JALAN PETALING:Fat One BBQ Steamboat and Apam Balik

Petaling Street,also called Chee Cheong Kai in Cantonese,is located in Chinatown.This area has an excellent selection of restaurants and food stalls,serving Chinese cuisine and local favourites.It is a great place to enjoy local culture or grab a bite from the street vendors.Haggling is a common sight here and the place is usually crowded with locals as well as tourists.The Petaling Street Bazaar starts from 10am to late at night.

Jalan means street and Jalan Petaling is only a few blocks away from Central Market.It's a more chaotic version of KASTURI WALK..My intention was to try street food here especially rice cakes.I already marked my guide book on what to try,unfortunately,rice cakes here are a scarcity---- or maybe I didn't know where to look.omg,should have gone to the wet market for more food finds.

 

Food on Stick at JALAN PETALING  Chinatown

  
the cleaner version of Ongpin/Chinatown in Manila

  

I immediately noticed the fake goods on sale at sidewalk stalls.But we were here not for those goods but for the food experience.

I did find a rice cake eventually but failed to get the name of this one.And when I asked the people at the FOOD ON STICK restaurant,they didn't know either.Well,it's rice inside banana leaves and I reckon that it's steamed,and stuffed in it is meat and nuts and it has this peculiar smell typical of spices used in Nasi Lemak .I thought it's more of a survival meal rather than a rice cake coz it's something you can bring while on a long trip or something.And it's RM5-----Too expensive for a rice cake.

 
can somebody tell me the name of this thing?hehe
EDITED:My blogger friend from KL Fufu
sent me the answer via Facebook.
" Rice dumpling kuya.We call it 'ba zhang' in Hokkien or 'zong zi' in mandarin :)"Cool!
Thanks Fufu!

Walking further,I finally found one of the things I marked in my guide book---APAM BALIK!

Apam Balik is a crispy pancake with a delicious filling of crushed peanuts,sugar,sweet corn and butter.Typically sold by vendors by the road sides,this all day snack is very popular throughout Malaysia. 

A pancake with a twist.I like the buttery,sweet taste.It definitely counts as one of my favorites now.I wonder though if this qualify for a rice cake.hehe

 
Apam Balik for RM1 a piece
 

 
 

Our feet then took us to a steamboat stall.

This food stall reminds me of Cheung Chau Island street food.We were there Chinese New Year 2011 and this one in KL brings back good memories of that trip.And this is what my wife specifically requested when we were in Petaling Street.She was sooooo eager to try Food On Stick at Fat One BBQ Steamboat even if she was not sure what they are made of.

  

They have a very good system at pricing,each food on stick is color coded.Price depends on color at the tip of the stick.No more asking each time.

 
 Fat One BBQ Steamboat prices

 

We were directed towards the table stall on the sidewalk and that's where we cooked the food my wife took from the stand.It took only a few minutes to boil, add sauce and that's it. The way I look at hawker food is changing indeed. 

 
Steamboat at Petaling Street
 

It was 10 before 7pm but it was still bright.That's when it hit me,the sun sets late in Malaysia.7pm would be dark in the Philippines but it seemed 5pm in KL.So this is how it is like near the equator huh?We hurriedly finish our food in Jalan Petaling and decided to go back to our hotel first to recharge my dslr which was already drained that time.......

We will surely be back in Petaling Street for more street food adventure!

This post is part of my Malaysia2.0 Series:Feel free to read the rest of the entries here:http://www.pusangkalye.net/search/label/Malayisa2.0

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