Review: Pudu Wai Sek Kai

**Non-Halal**


I've meant to blog about this vibrant lane, Jalan Sayor in Pudu, but been holding back as I could never get a good picture of the food as lighting is very bad over there. I managed to accumulate over time some pics that I caught when we were there before sun down. Some stalls are opened from morning but majority of the hawkers are opened from late afternoon. The stalls opening and closing are not fixed hence there are many times we ended up disappointed with the lack of stalls.

Fancy this hawker lane is in existence since my parents' dating days hahaha so some of the stalls have been here for more than 50 years! I can't remember the prices but this is roadside hawker, won't burn a hole in your pocket even if you order a dish from each of the stall :p

The first stall which one could see from the main Jalan Pudu is my favourite place for Da Pu Mien (Hakka noodles). This stall belonged to my ex-colleague's grandfather and he told us they make the noodles themselves hence the springy texture of the noodles which I really liked in fresh noodles. Little did I know until I watched Taste of Jason show, they even handmade their loh shue fun (a type of rice noodles)! From that show, they showed how they sat on a long and thick bamboo pole to flatten and roll the dough which explained the wonderfully springy noodles.
The good news now is the stall is opened from wee hours in the morning until 10.00pm! I can now have my fix of da pu mien for dinner :p Other than the texture of the noodles, the taste to me is of the right balance even though Hakka is known to have heavy hands on salt and oil. Do not be fooled by the errmm lack of colour of the dry version as dark soy sauce is not used. Good quality fish sauce is used as how it lightly fragrant the noodle. A scoop of minced pork and few slices of char siu (bbq pork) completes the bowl of noodle alongside with a nice clear broth.



Other than this, Capt'n Hook loves the porridge here and it's always a delight to see how the bald headed man stirring the cauldron... it's rather in rhythm, just short of Richie Sambora blazing his electric guitar right here :p. The deep fried pork intestine is the bomb here!

Then there's the popular chu cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) stall. Many would go for the curry pork skin but I liked the turnip and dried shrimps filled ones more. They have yam cake, kuih-muih and yau char kwai (fried crullers) as well.



The fried chicken from the stall with a perpectual line queuing, in fact the only stall with a queue, for hot off-the-wok deep fried chicken of all parts, yes all parts which include chicken feet, innards and carcass if you fancy them. The chicken are well marinaded and of course the skin is crispy when the meat is tender.



Further inside there are more stalls ranging from char thau koay (fried rice cake), boiled blood cockles, sotong kangkung, sup kambing (mutton soup) and many more. Watch out for a lady who is busy at the charcoal grill toasting flatten sotong pieces and tofu stuffed with cucumber and turnip strips. You can order a set of all three offerings that consist of the tofu, grilled sotong and the deep fried sotong coated in a sticky sweetish sauce. The best part of the combo is the fabulous thick sauce ladled over them with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

I will also hit this place whenever I feel heatiness in my the body creeping up me, to have a bowl of wong lo kat (Chinese herbs concoction) mixed with a myriad of powdered herbs depending if you're heaty (yit hei in Cantonese) or coughing. It's not easy to drink this up as it's bitter and the not-so-easy-to-dilute powder made it harder. Capt'n Hook said it's like drinking up saw dust potion the first time I introduced him to the drink! LOL





There are 2 of such stalls on the left and right of the entrance. The left side opens on weekends (Fri - Sun) and the right side opens on weekdays (Mon-Thurs) but then again the opening days are not fixed as the aunties said it's very tiring as boiling herbal drinks are hardwork. BTW, I loved the buy back the bottled sugar cane boiled with water chestnut (mar tei chuk cheh sui). Only RM3 for 1 litre bottle. Saved a lot of hassle and the taste is ghau (full of flavour) not the diluted kind. Ask for the less sugar version, same price unlike manufacturers who charges more for less sugar version bleh! Pictured are taken of the stall on the right side and they are the second place with a crowd rather than queue :p

Saving the best for last... Capt'n Hook's perpectual craving of steamed egg custard will always bring us here provided we can mosey over before 8.00pm as usually by then they will be all sold out! This tong shui (sweet soup) stall will always be the first stall we'll hit and Captn'n Hook will order 4 bowls in advance, sometimes up to 6! 2 for me and 4 for him alone! The smooth egg custard is of the perfect consistency with just the right sweetness for me.

Other than egg custard, the variety of tong shui is popular as well. From darn char (egg tea) to luk mei (6 variety of ingredients)... all are well received. I took Kong Kay here after our dinner at Sek Yuen and I think I've lost count over the number of bowls of tong shui we've ordered!



For more details especially the history side of this lane, check out Jason's post which so happened to be in English. This lane is located diagonally opposite Sek Yuen Restaurant or from KL it's nor far after Maybank. There is a parking next to this lane but you'll need to keep left driving down till the traffic light. Turn left and another left shortly where you'll hit a small back lane. The parking is at the end on the right. The uncle collects RM2 or was it RM3?? :p


Pudu Wai Sek Kai
Jalan Sayor (Off Jalan Pudu)
Kuala Lumpur
Coordinate ：N 3∘ 8.101’ E 101∘ 42.776’ (gotten from Jason's site :p)