KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Strange but true... red light districts seem to have the best eats. Despite its unsavoury reputation, Jalan Alor pulls in the tourists with its vast selection of street food. Even though in recent years, foreigners have inflitrated the street, Jalan Alor still tops any newcomer’s bucket list of must eats in KL.

Across the Causeway, Geylang is a draw for many since it’s full of sinful vices including tummy-satisfying eats like frog porridge, crab beehoon and claypot rice which are open at all hours. Following in those footsteps, Pudu’s Ring Road or Jalan Gelang is slowly becoming a hub for good food.

Cai Ji’s owner Lee Sang personally prepares every steamed fish head here

Look for Cai Ji that specialises in steamed Song fish head

Hidden from the main road (either Jalan Sungai Besi or Jalan Loke Yew depending on which way you use), it’s a quiet residential area dominated by the tired-looking Ring Road flats that is said to date back some 50 years. You only get an inkling of its sleazy activities when you do a Google search for “Jalan Gelang” as the notorious One-Stop Food Court (Sap Chuen) pops up as a place where “China dolls” are said to entertain their customers.

During the day, there’s no sign of any such activities even though One-Stop opens from noon. Walk around the area and it is just a quiet place peppered with the flat’s residents or patrons who enjoy good food. One big plus point in this area is the availability of parking spaces since not many outsiders wander inside.

Cai Ji’s food has a home cooked taste like their salted fish pork belly with eggplant

Order vegetables like this fried dragon leaves with bean sprouts at Cai Ji

Walk into Hup Lik and you find a typical coffee shop scene. Most of the patrons here are sharing a single pot of Chinese tea as they exchange gossip or catch up with the news. The attraction here is the 20-year-old fishball noodle stall manned by Chua Wai Leong, 41, who once lived at the Ring Road flats.

He took over his father’s business about 10 years ago. Unlike his father who used to make his own fishballs, Chua sources for the items from a nearby factory that still makes them by hand versus the modern way with machines. His younger brother also carries out their father’s legacy but he prefers to make his fishballs for his one-year-old stall in Taman Bolton, Cheras.

Sticky and delicious Marmite chicken wings from Cai Ji

The standard bowl of noodles is served with fishballs, thin slices of fish cake, and her giao (fish dumplings). The soup base has a very light clear taste and according to Chua, he prepares it by boiling sai toh yue (yellowtail fish) bones.

Just before the bowl of noodles is served, Chua adds preserved radish, chopped spring onions, a dollop of fried lard fritters and a shake of ground white pepper. What makes the noodles exceptional is the delicious savoury taste of her giao, one of the best I’ve tasted. Not commonly found since it’s labour intensive to make, the dumpling skin is made from deboned and kneaded snakehead fish meat that is rolled into a paper thin sheet. It’s stuffed with a minced pork and dried sole (chor hau yee) filling that gives it an extra oomph!

Foon Xiang’s father-and-son team Tan Tuck Foon (left) and Tan Weng Fai (right) once worked in Singapore

Foon Xiang is located at this busy corner restaurant that also serves all kinds of food like chicken rice, pork noodles and wantan mee

Further down Hup Lik, look for Ring Road Restaurant with its distinct cooking station with numerous pots fronting the busy eatery. It’s run by the Sin family where the patriarch, Sin Law Long, 68, is the founder of this 29-year-old eatery.

Originally located at Hup Lik, they shifted to the corner restaurant first before moving to the next door shoplot about three years ago when their rent was increased. When elder Sin decided to take a backseat in the business, his son Sin Hua Lun, 41, took over the cooking while his sister, Sin See Mun, 43, takes charge of collections. Both siblings have been helping their father at the stall since they were young. Hua Lun started cooking at the stall when he turned 22 so he’s incredibly experienced and can handle the cooking on his own.

Foon Xiang’s most popular steam fish head style is cheong cheng that uses soy bean paste and fried lard fritters

A must-order at Foon Xiang is their Cantonese fried noodles with its smoky taste and creamy egg sauce (left). The signature fried beancurd at Foon Xiang is made with egg, beancurd, wood ear fungus, minced pork and carrots (right)

The restaurant pulls in the crowd for its fish head noodles and pork noodles. The secret behind their success is the use of the freshest ingredients, all handpicked by the patriarch himself from their regular suppliers at the nearby Pudu market. There’s also an incredible variety of items available so you can mix and match your choice of noodles.

Try to score for a table under the shade of the trees at Foon Xiang

Opt for the smooth freshwater Song fish head or the pricier and slightly firmer sek pan (garoupa) fish head that has a more gelatinous skin. Or go for the pak chong (white pomfret) or the prized tau tai (silver pomfret), a must for those who love the fine smooth taste of the fish. There’s also tiger prawns, fish paste (yee wat) and unusual additions like frog legs! As they also sell pork noodles, you can also opt to add pig’s kidney slices in your fish slices in your fish head noodles.

They also offer GuangXi bean curd puffs with a filling of fish paste, minced pork and chopped chives.

Second generation owner Chua Wai Leong inherited the stall from his father

The broth for the fish head noodles is made by boiling a mix of young ginger, fish and chicken bones. Adding to its fragrance, you have chopped fresh spring onions, coriander leaves and a dash of Shao Xing rice wine. Regulars also store their stash of premium Shao Xing rice wine inside a hidden locked cabinet. A dash of the fragrant aged rice wine will enhance the taste of your fish head noodles.

A simple bowl of fishball noodles from Hup Lik

The food scene here has also welcomed recent newcomers in the past three years selling steamed fish head like Cai Ji Steam Fish Head and Foon Xiang Restaurant Steam Fish Head. Freshwater steamed fish head is the preferred choice since it doesn’t have a muddy taste and is reasonably priced. The dish is so popular that even Ring Road Restaurant offers steamed fish head side by side with their signature noodles.

The fishball noodle stall at Hup Lik offers fishcake, fishballs and fish skin wantans

Seeking an opportunity to expand their business that started in Desa Petaling about 10 years ago, Cai Ji opened here about three years ago. Previously located at the corner coffee shop next to Ring Road Restaurant for one and half years, they moved across to their own shop lot about two years ago.

Regulars drop by at Hup Lik for their old favourites

It’s managed by Woo Siew Hoong, 50, who is always on hand to recommend their signature dishes like steamed chicken, signature fried homemade bean curd or sweet and sour pork. The food served here tastes like what Mum would have made from her kitchen. The salted pork belly is perfect with rice as the gravy is rich with chopped onions and eggplant pieces. It does lack a distinct salted fish taste though probably since the ingredient is now touted as a premium item. Similarly, the Marmite chicken wings makes a satisfying meal with its sauce that is both sweet and savoury tasting.

The star of Cai Ji is their steamed Song fish head; a half portion can easily feed one enthusiastic fish-loving fan with a plate of rice. The restaurant’s owner, Lee Sang, 56, takes it upon himself to steam the fish head himself (they hired another chef to cook the other dishes). Previously a plumber, he’s not much of a cook he admits (he does not even like to fry eggs!) but he taught himself to master the art of steaming fish head.

Originally from Serdang, this chicken rice stall run by Yong Ban Thong only sells poached free range chickens

Even though he does not have a cooking background, his upper hand is his experience in selecting excellent fish as his family were once fishmongers. He sources the freshest Song fish heads from a stall in the Petaling Street wet market.

One taste of the voluptuously soft and luscious steamed fish head steamed in their signature style with minced ginger, fried shallots, shallot oil, soy sauce and chopped chillies and you may be tempted to order a second helping. We spied neighbouring tables where it’s the main dish for a solo diner with a plate of rice, or groups who order at least three or four different varieties.

The draw for Restoran dan Kedai Kopi La is the aromatic chicken rice paired with yellow skin poached chicken, homemade soup and a delicious ginger spring onion dip

There are six varieties of steamed fish head available including a deep fried crispy version. Popular among the crowd is the signature style and cheong cheng. Prices range from RM26 to RM30 for the Song fish head depending on its size.

Most of their customers are office workers who patronise the shop for weekday lunches. Some even return with their families and friends at night or weekends for dinner. Cai Ji also has another outlet at Bandar Permaisuri that is run by Woo’s sister-in-law that only opens at night.

Just before serving, Yong Ban Thong adds a mix of soy sauce and sesame oil over the poached chicken

Business for the chicken rice stall at Restoran dan Kedai Kopi La starts as early as 9am

Their Desa Petaling outlet is run by one of their partners. Both outlets also offer the signature steamed fish head.

When Cai Ji left their previous location at the corner coffee shop, Foon Xiang run by a father-and-son team stepped in about two years ago. Originally from Ring Road, Tan Tuck Foon, 60, had ventured to Singapore to cook for about 20 years. He also brought his son, Tan Weng Fai, 30, along. The family including Fai’s mother who runs the wantan mee stall at the corner restaurant returned here to seek better opportunities.

Look for a table under the shade of the trees outside and enjoy the breeze, as you wait for your order. You will be surprised but the eatery gets customers early in the morning who order their steamed fish head with rice! They offer six types of steamed fish head. The crowd favourite is their cheong cheng that uses soy bean paste or tau cheo, chopped garlic and shallots for a sweet savoury taste. It is topped with sinful fried lard fritters.

Sin Hua Lun cooks up fish and pork noodles at Ring Road Restaurant

Other choices include a Nyonya version that has a sweet sourish taste that is topped with vegetables like tomatoes and lady’s fingers, their signature style (chiew pai) is served with soy sauce, fried garlic, chillies and ginger, or just simply topped with fresh young ginger cut into thin matchsticks. Prices for the Song fish is RM23 (small) or RM27 (big). They also offer tilapia (fei chou) or garoupa (sek pan).

Other goodies you can order include their signature fried bean curd made with egg, bean curd, fish paste, crunchy wood ear fungus and carrots. As the Tan family is Hakka, you will find there’s braised pork belly with slices of yam (kaw yoke), vinegar pork trotters (chee kiok chou), and fried pork marinated with fermented bean paste that is braised with wood ear fungus (char yoke).

Ring Road Restaurant allows you to customise your own bowl of noodles, like this one with fish head, frog legs and pork kidney slices

Ring Road Restaurant allows you to customise your own bowl of noodles, like this one with fish head, frog legs and pig’s kidney slices

You also have a choice of fried noodles; the dry Singapore fried beehoon with tomato sauce, fried Hokkien mee and Cantonese style fried noodles. What’s exceptional is their Cantonese fried noodles, a choice of wat tan hor with kuey teow or yin yong that offers a mix of textures with kuey teow and beehoon. The smooth kuey teow strands have a lovely smoky flavour that pairs so well with the egg rich sauce. Definitely a must-order here.

If fish is not your cup of tea, try the chicken rice at Restoran dan Kedai Kopi La that is directly opposite One-Stop food court. The stall is operated by Yong Ban Thong, 55, who hails from Serdang. The Hakka descendant operated a 30-year-old business in Serdang but after his stall was torn down to make way for development, he relocated here about three years ago. He picked up his skills as an apprentice for an old woman who once ran a chicken rice stall in Serdang.

Relish every spoonful of his fragrant and fluffy chicken rice that he cooks with chicken broth and pandan leaves. The yellow skin poached chicken tends to be on the chewier side since he uses free range chickens (choy yin kai). Pair it with the delicious minced ginger and spring onion dip on the side for extra flavour. Even his soup is comforting with tender to the bite chicken feet. He also serves pickled cucumbers with his chicken rice rather than normal cut cucumbers.

Fresh fish is picked from the Pudu market every day for Ring Road Restaurant

Yong’s regulars come from as far as Cheras and Ampang for his chicken rice. Some even book whole chickens to take home. Prices are kept reasonable, as his chicken rice is RM6 for free range chickens.

Look out for the weekend specials like Hakka salted chicken (yim ham kai) served on Saturdays that has Chinese angelica (dong quai) and wolf berries (kei chi).

On Sundays, you can get steamed chicken laced with Shao Xing rice wine. His customers are usually regulars from the nearby flats. One patron who stays around the corner often does not bother to even come downstairs. She’ll just call with her chicken rice order which will be placed in a bag and pulled up by string to her first floor flat.

Cai Ji Steam Fish Head

A60 (Ground Floor), Jalan Gelang, Off Jalan Sg Besi, KL

Tel: 017-668 9129

Open: 10am to 3pm, 6pm to 9.30pm.

Closed on Monday.

Foon Xiang Restaurant Steam Fish

50, Jalan Chin Chin, Off Jalan Loke Yew, KL

Tel: 017-356 8806/012-309 6747

Open: 6.30am to 4pm (Monday to Thursday)

6.30am to 8pm (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

Hup Lik

34, Jalan Gelang, Off Jalan Sg Besi, KL

Open: 6am to 2pm.

Closed every second Monday of the month.

Restoran dan Kedai Kopi La

16, Jalan Gelang, Off Jalan Sg Besi, KL

Open: 9am to 2pm.

Closed every second Thursday of the month.

Ring Road Restaurant

48, Jalan Gelang, Off Jalan Sg Besi, KL

Tel: 019-211 4990

Open: 6am to 3pm

Closed every second Monday of the month.