The Malaysian Food Review

By now most of you would’ve heard the shocking news of the passing of one of television’s most memorable personalities. Yes, the Crocodile Hunter is dead - floored (or should I say, sunk) by a Stingray barb. He’s entertained us, educated us, and made us all sound like idiots when we tried to imitate his catchphrases. So I felt compelled to pay tribute to this great man….. by having stingray for lunch.

This mission took me to Jalan Bellamy, the home of 3 famous Ikan Bakar (Grilled/Barbecued Fish) stalls. Jalan Bellamy is located somewhere behind the Istana Negara.

Ikan Bakar Ramli Yusuf was my stall of choice, as it usually is. I’m not sure why I always pick this stall, but I’m guessing it’s because it’s always the nearest to my parking spot. All 3 are supposed to be good anyway.

For some reason, there weren’t as many people as there usually were. Having caught sight of my delicious prey, I quickly grabbed 2 plates of stingray and made for the table, while my lunch partners brought along catfish (ikan keli), shad (ikan terubuk), and a whole squid (sotong) for company.

I attacked the stingray (ikan pari) immediately. In my opinion, stingray was born for ikan bakar. It’s a beeeyooooootiful fish, scaleless, with soft and chewy flesh, and its skin when burnt is very tasty. Another plus point is that the stingray’s bone is a flat sheet down the middle of the fish, so it’s really easy to separate the flesh from it. Some people even consume the crunchy bone altogether. Crikey!

Ok, no more Steve Irwin catchphrases, I promise.

Next up, the catfish (ikan keli). This delicious freshwater fish is easy to eat and extremely soft and tasty.

One thing to note about this fish is that it has plenty of fat. It may gross you out a bit, but don’t worry, because it’s Omega-3 fat and is actually good for your heart.

This is one of my must-have fishes. It’s good even without any sauces.

The shad (ikan terubuk) is not one I would normally pick. It’s immensely popular with Malays, who argue that it possesses a very unique flavour. Personally, I prefer chucking it to the starving cats lurking underneath my table. It’s not that it ISN’T tasty, the problem is that it’s deathly annoying to eat. Terubuk is scaly and chock-full of tiny bones. You need patience for this, and you NEED to eat it with your hands. I won’t recommend it otherwise.

Normally, I prefer my squid fried in a crunchy, golden-brown batter, but my resistance crumbled when I saw this little beauty.

This magnificent squid cost us a bomb, but it was well worth it. It was already fresh and tasty, but dipping it into the superb sour chilli sauce made it even better.

The only question is - would you pay RM20 for it? We certainly didn’t hesitate.

All in all, I think this place rates very highly among other ikan bakar outlets in KL and PJ. There’s a good variety of fish and other seafood, and they all taste great with or without the chilli sauces. Prices are reasonable as well, each fish costs about RM5 or 6, with the exception of the squid which can escalate depending on the size. The only problem I have is that it can be quite difficult to get a seat (or a parking spot) during lunchtime.

Next time i’m there I’ll review the scad (ikan cencaru), red tilapia, mackerel (ikan kembong), and cockles (kerang) if they’re available.

Steve, this one was for you, mate. Yer a bleedin’ legend. Take it easy, and we’ll catch ya later.

This well hidden restaurant was recommended to me by a friend. According to him, it serves the best pan mee he has ever had. With such a glowing testimonial, how could I resist? So I took down detailed directions and went on my journey. My co-pilot was Smoking Salmon. We lost track of where we were half way through the journey but somehow managed to get there without turning back or making any u-turns. I guess it was destined that I eat the pan min. So anyway, the restaurant is located along a road just off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, near Chow Kit and the infamous Lorong Haji Taib area. Parking isn?t a problem as there are many lots all along the street.

At the restaurant, there probably wont be any place to sit. But don?t worry, sharing tables is the norm here. You will be ushered to a table with occupants and will be put in the uncomfortable situation of sitting and facing people you don?t know and probably watching them eat. Once you are comfortably seated, someone will come take your order. Please note that the pan min here comes in 1 size and with only 1 type of noodle. The only variable will be whether you want it dry or in soup. Seeing as to how this place is famous for the dry one, I opted for that. Next, you will be faced with a long wait for your food.

They prepare the dishes in bulk but due to the number of customers, the wait is inevitable. When the food finally arrives, you will notice that it does not look very appetizing. It is rather pale looking and there isn?t much meat in it. Also, there will be a semi-cooked egg on top. The most obvious difference between this and normal pan min however is the fact that the noodles are round instead of being flat. A nice old lady will then put a container of chilli that looks almost black in colour on the table. This is what people come here for. You will notice that the chilli has a 50% chilli seed content. Scary?

After taking your 1st bite, you will realize what all the hype is about. The pan min is absolutely delicious. The noodles have a very nice texture, not too hard and not too soft. The flavour is also very unique. The only ingredient I could identify was the egg I mixed in. For my next bite, I added some chilli. My friend, knowing that I have a weak stomach, warned me that the chilli is extremely spicy, and so I only took a tiny little bit of it. But even that little bit made the dish even tastier, although I did suffer from tummy burn later.

A problem for me here was that 1 bowl was insufficient to fill my burning tummy. However, a 2nd bowl could not be put into my tummy without experiencing some nauseous feelings later. I estimated my remaining stomach capacity at ? of a bowl. And luckily, Smoking Salmon is a 1 ? bowl guy, so we both filled up nicely. A lot of people come here and have 2 bowls to themselves. I think that this is due to the size and also to the tastiness of the pan min.

Once you are done with your meal, make your way to the stall in the front of the shop and pay the nice man with a pouch on his waist for your meal. One bowl of pan min costs RM4.60, and is rather expensive for pan min. However, as many others will testify, it is worth it.

Rating ? 9/10

Disclaimer ? I am not a voyeur. I am only an amateur photographer and therefore the photographs provided in my reviews are merely for educational and not aesthetic purposes.

UPDATE

Due to popular demand by all 1 of my readers, I enclose herewith a map for your easy reference.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE

New and improved map.

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(Please click on image for larger map)

Notice:

I was alerted to this place by a friend of mine who told me that it is much better than my regular place, Restoran Sem Kim. Being a disloyal piece of crap, I naturally tried it out.

Upon arriving at the shop at around 1am, I noticed that the shop was very crowded. That is always a good sign. So being stupid, I got all excited about it. I ordered my regular pork ribs with no mushrooms and no vegetables, and waited? and waited? and waited? and waited for my food to arrive. At my usual place, my food is ready the minute they see my car.

Just as I was getting agitated, and stopped making polite conversation with those around me, the food arrived. And of course the first thing you must do when a steaming hot claypot of Bak Kut Teh arrives is to sample the soup. Please beware as this could cause severe tongue burns, and in turn will result in you not being able to taste the delicious Bak Kut Teh.

The soup was, well, how do I put this, by normal standards, it was pretty decent. Just normal BKT soup, with a strong herbal taste. Nothing special, unlike my Restoran Sem Kim. HOWEVER, due to all the hype about this place, I would have to say that the soup was slightly disappointing. People are dumb.

The quality of the pork was a bit better than the one at my regular place, but still not very tender. There pieces of pork weren?t very meaty, which led me to believe that they must only use very well-toned, sexy pigs. I did not order any side dishes although I did see some yau char kuay on the floor and it didn?t look too good.

But just for the record, please note that I finished every piece of meat and every drop of soup because wasting Bak Kut Teh is a sin.

The meal with a Shit Cha came up to around RM9 per person, which is average.

As for the rating, I will try to be objective, but it is hard because I wasted a perfectly good opportuinity to have my favourite BKT to try this one, and I was disappointed, but I think a 6.5/10 is fair.