More of KL's Chinatown

I love to visit Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. Every visit to KL is never complete without going to Jalan Petaling and the surrounding streets to savour the wonderful food and great atmosphere there.

In the day time from early morning to early afternoon, you can find the wet market selling vegetables, poultry, seafood and groceries.

And of course there are also plenty of food stalls selling anything from wanton noodles to chee cheong fun to fish and chicken congee and so on. Through recommendations from a friend, I found 2 stalls which deserve special mention. One is the curry laksa noodles and the other is the Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo. 

 

The curry laksa gravy was alittle salty but the ingredients including fried pig skin, egg plant, long beans and cockles makes the dish very palatable. In fact, curry laksa is so popular that there are a total of 3 stalls side-by-side selling the same. I was told, the one in the middle is the best.

 

The Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo is really something else. The fresh ingredients arrive every morning at the stall around 10.30am, so don't go there too early. The last time I was there before 10am, and the stall was not open yet. Once the stall opens, the crowd would rush to select the pieces of stuffed lady's fingers, beancurd skin, chilli, taupok, egg plant, fishballs etc. Join in or you will be left waiting for a long time. You cannot be shy about it.

I am really glad I made an effort to try the food from this stall. It is one of the best yong tau foo I have ever eaten. The fishball is crunchy, and the tauhu is soft and smooth. I strongly recommend that if you are ever at Jalan Petaling in the morning, find this stall and try it. A must try! The stall is located inside the Jalan Hang Lekir wet market near the Jalan Sultan end.

 

There is also a street market selling second-hand stuff, something like a "thieves market" along one of the backlanes. You can find almost anything there, from old electrical goods to mobile phones to sarong cloth to antiques etc. But you need to be there early, they start from around 8.30am and will disperse once the sun shines into the lane (around 10am).

Another of my favourites is the Kiew Brothers barbecue meat shop near the junction of Jalan Hang Lekir and Jalan Sultan. Before I return from my trips to KL, I must visit this shop and buy our family's favourite snacks.

Bak Kwa or barbecue pork is not only cheaper in KL, but I find the texture and taste better than the Singapore version. And although the pieces of pork slices are thicker, the meat is tender and less chewy. Furthermore, you can choose whether you like the meat minced or not. There are also different types of meat including chicken, beef, duck and prawn. You can also get pork floss, fish floss, prawn floss there.

 

When you return to Jalan Petaling in the late afternoon and early evening, you would find that it has transformed into a night market or pasar malam, selling watches, clothes, shoes, bags, pirated DVDs, sun shades and lots of other foods such as roasted chestnuts and seasonal fruits.

In fact, KL's Chinatown is full of buzz any time of the day and night. And you cannot claim to have seen the sights and sound of Kuala Lumpur, if you have never been to KL's Chinatown.