Char siew is incarnadine?
I think this place is more accurately described as a Malaysian-Chinese cum Nyonya place rather than just simply "Malaysian". In any caee, most of the "kuih" that I can see in the photos and on their Facebook page is definitely Nyonya stuff.
Oh, the "(pork) incarnadine" looks like CHAR SIU. If so, why not simply call it that?
The "bak kua" is also more commonly called "long yoke" in Cantonese especially in Kuala Lumpur. "Bak kua" is the common term in Hokkien. The dried shredded pork is called "yoke see" in Cantonese.
The author clearly enjoys this food, and writes lucidly. But I think she might wish to acquaint herself with more detailed info about the cuisines (plural) in Malaysia before she writes another article about same.
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@huiray I completely agree, but that is how "publications" are they do not do a thorough job of investigating and or giving proper credit.
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Great article, excellent photos that actually inspired me to make the trek yesterday to take a look. I must say I was disappointed by the big grade 'B' food inspection in the window. Were they inspected after the article was written? I went in anyway, tried the little pancakes, which were delicious. I had the 'classic,' with butter and peanuts. I was leery about ordering anything with meet because of the'B' grade.
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Oh my, the photos + prose have my mouth actually watering. I land JFK at 3:00pm in a week or so and hope to be here before closing.
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When I was a New Yorker half a lifetime ago, the food was good but not as international. Each week when I read Hungry City I can almost taste the food described. Many times, like this week’s column, it conjures the tastes and smells of a place where I ate some of those treats. Malaysia’s food is delicious but its sweets are surely the best along the Pacific Rim. I envy the New Yorkers who will have their first taste of apam balik!
Ligaya, please look up what "to slake" means. It is nothing near the way you use it. Your language tends to be very "A word means what I want it to mean" à la Lewis Carroll. Some of us notice, and cringe.
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"Choy Sum" is a form of flowering mustard, not cabbage.
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Wow! I grew up in Singapore and have been craving this food for years. Never knew it was right around the corner!
The "Malaysian cakes" featured look a lot like Nyonya cakes rather than generically "Malaysian" cakes.
The cuisine at this place might also be more accurately characterized as "Malaysian-Chinese" mixed with "Nyonya", again, rather than generically "Malaysian". There may be some Malay dishes - the menu doesn't seem to be available to look at properly from the internet.
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"Bak Kua" is the Hokkien for what would be called "Long Yoke"in Cantonese especially in Kuala Lumpur.
The "pork rousong" would be called "Yoke See" in Cantonese, also especially around Kuala Lumpur.
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I miss the "long yoke" one used to get from a couple of shops on Cecil Street in KL. It was so wonderful.
(Of course, TPTB renamed Cecil Street to Jalan Hang Lekir, after a Malay personage who had NOTHING to do with the development of KL's Chinatown, which has now become a museum piece anyway.
Wonderful writing, great photos, like a mini vacation. Thank you! And, boy, am I hungry!
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I can't emphasize how hungry this makes me. The closest thing I can get here is a crepe, I may just have to get one now.
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I still live in Kuala Lumpur part time...I have loved the ‘peanut taco’ since 1996, when I used to come down from my office and snack on a few on the street. I miss the old hawker days of the 90’s...many of them made crispy ones, which I love.
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Yum! This is what Manhattan and specifically Chinatown is all about! Pete Welles can have his $300 omakase but I'll take a nice lunch here for $10 anytime!
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@ ManhattanWilliam
I would take both, on different occasions, as my gastronomic whimsy takes me.
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The slide show today worked perfectly.Perhaps someone was listening.
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"The Chinatown of Manhattan?"
Just say "Chinatown," nobody confuses Flushing with the original...
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There are 3 Chinatowns (Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn) with Flushing being frequently covered in food media. Perfectly normal and even encouraged to refer to which borough the restaurant is in.
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If Ligaya Mishan wrote about colonoscopies, I would read about that too. Amazing prose! thank you for this! Mouth is watering over that apam balik - it looks like the delicious martabak that we inhale from indonesian vendors. More please :)
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@ Anishka NYC
I wish Ms. Mishan's writing talent summarized the available in New York ethnic-regional cuisines from the extreme inhabited points of the globe: from Greenland in the North and Tierra del Fuego in the South, and from International Date Line to the 0 degrees longitude Greenwich meridian (there may be much variety on the latter).
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Well deserved love for an overlooked spot in a high trafficked area. Can't find apam balik anywhere!
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