Eating Kuala Lumpur

KL was probably one of the best food cities we’ve visited.  Here are a few highlights:

Hong Ngek

 
This is an old chinese kopitiam (coffee shop) in KL’s Chinatown.  It’s primarily a lunch place, evidenced by the hours (10 am – 7 pm), and that the tables were jammed with locals every time we walked by in the afternoon. 

We ordered 3 dishes: sweet and sour pork, Hokkien Mee and Crab Balls. 

 
The sweet and sour pork was revelatory.  Lightly battered, crisp chunks of pork were tossed in a sauce that was thick and glossy without being even a little bit heavy.  The flavor – and this is going to sound stupid – was a pleasant sweetness immediately followed by a bright, citrusy sourness.  Gillie and I both looked at each other and said “Oh, so this is what sweet and sour is supposed to taste like!" 

 
Hokkien Mee (hokkien=Chinese immigrants that ended up in the Straits, mee=noodle) were a dish of fresh, toothsome egg noodles a little thicker than the thin end of a chopstick.  They were served simply - tossed in a thick, dark soy mixture and topped with chunks of pork, chicken and fish cake.  They were good, if not quite at the same level as the sweet and sour pork. 

 
Finally, the crab balls were a bit of a let down.  Think golf-ball sized crab/chicken/mystery sausages wrapped in tofu skin and deep fried to a crisp golden brown.  Honestly, I think they were just a little too real for either of us.  They had an intensely chinese flavor that I can’t quite put my finger on. We ordered them on account of an internet recommendation, and my sense is that the source had acquired a taste that I have not.

Yut Kee

Another kopitiam, this time one of the more famous restaurants in KL.  The place was hopping at 11:45 on a Friday morning when we stopped by; we snagged the last table, and there looked to be a half hour wait when we finished our meal. 

 
Gillie ordered their kaya toast – kaya being a sweet jam made out of eggs, sugar and coconut milk; it is to Malaysia what Vegemite is to Australia, except less of an acquired taste.  As you can see, Gillie is quite fond of the stuff.

I got an order of belacan (i.e. shrimp paste, a Malaysian staple) fried rice, and we split a roti babi. 

 
The fried rice was phenomenal.  Each grain distinct, the whole thing powerfully flavored, insanely spicy and remarkably ungreasy.  Shreds of sauteed pork gave the dish body, a garnish of crispy shallots lent it a little crunch. 

 
The roti babi was our least favorite; the roll was a limp, and the filling a bit vinegary.  It wasn’t terrible, just not as amazing as the other two dishes.