Food on Foot: Petaling Street aka Chinatown, KL
Petaling Street, the Malaysian Chinatown, is definitely a place you should visit when in Kuala Lumpur- and i'm pretty sure this bustling place is recommended in travel brochures and websites. I don't normally visit this Street, until lately i realized the food haven it is. Although infamously known for its pirated goods and stalls that put bargaining skills to test, i sometimes enjoy being in the crowd, picking at snacks i find along the way, or simply having my meals at the table on the walkway. Of course, being in crowded areas as such means having to take better care of oneself- keep your belongings close to you at all times.
The central of this Street is sheltered by a green roof, dubbed the 'Green Dragon' so by midday, it wouldn't be too sunny (though the heat plus the crowd can be overwhelming at times) and when it rains, there are some covered grounds. It is rather easy to get to Petaling Street; stop at the Pasar Seni LRT Station and this Street is close by. My recommended time to visit this Street is in the morning to afternoon. Let's begin walking!
Hon Kee Famous Porridge
Famous as its name suggests, this stall has been here for decades and we never misses this whenever we are at Petaling Street, ever since i was a kid. To be honest, i am not a fan of porridge but there is something, that oomph in this stall's, that left me emptying my bowl. May be it's the wet-but-not-watery texture, or the plain-looking-but-flavourful porridge itself, or the tasty pork meatballs. There are different ingredients to choose from or add to the porridge like fish, frog and 'yau char kuai', but i especially like the pork meatballs. It has the right amount of saltiness and a bouncy and chewy texture, complementing well to the porridge base. We usually have an extra plate of 'yau char kuai' to dip them in our porridge, until i like it to soften before devouring them down with the hot porridge. My tongue salivates just thinking of this porridge!
Must try and definitely a hearty breakfast. Price per bowl is RM 4 onwards, depending on the ingredients chosen or added.
Air Mata Kucing
This drink stall is just opposite the Hon Kee Famous Porridge, outside the Hong Leong Bank. Directly translated as Cat Eye drink, this black-coloured, iced Longan drink is surely thirst quenching. Especially on a hot day, a sip of this drink can cool you down.
Kim Soya Bean
Across the junction from the Air Mata Kucing and the Hon Kee Famous Porridge is this equally popular soya bean stall. Here, i particularly like the 'Tau Fu Fa'. It is soft and smooth, that taking it up in my spoon as a full becomes a challenge. Added with white sugar, the sweetness has a fragrance that together, makes this dessert complete.
Ma Chi
Not too far from the Kim Soya Bean is this stall selling Ma Chi, sticky flavoured glutinous rice pieces mixed with peanut and sugar, by an old lady. What attracts me is the variety of flavours offered at the stall. She plays a loud hailer too, promoting her stall, but with all the newspaper cuttings surrounding her stall, i thought she needed no further promotion. However, a box of ma chi costs RM 5, which is rather costly.
The central of this Street is sheltered by a green roof, dubbed the 'Green Dragon' so by midday, it wouldn't be too sunny (though the heat plus the crowd can be overwhelming at times) and when it rains, there are some covered grounds. It is rather easy to get to Petaling Street; stop at the Pasar Seni LRT Station and this Street is close by. My recommended time to visit this Street is in the morning to afternoon. Let's begin walking!
Hon Kee Famous Porridge
Famous as its name suggests, this stall has been here for decades and we never misses this whenever we are at Petaling Street, ever since i was a kid. To be honest, i am not a fan of porridge but there is something, that oomph in this stall's, that left me emptying my bowl. May be it's the wet-but-not-watery texture, or the plain-looking-but-flavourful porridge itself, or the tasty pork meatballs. There are different ingredients to choose from or add to the porridge like fish, frog and 'yau char kuai', but i especially like the pork meatballs. It has the right amount of saltiness and a bouncy and chewy texture, complementing well to the porridge base. We usually have an extra plate of 'yau char kuai' to dip them in our porridge, until i like it to soften before devouring them down with the hot porridge. My tongue salivates just thinking of this porridge!
Porridge takes center stage! Next to it is a plate of Chee Cheong Fun, another local delicacy.
Raw fish ordered as a side to go with the porridge. Not my favourite. Bury it quickly in the porridge and see them turning white.
Must try and definitely a hearty breakfast. Price per bowl is RM 4 onwards, depending on the ingredients chosen or added.
Air Mata Kucing
This drink stall is just opposite the Hon Kee Famous Porridge, outside the Hong Leong Bank. Directly translated as Cat Eye drink, this black-coloured, iced Longan drink is surely thirst quenching. Especially on a hot day, a sip of this drink can cool you down.
Get chilled.
Kim Soya Bean
Across the junction from the Air Mata Kucing and the Hon Kee Famous Porridge is this equally popular soya bean stall. Here, i particularly like the 'Tau Fu Fa'. It is soft and smooth, that taking it up in my spoon as a full becomes a challenge. Added with white sugar, the sweetness has a fragrance that together, makes this dessert complete.
Tau Fu Fa is my choice, but i noticed the soya bean drink is salable too.
This here, is Tau Fu Fa in ginger flavour.
Ma Chi
Not too far from the Kim Soya Bean is this stall selling Ma Chi, sticky flavoured glutinous rice pieces mixed with peanut and sugar, by an old lady. What attracts me is the variety of flavours offered at the stall. She plays a loud hailer too, promoting her stall, but with all the newspaper cuttings surrounding her stall, i thought she needed no further promotion. However, a box of ma chi costs RM 5, which is rather costly.
Dicing the glutinous rice cakes into large bite sized pieces before mixing them up in the 'pan'.
Dig in!
Madras Lane Chee Cheong Fun
Just when you thought you're full eating, you're not. While those may be strategically located at the center of the Street, explore further into one of its lanes and you'll be greeted to more food.
I just learned of this hidden lane and i'm willing to share. More market-feel, less touristy. Care where you sit as if you're not ordering from the stall, you may not sit there.
There may be several Chee Cheong Fun 'rice noodle' around but i like this. Look at the quantity she has behind the cabinet. As i was eating, i saw her only chopping plate after plate of it, ready to go.
Yummy. Comes with a choice of sweet sauce with chilli. The sweet sauce was not too thick and overpowering; just nice to accompany the silky smooth rice noodles. It also had a grainy texture, adding variety on the plate. RM 3 per plate, large.
This lane here is also famous for its curry noodles and yong tau foo. Unfortunately, i was recovering so i avoided the curry and the yong tau foo shop was not opened. Next time, perhaps.
'Food on Foot' is a themed post where you can get to one place and explore on foot for food! There are many stalls yet to be tasted so rightly, this is a growing post.
Last updated: 14 Feb 2015
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