Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has handpicked some of Malaysia’s best street food vendors to come and set up a satellite outlet at the Malaysian Food Street hall. In theory, it’s a marvellous idea, as we don’t have to travel to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Penang for the dishes that we love there. But how close will the food be to the original?

We took some Malaysians and people familiar with Malaysian food to check out the dishes: Eunice of Travelerfolio.com is married to a Malaysian and often visits in-laws in Penang, where she gets to try all kinds of street food. Mui Yee of Temporary-Local.com is a Malaysian who has travelled (and eaten) extensively throughout the country. And fellow Malaysian Philip of Keropokman.com has intimate knowledge of KL eats after having worked a few years there.

1. Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice (S$7 with salted fish)

In addition to using a charcoal stove, Huen Kee piles on hot charcoal on top of the lid of the claypot to make it cook on both sides. There is a plastic sign advising a wait time of 45 minutes for preparation, but the stallholder passed me a claypot within three minutes. It was off-peak hours (about 3.30pm), but three minutes is hardly enough time to warm up an existing claypot. We were right. The rice was not quite hot and piping, but it was less greasy than when I tried it at the opening.

“The chicken is well-marinated, but it lacks the crisping from a hot claypot,” says Eunice. “It tasted like braised chicken to me.” The salted fish was a little too chunky and sparse, so the saltiness was uneven throughout the rice. On the whole, this was a little disappointing. However, Philip added that it has more fragrance and burnt bits during peak lunch hours, when he had to wait 35 minutes for the claypot to be cooked.

2. Penang Lim Brothers’ Char Koay Teow (S$5 with egg)

This is actually quite tasty, with just enough spicy kick. But it sure seems like a healthier version. Right off the bat, Eunice comments, “It’s missing the crispy pork lard! In Penang, they scatter it so liberally! And these noodles are much drier too. Penang char kway teow is usually very oily.”

Also, you don’t normally get such large ‘crystal prawns’ from Penang hawkers. They have to sell the dish for a mere RM3-4, so they use smaller prawns, which they don’t treat to get the ‘crystal’ effect. “The RWS portion is bigger than what you get in Penang, just that it’s not as fragrant,” Philip notes. Ah, grease and pork lard, you make all the difference.

3. Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee (S$6 with pork ribs)

Possibly our favourite of the lot, the prawn mee soup comes with an incredibly rich broth with generous chunks of pork ribs. “This is quite similar to what you get in Penang,” Eunice says. However, the use of restaurant-style crystal prawns makes it a little less hawker-like. But perhaps some will view the large, deshelled prawns as convenient and better value for money.

4. Malacca Chicken Rice Ball (S$4 for single portion)

The rice balls were odd. “Malacca chicken rice balls are not this mashed up and mushy. It should be more like onigiri, where the grains are still separate, and you can even break up the ball to form your normal plate of rice,” says Mui Yee. These rice balls also seemed to be lopped off a cylindrical tube, and had a thin, hardened crust. The saving grace was the chicken. If you can get past the garish turmeric-stained skin, the meat is tender and gravy tasty.

5. Penang Hai Beng Hainan Lor Me (S$6 per bowl)

A giant bowl of goopy starch. “This is more goopy than the starchy kind of shark’s fin soup or hot and sour soup,” says Mui Yee. Is this really the original purveyor of lor mee in Penang? Well, maybe the first isn’t the best. “We’ve got much better lor mee elsewhere in Malaysia and even Singapore,” says Eunice. Save your six dollars.

6. Chendol (S$2.50)

The green jelly (chendol) certainly is closer to the Malaysian or original variant. “It isn’t flourescent or neon green,” says Philip, referring to the tasteless abomination that’s invaded Singapore. In Malaysia, the traditional stuff is more greenish gray and even the coconut milk is a bit salty. Pity they have to use packet coconut milk here instead of freshly squeezed, but they sure are generous with gula melaka – it’s almost too much!

7. Ice Kachang (S$2.50)

Oh my, Sarsi syrup! I haven’t seen that here in a long while. Together with rose syrup and evaporated milk, this is a blast from the past. It’s also not too sweet, unlike the chendol.

8. Fung Wong Confectionery

This famous bakery in KL has fantastic egg tarts, and the ones here are not bad at all. The crust seems a little thicker today though. They also have chicken pie (extreme left), baked char siew bun (bottom centre), and kaya puff (right). All of which are moist and tasty, but very filling.

But wait, where is the famous Jalan Alor Fried Hokkien Mee which draws long snaking queues? Unfortunately it was closed (Wednesdays), as was the Penang Ah Long Lor Bak. Looks like the stalls take turns to close on various days.

In summary, apart from a couple of duds, the food here is actually not bad, if you take the Malaysian Food Street for what it is – a themed food court. For truly authentic food, of course nothing beats the real deal in Malaysia, where the food isn’t regulated by NEA and there are no HPB guidelines to follow. Still, it’s nice to know where you can find a nice meal for just S$4-6 at RWS.