

Close to
20 local hawker’s delights are quickly drawing a steady crowd of office
workers, tourists and city folks to Malaysia Boleh! — a new food haven at
Shoppes@Four Seasons Place KL after it opened for business recently.


The
opening event got off to a rousing start with guest of honour, Singapore Deputy
High Commissioner Mark Neo and local celeb Jack Lim joining Malaysia Boleh! owners from Singapore’s Fei
Siong Group for the auspicious ribbon-cutting ceremony.


Proceedings were
enlivened by Kun Seng Keng Lion Dance troupe, dazzling invitees with their
heart-stopping acrobatic lion dance performance before lunch.



We are
charmed by the old-school coffee shop environment within: white washed walls, mosaic
floors, bird cages and suspended fish traps doubling as light fixtures
complement faux pre-war shopfronts
and old-fashioned wooden tables and chairs.



In line
with the Malaysia Truly Asia concept, dishes served at Malaysia Boleh! are
non-halal. Below are our top ten best eats from the myriad of hawker-style food
we sampled:

CENDOL
This
chart-topping dessert surprisingly exceeds our expectations. The overall taste
is so good, a bowl of the finely shaved ice liberally doused with dark,
fragrant gula Melaka syrup, fresh coconut milk, cendol (short, plump
pandan-flavoured glutinous rice flour noodle strands) and red kidney beans may induce
you to succumb to an extra helping.


CHAR KWAY TEOW
Another
acid-test speciality to pass with flying colours even though there isn’t a
single cockle in sight. Full of wok hei, the smoky-sweet-savoury fried flat
rice noodles with fluffy clumps of egg, beansprouts, chives and prawns lives up
to the top billing given to it.


Decent
offerings emerging from this stall include oh chien (fried oyster omelette) and
char
kway kak (fried carrot radish cake). Smeared with a little
chilli sauce, the little plump oysters found studded within the airy-crispy
omelette-pancake crossover is on-point. Similarly, char kway kak is good
although more charred smokiness should amp up its appeal.


CURRY CHICKEN NOODLE
Whether
you call it curry mee or curry laksa, there’s no denying this noodle dish hits
the spot for spice fiends. Chockful of spongy fried pork skin, beancurd puffs,
chicken and long beans, the rich, aromatic rempah gravy boasts an assertive
punch that entices us to slurp up spoonfuls of it.

A ‘drier’
version of the curry noodles is also available so if you like more intense, concentrated
curry flavours, you won't regret opting for this instead.


IPOH BUNTONG CHICKEN
RICE
Handpicked
by the Malaysia Boleh! owners, this delicious Ipoh chicken rice ticks all the
right boxes for us. The irresistible yau farn or ‘oiled’ rice is good enough to eat on its
own but succulent poached chicken with minced ginger-shallot and tangy chilli dips on the side is par for
the course for each serving.

CLAYPOT CHICKEN
RICE
Nothing
is more comforting than digging into a sizzling hot claypot of rice generously
drizzled with dark and light soya sauces, toppings of sliced Chinese sausage, chicken
chunks and chopped spring onion. Slightly smoky from the burnt rice crust at
the bottom, this hearty one-dish meal is guaranteed to leave ravenous diners
happily replete.

PENANG LAKSA
For
Penangites in KL who crave for their hometown laksa, I daresay the version
dished up at Malaysia Boleh! gets the nod. The brownish tamarind and fish-based
broth is well-balanced in terms of tangy-sweetness although a stronger torch
ginger flower accent won’t go remiss. Add in the little serving of prawn paste to heighten
its tasty appeal.


HOKKIEN CHAR
As food
court standard goes, the Hokkien char noodles here is decent enough to give the popular
Hokkien mee joints around the city a good run for their money. The crunchy deep-fried pork
lard dices atop the thick, dark fried noodles raises its street cred as does
the presence of its wok hei smokiness.

WANTAN MEE
No
complaints against the wantan mee as the springy noodles tossed in dark and
light soya sauces come up to scratch. I especially enjoy the slickly
caramelised char siew slices. For once, the wantans
or pork dumplings in soup pass muster too.
PRAWN MEE
Although
it can’t beat the real McCoy, this version proffers a mild but aromatic prawn
broth. All the requisite condiments: prawns, sliced pork, kangkung, hardboiled
egg and fried shallot crisps complete that melange of textural and flavour
dimensions necessary to make this noodle dish palate-pleasing.

PORK NOODLES
Possibly one of the simplest, basic noodle dishes ever
yet some stalls botch it. We are stoked to discover the soupy noodles with
assorted pork meat and innard bits hit the spot without any complaint. No
after-meal thirst from sodium overload so we give it the thumbs up.

Congee fans will be stoked to know the same stall
serves piping hot pork rice porridge. Smooth, slightly unctuous with the clear
meaty sweetness of pork coming through, it’s simple soul-satisfying fare that
won’t disappoint.





Other Malaysia Boleh! crowd-pleasing offerings worth sampling include Chilli
Pan Mee, Bak Kut Teh, Roast Duck and Barbecued Pork, Nasi Lemak and Handmade
Pau. Most of the dishes are priced from RM10 upwards -- fair pricing in view of most suburb kopitiams already charge around RM6.50 upwards for their hawker fare.



MALAYSIA BOLEH!
is located at B1-01B, Shoppes@Four Seasons Place, Kuala Lumpur. Open daily from
10am to 10pm. For more
information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/MalaysiaBolehKL/