7 Best Street Food Secrets The Locals Are Keeping All To Themselves
We reveal the shops the locals don't want you to know about.
Published for Tiger Malaysia, 28 Aug 2015, 12:21 PM
We love food so much that we'd drive hours to famous stalls, lining up for hours, all for a tasty plate of char kway teow in a packed coffeeshop
But this post isn't about these famous stalls. This time, we take a look at some of the local's personal favourites. Here are a few of them:
WARNING: This is the ULTIMATE STREET FOOD EXPERIENCE the locals are keeping to themselves.
1. Nancy's Kitchen, Malacca. Malacca is home to some of the best Nyonya food and what better way to start at Nancy's Kitchen!
Nancy’s Kitchen has long been the number one place to go for good Nyonya food in Jonker Walk, and it isn’t hard to see why. Its atmosphere isn’t at all pretentious – it’s like stepping into a friendly neighbour’s dining room for some delicious food, and dishes come piping hot from the kitchen. Try out their sek bak (braised pork) and sambal sotong petai (sambal squid with bitter beans) with white rice for the ultimate finger-licking experience. A note though; Nancy’s Kitchen is not a Halal eatery.
malacca.ws
Address:
Jalan Hang Lekir off Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Malacca.
2. Chelo Appam, Bangsar. Bangsar is the home for good Indian food. But behind the corner of Devi's and Nirwana lies Chelo Appam, a stall with one of the best appam one could ever sink their mouth into.
This humble 26-year-old stall in Bangsar churns out appam so yummy you’ll wonder why it's not on top of the list for weekend brunch time. You can either opt for plain appam with coconut milk, or go weak for the brown sugar variety. The generous coconut milk and brown sugar are applied onto appam batter and swirled in a pan so the edges remain fluffy while the sides are brittle. This is then topped off with sugar chunks, so that every bite comes with a hint of caramel-coconut deliciousness.
Address:
Chelo Appam, Lorong Ara Kiri 3,
Lucky Garden, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
3. Tiger Char Kway Teow, Penang. Yes, there's the Twin Sisters and Ah Leng char kway teow but this stall at Carnavan street has its own loyal following.
Along the ubiquitous food street- Carnavon Street, there is this infamous Char Koay Teow stall- Tiger Char Koay Teow, named after the owner "Ah Hor/ Tiger in Hokkien". It can be found in a coffee shop known as Ping Hooi Coffee Shop, sitting at the junction to Carnavon Street and Lebuh Melayu. The place will be thronged by patrons during weekends, be sure to grab your seat as early as possible or you might end up waiting for hours.
You may go for the usual version of Char Koay Teow but I had mine with Extra Prawns added (Rm 10). Prawn lovers will be weak in the knees, 6 huge, plump and juicy Prawns were topped on the adequately stir fried Koay Teow. The magical mix of Flat Rice Noodles/ Koay Teow that possessed the standard "Wok Hei"; airy and fluffy texture for the Egg as well as refreshing crunch of Chives and Sprouts, how wrong can the dish be?
Where:
Ping Hooi Coffee Shop, Carnarvon Street, 10300 Penang.
4. Restoran Ka Hoe, Johor Bahru. This kueh chap stall has already been operating for 40 years! Though lots of visitors may be flocking to the one in Stulang, lots of locals prefer the broth at Ka Hoe.
This 40 year old kway teow kia stall is known to locals as 榕树下粿条仔, named after a big tree which once stood near Plaza Pelangi. The big tree was long gone but 榕树下粿条仔 is still going strong, and so are it's legion of loyal fans.
Ordering protocol is simple. Just go to the stall and tell the lady boss the innards that you want. If you are unsure what they are called in Cantonese or Mandarin, just point with your finger as all are displayed at the stall.
The lady boss Mdm Fung will cut up you order quickly and expertly.
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Address:
Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya (near Plaza Pelangi), Johor Bahru.
5. Kedai Kopi Woh Heng, Ipoh. Besides the famous dim sum and chicken rice lies another of Ipoh's hidden secret: dry curry mee.
Ipoh Curried Noodles is a trite different. First the gravy is brown, and not sickeningly rich and heavy, and the accompaniments are just as refreshingly not of the heavy kind. It was just mint leaves and shredded chicken breast with some peeled prawns and of course Ipoh Bean Sprouts. The gravy was richly flavored without being overly powering, and it was not heavy. A squeeze of the lime just gave it an added kick.
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Address: 47, Jalan Mustapha Al-bakri, Taman Jubilee, Ipoh, Perak
6. Flying Wantan Mee Seapark, PJ. This stall in Petaling Jaya lives up to its name. Noodles are tossed high in the air which is believed to improve the noodle's texture. You literally get street flavours infused in the dish.
The noodles are actually tossed high up in the air during preparation which is said could improve the noodles’ texture. Hence they are sometimes referred as the “mee baling baling”, a term coined by a friend. It could just be a marketing gimmick to pull in the customers but you could actually taste the noodles’ difference. The noodles actually feel smoother that makes a slurping sound (this is a roadside eatery, so slurp all you want) but the downside is it is not that springy. The char siew is also delicious, strong in honey flavor and goes well with the noodles but they really stinge on it.
vkeong.comAddress: Jalan 21/22, Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya, Petaling Jaya (North), 46300.
7. Xing Wan Pan Mee, Kota Kinabalu. Sabah may be known for its seafood and local noodles but they have killer pan mee too! The noodles are handmade and the broth is rich and flavourful.
To many local foodies and Chinese youngsters, Xing Wan is a really popular place to go. The broth is really flavorful without being oleaginous, and the noodles are silky and chewy. Starting at RM4.50 for a basic bowl, it is one of the best lunch experiences one can have at that price range.
kkmoi.comAddress:
Ground Floor, Lot 18, Block F, Damai Plaza, Phase 6, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Think you know better stalls than the ones above? Tiger Malaysia is rewarding the ULTIMATE foodie with a trip to Taiwan! How? Find out here.
P.S: Everyone that contributes will be rewarded too! From GoPros to beer vouchers, no one misses out. ;)