Poskod Malaysia

By June Low

Whenever people find out I live in Sentul, the first thing they ask is not: “So, how many experience points does it take to advance to the next level in Mooville?” It’s always something dull and predictable like: “Where got nice food ah?”

Under pressure, I never know what to recommend and always end up looking like I don’t really know my ‘hood. So, in retaliation, I’ve decided to draw up a list of awesome, hard-to-find food places in Sentul. And you can chew on that.

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Nasi Lemak

The aunty at this stall is always pissed off and doesn’t have the time of day for anyone. Her husband who mans the fruit juicer is the same. Yet there’s always a long queue. When you’re in queue, prepare to be very stressed out.

You will notice others ahead you being attacked by the aunty for stuttering or wasting her time. You’re very likely to break out into a sweat, experience palpitations and/or hyperventilate once you realise just how precise you have to be with your order. But whatever happens, just be careful not to ruin relations with her, as the wild boar curry is excellent. Cheap too.

Directions: Get yourself onto Jalan Sentul, drive into Sentul Dalam, and then ask the guy who looks like Santa Claus (he owns a stall with a sign made of cardboard that reads “60 sen” – nobody knows why) where it is.

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Kari Mee

Another pissed off aunty with her team of equally pissed off helpers. Don’t bother calling for service, they’ll serve you when they’re ready/want to serve you. I’ve been eating there my whole life, and I never get any/good service. Prepare to be ignored for at least 20 minutes -– don’t eat here if you’re in a hurry to go somewhere.

And when you do get to order, be prepared to eat something else. They run out of stuff fast because business is always good, and will not hesitate to serve you something other than what you ordered. The kari mee is pretty awesome though.

Directions: Jalan Ipoh, near the dim sum places, by the monkey bars.

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Claypot Chicken Rice

The woman who owns this place has vitiligo. But unlike MJ (who’s on vacation with Elvis), she’s not ashamed of it; she walks around in her PJs, with cold powder all over her face. The coffee isn’t great, and the place would probably fail a health and safety check on sight, but the chicken is really good! If you catch her in a good mood, she’ll even add some salted fish for free.

Directions: Actually, it’s not around anymore, because the landlord raised the rent and Vitiligo Vamp decided to close shop. It used to be right opposite the soon-to-be demolished Sri Terengganu flats, by the goldsmith’s.

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Temple

If you like six-foot-tall statues of Buddha, the Monkey God (and friends), and nice swordfish cakes, then this is a pretty chilled-out place to have lunch at. Right by the river, under a tree, strange men fishing, a soft breeze — it’s not bad, except that the river is a bit smelly.

They serve all sorts of claypot and fried noodles, also plenty of rice dishes. Oh, and they add yam to their fish head noodles. (Did I say “yam”? I meant “YUM”.) The coffee is instant, but service is decent. The Indian lady who cleans up tends to go on and on though, so try not to ask any questions.

Directions: Kampung Kasipillay, I think there’s only one Buddhist temple there.

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Tong Sui, Ba Chang, and biscuits.

The man at this stall has been there since I was a little girl. The Lin Chee Kang and red/green bean soup are particularly good. The Ba Chang is yummy with Lingam’s chilli sauce. You can stand around and eat out of a bowl with everyone else, or you can bungkus. There’s also different chinese biscuits, egg tarts etc.

Directions: On your way out of Kampung Kasipillay (I say “on your way out” because there’s free parking on the left after the river); the stall’s right by the bank (the financial establishment, not the river).