PETALING JAYA, Sept 25 — Eating apam balik gives me joy.

It reminds me of my childhood when my parents would buy it for my breakfast together with taufufah, after their early market run.

In essence, it's just a plain double decker pancake, composed of flour, eggs, sugar, water and a rising agent.

The magic is in the filling.

You get that saltiness from the margarine used. This mingles with the toasted, chunky nuts sweetened with coarse sugar.

And if you hit the jackpot of getting that piece with crispy brown edges, it's a happy contrast of fluffy and crunchy textures.

I once had a favourite apam balik stall near the wet market in Sea Park. Sadly it's long gone after the owner died.

Now, a new apam balik stall has opened inside Sea Park's Restoran MJ Wang.

The stall is in the middle of the corner lot and many queue to pack the 'apam balik' home. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The stall is in the middle of the corner lot and many queue to pack the 'apam balik' home. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Turns out that this stall known as Ipoh Famous Apam Balik, traces its origins to a stall in Menglembu.

The proprietor's son, Shawn Phoon, left his job in a bank in 2019 to expand the business all around the Klang Valley.

You get two flavours of apam balik. There's the original with peanuts and a newfangled one with pandan flavour and fresh grated coconut. It's RM2 per piece.

If you wish to jazz up the flavours, additional toppings like corn, banana, mango and Nutella can be added for an extra 50 sen.

Judging from the number of pancakes prepped ahead, I reckon the pandan version is the more popular one.

The pandan flavour 'apam balik' has a soft, squishy texture which pairs well with the grated coconut. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The pandan flavour 'apam balik' has a soft, squishy texture which pairs well with the grated coconut. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The method of cooking this pancake is slightly different.

The batter is prepped ahead and once the huge pan is hot enough, the batter is poured inside.

The pan will be covered with a lid, allowing it to be cooked by the steam, while the bottom layer gets golden and crispy from the fire below.

The batter is poured into the large pan and covered with a lid to cook until the edges crisp up. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The batter is poured into the large pan and covered with a lid to cook until the edges crisp up. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Usually, halfway through the cooking time, the ground peanuts and sugar are added.

The difference with this stall's method is that they only sprinkle sugar on the pancake when it's cooking. Once the edges pull away from the hot pan, they remove it and place it on the chopping board.

It's slathered with margarine. Then one half of the pancake is topped with ground peanuts and folded down in the middle.

Once cooked, they will spread the margarine over the hot pancake (left). Rather than sprinkling the toasted ground peanuts when cooking the pancake, here it is only added when the pancake is cooked. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
Once cooked, they will spread the margarine over the hot pancake (left). Rather than sprinkling the toasted ground peanuts when cooking the pancake, here it is only added when the pancake is cooked. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi

Even the cutting is evenly done as there are handy markings on the half moon shaped chopping board. At least people won't complain that they've been short-changed in size.

Depending on your order, they will place it on a piece of paper and plastic bag for you to take home.

Or if you prefer, enjoy it hot at the coffee shop with a cup of local coffee.

The pancake is folded in the middle (left). Using the grooves on the special chopping board, the large 'apam balik' is cut to ensure each piece is the proper serving size. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
The pancake is folded in the middle (left). Using the grooves on the special chopping board, the large 'apam balik' is cut to ensure each piece is the proper serving size. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi

The pancakes for both flavours weren't too sweet, catering to those who prefer less sugar.

It's not too thick with a squishy texture, making it easy to eat.

For the original flavour, the peanuts have a crunchy texture, since it's not cooked with the pancake.

The pandan version is good for those looking for a lighter flavour. While you don't get much of the fragrance of pandan, the grated coconut is what makes it satisfying.

Restoran MJ Wang has now expanded to two shoplots. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Restoran MJ Wang has now expanded to two shoplots. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

You can also find the apam balik stall at Taman Setapak Kedai Makanan Sky and various pasar malam, like SS3 Taman Universiti on Tuesday, Kuchai on Wednesday and Taman Paramount on Sunday.

Phoon also opened Nutty Apam Balik on Jalan Hang Lekir, KL. There's dine-in and more flavours available.

Ipoh Famous Apam Balik Stall

Restoran MJ Wang, 1, Jalan 21/17, Sea Park, Petaling Jaya

Open daily: 7am to 2pm

Tel:016-5002012.

For a full list of the outlets, visit their Facebook: @nutty_apambalik Instagram:@nutty_apambalik

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.