Food Review: Char Kuay Teow @ Kelana Jaya

Took the chance to try out the CKT raved here
and here.

So this is the CKT stall @ Restoran Jamal Mohamed. That's Wisma FAM in the background. Those 2 Malays guys in the foreground were enjoying their CKT. Rest assured that it's halal.

The big lady on the left is the cook, that's the sweet young thing (this SYT is seriously hot) on the right who waits tables as does the old bitch in the middle. Bitch?!! I'll get to the story but first the FOOD!

My friend and I ordered a 'big' each. While waiting, my friend ordered Penang Rojak from a nearby stall. DO NOT order this! It's really small, missing the crackers and just not worth the RM3.50. He said it tasted bland but finished it anyway.

Not long after, the CKT arrived. This is mine.

and this is his


Wish I had caught the disappointment on our faces as the noodles were laid before us. Yeah, doesn't look too good, does it? And it's small for a 'big'. Really simple: 2 prawns, 2 cockles, less than a handful of taugeh, the noodles and the egg.

Nevertheless, I must admit it smelled good. And it tasted better. It's got that smoky flavour that you get with good 'wok hei'. Bean sprouts were crunchy, prawns and cockles were fresh. Noodles weren't soggy and drenched in oil (don't you hate those CKTs?) . They had a nice mouth feel, sort of dissolving in your mouth as the flavours are released. The chilli is well balanced, enhancing the palate rather than setting the mouth on fire. Not much soy sauce (hence the pale noodles) and so a light, almost undetectable saltiness that opens the palate to the other flavours.
Overall, the cook balanced the flavours well, a good example of less is more. Only complain is there was too little of it to savour! Which leads to the 'bitch' story.

So my friend finished his first and asked the bitch about our portion size. Here's the conversation (originally in Cantonese):

Friend: Lady boss, the other table's portion looks bigger.

Bitch: You order big, right? This is big, lah.

Friend: Hah? Like this called big, ah?!

Bitch: Yalah! What, u guys never eat for 3 days issit?

and she walked off.

Well that kinda pissed us off. So we got up to leave. The cook overheard our conversation and apologised: apparently she was busy with the orders and might have messed up on ours. She promised to make up for it next time or something like that. I wasn't really listening, distracted by the SYT. Well, I doubt my friend will return anytime soon. I may, just to ogle at the chick again!

Conclusion: the CKT is a fest for the tongue, won't fill your stomach and nothing to look at. Ignore the bitch's sarcasm, forget the damage to your wallet (RM3.50 small, RM4 big) refresh your eyes on the SYT and you've got a memorable lunch.