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The Difference with KL Chinatown |
I was just reading a train of online conversation by some very impassionate foodies about the great food battle between Malaysia and Singapore on our Makansutra website and as usual, the twain will never meet. But the discourse on it makes for colourful fodder. I have mentioned before that while there are some dishes up north that will always stay in a league of its own, like their dark sauced wanton mee and their great “tai chow” or cze cha culture, some, like our peppery Teochew bak kut teh and Nonya cuisine (many Peranakan restaurants in Malaysia refrain from using pork because of their large Muslim population), are better loved down south here. I’ll share, in my own experience, why the culinary experience in Malaysia cannot be measured by the same yardstick. Even having that somewhat similar platter of economic rice (chap chye rice- most are self-serve stalls- you pick what you want and in the amount you desire, and get charged accordingly at the end of the line- great utility of manpower resources). To begin, eating in another country is a totally different experience. I won’t disagree if you claim that the food is better there nor will I disagree if it was said to be lousier. It is just a point of view and if you’ve enjoyed their food culture many times before, you realise that the main lure is about the enjoyment, not the comparison. If you are planning a trip to Kuala Lumpur for a weekend of food, fun and shopping (like I just did two weeks ago) and plan to hang out at the Bukit Bintang area like many Singaporeans do, then explore a little and go beyond the Jalan Alor perimeters. A little walk down Jalan Pudu at the tip of Bukit Bintang will lead you to the edge of their Chinatown at Jalan Petaling. In my numerous trips there, and although the food looks deceiving similar to what we have here, I have never compared them. How, when the place is different (the whole permanent pasar malam makan culture there is now history in Singapore), the pace is slower, the organised chaos is attractive and the incessant chatter of Cantonese fills the air, as it’s the de-facto street lingo there. I almost never fail to dig into a meal at these following spots there. 1. Koon Kee Wanton Mee
Blink and you’ll miss this inconspicuous shop hidden behind a mee chang kueh push cart amidst the hustle and rush of this Chinatown. It’s a little run down and has no more than 8 tables which don’t match. But each plate of their wanton mee is distinctly consistent with a fragrant hint of sesame oil in their very crunchy, loose yet soft noodles. The char siew is well roasted and dark but a tad hard, but it’s best to have it with their smooth oyster sauce chicken. 2. Ayer Mata Kuching They brew this dried longan drink with luohan guo (Arhan fruit) and it comes gently sweet, cold and very inviting. There are no seating and you simply down that whole cup standing, much like how you would in front of our fridge. 3. Madras Lane Yong Tau
Foo You’ll have to bear with this wet, dank and narrow back-lane wet market (if you’ve had lived through the Chinatown markets of the 70s in Singapore, no worries) for about 80 metres before arriving at this stall that offers only about 10 items. The signature is definitely the fried and then stewed tofus, which come very soft with a firm skin and has that homemade texture and taste. They fry them just beside the table full of their ingredients and it’s very enticing. Just order everything plus two pieces of the tofu and devour slowly. 4. Sze Ngan Chye Roast Duck
You can spot this roast duck cart with all their plastic bags (with stall name) hanging by the street side and flapping in the breeze. Sze Ngan Chye (four eyed fellow) used to wear glasses and is hard of hearing. Now with an advanced lazik treatment, he’s spritely and has ditched the thick frames. He does nothing but stand there and chop up to forty ducks every day. He also touts a rare web and liver dumpling- stewed duck liver and a web wrapped with duck intestine. Dabao a duck and wash it down with cold beer on the go and you’ll know why the whole Chinatown experience is different here. |
