The quality and value of the food, plus the traditional style of cooking, has even made Wong Mei Kee worthy of Bib Gourmand status in the Michelin Guide. As you can imagine, being invited to watch the entire preparation and cooking of these incredible pork dishes was a true honour. What’s more, is that despite Wong Sifu’s success, he’s remained humble and ever so welcoming.

If you’re looking to taste the best siu yuk in KL, then Wong Mei Kee’s crispy pork belly needs to be on your list of top foods to eat in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Our morning at Wong Mei Kee started a little before 9:00am, on the quiet, damp, humid streets of Pudu.

We were greeted at the front of the shop by a friendly lady, and announced that we were here to watch the full siu yuk and char siu preparation for the day. We’d been in contact with Wong Sifu days before in order to lock in this special opportunity.

We were sent down the side of the building and met by Wong Sifu’s grandsons. He’s been slowly guiding them over the last several years to take over the business. They do most of the preparation in the morning, and are met by Wong Sifu himself later in the day. The last stages of cooking are overseen by him, mind you. When it comes to chopping and serving the siu yuk, Wong Sifu is still the master.

This morning, his grandsons were beginning the process of preparing the massive slabs of skin-on pork belly, soon to be turned into the crispy roast pork. We could tell within the first two minutes of arriving that we were in for a treat today.

The crispiest pork belly starts with charcoal

Wong Sifu has a special set up in the alleyway behind the restaurant where he roasts all of his meat. It’s back here that Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal roast pork gets its name. There’s three 55-gallon charcoal fired barrels to roast the pork, and an extra-large barrel-like contraption for the roast chicken.

The slabs of pork belly are prepped, boiled and pounded

The first stage of preparation for the siu yuk is to boil the slabs of pork belly in water to begin the cooking process. Once boiled for several minutes, they’re taken out of the water, rubbed with coarse salt, and hammered with a meat mallet covered in two-inch-long spikes.

The pounding process is twofold. First, it penetrates the skin with salt. Second, it allows the skin to release moisture during cooking, thus causing it to dry out more easily. This final preparation stage really facilitates the extra crispiness of the skin, the ultimate desired outcome.

After this, it’s time to hang and cook the massive slabs of pork

On this day there were 14 huge slabs of pork belly to prepare. Wong Sifu uses only the best cuts of meat. High-quality skin-on pork belly, with distinct layers of skin, fat and meat are the finest.

After his grandson carefully placed meat hooks into the slabs of pork belly, they were hung inside the barrels. In the meantime, burning charcoal had been slowly added to the barrels to begin heating them up.

We watched intently as the pork belly was methodically hung off the inner sides of the drums, four slabs in each. By the time all the pork belly was dangling inside, the barrels had heated up nicely. The skin on the pork instantly started to sweat.

Within minutes the meat was roasting, giving off the most tantalizing aroma. We would have stood there for the next two hours, getting as many whiffs of the dripping pork as we possibly could, but more work was yet to be done.

Next up, the pork shoulder is cut and seasoned by hand

As the slabs of pork belly were happily roasting in the drums, it was time for the Chinese BBQ pork.

Wong Sifu’s grandson dumped out a massive pot full of the best cuts of fatty pork shoulder. He meticulously went through each of the long strips of meat, one by one, cutting off any unwanted parts.

The chosen pieces were added back into the pot and seasoned. Hoisin sauce, sugar, five spice powder, salt, a massive heap of freshly minced garlic, as well as a few other secret ingredients, were added to the pot for ultimate taste. Everything was stirred in together by hand. This ensured each piece of meat was evenly coated with the crimson red, sticky sauce.

As everything gets going, Wong Sifu arrives

It’s about this time that Wong Sifu arrived and took over the general overseeing of things. He met us in the alleyway behind Wong Mei Kee. We were hovering over the drums, of course, and greeted us with a beaming smile. This is a man who loves what he does.

Wong Sifu began his own siu yuk business when he was just 20 years old in 1982. Over the last four decades he’s been perfecting his method of cooking to create the best, crispiest, juiciest siu yuk in all of KL. During these 40 years, he’s made a name for himself. Wong Mei Kee is known as one of the best places to go to in KL for siu yuk, char siu, and roast chicken.

Wong Sifu went from drum to drum, checking on the siu yuk, rotating the slabs and adding extra charcoal as needed. The slabs of pork belly were now fully crisping up and starting to make our mouths water. This was truly starting to look like the best siu yuk in KL.

The pork belly finishes, so the BBQ pork begins

The pork belly finished cooking and was given the green light from Wong Sifu. The tender, juicy, insanely crispy slabs were taken out of the drums. The last stage of Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal roast pork is to scrape off any char that had built up on the bubbly, crispy skin to make sure it tastes perfect.

Now, it was time for the Chinese BBQ pork to take its rightful place in the drums. The amount of char siu was much less than the siu yuk, with three skewers of meat in total.

All three fit perfectly into one drum. It didn’t take long for the outside of the meat to begin to caramelize. Each piece slowly dripping with the sticky, gooey, crimson red sauce and mouth-watering fat.

Part way through the cooking process, Wong Sifu took the long strips of barbecue pork out of the drum and put them into a bath of honey barbecue pork sauce. The char siu was basted and doused with the thick, syrupy, garlicky sauce; the perfect balance between sweet and savoury.

Now freshly glazed, the strips of pork shoulder were put back into the drum for the final stage of cooking. The overall cooking time for the barbecue pork is only about 20 minutes, depending on the heat of the drum. It takes a proper master to monitor the heat and adjust the cooking time accordingly.  

Perfect meat requires constant attention

It was a busy place at the back of this humble shop. Wong Sifu went from drum to drum. He patiently waited for the perfect time to lift out whatever pieces of meat were left.

His grandsons were busy scraping off the last of the char from the roast pork belly skin. Each scrape revealing the heavenly crispy and salty crackling underneath. It’s a labour-intensive process, with 14 slabs of pork belly to tend to.

Wong Sifu, the master of Wong Mei Kee himself, made sure that all of the meat was ready to be taken to the front of the shop. His last quality check is the finishing touch. We knew what that meant, it was time to eat!

As hungry customers gather, this is what to expect

Restoran Wong Mei Kee opens at 12:30pm, with people starting to queue up at least an hour beforehand. By 1:00pm the restaurant will be so busy, there’ll be a queue out the door. By 2:00pm most days, everything is sold out; char siu, siu yuk, and the roast chicken are all gone.

It was 12:30pm. People had queued up and begun to order, pay and take different numbers for either dine-in or takeout.

Before long, every table was full.

The restaurant, packed to the gills.

Forks and spoons at the ready, as is customary in Malaysia, the excitement was palpable. Each table was full of hungry customers awaiting their share of the spoils. They’d heard about the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur and now they wanted their fix, too. Both new and returning customers alike, patiently waited for their order.

We were shown to our table, nestled near the front of the shop, in perfect view of all the action.

Prepared by others in the shop were the BBQ pork and roast chicken . Meanwhile, the crispy pork belly, the pièce de résistance, was sliced, chopped and portioned out by the master, Wong Sifu himself.

He prepared each slab by cutting off any unwanted areas of the meat, leaving only the highest quality pork belly behind. Next, two strips were placed beside each other and cut and chopped into each individual portion. At the same time, he made sure that each chunk of layered fat and meat had an accompanying piece of the crispiest pork skin to go with it.

It’s time to eat, starting with the siu yuk

Finally, our feast arrived.

By this time, we’d been a part of the process since 9:00am and we were absolutely famished. After watching the preparation and smelling the wonderful aroma of roasting meat for the past few hours, we were ready to taste what all the hype was about. We’d heard so much about Wong Sifu’s crispy roast pork being the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur that we just couldn’t wait!

We tucked straight into the siu yuk, Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal, crispy roast pork belly.

It was served in big bite sized chunks. Each piece with an equal amount of lean meat and streaks of melted fat running through, all topped off with a golden crackling piece of crispy pork skin.

The meat itself was extremely juicy, tender and just that bit salty. Our teeth sank right into it. Likewise, the fat was cooked to perfection. Buttery, rich and soft, it just melted in our mouths. The skin, oh my gosh, the skin! Crispy, salty, juicy, fatty, slightly greasy and satisfyingly crunchy, just how you want pork skin to be.

In particular, we could taste the smoky charcoal in every bite, adding a whole other dimension to the dish.

It was about this time that we realized we were eating the best siu yuk in KL. All the labour and hard work that went into creating this delicious cut of pork really shone through.

After the crispy pork is the char siu

The char siu was just as satisfying as the siu yuk.

The barbecue pork had the perfect ratio of meat to fat, making every bite extremely tender, succulent and oh so juicy. The outer layer was covered in the sticky, crimson red, honeyed barbecue pork sauce, now caramelized and gooey after roasting over the charcoal. A sweet and savoury flavour bomb exploded in our mouths after every bite.

Lastly, the roast chicken

Last but not least was the roast chicken. By this point in the meal, it was no surprise to us that the chicken was extremely tender and moist, just like the other meats.

This skin was just a little bit crispy from frying in the oil, giving it a nice texture and flavour. The sweet light sauce poured over top before serving added a hint of sweetness to the savoury meat. Everything led to an incredibly succulent plate of chicken.

An unforgettable day deserves big thanks

We finished every bite, not leaving a morsel behind.

Afterwards, we went up to Wong Sifu at the front of the shop, busy slicing, cutting, chopping and placing. We thanked him for having us and for showing us such incredible hospitality throughout the day. It was truly an unforgettable experience to be invited into his kitchen to witness the craft he’s been perfecting for the last 40 years.

It’s no wonder people line up every day to have a taste of what really is the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur.

The best siu yuk in KL is at Wong Mei Kee, Pudu

The unique street food in Malaysia never ceases to amaze us! After hours of preparation and cooking, Wong Sifu produces the best, insanely crispy siu yuk crispy pork belly and tender char siu Chinese BBQ pork in Kuala Lumpur. Melt in your mouth fat, tender meat and crispy pork skin, coupled with the gooey stickiness of the barbecue pork is just mind-blowing.

Wong Mei Kee Pudu is truly a must visit spot for the best roast pork in Kuala Lumpur.

Name: 王美記 Wong Mei Kee
Address: 30 Jalan Nyonya, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///taxi.tonight.slid
Price: RM28/strip

Check out the video below for our full experience at Wong Mei Kee, Pudu!

The post The Best Siu Yuk in KL is at Wong Mei Kee: The Ultimate Crispy Pork Belly appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

If you’re looking to add some incredibly yummy street food to your list of best foods to eat in Manila, then make sure these are at the top! Their kuchay (chive) dumplings are so delicious, they’ll have you fighting over the last one.

The historic district of Binondo

The Binondo neighbourhood of Manila is famed for being the oldest Chinatown in the world. Founded in 1594, this district has undergone many changes throughout the years. From small Chinese settlement to the centre of commerce and trade of Manila, one thing’s endured; the incredible street food that Binondo is known for.

The dumplings that originated in Dong Bei

About 20 years ago, a family moved from Dong Bei in northeastern China to Manila. In hopes of having a taste of home, they opened up a small shop selling what they knew how to make best, pork and chive dumplings.

Their plan was to have a small business sharing this local, traditional food with their community.

To their pleasant surprise, the chive and pork dumplings were a hit! Before long, their homemade and authentic dumplings became one of the most famous dumplings in Binondo.

Now, Dong Bei Dumpling is on every Manila street food tour and Binondo food trip list out there.

Full transparency of freshness

In China, it’s common for food to be made in the front of the shop, so that you can see the ingredients that are going into the food. Keeping with tradition, this is something Dong Bei Dumpling has implemented from the start. They make their dumplings by hand in a traditional way, fresh to order and with local ingredients.

How the best dumplings in Binondo are made

It all starts with a mixture of pork, onion and plenty of chives (kuchay). This is then generously packed inside a piece of circular, thin dough and sealed along one edge. The now chubby dumplings are immediately dropped into boiling water and left until they float to the top. With dumplings this fresh, they only take a few minutes to cook.

The secret, however, is adding in the pork mixture raw. This allows the meat to cook as it boils, releasing flavourful juices that are trapped inside the skin. The result is a dumpling so tasty and juicy, it practically melts in your mouth! If you’ve ever had a soup dumpling, you know what we’re talking about.

It’s time to eat, here comes the sauce

The dumplings are served with a delicious homemade sauce of garlic, vinegar and soy sauce. For those of you with taste buds that need an added kick, there’s also homemade chilli sauce on the side to bang them up a notch. Speaking from experience, you won’t need much of this to spice up your dumplings!

At the time of writing, there’s no area inside the shop to sit and eat. So, the best way to enjoy your dumplings is right there on the street.

What makes Dong Bei dumplings so special?

What has set Dong Bei Dumpling apart from competition over the years, is that the dumplings are made fresh to order with quality ingredients. Because of this, the dumpling is more delicate, the skin lighter and the meat juicier. Not to mention they’ve stuck to the same simple, delicious, authentic recipe that’s brought their customers back over and over again.

How to get there

Dong Bei Dumpling is located in the Binondo, Chinatown area of Manila, west of the Estero de la Reina. If you’re arriving from the east of Binondo, once you find Ongpin Street you’ll be at the heart of the neighbourhood.

Following Ongpin Street west across the Estero de la Reina bridge, you’ll come across Yuchengco Street, right after the ‘Shoppers’ Mart’ grocery store. Turn right on Yuchengco Street and follow the road almost to the end. Here, on the right, you’ll find Dong Bei Dumpling.

There’s no big fancy sign on the top of the shop, however, just a sign in the window as you walk by. This little establishment has kept itself humble despite its fame over the years, so if you don’t pay attention, you might walk right past it! Luckily, there will most likely be other hungry pedestrians looking for their dumpling fix, so follow the line of ravenous customers.

The best dumplings in Binondo

Eating at Dong Bei Dumpling is a must if you’re in the Binondo neighbourhood of Manila. No food trip in the city is complete without them. From the freshness of each dumpling to the quality ingredients used to make them, this is a place you can’t miss.

Name: Dong Bei Dumpling
Address: 642 Yuchengco St, Binondo, Manila, Metro Manila
what3words: ///gossip.sugars.outdoor
Price: ₱200/order (14 dumplings)

The post Dong Bei Dumpling: the Best Dumplings in Binondo, Manila appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

This lively and historic district was set up across the river from Intramuros district back in the 16^th century, where all the wealthy colonial Spaniards resided at the time. This permanent settlement for the Chinese immigrants flourished, causing it to become the centre of commerce and trade in Manila by the 20^th century.

Chinatowns are known for being a hot spot of culture, commerce, and most especially food! Many things have changed over the years in here in Binondo. One thing that’s remained is that the locals know how to do street food right.

Enough chit chat! Ready to plan your own historic street food adventure through the oldest Chinatown in the world? Here’s your top 6 street foods to eat in Binondo Chinatown, Manila.

Fried Siopao

Siopao are a popular Chinese-influenced Filipino steamed bun, and the ones at Shanghai Fried Siopao in Binondo are worth the trip alone. The slightly sweet, fluffy buns are packed to the brim, full of tender ground pork, onion and chives. Once steamed, the cooked meat and veggies create an incredibly juicy bao.

What makes the ones here at Shanghai Fried Siopao extra tasty and unique is that they’re steamed in oil. They end up coming out slightly fried and crispy on the bottom, while still pillowy, soft and extremely juicy throughout.

Quite different from your typical steamed bun, we had to try two just to be sure of how good they were.

Made and cooked in their small shop right along the busy Ongpin Street, these fried siopao have been a staple of Chinatown for many years. The siopao are bought up as soon as they come out of the steamer, satisfying the line-up of hungry customers. So, whenever you stop by, you’re guaranteed to get one that’s piping hot and fresh.

Name: Shanghai Fried Siopao
Address: 828 Ongpin St, Santa Cruz, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///sour.lost.trucked
Price: ₱35

Kuchay Ah Pie

Next up on the list is kuchay ah pie, a fried pastry that looks similar to an empanada. They get their name from the prominent flavour of chives, which is kuchay in Filipino.

These little meat pies are made of a flaky pastry that’s so rich it’s almost buttery, and because they’re fried and not baked, they’re extra crispy. The pie is stuffed full of pork, tofu, chives, turnips and carrots, married in a savoury yet slightly sweet gravy.

We couldn’t believe how heavy and packed full they were. So much so they resembled more of a ball than a pie!

The best place to try these is at Quik Snack. They do a number of different Chinese-Filipino dishes here, but they’re especially known for their pies, with the kuchay ah being their number one.

Name: Quik Snack
Address: HXXG+R5X, Carvajal St, Binondo, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///shut.pretty.infuses
Price: ₱65

Pork and Chive Dumplings

An absolute must eat street food in Binondo Chinatown is the pork and chive dumplings at Dong Bei Dumpling.

Thin dumpling skin is loaded with a mixture of pork, onions and plenty of chives. Immediately after being made by hand, they’re boiled until they float. The dumplings come out so full of flavour and juicy, they literally melt in your mouth. So much so they boarder on soup dumplings!

They’re served with a special homemade garlic-vinegar-soy sauce mixture, with a spicy chilli sauce on the side for an added kick. This is some spicy sauce, so if you like your tongue on fire, we highly recommend it.

What sets Dong Bei apart is that the dumplings here are made fresh to order with quality ingredients. You won’t find anything frozen around here, and as far as we’re concerned, it really doesn’t get any better than that.

Name: Dong Bei Dumpling
Address: 642 Yuchengco St, Binondo, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///gossip.sugars.outdoor
Price: ₱200/order (14 dumplings)

Hand Pulled Noodles

This delicious looking bowl of fresh hand pulled noodles can be found at a fantastic place just on the outskirts of Binondo. At Lan Zhou La Mian, they pull their noodles fresh to order, right at the front of the shop so you can see the chefs in action as they prepare your meal.

We don’t know about you, but hand pulled noodles always hit that little bit different for us. Dunked in boiling hot water, they only take 15 seconds to cook. The freshness can be tasted in the texture of the noodles, which are just that bit firmer and chewier than others.

There’s a number of different noodle soups to choose from, but we recommend the beef lamien. Full of tender beef, bok choy, scallions and carrots in a hearty, beefy broth, you won’t believe how generous they are with the noodles!

Each table is ready to go with a massive bowl of scallions and sauces for you to add, dependant on your tastes.

Name: 兰州拉面 Lan Zhou La Mian
Address: 1356 Masangkay St, 262 Zone 24 Tondo, Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///memory.shams.penny
Price: ₱280

Hopia

These little pucks are hopia, one of the most popular pastries found throughout Binondo.

This traditional pastry is full of thick mung bean paste inside a thin pastry shell. The soft textured pastry can be flavoured with a number of different tastes, but the local favourite is ube, purple yam.

Eng Bee Tin opened up in 1912 and were the first to introduce ube jam into the traditional hopia in the 1980’s, as a way to revitalise a once dying business. The vibrant purple colour stood out amongst all the others, bringing them to fame in no time. Now with multiple stores throughout Binondo, tasting their hopia and Chinese-Filipino pastries is a must.

We decided to the best way to taste hopia was to go for both the original and ube.

The ube has a distinct sweet jam taste to it that’s perfect if you have a sweet tooth. If you’re not a massive sweet fan, then go for the original. Nice and pasty, these taste more like a sweet white bean than anything else. The hopia come in packs of four, which is a pretty good deal for what you pay for.

Many shops around Binondo sell hopia, so have a wander around if you want to taste the different ones of this historic Chinatown.

Name: Eng Bee Tin
Address: 628 Ongpin St, Binondo, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///senses.minder.solder
Price: ₱50-56

Ube Bubble Milk Tea

When exploring Binondo in Manila, you’ll definitely need to cool down at some point, trust us!

We love a good bubble tea, and luckily right next door to Eng Bee Tin (the flagship location) is where you can find the best ube bubble milk tea.

With a taste similar to taro, their ube milk tea is creamy, cold and mildly sweet with a strong ube flavour that’s oh so refreshing. Not to mention the tapioca pearls are fresh, chewy and delicious. You’re gonna find it hard to resist anything ube flavoured from now on! It’s definitely become our new go-to favourite.

Name: Tea Brothers
Address: 628 Ongpin St, Binondo, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
what3words: ///they.evolving.chambers
Price: ₱95

Some of the best street food to eat in Manila can be found in Binondo Chinatown. As the oldest Chinatown in the world, you’ll find loads of popular Chinese-Filipino foods as you wander the streets of Ongpin and the Binondo neighbourhood.

We hope this list of the top 6 street foods to eat in Binondo Chinatown, Manila will get you well on your way to trying some of the best Filipino food in Manila.

Check out our video below trying the top 6 street foods to eat in Binondo Chinatown, Manila.

The post Top 6 Street Foods to Eat in Binondo Chinatown, Manila appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

The Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur began development in 1870 and Petaling Street itself was one of the earliest roads to be built. The area was mostly Cantonese and Hakka who came to the city for the tin trade. With their skills, they brought their incredibly diverse cooking styles and unique flavours.

Petaling Street is now home to temples, shopping, and hawker stalls serving up the top street foods in Kuala Lumpur. A number of these street food stalls have been around for over 50 years and are onto not the first or second, but third generation of family looking after the business. The quality of ingredients and history that goes into these dishes is incredible.

So, let’s get to it! Below is a list of the top 11 street foods to eat on your next visit to Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur.

Roast Duck

The crispiest, juiciest, most tender roast duck in Chinatown is at Sze Ngan Chye. This famous street food cart is run by two sisters that took over from their father, who started the business over 70 years ago. After all this time they still provide the same great taste and quality that he always did.

Sze Ngan Chye means the man who wears spectacles. It got its name from their father who would sell his duck on Petaling Street wearing his unmistakable glasses. With no name for his cart, the nickname just stuck!

We’ve gotta say, they sure know how to roast a duck. Perfectly cooked, juicy and tender with just the right amount of salt… we almost wished we had gotten a full duck and not the half!! Depending on your hunger you’ve got choice, RM34 for half a duck, or RM68 for the whole one. Don’t worry, we won’t judge.

The two sisters start selling their fresh roast duck at 6:00am, and because of their popularity can sell out by noon. So, make sure you head to their stall first, nice and early, to make sure you get some tasty duck.

Name: Sze Ngan Chye
Address: 46, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///usual.singles.gave
Price: RM34 half duck, RM68 whole duck

Muah Chee

Madam Tang Muah Chee Queen (as she is called), has been selling muah chee from her cart on Petaling Street for over 50 years. She’s become a permanent fixture along the busy street, making her stall a must try when in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur.

Soft, chewy and bursting with flavour, these little muah chee pack a punch! Coming in six different flavours, we couldn’t resist the black sesame and mango. Both were delicious and with a surprisingly intense, strong flavour that you can pick out at first bite.

If those flavours aren’t your thing, don’t worry, there’s also lychee, ribena, pandan and original to choose from. Each piece is bathed in crushed peanuts, adding the perfect crunchy texture to the soft and chewy muah chee.

Name: Madam Tang Muah Chee Queen
Address: 42, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///abacus.slimy.poker
Price: RM6/box

Congee

This salty bowl of porridge goodness is congee, a popular Chinese street food of savoury rice porridge with delicious pork, century egg, and green onions. At Hon Kee Petaling Street you have a few different congee options to choose from, including salted egg and pork, crispy innards, pork ball, and raw fish.

Served piping hot, you mustn’t forget the white pepper. It adds the perfect seasoning to the dish to make it mouth-wateringly good.

As with so many of the delicious food choices along Petaling Street, this humble stall began business in 1949 and is still going strong. Spanning three generations and counting, this is one of the top street foods to eat in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown.

Name: Hon Kee Petaling Street
Address: 93, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///cautious.cared.sporting
Price: RM7

Chee Cheong Fun

This bright red, saucy dish is chee cheong fun. A popular street food of fresh chewy rice noodles with the most amazing, slightly sweet, red peanut sauce poured over top.

As with many Chinese-Malaysian dishes, there’s a decent helping of spicy chilli sambal on the side to mix in as much or as little as you want. The result? Fresh, peanuty, spicy rice noodles that feel like the perfect comfort meal.

What sets chee cheong fun apart from other rice noodles is that they’re freshly chopped to order. At Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun, their plates of noodles come in three different sizes based on your hunger. We got the small, which was a decent helping for the both of us, especially if you want to make sure you save some room for the amount of street food you’ll be eating on Petaling Street.

Name: Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun
Address: 51, 49, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///sting.trumpet.vitals
Price: RM4 for small

Tau Foo Fah and Dau Jiang

Another stall that is an absolute institution here on Petaling Street is Kim Soya Bean, one of the most popular Chinese street food stalls here in Chinatown. If you merely mention to anyone in Kuala Lumpur that you’ll be in Chinatown, they’ll make sure you make a stop at Kim Soya Bean for their famous tau foo fah and dau jiang.

Tau foo fah is a soft tofu that’s served hot and with your choice of white or brown sugar syrup on top. Its velvety smooth texture, mild flavour and sweetness from the brown sugar (our go to), really make this treat something special, even on a hot day!

If you’re looking for a cool off, however, make sure to pair your tau foo fah with a creamy cup of dau jiang soy milk. Scooped out from the massive container front and centre on the cart, it’s served cold, with or without sugar, sweet and soft on the tongue.

Running now for over 90 years and by the third generation, the current owner is an extremely friendly man who’s been manning the shop for the last 40 years. Things have surely changed on Petaling Street in those years, but the quality and taste of their soy bean treats sure hasn’t, so we’re told by the regulars!

Name: Kim Soya Bean
Address: 49, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///similar.hosts.keyboard
Price: RM2.20/each

Joong

Savoury or sweet, what’s your poison?? We can’t help but always choose savoury, how can you resist salty goodness?!

Whichever way you swing, you’ve got choice when it comes to joong, a popular Chinese street food. This tasty glutinous rice dumpling is filled with either sweet dates, red bean and other sugary deliciousness, or savoury pork with salted egg, mushrooms and chestnuts.

The steaming process makes the rice lovely and chewy, with a soft texture. Everything all wrapped up in a bamboo leaf like a little present, these dense dumplings are jam packed with ingredients, full of flavour, and the perfect snack on the go.

Name: Ho Yoke Kee
Address: 19, 15, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///scar.deep.required
Price: RM8

Fresh Beef Noodles

Just around the corner from the main road of Petaling Street is a noteworthy place that has the best fresh beef noodle soup. Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles is a small shop that gets busy during any hour of the day, so be prepared to queue for a table. Luckily the line goes quick so you won’t have to wait for long.

Their beef noodle soup is full of raw beef, perfectly chewy egg noodles, green onion and beef floss, to give you a hearty bowl full of deliciousness.

The beef is added in raw to get the most tender meat possible, being cooked only briefly when it’s dunked into the main broth like a hot pot before being added to your dish. This rich and meaty broth, enriched with all the juices and oils from the beef, is further used as a bath for the egg noodles to cook, and finally being used for the broth itself.

Just a short walk from Petaling Street, we feel like this is worth the extra distance. I mean, with all the food you’ll be eating, you’re gonna need the walk.

Name: Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles
Address: 7a, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///boggles.pinches.situated
Price: RM10

Apam Balik

Apam balik is best described as a peanut pancake. The batter is cooked in a huge pan and covered in sugar and crushed peanuts, then folded in half to keep all the goodness inside. This pancake is massive, mind you, so ordering one portion will get you a decent sized slice. The combination of crunchy peanuts, with the soft and springy interior is something that we very much enjoyed.

While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up one of the smaller coconut pancakes. These guys were the real hit for us, with a super strong smell and flavour of coconut, they were a lovely little snack on the go. If you love coconut and peanut as much as we do, you’ll love these apams.

We unfortunately didn’t catch the name of the gentleman who owns this hawker cart, but we did have a nice chat with him. We learned that he’s been selling apam balik from the same location on Petaling Street for 40 years, “from a young man to an old man,” in his words. With a sense of humour and knowing what his customers want, it’s no wonder he’s been in business all these years selling the top street food pancakes in Chinatown.

Did we mention that his cart is attached to the side of a motorbike like a side car? It doesn’t get much more street food than that!

Name: Petaling Street Apek’s Apam
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///safest.envy.joggers
Price: RM1.50/each

Yong Tau Foo

Yong tau foo is a popular Hakka dish of vegetables and tofu stuffed with springy fish paste. Found down an alley off of Petaling Street, Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo has a plethora of yong tau foo to choose from. Eaten either dry with a sauce, or in broth as a soup, you can’t go wrong with either.

We went for the dry version and chose a few different yong tau foo, mistakenly picking up a bitter melon! It was nice to try something different, but definitely a little bitter for our tastes! We prefer the soft eggplant, crispy fried wonton, and fish paste balls. Conveniently, you’re charged per piece of yong tau foo that you order, so you can have as much or as little as your stomach can handle.

Name: Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///terms.skinny.elated
Price: RM1.70/piece

Air Mata Kucing

If you’re craving a little something sweet to keep you going through your exploration of Petaling Street Chinatown, we recommend a quick pit stop at Air Mata Kucing for one of their refreshing mata kucing drinks.

Mata Kucing is also known as cat’s eye, and is a close relative to the plump and juicy longan. Their special mata kucing drink is quite sweet, more so than we were expecting actually, since it’s sweetened with monk fruit, which is far stronger than sucrose.

Starting up over 70 years ago, Air Mata Kucing used to serve their drink in metal bowls/cups, to drink right there and then. Over the years they’ve (unfortunately) switched to plastic, so you’ll be able to take your drink with you as you wander the streets of Chinatown.

Name: Air Mata Kucing
Address: 15, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///typhoon.latest.pirates
Price: RM4

Teh Tarik

Last but certainly not least, is something that you’ll find all over Malaysia, but is an honourable mention when you’re in Chinatown. Nestled away down Madras Lane, right across from Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo, is Kong Chai Coffee Stall. Here you can get a number of hot or cold Malaysian drinks.

Our go to and ultimate favourite Malaysian drink is teh tarik, literally translating to pulled tea.

Teh tarik is made with a strong brew of black tea combined with condensed milk. The two are added together in a cup, and are mixed by pouring, or “pulling”, the drink back and forth from one cup to another.

Not only is this process fun to watch, but it mixes the condensed milk in while also cooling down the tea and frothing it all up to create a velvety tea with the perfect drinking temperature.

Depending on your preference, you can enjoy it hot or cold. For us, on those hot Malaysian days, we prefer ours icy cold and oh so refreshing.

Name: Kong Chai Coffee Stall
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///successor.twilight.tagging
Price: RM2.40

Petaling Street Chinatown

Some of the most popular Chinese food in Kuala Lumpur can be found in Petaling Street Chinatown. There’s so much incredible street food in Malaysia to try, and this list of the top 11 street foods to eat in Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur will get you more than started on your way to trying some of the best Chinese Malaysian street foods in the city.

We hope this list will be helpful for you to create a personalized street food tour of Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Check out our video below trying all of these top street foods to eat on Petaling Street!

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