Yong Tau Foo @ Madras Lane, Petaling Street

Every year, right after our annual family affair at the Guan Ti Temple along Jalan Tun HS Lee, we will always head to the Penjaja Gallery Tun HS Lee for our yong tau foo lunch.  It became a habit we practice religiously and I believed it will carry on until when one day, the owners of the yong tau foo stall decide to put an end to their family business.

One of the main crowd-puller at this hawker place, this legendary yong tau foo stall has been in business for 3 generations and is very popular among locals.  For tourists, this will be a good chance to sample local street food in a nostalgic environment - a setting that never seemed to have changed since decades.

It's not hard to miss this stall.  Along a narrow alley, you will find a long queue where people are frantically snapping up all the freshly-prepared yong tau foo pieces into their plates as though they were the last few pieces for the day. Even I had a hard time squeezing in to snap some nice decent photos.

Because they prepare these yong tau foo on-the-spot behind the stall, they are replenished almost immediately.  So, as long as you don't come after lunch hours, you'll be guaranteed with your choice of yong tau foo.

The key to their popularity is the fish paste which they have used as the stuffing.  Prepared daily, the ikan parang or wolf herring is sliced and whipped using the power of hands only, giving a nice, smooth and elastic texture.  The nicely seasoned fish paste is very juicy.

No yong tau foo will be complete without the soup.  Make sure you ask for the soup because it is very flavourful and sweet with the all the goodness from the ikan parang.

While the yong tau foo may not look very beautiful but it is very good and definitely worth the trouble.  For RM 1 per piece, it is quite a deal since the size is quite big and has a lot of fish paste.

The best way to come here, without having to past through the wet market, is through the Pak Pheng building along the Petaling Street or the lane in between the Sri Mahamariamman Temple and Public Bank.  I usually go for the latter as there's a parking lot (ex-Madras Cinema) there, which unfortunately is a pricey one.

Just a word of caution, note that the sitting territory is a big, sensitive issue here at the Madras Lane market.  Sitting at the wrong tables may attract nasty experiences from the stall owners (I am not sure to what extent, though).

To be sure, just ask the stall owners where you can sit.  If you intend to order dishes from other stalls to go with the yong tau foo, then make sure you order from the stall that is in good terms with the yong tau foo stall.

Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo

Penjaja Gallery Tun HS Lee

Off Petaling Street

Kuala Lumpur

Close on Monday

GPS:  3.143596,101.697258