food

Nostalgic KL food spots you must visit before they disappear

BY HUNGRYGOWHERE
September 23, 2015

Give your teeth a break as you gulp this meal down. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.Through thick and thin, these food spots in KL have endured the test of time. Pay them a visit and tuck into their delicacies before we risk losing them one day.

Here is HungryGoWhere’s list to add to your bucket list.

Loa Yau Kee & Soong Kee Beef Noodles

For more than 40 years, Loa Yau Kee (loosely translated as "good buddy" in Cantonese) has shacked up right outside Soong Kee Beef Noodles on the intersection of Jalan Tun H.S. Lee and Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin in a symbiotic partnership; think macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or even Batman and Robin.

Order up a bowl of their famous silky smooth porridge and dine within the air-conditioned comforts of Soong Kee's premises or enjoy the al fresco experience replete with roaring KL buses and their diesel fumes.

What tickles our fancy here? For one, the pork-mix porridge, of course! A plain bowl of hearty white porridge from Loa Yau Kee is souped up with the addition of juicy pork balls, fresh offals and miscellaneous “spare parts” for a splendid porcine experience. And if you enjoy sashimi, try their crowd-favourite sashimi porridge.

Loa Yau Kee & Soong Kee Beef Noodles: a pair of unexpected friends. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.If beef is your poison, then take your seat inside Soong Kee instead. Much has changed over the years – brighter, cleaner premises with better ventilation (air-conditioning was not available back in the 1980s), larger nightly crowds and not to mention the increase in prices.

It’s time to 'meat' your maker, a really good bowl of beef noodles. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.A small bowl of their famous beef noodles consisting of minced meat and beef balls now costs RM6 (RM7 for large) and up to RM10 for a big bowl with extra beef balls and tripe. Nonetheless, the nostalgic taste of their noodles remains largely the same – silky smooth noodles with a large dollop of minced meat and a slither of green vegetables. Soong Kee still adopts an old-school approach and closes for trading on Sunday and public holidays.

Well, the air-conditioning unit is pretty new. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.

Valentine Roti

"Best Roti Canai" is Valentine Roti's tagline, but we could easily settle for "Fluffy since 1975" too. Situated on Jalan Semarak, it is not difficult to miss this nondescript set-up due to its barebones zinc and metal structure coupled with the busy traffic conditions. Just look out for Wisma Celcom and they're right across the road with their bright yellow signboard. If you're curious about the origin of the name Valentine Roti, Elango the owner named it after his son, who is now running the business.

Where you can start a love affair with fluffy rotis. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.Most patrons visit Valentine Roti for supper, and their roti kosong (complemented by a cup of frothy teh tarik) is the perfect hunger-buster. Crispy, soft, and fluffy, this delightful paper-thin roti might end up being the bane of your evening if you don’t control yourself!

You don’t call, you don’t bring flowers anymore. You’re lucky you’re delicious or we wouldn’t keep coming back. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.

Shakti Chelo Apam Stall

Vegetarian offerings abound at Shakti Chelo's apam stall located behind Lucky Garden's famous TMC. This stall has nonetheless moved houses several times throughout its 30 years of existence. The proprietress may not be the warmest or friendliest person around, but rest assured you'll be tucking into an amazing spread of teatime delights best had with a frothy cup of teh tarik.

This may have been the only shot to avoid the annoyed glare of a busy food handler. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.While there are three different types of apam on offer – plain apam, sweet apam, and brown sugar apam – don't miss out on the rest of Shakti Chelo's absolutely delicious Indian kuihs such as vadai, kesari, and curry puff. Who said great value can't be found in Bangsar?

Maybe all their sweet goo-eyness got used up in their delicious apam. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.

Sup Haji Abu Bakar

Asian Heritage Row has come and gone, but Sup Haji Abu Bakar remains! On the opposite end of Jalan Doraisamy away from where Sheraton Imperial Hotel is located, you'll find one of KL's best soup stalls set up on the sidewalk that's open from dusk until the wee hours of the morning.

First to the party, last to leave. – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.With more than 10 different varieties of soup available, you're bound to find one to suit your taste ranging from plain chicken soup to the international soup variety with a generous mix of "spare parts" littered across your heavily spiced bowl of soup.

It’s not whisky, but it’ll put some hair on your chest! – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.If you prefer offbeat specialties, you might order a sup lidah lembu (cow's tongue soup), sup lidah kambing (goat's tongue soup) or even an advance order of sup torpedo (bull penis soup).

You should never drink on an empty stomach, so don’t hold back here! – HungryGoWhere pic, September 23, 2015.Ask the friendly waiter for a plate of plain white Hainanese bread (or a packet of nasi lemak) to soak up the glorious soup and you're good to go.

Get all 10 nostalgic KL food spots here before they disappear! What is it about some food that you feel compelled to share with friends, family and future generations? Maybe check out some old school KL bakeries while you’re at it, and more old school favourites by Alice Yong. – September 23, 2015.

Where else can you find the hidden gems, the golden oldies? See where and what others are eating, download our new HungryGoWhere app which shows you what places are around your current location up to a radius of 5km! Or you can just look up any location, and see what's popular among fellow foodies. Disliked your service? Leave a quick and easy review so the owner can fix it or warn other diners too! Now available on iTunes and Google Play.