Finally, we have a foodcourt here dedicated totally to Malaysian street food.
And the good thing is that the hawkers here don't stinge on the lard or chilli in their greasy and spice-packed foods that have ruled the streets across the Causeway for decades.
Boasting eight famous hawker names from Malaysia in the 17-stall Malaysia Food Street, the foodcourt with the facades of old shophouses lining the 'street' is expected to enjoy heaps of popularity here.
They include the famous Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice and Jalan Ah Lor Hokkien Mee, both from Kuala Lumpur, as well as some reputable Penang stalls. Like Ah Mei Prawn Mee and Ah Long Lor Bak from Penang.
Malaysian chef Adolf Tan, who is chef de cuisine at the integrated resort, is responsible for the recipes of the other Malaysian stalls. Such as Roti Canai, Malacca Chicken Rice Ball, KL Wanton Mee, Penang Cuttlefish Kangkong and Klang Bak Kut Teh.
The 17 stalls are:
1. Famous Jalan Alor KL Hokkien Mee
2. Fung Wong Confectionery
3. Petaling Street Famous Porridge since 1949
4. Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice
5. Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee
6. Penang Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee
7. Penang Ah Long Lor Bak
8. Penang Lim Brothers’ Char Koay Teow
9. Roti Canai & Nasi Biryani
10. Kampung Nasi Lemak
11. Malacca Chicken Rice Ball
12. Petaling Jaya Dim Sum and Drinks
13. Ampang Yong Tau Foo
14. Klang Bak Kut Teh
15. KL Wanton Mee
16. Penang Cuttlefish Kang Kong
17. Desserts/Fruits
Food by the famous hawkers:
Jalan Alor Hokkien Mee from Kuala Lumpur
Madam Helen Lem, 64, started the noodle stall in 1976. Her secret is using the right proportion of light and dark soya sauces drizzled over the noodles when stir-frying with the lean pork, prawns, squid, and cabbage. It is served with a home-made chilli belachan (shrimp paste) dip. Cooked with lard, the noodles weren't that flavourful until it's mixed with the sambal.
(Rating: 7.5/10)
Fung Wong Confectionery from Kuala Lumpur
It has become a household name ever since it started in the early 1900s. It sells more than 20 varieties of traditional Cantonese pastry now. Famous for its wedding cakes, it offers here the founder's popular egg tarts, kaya puffs and baked char siu bao. Fourth-generation owner Melvin Chan runs the business.
(Rating: 6.5/10)
Petaling Street Famous Porridge from Kuala Lumpur
Started in 1949 by Vivian Wong’s grandfather who was a Guangzhou migrant. The recipe has been pssed down for three generations over 60 years. The stall in KL is open daily from 4am to 2pm. Prior to cooking the porridge, the stock must first be prepared by boiling chicken and pork bones for three hours. It is then added to a mixture of three types of rice grains. While it is being cooked for two hours, it is stirred to break down the grains. Their crispy pig intestine and pork porridge is famous.
The broth was too light, so the porridge wasn't tasty when eaten without the meats. The intestines were well cleaned though.
(Rating: 6.5/10)
Huen Kee from Kuala Lumpur
What makes Huen Kee Claypot Rice so palatable is the way it’s prepared as well as the marinade for the chicken. The rice, marinated chicken and other ingredients like the Chinese sausage and salted fish are cooked directly in the claypot over a charcoal stove. Burning coals are placed on top of the pot to achieve evenness in cooking and bring out the flavours. Ray Teoh, the son-in-law of founder Mdm Huen May Lan said chicken broth is used to cook the rice to give it a full-bodied flavour. Before the dish is served, a mix of sesame oil, shallot oil, Chinese wine (Hua Diao Jiu), ginger sauce, and dark soya sauce is drizzled over the rice. It is then annointed with chicken fat. At the Kuala Lumpur stall, about 13 charcoal pits are used to cater to the demand. Up to 200 claypots of the chicken rice are sold each day.
Though a bit too wet, the rice was delicious with all the lovely flavours of the ingredients. The rice grains at the bottom were crisped by the hot oil but were not charred.
(Rating: 8/10)
Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee from Penang
Madam Lim Mooi Moey started the Ah Mei Hokkien Prawn Mee stall with her husband in 1985. Their stall opens from 7am to 1pm daily, selling between 200 and 300 bowls. The broth is prepared with stir-fried crushed prawn shells, pork bones and ground dried chilli, cooked for three hours. The hot spicy broth is ladled over cooked noodles and rice vermicelli, kang kong, bean sprouts, prawns, hard-boiled egg and pork rib. Famous for her speciality, Madam Lim has been invited to recreate her dish at food events in Macau and Singapore, such as the Penang Hawker buffet at York Hotel.
Good prawny stock with a fiery heat. One of the best from Penang.
(Rating: 8.5/10)
Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee from Penang
The Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee is an old brand in Penang. Started as a street stall by Cheah It Kheang’s father in 1957, the business has moved into a coffee shop that seats 180 customers. The laborious cooking process involves boiling pork bones for about 11 hours and stirring tapioca starch into the broth to achieve a thick gelatinous consistency. The gravy is ladled over the yellow egg noodles which is topped with stewed egg, mushroom, lean pork, pork lard and pork belly.
Compared to Singapore's Hokkien version, it was simple fare. Singaporeans might not like the thick gooey gravy. The five-spice pork belly was aromatic though. Best eaten with the Lor Bak below.
(Rating: 6/10)
Ah Long Lor Bak from Penang
Lor bak is marinated chopped pork, rolled in paper-thin soybean sheets and then deep fried. It is usually served with a small bowl of Lor or dip — a pork broth thickened with corn starch and beaten eggs and chili sauce. Penang Ah Long Lor Bak stands out from other lor bak stalls in Penang because it entices customers with a wider variety of items. Like flat shrimp crackers and deep-fried yam and radish. Owned by Mr Tang Kek Long and his wife, the original Penang stall was set up by his father in the 1960s. On a busy day, the Tangs can sell up to 1,000 rolls of lor bak. The lor is made of pork broth, five-spice powder and secret spices. Mr Tang and his wife have also visited Singapore several times to participate in Penang-themed food promotions held at the York Hotel and the Yishun Orchid Club.
It was Lor Bak heaven with a good combination of grease, spice, saltiness and sweetness. The meat roll was accompanied by decent fried bean sheet roll. Even better were the addictive shrimp crackers.
(Rating: 8.5/10)
Lim Brothers' Char Kway Teow from Penang
Mr Lim Chye Lin started his stall when he was just 16 years old and had enlisted the help of his younger brother to run the business. Prawns, cockles Chinese sausage, pork lard and egg are stir-fried with the noodles. The Penang version is saltier but lighter in colour compared to the Singapore one. Mine was a bit too salty. There was good wok hei but lacking in seafood, egg and hot lard flavours. Also, there were no cockles.
(Rating:6.9/10)
New World Park Chendol from Penang
This dessert of green pandan-flavoured bean strips and red beans on shaved ice is drenched with coconut milk and palm sugar (gula merah). Mdm Loh Swee Gain’s recipe is originally from her husband. Now, she has her grand-daughter to help her run the desserts stall at the New World Park food court in Penang. The Chendol strips and red beans were a joy to eat but the syrup had too much brown sugar which drowned out the palm sugar taste. But that's how they prepare this at many stalls in Penang.
(Rating: 6.5/10)
Malaysia Food Street
Resorts World Sentosa
The Bull Ring
8 Sentosa Gateway
Sentosa Island
Singapore 098269
Open: 11am-10pm (Mon-Thu); 9am-12Midnight (Fri to Sat); 9am -10pm (Sun)
Prices start from $4
