrown in, a bowl of noodles can easily come up to RM12 a bowl, a bit pricey but considering the quality and variety, still affordable.

In fact, it’s a small price to pay if a horror story I once heard turns out to be true. Apparently, there was a patron who was charged RM80 for a bowl of fishball noodles with the works thrown in.

The patron had ordered a bowl of fishball noodles with everything thrown in. So, the noodle seller added in a piece of abalone, a few pieces of canned razor clams and some oysters.


Raw ingredient: Tasty find: Ah Koong’s noodle shop on USJ 9, Subang Jaya. A quick look at the fish cake before it is cooked.

Little did the customer know that such exotic add-ons were costly right from the get-go. For me, the best way to savour Ah Koong’s fishball noodles is to order a bowl of kwon lou meen (dry gravy).

Highly recommended is the spinach noodles (green in colour) and what made my experience complete is the fact that chee yau char (pork crackling) is added as a garnish.

As far as taste is concerned, Ah Koong lives up to my expectations. And for the extras like a clean dining area and air conditioning, you cannot ask for more.

For the soup lover, you can expect this to be a hearty meal. The dish is prepared with minced pork, seaweed and preserved vegetables.

And the fookchow yuen makes the soup noodles a complete meal. For those who wanted to tah pau (takeaway), the fookchow fishballs are also available as a frozen item.

This means, you can have your own instant noodles with an added oomph!. Internet savvy readers can check out www.ahkoong.com for more details such as their branches and full address including phone numbers.

Stewed Brisket Dish A Surprising Find In The Heart Of Subang Jaya

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


WHO has the best ngou lam fun (stewed beef brisket noodles) around Subang Jaya?

This question was posed to me by Jake Lam, a reader from USJ 20. Lam said he had yet to locate a stall around the neighbourhood that can satisfy his needs.


Hard at work: Siew Lan cher whipping up a bowl of stewed beef brisket.

Surprisingly enough, I have an answer. There is a stall in Good Year Court 2 in USJ 6 that lives up to the expectations.

I came to know of this place by chance a year ago. The place in question is Q-up coffee shop which is managed by Alex Ang, a friend of mine.

Known as Lou Kor (old brother), Ang has been in the coffee shop business for nearly a decade after retiring from civil service.

At his place, I found an elderly lady and her daughter in-law running the show. She sells wan tan mee and has a loyal following from people around the neighbourhood.


Brisk business: The lunch crowd at Q-up cafe.

Called Siew Lan cher (sister Siew Lan), the lady can dish out a hearty ngau lam fun. Now, before I go any further, there are two version of the dish

First, there’s the beef noodles prepared Hainanese style. I am talking about the Cantonese style where beef brisket is stewed with ginger and spices such as the star anise, clove and cinnamon.

Originally from Karak, Pahang, Siew Lan began to dabble in the noodle business with her family when she was young.


Tasty treat: The noodles also come with dry gravy.

She now runs a stall at Ang’s coffee shop with her son and daughter in-law. Now, getting to the ngau lam fun, I must say that the noodles she had prepared are similar to what I had a long time ago from a roadside stall near the Air Panas traffic junction in Setapak.

The beef brisket is stewed with spices and soya sauce until its soft. You can have it with soup or dried gravy.

A plate of ngau lum fun at Siew Lan’s stall costs RM5.50. I found the portions rather generous with plenty of beef to go around.

And, like I said earlier, this is one of the best old school stewed beef brisket around. I tried the lady’s beef noodles on two occasions.

Once, I had the kwon lou (dry gravy) ngau lam fun. I found it tasty and with a dash of chilli sauce, the brisket went down smooth.


Stewed beef brisket in soup

Complemented by a cold glass of home brewed kuk fah (chrysantenum tea), my makan experience there was complete.

As for the soupy variant, Siew Lan cher charged me RM6 a bowl. This, of course, has some wantan dumplings and char siew thrown in.

Speaking of rarity, there aren’t many places around that serve up a good plate of ngau lam fun. Of course, if I asked around and do some research on the Internet, the answers may pop up in food blogs and websites specialising in local foodstuff.

Q-up coffee shop is located in USJ 6, the landmark here is the Summit USJ shopping mall. Just make your way to Persiaran Tujuan, the Good Year Court 2 is located opposite a Shell petrol station.

Sorry, no GPS coordinates here and, if you got lost, the cops at the USJ 8 police station will be glad to point you in the right direction.

> UPDATE: Siew Lan’s wantan mee stall has moved from Q-Up to a larger coffee shop at Court 6. To locate it, keep an eye out for a banner written in Chinese.

Old Favourites At Coffee Shop

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


THERE are plenty of good makan places in Jalan Imbi and let me start with a corner coffee shop located at the intersection of Jalan Walter Grenier and Jalan Imbi.

Called Win Heng Seng coffee shop, this landmark makan place has been around for decades.

But before I continue any further, let me tell you that this particular neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre was once plagued by crime.

The backlane where this particular coffee shop stands, was the scene of a fatal shootout between the cops and some robbers back in the mid-90s.


A well-known landmark: The corner coffee shop in Jalan Imbi.

And not long ago, a prominent businessman was shot and killed at a popular restaurant located two doors away.

So, if you are a fan of gangster movies that romanticised thugs and tough guys, Jalan Imbi is one of those places where you could still find some shady characters.

The neighbourhood’s violent past aside, Win Seng Heng coffee shop is well-known for three things. First, for its chee cheong fun stall on the left side of the shop’s entrance that’s said to be one of the best.

Then, the yuk-yeen fun (meatball noodles) is said to be one of the finest around and lastly, there is a Chinese confectionery shop that specialises in mini egg tarts.

One of my acquaintances who became a full-time ‘foodie’, Johnny ‘The Mouth’ (he never stops talking) Cheong concurred that the stall serves the best chee cheong fun.

Cheong added that the coffee shop had been refurbished with a new paint job since Jalan Imbi is within the proximity of the Bukit Bintang area.

“Eh Sam ah! When I was a rookie management staff at a bank in this neighbourhood ah, the Win Seng Heng coffee shop is my regular place lah. I eat there every morning.”


Egg-licious: These mini egg tarts are tasty!

Since relocating to Rawang, Cheong said he regularly makes a trip to the outlet on alternate weekends with his wife.

“Ah, this is also the place I met Rose, my wife lah. We use to share a plate of chee cheong fun lah.” Taking the cue from Cheong the romantic, I took Michelle, my wife to this coffee shop after making her walk nearly 1.2km around the Bukit Bintang area.

We arrived there on a late Saturday morning to savour the good hawker food here and lucky for us, there was a empty table in this packed eatery.

I ordered a bowl of yuk-yeen fun while Michelle went for the chee-yuk fun (pork noodles). Regretfully, I did not order the chee cheong fun as my bowl of noodles became the main order of the day.

Right at the far end of the coffee shop, I could see the stall owner of the meatball noodle working at a break neck pace - filling his orders as his Myanmar workers moved quickly to serve the waiting customers.

Back in the 80s, I patronised this coffee shop a couple of times and found that none of the old hands are working there anymore.

Chinese stall hands had been replaced by Cantonese-speaking Myanmar workers who are efficient and skillful in their trade.

Here, a bowl of meatball noodles costs RM5 per serving. I asked for a small bowl and my meal came complete with six pieces of meatballs including a few slices of siew cheong (roasted stuffed pork intestine) and yuk sway (minced pork).


Tasty: Win Seng Heng’s meatball noodles.

On a scale from 1 to 10 on my ‘Samoscale’, I’d say Win Seng Heng’s yuk yeen fun would come in at 7. Basically, I used my favourite stall in Lucky Garden, Bangsar as the benchmark.

Michelle on the other hand, wasn’t that lucky because her bowl of mee suah was lousy and expensive. At RM6 a bowl, all I can see was soup and a few strands of noodles.

So, lunch for two person including drinks was at RM13.80. I can’t complain because around Jalan Imbi, this is still one of the cheapest makan places around.

After our meals, Michelle went to the confectionary stall to buy two pieces of mini egg-tarts for RM1.20. Now, the best kept secret in this coffee shop - is the lady that sells siew pau (baked pork buns) and tann-tart (egg tarts).

By far, the tastiest confectionary that I’ve come across, we rounded up a dozen tarts before making our way out of the coffee shop.

Apart from the meatball noodles, chee cheong fun and egg tart, there’s also a couple who sold roasted pork and chicken rice.

They come highly recommended and to make up for the missed chee cheong fun session, I am planning to make a return trip to the neighbourhood because there is a famous stir-fried beef noodle shop around here.

Win Seng Heng coffee shop is just a 10-minute walk from the Bukit Bintang and Imbi monorail station and is open for breakfast and lunch daily.

Piping Hot Bowl Of Noodles

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


OF ALL the Chinese noodle dishes, the yee thau mai (fish-head beehoon) is one of the most extraordinary.

It stands out because of its ingredients — salted vegetables, deep fried fish head, tomatoes and condensed milk.

I was first introduced to the yee thau mai by one of my ex-bosses Albert Lee (I used to work in a production house in SS19, Subang Jaya), who took me to a stall in Taman OUG, Old Klang Road.


Prompt service: Wah Cheong coffee shop is a popular eating place.

There, he treated me to a bowl of noodles at a corner coffeeshop and I was told that this was the best yee thau mai around the neighbourhood.

That was of course was nearly two decades ago.

Today, the fish head beehoon is a thriving food business. Even K.Y. Lau, my father in-law told me of some outlets specialising in the dish in Jalan Kuchai Lama.

I have yet to verify his findings and recently, Majorie Chiew, a colleague of mine tipped me off about a stall serving this particular dish in Section 17, Petaling Jaya.

“Eh Sam ah! Have you tried this place? I had a bowl of fish head noodles there and the portions are generous. You should check it out,” said Chiew.


Generous portion: Wah Cheong coffee shop’s yee thau mai.

So, on one Sunday afternoon, I went to the place in question and ordered a bowl of noodles. It’s not hard to find it because the stall is located at a corner coffeeshop called Wah Cheong.

Now, what I saw at the entrance of this makan place was a bit of a concern to me. Foreign workers hired by the stall owners were seen washing eating utensils, bowls and plates on top of a drain cover.

This is course, is the biggest letdown. Reservations aside, I proceeded with the order and waited patiently for my yee thau mai to be served.

While there, I could see a steady stream of people savouring their food during the lunch break. The variety of food worth mentioninig here are the yuk yeen fun (meatball noodles), chicken rice, and hakka noodles.

Chiew, who is a fellow food critic in The Star also mentioned about the yong tau foo, which is priced at 90sen a piece.

This, she added, is the cheapest stall around Petaling Jaya. Okay, back to the yee thau mai, I ordered a small bowl of noodles and delivery was prompt. In about 10 minutes, I was served with a piping hot bowl of noodles.

Now, in order not to attract too much attention, I took out my Nokia N-82 cellphone and started snapping some close-up shots with its built-in camera.

Now, on a scale from 1 -10, I would rate Wah Cheong’s yee thau mai a 6.

I found the fare to be pretty decent. Compared with the same dishes I had in Old Klang Road and Subang Jaya, this yee thau mai lacked a few things: coriander, spring onion leaves and soft tofu.

But then, there are different styles in serving the fish-head beehoon.

And at RM5 a treat, I’d say that the portion was generous.

Most fish head noodle stalls use freshwater fish like the Chinese carp and Giant snakehead as its main ingredients.

If you hate the “earthy” taste of freshwater fish, then this may be an acquired taste. All you need to do, is to dab it with some fiery cili api and soya sauce.

After leaving Wah Cheong’s coffeeshop for my office, I bumped into my colleague Peter Hoe, who is an old friend and was an intrepid traveller in his younger days.

Hoe, who was having lunch in a coffeeshop opposite Wah Cheong, actually saw me taking photos with my cellphone’s camera.

I told him my purpose and his reaction was: “Haiyaaa! If you love fish head noodles, I take you to Taman Desa lah bradder! The quality is second to none and nobody has disputed it.”

So, I took note of that because my next food trail would be with Hoe on the hunt for the best yee thau mai in the Klang Valley.

Now, to get to Wah Cheong coffeeshop, the best way is to car pool because parking is scarce. To locate this coffeeshop, head to Jalan 17/29. Lat, Long coordinates for this makan place are: 3°7’44”N 101°38’3”E.

So, have a great time finding this place and happy eating!

Hunt For Asam Laksa Leads To An Impressive Find At USJ 10 Coffee Shop

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


ASAM laksa is a noodle dish that you might love or hate. Why? It’s different from any other spicy and savoury food that you have ever tasted. Originating from the North, the asam laksa found its way to the Klang Valley through urban migration.

My fondest memory of this particular noodle dish was when I was a kid growing up near the Chow Kit wet market. My family had a small business there and every evening, a man on a tricycle that he had modified into a mobile kitchen would go on his rounds.

Now, what made his selling technique unique was the loud ding! he made with his porcelain spoon and bowl.


A good deal: The asam laksa stall in Nanking coffee shop.

Around 5pm, the man will go on his rounds calling: laksa! laksa! ding! ding! ding! and in a matter of minutes, his tricycle would be swamped by a steady queue of hungry noodle lovers.

The moment our friendly neighbourhood laksa-man uncovers his pot of hot asam laksa gravy, the lovely aroma would permeate the air.

Well, that was some 30 years ago when a small bowl of asam laksa cost RM1.

What made the experience memorable, was the gravy, its ingredients and the garnishing.

A good bowl of asam laksa comes with a rich gravy consisting of finely minced ikan kembung (Indian mackerel), a blend of spices and tamarind juice.

You can have either beehoon or the lai fun (coarse vermecelli) and the noodles are usually garnished with grated cucumber, fresh red onions, pineapple, chopped bunga kantan (wild ginger), red chillies and mint leaves.

As the asam laksa is an acquired taste, some folk may find it too sour and tangy. Having travelled vastly around the country, I’d say that the best asam laksa is found in Penang.


An acquired taste: Nanking coffee shop’s asam laksa.

However, if you live in the Klang Valley, there are still places that offer this noodle dish.

The trick is to know where to find it. I wouldn’t recommend having a bowl of laksa in posh outlets because it’s going to cost you at least RM15 a bowl.

I set out on a quest to locate the best asam laksa and I focused on a few coffee shops in the Klang Valley.

First on my list, was a coffee shop recommended by my friend T.S. Tong who hails from Sungai Petani.

Tong, a long-time resident of Subang Jaya, gave directions to Nanking coffee shop in USJ10/1D.

In short, this place is called Tai Pan. Based on his description of the area, it was not difficult to locate the outlet. As a matter of fact, I had eaten there before with my wife.

Now, to overcome the USJ10’s parking nightmare and the hungry lunch crowd, I suggest that you park as far away as possible from this place. Take a walk because the excercise could help to build an appetite.

Nanking coffee shop is situated in a corner lot. I found the asam laksa stall as described by Tong and ordered a small bowl from a middle aged man who manages the place.

Before I go any further, let me warn you that the hygiene level in this particular makan place is not at the highest. As a matter of fact, it was rather filthy.

But with my mission at hand, I went ahead with my order and when a Myanmar worker delivered my hot bowl of assam laksa, I was nothing but impressed.

Everything that I’d expected was served, but with one minor exception - I found Chinese lettuce as part of the garnishing. Strange, but nevertheless, it added the ‘green and fresh’ zing to it.

Now, the treat that made my day was a big spoonful of har kou (prawn paste). Some guys hate this and swear that it’s bad for their virility. But it didn’t bother me because prawn paste actually sweetens the sour and tangy gravy.

When I was a kid, I was told by a laksa Utara stall owner that he would go broke if I go on asking for more helping of the petis or prawn paste.

Back to the Nanking story - well, at RM4 a bowl, I’d say that the asam laksa is as good as Tong had described it. This means, I owe him a jug of beer for doubting his recommendations.

Now, before I conclude this food trail, let me say that it’s not difficult at all to locate Nanking coffee shop in USJ 10 and whenever in doubt, do a ‘Google Search’. Sorry, no maps, telephone numbers and address, so, happy hunting!

Barbecued To Perfection

By CHRISTINA LOW


IT IS never easy being the new kid on the block but Tempt a Tempt BBQ restaurant is already planning to cement its place in the hearts of foodies living in Cheras with its unique array of Chinese food.

“In the same way that particular brand names are used by the public to refer to certain products, we want ours to be synonymous with the kind of food we serve,” said the restaurant’s operations manager, Lee Chai Eng.

Lee said the three-month-old outlet in Cheras was the company’s first, and they had chosen to focus on value-for-money barbecue favourites.


All-in-one: Three Treasures BBQ Combo Rice comes with a small portion each of Roast Pork, Roast Duck and Honey Glazed Roast Pork

According to Lee, the barbecue dishes are all prepared to traditional recipes, but she declined to share anything on them despite my best cajoling efforts.

Lee lamented that many modern chefs often modified the taste of the food according to their personal preferences, so not many people really knew how the original dishes tasted, and thus, the restaurant kept strictly to recipes and ingredients that were said to be authentic.

“These days, chefs sometimes substitute some ingredients in a recipe, and then perhaps change them again. But, if we keep changing things, after a while the young would not know how original dishes taste, and in future, no one would know,” Lee said.

Lee said one of the authentic dishes served at the outlet was the specially prepared Roasted Suckling Pig, which was available in three sizes — small, medium and large — at RM128, RM148 and RM178 respectively. It is said to be a hit among the youngsters.


Chef’s recommendation: Crispy Boneless Chicken with Roast Almond Flakes.

“There are a number of Chinese festivals for which this dish is used for prayers or as gifts to a family.

“However, it would be a nightmare for the younger set to purchase it, as many simply do not know where to find it. But now they do,” said Lee.

Those who buy the suckling pig would be bringing the delicacy home in a specially designed red box to suit every occasion.

Gauging from the dishes chef Chan Weng San dished out during the review, patrons of the outlet will be in for a surprise. For a start, there is the array of dishes on the menu.


Cool treat: Vanilla with Longan Sea Coconut Smoothie.

Chan recommended the Deep Fried Lotus Slices and Crispy Boneless Chicken with Roast Almond Flakes.

The lotus root slices were crispy like potato chips, but Chan gave a twist to the vegetable by tossing it in mashed salted egg yolk, making it an instant favourite of mine.

The restaurant serves several varieties of porridge, such as Paddy Frog, Sliced Venison, Fish and Pork Liver, Abalone, Pork and Chicken.

Noodles like vermicelli, hor fun, yee mee, prepared in a variety of ways, as well as the traditional wanton noodles, are also available.

For dessert, you can choose from Mango Pudding, Peanut Paste, Glutinous Dumpling in Ginger Soup or Herbal Guiling Jelly.

> TEMPT A TEMPT BBQ, 24 Ground Floor, Jalan Manis 3, Taman Segar, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-9132 0229). Business Hours: 10.30am to 10.30pm, daily. Non-halal.

Dishes To Celebrate A New Addition

Story and Photos by JASON LIOH


THE annual Malacca Food Festival saw celebrity chefs and representatives from the state’s diverse community dishing out local delicacies for tourists and members of the public.

Organised by the Malacca Museums Corporation, the four-day event was a hit with people from all walks of life who were offered a free taste of specialities and traditional dishes from the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Chitty, Baba-Nyonya, Portuguese and orang asli community.

The theme chosen for this year’s festival was ‘baby’s full moon’ celebration where participants were required to prepare dishes for their respective communities for such an occasion.


Piping hot: Mother and daughter team Tan Geok Lian and Yong Yu Ting dishing out prawn fritters.

During the event, Vinlah Rajadory from the Malaccas Chitty community was seen preparing a traditional dish called ‘sambal belimbing’ using fish roe, prawns and star fruit.

“We used small prawns, star fruit, chilies, fish roe, herbs and spices to prepare this sambal dish,” said the 62-year-old retired nurse.

She also prepared labu masak pedas dengan ayam’ or spicy pumpkin chicken as her second dish that was served throughout the morning which she described was a combination of sweet, sour and spicy.

“These two dishes are a must to celebrate the baby’s full moon. However, we also prepare these dishes during festive season like Ponggal, New Year, birthdays and weddings,” she said.

Another participant, Velda Sv.velankanny, 46, who represented the Indian community, prepared traditional food like tosai, apom and kesary for visitors to savour.


Tasty: Helen Tan holding a box of pineapple tarts and traditional Nyonya ang ku kueh.

“People are familiar with the tosai and apom, but not the kesary. Kesary is an after meal dessert made using ghee, suji flour, condensed milk, raisin, cashew and cardamom,” the housewife said.

Meanwhile, orang asli participant Zuaney Sulaiman, 28, decided to go back to basics by preparing a complete meal including fish, chicken, white rice, vegetable and potatoes cooked in bamboo.

Cooks from the Baba-Nyonya community, on the other hand, prepared traditional delicacies like apam balik, layered steamed cakes, red eggs, ginger chicken, ang ku kueh and pineapple tarts.

“Red eggs and ang ku kueh are symbolic food for a baby’s full moon celebration. Both items symbolize prosperity and bring good luck to the baby,” 49-year-old homemaker Helen Tan Kek Lan said.

A booth serving nasi rembang from Selangor was also a hit among the visitors as everyone queued for a taste of it with the stall workers seen working non-stop.


Various ingredients: From top, clockwise, ayam masak ungkap, kerabu jawa, ikan masin bulu ayam, rempeyek, sambal goreng tempe, serunding kepala and steamed white rice in the middle are the ingredients for the traditional Selangor Nasi Rembang.

The rice dish was made of ingridients such as serunding kelapa, ayam masak ungkap, kerabu jawa, sambal goreng tempe, ikan masin bulu ayam and rempeyek.

Australian Peter Rowan gave two thumbs up to the organisers for organising the food festival where members of the public could sample the many traditional dishes prepared by various ethnic groups.

“I always worry that I would order something that I will never like whenever I patronize a local restaurant. The food festival solves my problem at one go,” said the 59-year-old property manager.

He added it was not his first visit to the historic city but it was the first time he was seeing such carnival being organised.

Eating Out

Sirloin Flavours



BE tempted by the succulent flavours of sirloin in different cuts from Australia and the US. Mark your calendars as Prime, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur serves sirloin in a gastronomic affair this month. Meat enthusiasts are in for a treat with the Wagyu Sirloin with Butter Poached Chili Rosemary Fingerling Potato, Oven Dried Brisket Bacon Mille-Feuille with Potato Celery Mousseline, finished with a drizzle of Sarawak cracked peppercorn sauce. The Sirloin Sampler platter (with wagyu sirloin, Black Angus 200-day sirloin and pasture-fed sirloin) is another suggestion. The promotion is available for dinner until March 31. For reservations, call 03-2263 7434 or email dining.lmkl@lemeridien.com.

Peking Duck



THERE is no need to travel to Beijing for a taste of Peking duck. At Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant, traditional Peking duck is the signature dish this month. The outlet’s Peking duck promotion has more to offer than just the duck-filled crepe delight as there is Stir Fried Sliced Duck Meat with Ginger Spring Onion, Double Boiled Soup Duck Bone with Preserved Vegetable, Wok Fried Rice with Diced Duck, Stir Fried Egg Noodles with Shredded Duck and Stir Fried Diced Duck Wrapped with Lettuce and more. The dishes are available for lunch and dinner at RM58++ per duck. For reservations, call 03-2144 2200 ext 2338 or 2144 8750.

Tea Treats



THE Lobby Lounge of Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur presents the opportunity for you to relax and indulge your tastebuds with the introduction of three afternoon tea sets - Local Afternoon, English Afternoon and Asian Afternoon. Available from Monday to Friday, from 2pm to 6pm, the Local Afternoon Tea serves delights like Cucur Udang with Chili Dip, Tauhu Sumbat, Golden Banana Fritters and Pulut Panggang. Apple Crumble Tart and Prune Spiral are some delightful finds on the English Afternoon Tea platter while the Asian Afternoon Tea offers Malaysian Durian Tempura, Thai Money Bag with Chili Dip, Vietnamese Spring Roll, China Egg Doughnut Roll with Sweet Sauce and plenty more priced at RM38++ per person. For reservations, call 03-2782 6168.

DRAGON-I RESTAURANT, Lot S313A, 2nd Floor, New Wing, One Utama Shopping Centre, Bandar Utama, PJ (Tel: 03-7725 8822). Business Hrs: Weekdays (11am-10pm); Weekends & Public Hols (10.30am-10pm). Non-halal. Popular for minced meat dumplings known as siew long pau, caramel pork ribs, ma po taufu, chicken fillet and vegetarian dishes.

RED GINGER, 18G-M Medan Setia 2, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, KL (Tel: 03-2095 3118). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (11.30am-3pm); dinner (6.30pm-10pm). Closed on Sun. Pork-free. A family-run business known for its good food, warm service and reasonable prices. Its cosy, laidback and unpretentious ambience make it the ideal venue for private functions. Red ginger plants line the front entrance. Small menu.

DEUTSCHES HAUS, 46 Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2143 2268). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (noon-3pm); dinner (5pm-midnight). Non-halal. Serves authentic German cuisine with emphasis on sausages. Also stocks a wide range of excellent German beers. It has many speciality dishes.

LA GOURMET HOUSE, Lot G52, The Curve, Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara, PJ (Tel: 03-7725 4279). Business Hrs: Mon-Thurs (10am-10pm); Fri & Sat (10am-11pm). Halal. Special gourmet meals and speciality cakes are available daily for lunch and dinner. Gourmet merchandise like Dukka, herbs, spices, tea and coffee are also sold.

SENTIDOS TAPAS, Feast Village, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2145 3385). Business Hrs: Daily (noon-1am). Pork-free. Offers a relaxed atmosphere with a tantalising selection of hot and cold tapas. There is an extensive wine list and a range of imported beers.

LA COCINA & COPA DE VINO, 38 USJ 9/5P, UEP Subang Jaya (Tel: 03-8023 2395). Business Hrs: Restaurant, Mon-Sun, lunch (11am-3pm); dinner (6pm-midnight). Bar, Mon-Sat (5pm-1am). Halal. Indulge in a variety of authentic Spanish food in a comfortable and romantic environment. There is a wide selection of wines from Spain and all over the world. Salsa dance performances are on every Friday night.

MALAYAN AROMAS, Concourse Area, Ground Floor, City Square Centre, Jalan Tun Razak, KL (Tel: 03-2161 5094). Business Hrs: Daily (8am-10pm). Serves a good variety of quality local coffees especially blends with palm sugar. There is also an impressive selection of Malaysian favourites like Roti Malaya as well as Western and Italian dishes.

JOGOYA, T3, Relish Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2142 1268). Business Hrs: Daily (11am-2am). A Taiwanese chain specialising in brunch, lunch, dinner and supper buffets, priced at RM68++, RM78++ and RM88++ with a wide spread of seafood, Japanese, Western, Chinese and Indian dishes.

MUNAKATA JAPANESE RESTAU-RANT, Mezzanine Floor, Life Centre, 20, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL (Tel: 03-2166 7441). Business Hrs: Daily, lunch (12.30-2.30pm); dinner (6.30pm-11pm). Pork-free. Serves authentic and premium sushi, teppanyaki, a la carte and seasonal dishes. Set lunch and dinner also available.

BASIL LEAF RESTAURANT, 35 Jalan Damai, off Jalan Tun Razak, KL (Tel: 03-2166 1689). Business Hrs: Tues-Sun, lunch (noon-2.30pm); dinner (6.30pm-10.30pm). Relax while you eat here, enjoying Thai and Indo-Chinese cuisine. Bungalow is divided into six sections, separately themed for value-added dining experience.

PANDAN LEAF RESTAURANT, Lot S28, 2nd Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama Damansara, PJ (Tel: 03-7728 6078). Business Hrs: Daily (10am-10pm). Halal. Penang Nyonya fare using specially prepared spices.

THE SHIP, JALAN SULTAN ISMAIL, 40-1 & 40-2 Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL (Tel: 03-2141 8805) Business Hrs: Sun-Thurs (noon to midnight). Still a hit among locals and foreigners. Serves escargots, Chinatown Shark’s Fin with Crabmeat, steaks in 18 different styles. Wait staff dress according to rank like sailors on a ship.

TONY ROMA’S, LL1.43, Lower Level One, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, PJ (Tel: 03-7492 1188). Business Hrs: Daily (11am-10pm). The people at Tony Roma’s are passionate about their food, adhering to standards set by the Orlando training centre. Expect hefty portions and enjoy the selection of margaritas, wines, martinis and liqueur coffees.

RESTORAN PIZZA UNO, 18 Jalan Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Puchong. (Tel: 03-8062 2530). Business Hrs: Mon-Fri, lunch (noon to 4pm); dinner (6-11pm). Sat & Sun (noon to 11.30pm). This new outlet sports a cosy contemporary atmosphere for tapas and wines besides serving a wide range of pizzas, pastas and desserts.

VANSH, Lot 9, LGF, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2142 6162). Business Hrs: Daily (noon-1am). Pork-free. Run by the award-winning Rang Mahal outfit of Singapore. Highlights regional Indian favourites. Focuses on tawa and tandoori delicacies served in bite-sized portions.

RESTORAN KOTTARAM, F102 & 103, Block F, Phileo Damansara 1, 9 Jalan 16/11, PJ (Tel: 03-7955 1077). Business Hrs: Daily (9.30am-10.30pm). Halal. Heralds Kerala culture and cuisine, served according to royal fine dining protocol. The outlet is divided into five sections with individual purposes. One of its bestsellers is the Kottaram Briyani.

FUSION

GONBEI, T2, Relish Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL (Tel: 03-2782 3801). Business Hrs: Daily (noon-1am). Halal. Uniquely Japanese, food, design and ambience-wise. It has a sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, robatayaki and tempura display cooking islands. Reputed to have the biggest collection of premium sake.

Fish Head Beehoon Worth The Search

Food Trail
By SAM CHEONG


BEFORE I kick off this week’s find, I would like to apologise for a small error in my story on the Wah Cheong coffee shop in Section 17 Petaling Jaya.

In the story, I mentioned ‘condensed’ milk as a main ingredient in the gravy of the yee thau mai (fish-head beehoon). The correct item for this should be ‘evaporated milk’.


Unique: Fish head noodles with evaporated milk.

Soo Ewe Jin, one of my bosses, pointed this out. “Eh Sam ah! I follow your trail lah and when I read about the yee thau mai, you mentioned condensed milk, my wife and I had a good laugh,” he said.

All right, I hope that clarified things a little bit, and while we are on the subject of yee thau mai, Peter Hoe, my colleague had got back to me on the much talked about makan place in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur.

But before I proceed, I would like to give a shout out to blogger pegasus (http://pegasuskl.wordpress.com) who emailed me about the same makan place.

After checking out this blogger’s awesome site, I would say that the bual bual kosong blog is one of the most interesting food blogs I’ve ever come across.

Okay, back to Peter Hoe - my buddy came up to me and told me that he couldn’t handle the 15 seconds of fame and that he had received plenty of phone calls to get directions to the said place in Taman Desa.

“Aiyah Sam! My phone didn’t stop ringing lah. What have you done?”, he said. Well, Hoe had certainly felt the pressure and invited me to join him for a quick fix at the yee thau mai joint.

“Meet me at the lobby and we go for a fast one!,” he said with a slap on my shoulder. Hoe and I go back a long way since The Star was based at Section 13 in Petaling Jaya.

After hearing his stories on travel and adventure back in the early 90s, I jumped at the chance to grab a fast lunch with this living legend.

Our drive from Menara Star in Section 16 took about 15 minutes. We ended up at one corner in Taman Desa and to me, this is an entirely obscure landscape.


The search ends here: Woo Pin fish head noodles in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, deserves a repeat visit.

The place in question was Woo Pin fish head noodles. But if you are a first-timer here, you will never find the place because their name was not printed on a signboard.

Instead, the outlet is situated in a steamboat restaurant at a corner lot in the first row of shoplots at Jalan 2 109F. A surefire tell-tale sign here is the crowd. The shop opens from 7.20am to 2.30pm and that’s all they need to bring in the day’s earnings.

Well, believe it or not, we thought we got there early but by noon, the place was already crowded and people just kept coming.

“Ah, here, you can order the clear soup without evaporated milk. I like it even better with some fresh fish slices.

“If you want to get the most out of it, you can add the yee wat (fish paste) and yee peen (fish slice). I like my yee thau mai in its clear broth,” explained Hoe.

Well, for starters, a bowl of fish head beehoon costs RM6.50. I was quick on the draw when a Myanmar worker handed out the bill.

It was an honour for me to eat with sifu Hoe and indeed a pleasure to savour Taman Desa’s most electrifying yee thau mai.

So, how did this place fare? On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate it at 6.5. Pricing wise, this makan place charges slightly higher than most of the stalls I had visited.

On taste, I would say that the gravy (mine came with evaporated milk) was not as creamy as I had anticipated, nevertheless, its smooth flavour made up for the shortcoming.

For ingredients, you can choose to have fresh fish head and slices (order before 11am) or the usual deep fried morsels.

As far as the portion was concerned, Woo Pin is generous enough to pack my bowl of noodles but, too bad the waiter got my order wrong. Well, I guess I’ll have to make a repeat visit to taste other variants of the yee thau mai.

While we were eating, Hoe pointed out that the outlet’s owner, a middle aged Chinese guy, looked rather harassed and was frowning all the time.

Maybe it was the pressure to get orders delivered on time. “Ha, lou sai, hou mah!” (Boss, how are you), Hoe gestured. All I saw, was a frown on the owner’s face. How strange.

His good looks aside, I would say that searching for this yee thau mai place is an adventure by itself. If you have a vehicle-mounted GPS receiver, Woo Pin fish head noodles is located at: Lat 03 05 49, Long 101 41 10.

Before I clock off, I would also like to thank reader Adrian Chong who emailed me and gave me the lowdown on the best yee thau mai in Kuala Lumpur and perhaps in the Klang Valley. Where is this place? Well, tune in to find out in the next: “Samo’s great yee thau mai discovery”.

Vegetarian Fare That Appeals

By YIP YOKE TENG

MOCK meat was created to make vegetarian cuisine appealing and acceptable to more people, especially those who find it difficult to do without meat. It was a good move both ethically and environmentally.

However, as mock meat is usually made of flour with dashes of colouring and flavouring, it does not find favour with the health-conscious. High consumption is certainly not recommended.


Palate teaser: The Golden Dry Curry Abalone Mushroom with Brinjal debunks the myth that vegetarian dishes are bland.

This concern led three partners, who were in the building material industry, to set up Vegipai. Al­­though the vegetarian fare served at the outlet contains no mock meat, it will appeal even to non-vegetarians with its careful selection and generous use of natural ingredients.

The proprietors also wish to promote vegetarian cuisine as an element of modern lifestyle, and to this end, they spent four months researching how this might be achieved.

Thus, the restaurant is designed to cater not just for the lunch and dinner crowd, but also for those who want to chat with friends, surf the Internet or even read a book over a cuppa in a comfortable atmosphere.

The concept starts with the decor. The spacious interior is coloured grey and white, with cushions in cream and pink on the bench and counter to lend a soft touch.

Timber flooring, decorative tree trunks and a flowering frangipani reflect the outlet’s environment-friendly principles.

The combination of colours and materials creates a cosy, creative and contemporary atmosphere.

“We are happy to learn that about 50% of our customers are non-vegetarians,” said Mak Tak Wah, who is one of the partners.

“We hope we can popularise vegetarian cuisine as a healthy alternative (to the normal diet) which will contribute to environmental conservation. It would be a blessing for us if we could do this,” he added.


Creamy and appetising: Whole Grain Mustard Penny has a pleasant tangy, creamy flavour that will leave a lasting impression.

The trio spent much time on finalising the menu, which offers local, Chinese and West­ern delicacies. Apart from brainstorming with two vegetarian chefs, they read extensively on the nutritional properties of various ingredients to create new healthy dishes.

“Seaweed, lemon grass and mushroom, for example, are nutritious and delicious ingredients but they have not been fully explored,” said Cansy Lam, another partner. “In fact, we learnt a lot of new things, too.”

She said more than 90% of the 60-plus dishes on the menu contained no mock meat, flavouring or colouring. Mock meat is used only as the binding agent when it is inevitable, such as wanton stuffing.

The steak and pate are made of soy or mushroom. The Mushroom Steak is a treat with its pleasantly springy texture and subtle natural sweetness, while the burgers are popular among children.

“The restaurant has no religious overtones and the menu has been well received by its customers, regardless of race and religion, Lam said.

The Longevity Pot is a treasure trove of mushrooms, including shiitake, superior, bear’s head, button and enoki, boiled with herbs. It tastes like Bak Kut Teh sans the meatiness.

The Whole Grain Mustard Penny, one of the newest additions, is a good choice for those who like a surprise. Whole grain mustard is a relatively alien ingredient on the local food scene, and it enhances the cabonara sauce significantly. The seeds impart a subtle tang when they burst in the mouth, while bits of celery add crunch to the creamy delight.

Those who prefer more robust flavours will find the likes of Golden Dry Curry Abalone Mush­room with Brinjal a delight.

Done kam heong style, this dish has a heady curry aroma that will tickle your taste buds, but even more impressive, the abalone mushroom has a taste and texture very similar to meat with a bit of fat – crunchy on the outside and tender inside.


Concentration of flavours: A hearty bowl of Nyonya Laksa prepared with generous use of natural ingredients.

According to Lam, this effect can only be achieved with precise control of heat and timing during the frying process.

Another recommended item for those with a preference for strong flavours is the Nyonya Laksa, with its generous use of lemon grass and torch ginger flower (bunga kantan), among others.

The restaurant does not neglect seasoned vegetarians, who can choose from a good range of dishes with clean and light flavours.

Health drinks and sweet soups are available to complement the array of food.

The restaurant will soon introduce its pastry selection to enhance its appeal as a lifestyle vegetarian cafe.

VEGEPAI, 37A, Jalan Desa Bakti, Taman Desa, Off Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-7982 8184). Business hours: 11am to 10pm, daily.

Tasty Roast Pork In Salak South Garden

FOOD TRAIL
By SAM CHEONG


WHAT made me go back to Salak South Garden? Well, one reason being the decades-old coffee shops and stalls offering good food.

The other was a special invitation from my makan kaki that I couldn’t refuse.


Two decades and still going strong: Tian Hong coffee shop has the best char siew in the entire neighbourhood.

The eating pal in question was Lawrence Leong who runs a business in the area and the man had been giving me plenty of feedback on the good eateries in Salak South Garden – particularly two coffee shops offering roast duck and char siew in Jalan Hang Tuah 2 and Jalan Tuanku 2.

For starters, I checked out ‘Chicky and Ducky’ roaster that offers ‘siew ngap thui fan’ (roasted duck thigh rice). The stall is located at the Tim Won coffee shop and is owned by a couple.

One of the guys known as Ah Kit said the roasted pork and duck were the speciality and recommended the duck thigh cooked using the family recipe : a special brown sauce.

At RM7.50 per plate, I would say that the taste and flavour of the roasted meat was acceptable. My buddy Leong said the best part of the duck was the neck.

”Wah! You serious ah?” I asked.

“Well, you see, roasted duck connoisseurs in Hong Kong would take it with its fat removed. So, it’s the skin that is crunchy and sweet tasting,” he explained.

For me, the fattest part of this particular bird is the neck and it’s the duck thigh or breast that are the choice morsels when it comes to savouring roasted duck.

”Eh, keep it light ah! We are going to check out another joint,” said Leong. I spoke to one of the stall owners at the coffee shop who mistook me for a civil servant.


Tasty offering: Tong San’s stir-fried prawn noodles.

So, in order not to blow my cover, I told the trader that I was a field researcher for the Inter-national Society for Siew Ngap Studies (ISSNS) and was at the eatery on a census-taking mission.

”Wah! Like that also can ah?” said the confused stall owner. I told him that I made up the ISSNS story and got a slap on my shoulder as a friendly gesture from the man.

From roast duck, the trail continued to Jalan Tuanku 2, which is about a five minutes’ walk from Tim Won coffee shop. Leong pointed out a double-storey shop lot with a crowd queuing outside its premises.

It was noon and people were already packing the eatery. Now, this felt as if I was transported into another world. I could see roast chicken, siew yuk and char siew hung on a rack with workers busy chopping away roast meat and scooping rice for their customers.

Here, we made our way to a small table at the rear section of the shop. I observed the interior, which reminded me of shop lots built in the early 70s.


A decent fare: Duck thigh rice at Tim Won coffee shop.

”Ah, Chinese coffee shops are not interested in ambience and decor lah. It’s the quality of their food that matters,” Leong elaborated.

The place was a real dump and the sour expression of the lady running the show said a lot about her PR skills but this didn’t deter customers from crowding the restaurant.

Service here was prompt as our char siew rice arrived minutes after we placed an order. And I must say that the Tian Hong coffee shop has the best roast pork in the entire neighbourhood.

Their quality could rival that of Yoke Woo Hin and Overseas restaurant. At RM8 a plate, the owners of this coffee shop meant serious business. Good food don’t come cheap and if it is cheap, doesn’t mean it would be good.

Our second pit stop in the Salak South Garden food marathon proved to be a satisfying experience.

I asked the lady owner about the coffee shop’s background and she told me that she has been working there since her mid-20s.

”Aiyah! Now ah, I am already 60 years old lah. So, you can imagine how long we have been here,” she said with a laughter.

Well, just when I thought I was all ready to pack up and head back to the office, my eating pal told me it was not end of the journey yet.

As a matter of fact, Leong was just getting warmed up. We took a break at Nelson’s char koay teow stall where we were offered free top-up for our sugar cane juice.

There, Leong pointed out that there were several more good food outlets, but since the offering was similar in nature, he picked the best of the lot.

After a good 20-minute break, we proceeded to Tong San restaurant, a family owned food business that has been in the game for nearly three decades.


Inviting: At RM8 per plate, Tian Hong’s char siew rice mean serious business for roast pork lovers.

Here, the house dishes are fried prawn noodles and their fried rice. At RM48 a plate for the prawn noodles, the shop is perpetually packed during lunch hour.

To get a taste of at least six dishes, Leong called for reinforcement. His friends arrived 30 minutes later to fill the dining table.

And as previously indicated, we had ‘sang har meen’ (prawn noodles) and other noodle dishes.

The orders arrived promptly and I went on to savour the different variety of noodles.

For me, the prawn noodles fell short of my expectation. But the saving grace was Tong San’s fried rice. Now, this came as a big surprise because it was tasty and laden with choice ingredients like fish cake, fried anchovies and prawns.

The average price for a dish here is from RM5 to RM50. So, you have to make your choices carefully.

That said, my eating marathon ended with some yow char kuai (Chinese crullers) from Leong’s favourite stall at Jalan Hang Tuah.

Since there’s hardly any public transport to this part of Kuala Lumpur, I would suggest car-pooling.

To get there, you can use the New Pantai Expressway or the Besraya Highway.

Now, if you have a cell phone that is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator, key in the following coordinates: Tian Hong coffee shop - N 03 05” 025’, E 101 41” 773’ and Tong San restaurant - N 03 05’ 017”, E 101 41” 764’.

You can also use the GPS coordinates with Google Earth to find a Geographic Information System interfaced map of the locations provided.

So, have a good makan and happy hunting!

Hawker Food To Make My Day

FOOD TRAIL WITH SAM CHEONG

When it comes to good and cheap food, Salak South Garden is a place that is begging to be discovered. I found out about this place from my friend Lawrence Leong, who owns a small business there.


Hard at work: Nelson at the wok.

But prior to my visit, the namesake was a place that gave me the impression that it was far and away. This stigma had remained in my head since my secondary school days when a schoolmate had told me that he lived in Salak South.

Each time he mentioned the place, my reaction was: “Wah! So far ah?” That was back in the 80s when the road transportation link was not as good as it is today.

Now, this idyllic residential area is like a worn-out human heart – full of inner and outer ring roads bypassing its surroundings.

To get there alone, you will need good navigational skills. I'll get to that part later. So, what is good here? Well, there are many thing; let me start with two makan places in a specific area within this suburban setting.


Cheap and good: Nelson's 'masterpiece' char koay teow is priced at RM3.50 per plate.

Okay, first – there is Fatty Mok's Hakka Yong Tau Foo shop off Jalan Hang Tuah 1. According to my friend Leong, this eatery is well known for its curry laksa, yong tau foo (stuffed tofu and vegetables) and chicken soup noodles.

So, with that in mind, I made the necessary arrangement to catch up with my makan-kaki (food buddy) at his office.

But, I was not so lucky because there was a production hiccup in his daily schedule. “Sam ah! Eh, you carry on lah, mention my name to the shop and they'll know what to do. I cannot join you lah, sorry ah!” he apologised.

With or without Leong, I was determined to check out Fatty Mok's curry laksa, so when I got there after parking my car at the road kerb, I wasted no time in telling a Myanmar worker there what I wanted.

Service was prompt and as my bowl of noodles was delivered, I went snapping away with my pocket camera. While I was at it, the diners around me watched my actions closely.

I caught wind of two guys behind me having a conversation on a lone diner having his laksa and snapping away with a camera.


Good laksa dish: Fatty Mok's curry laksa.

“Eh, mutt yeh yan ah?” (in Cantonese: who is this guy?) one of the patrons asked. It felt intrusive, but a man has to do what he has to do when it comes to getting the job done.

Now, Fatty Mok's curry laksa, in my humble opinion, fulfilled my criteria for a good laksa dish. Why? The gravy is creamy and tasty, there are enough cockles for you to lose count, plenty of taugeh (bean sprouts), fresh tau foo pok (fried bean curd) and – best of all – enough char chee phei (deep-fried pig's skin).

A small bowl costs about RM4 and my complete meal cost only RM5 with a chilled glass of soya bean milk thrown in. Besides curried noodles, the shop is also known for its ching thong meen (soup noodles).

I would recommend this if you want something less spicy and well, having tasted it in an earlier session, I would say that the soup noodles are as good as the laksa offered by the shop.

Moving on, there is another stall located nearby which came highly recommended by Leong. And, his instruction was simple: “Go across fei loh Mok's and look out for the chap fan stall.”

He was referring to Nelson's Char Koay Teow and to the untrained eye, it is not easy to locate this stall. Which was why I brought my hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to lock-in the coordinates of the fried noodles stall.

Anyway, I made my way to the stall and the first thing I noticed was a hidden signboard that read: “Nelson's Char Koay Teow, open 8am–4pm, closed on Sundays.”

My immediate reaction was: “Yat teep kuai teow meen, tor-tor ngar choy” (a plate of koay teow and mee with plenty of bean sprouts).

Dumbfounded, the stall owner paused for a moment and then he went to work right away when the order was made. I watched as Nelson, the stall's operator, started stirring and clanging away at his wok.

It took less than five minutes for the noodles to be served on a plate lined with a piece of banana leaf. And, what I noticed was the hallmark of good fried noodles.

My father, who used to run a Hokkien mee stall at Lorong Bunus, off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, had taught me the finer points of identifying a well-done dish.

He said the noodles should not be too flat; it must have body and flavour and it should not be soggy or over-fried. What I saw at Nelson's was a masterpiece.

The char koay teow was tasty and rich in flavour. There was a generous serving of cockles to go with it and to nail it in the head - plenty of chee yau char (pork rind) was added.

And, at a price of RM3.50, it was unbeatable. The extra plate of noodles on top of my curry laksa at Fatty Mok's made my day. Soon, I would join my colleague Stuart Michael in his Beginner's column as a prime candidate for weight loss and management. By the way, I congratulate Michael for raising funds to support a charity home.

Okay, back to Salak South Garden. To get there, take a drive on the New Pantai Expressway, take the right exit to Jalan Kuchai Lama and when you approach the Ajinomoto junction, turn left and head straight for about 800 metres.

Once you get to a traffic light junction, turn left and take the left exit towards a hill slope and you are there. For those who navigate with their automobile GPS receivers, key in the following coordinates: Longtitude: N 03 05” 062', Latitude E 101 41” 687' and your navigator will do the rest to get you there. Good luck and happy hunting!