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TO GET TO THE
Ah Wah Hokkien Fried
Mee hawker stall, we drive an hour
outside of Kuala Lumpur with the slow-
moving late-afternoon highway traffic,
and into the more suburban Petaling
Jaya — or PJ, as the locals call it.
Here we find Ah Wah himself in full,
no-nonsense cooking garb: white cap,
white shirt, white apron.
A legend among local foodies, Ah
Wah has been serving up the specialty
noodles for the past 40 years (the
last 25 of those here at PJ) and he’s
one of the few who still stir-fry it over
a charcoal stove. It’s this traditional
way of preparing his famous KL-
style Hokkien fried
mee
(
fat yellow
noodles), our guide tells us, that gives
the dish that edge in flavor — an edge
that draws followers in droves from as
far afield as KL and beyond. It’s past 10
on a Monday night and seasonal rains
had lashed down hard all day, but Ah
Wah’s stall, awash in fluorescent light,
is still full.
We’ve come to the Malaysian capital
to sample more than a few good
meals and discover culinary gems,
both obvious and hidden. Our pit stop
at Ah Wah, who our guide assures us
makes the best KL-style Hokkien mee
around, is our last for Day One. Our
guide also advises us to step away
from the stove, but we could barely
resist the old-school charm of a man
in white, a charcoal fire, and some
expertly brisk wok handling. A large
flame pops along with a burst of light,
and sparks fly from the stove in a rather
wide and photogenic arc. Anything we
capture on camera is a money shot. We
All roads lead to
a wide selection
of food in KL
O N T H E F O O D T R A I L
Clockwise from
top: the Moorish
architectural
influence on a
Kuala Lumpur
landmark, the Old
Railway Station;
dry goods at a night
market in Petaling
Jaya; start the day
with local cofee.
Opposite page: Ah
Wah Hokkien Fried
Mee. Inset, left to
right: closing time
at Yut Kee Kopitiam;
Peranakan Place
chef Wahabi Usman;
Pelita Nasi Kandar’s
kitchen hots up at
lunchtime
