PETALING JAYA, Dec 28 — Right smack in the heart of commercialization, fairly strategic in terms of location yet somewhat removed from the cold, lifeless brick and mortar businesses and an extensive colony of residential homes, is this new village (kampong baru in Bahasa Malaysia) named Sungai Way in Selangor.

When I first wandered around the neighbourhood, it surprised me that this area still exists within the realms of Petaling Jaya, wedged between areas marked for development.

The atmosphere is entirely different from its more commercialized counterparts; relatively chaotic with narrow lanes suited for one-way traffic, single storey houses built almost within arm’s length of one another (a tad exaggerated, but you get the picture) and the multitude of foreign workers happily strolling across the labyrinths of Sungai Way all decked in generic uniforms past 5pm every day.

I would not have thought of coming here for a food hunt, despite the overwhelming curiosity ignited by the sight of stalls, eateries housed in home compounds, authentic Indonesian fare prepared and served by ladies from the same country, and the wet market with a food court on the upper level.

I was initially intimidated by the neighbourhood; the startling number of foreigners and haphazard traffic after working hours did not make me think of Sungai Way as being an ideal neighbourhood for food walks.

But that misguided notion disappeared immediately after I chanced upon Ah Sang Bak Kut Teh, one of the more renowned bak kut teh outlets outside of Klang.

Although the true bak kut teh (BKT for short) fanatic would grimace at the thought of their prized bowl of BKT served in claypots instead of bowls (like the original Klang version), strewn with stalks of vegetables, enoki mushrooms and beancurd puffs alongside the chunks of pork instead of how they do it in Klang; a mega-chunk of “big bone” (or dai guat) sitting majestically in a clearly under-sized bowl with an undeniably thrifty amount of soup.

The thought of travelling half an hour (or more, depending on the traffic) for a lip-smacking lunch of BKT in Klang can be daunting, and thus people make do with second best. And Ah Sang has always been the one on top of our list.

Come earlier (before 12pm for lunch), and expect extremely efficient and rapid service, as turnover is the rate-limiting factor for raking in revenue.

Needless to say, the lunch crowd swarms the area during peak hours, consisting mainly office workers from nearby areas, factory workers out for lunch and even elderly men presumably from the neighbourhood casually reading the dailies and sipping on Chinese tea post-BKT.

Well, the options are pretty much limited here though you can also order Vinegar Pork Trotters on weekends. The herbal soup is dark-coloured, infused with herbs and the cuts of pork tailored to your request are usually satisfying.

Remember to order a side serving of you tiao (Chinese crullers) to soak up the flavourful soup.

Look for the old uncle manning the yam rice stall in Sun Tho Yuen should you fail to locate the restaurant that comes without an English signboard in the midst of Sungai Way New Village

If bak kut teh sounds a little bit overwhelming for breakfast should you arrive early after running errands around the area, then look out for Sun Tho Yuen’s yam rice served with mixed pork offal soup.

This corner coffee shop located right across a Chinese temple along the narrow road (Jalan SS9A/2) cutting across the neighbourhood seems underwhelming, almost as though it tried its best to blend in with the grocery stores, motorcycle workshops and what-nots in the vicinity.

Heck, even the signboard is written in Chinese characters, hidden from clear view by the awning extending to the front of the premises. But if you look out for the junction of Jalan SS9A/2 and Jalan SS9A/9, you should be able to see the shop on your left.

The yam rice stall operates in the earlier part of the day and closes after lunch while Mondays are rest days. The specialty is, of course, the yam rice cooked with healthy cubes of softened yam and dried shrimps, yet the rice retains the texture of individual grains and is actually good enough on its own.

Chu Chap Tong or mixed pork offal soup comes with everything from pork balls to liver, lung to kidneys in a peppery clear broth topped with fresh coriander, lending a distinctive aroma that helps to mask the relatively strong taste of certain organs.

Another popular dish here is the braised pork trotters in a sweetish dark soy sauce based gravy, but this can be a nightmare for those on a strict diet; the extremely fat chunks of trotters are not your average clean protein sources!

You can always request for a leaner cut, and the old man manning the stall will be happy to oblige. Or skip this and aim for the braised eggs and beancurd which was another viable side dish but the braising gravy is different than the trotters’ as the latter is a notch sweeter.

And to cap off the Sungai Way food run, there probably isn’t another more well-deserving restaurant to be voted as the best spot for dinner in the neighbourhood than Hua Xing Restaurant.

It’s on the first floor of Plaza Setia, the commercial building that you can see from the Federal Highway and next to the market.

Deep fried brinjals with fried garlic is one of Hua Xing’s creations that could potentially convert non-brinjal fans (left). Fried tapioca flour noodles with caramelized onions, bean sprouts, pork and lard fritters from Hua Xing; infused with such wok hei that it’s impossible to share a portion with someone else! (right)

Hua Xing specializes in Hokkien cuisine, a fairly rare indulgence nowadays with more modern and Cantonese-inspired (or more horrifying is the tradition-defying fusion dishes!) cuisine cropping up everywhere.

What they do best are the various versions of fried noodles, infused with a charred, smoky flavour imparted by a well-heated wok and the flash-frying skills of the experts; what we term as wok hei in Cantonese.

Instead of the usual yellow noodles or rice vermicelli at Hua Xing, potato starch noodles, glass noodles and tapioca flour noodles take centre stage here.

You can also fry the noodles with bitter gourd or as it is; with lard fritters, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, eggs and chicken for good measure.

Another dish worth trying is the deep fried brinjals with fried garlic and chopped spring onions. This would be an ideal dish to introduce brinjals to your kids, I guarantee you that.

Other than these, Hua Xing also whips up certain Hokkien dishes that are no longer common such as “Hong Bak” or braised pork belly in dark soy sauce with blocks of alkaline kueh or kan sui gou to soak up the thick elixir of pork goodness.

And there you have them, three Chinese eateries in Sungai Way offering diversely different types of cuisine, yet each with its own trademark dishes and allure. If you have not ventured into the neighbourhood yet, why not start now?

AH SANG BAK KUT TEH No. 531, Jalan SS9A/12, Seri Setia, Sg. Way, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Tel No : +603-7876 2299, +6016-255 52335, +6016-304 7611 Opens from 7.30am–2pm. Closed on alternate Monday

SUN THO YUEN YAM RICE At junction of Jalan SS9A/2 and Jalan SS9A/9 Seri Setia, Sg. Way, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Opens for breakfast from about 8am until lunch only. Closed on Mondays

HUA XING RESTAURANT Lot 1-12, 1st Floor, Plaza Seri Setia, Jalan SS9/2, Seri Setia, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Opens for lunch and dinner. Closed on Wednesdays

James Tan loves good food and blogs at Motormouth From Ipoh (www.j2kfm.com)