KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — Two fish and chips stories in two weeks? Yes, the humble fish and chips is indeed “having a moment in the Klang Valley”.
It’s also making waves in my consciousness, especially ever since I came across this delightful paean to the British tradition of a Friday night “chippy tea”, courtesy of What Willy Cook — an Instagram cook/influencer/comedian — and sung to the tune of Hot Chocolate’s 1978 hit Every 1’s a Winner.
That banging guitar riff never fails to satisfy (satisfy).
Consider the idea of fish and chips. Here, the concept is a wholly imported one (like much of the frozen perch or cod used) from our former colonial masters, and the many cheap appeals to authenticity — which, infuriatingly, has become a shorthand for quality — commonly employed here stop just short of Geri-Halliwell-in-that-Union-Jack-dress levels of Wannabe Cool Britannia.
If some of these places could send out a piece of fried fish wearing a retro Umbro drill top, I bet they would.
That’s not to say I didn’t buy into it. I ate many a soggy fish and chips in many a sad old man’s pub growing up. I enjoy Oasis and Blur equally — scandalous, I know.
But at its core, fish and chips ought to be simple. I’m not in some English seaside town; I’m in tropical Kuala Lumpur.
Damn the malt vinegar, mushy peas, or saveloy — I just want freshly fried fish, well-salted chips, and decent tartar sauce. Is that too much to ask?
So I found myself on the ground floor of Pearl Shopping Gallery, the less successful sibling in the shadow of Pearl Point Shopping Mall, off Old Klang Road.
I was standing in front of the Edelweiss Flagship Oyster Bar, a painfully tacky blue-and-white establishment.
I can’t decide which is worse: the Alps motif on its walls or the TV playing an endless loop of sea-diving footage.
When writing about a place, I generally try to go in blind, but this time I actually wish I were.
Never mind all that. The speciality here is the fish and chips (RM72), which features a whole, “live” tilapia — said to be still kicking straight from the tank, like a Chinese restaurant — battered and fried, with chips and housemade tartar sauce.
Tilapia obviously doesn’t compare to the prestige of, say, perch or cod, but its soft, mild flesh is ideal for deep-frying: the inside stays moist, while the outside gets properly crispy.
And when it’s this fresh, there’s no hint of that undesirable muddy flavour. Sure, the tartar sauce was not as tart as I would have liked, but I’ve had worse, and the chips had a healthy amount of salt on them.
The portion could easily feed two or more people, and the crunchy bits attached to the carcass left behind are like little bonus treats you get at the end for wolfing down the minuscule portion of coleslaw on the side.
I’m not sure why coleslaw is included, but I suppose it speaks to the main audience of the bar, whose kitsch is beginning to grow on me. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, I suppose.
One could argue that this is the sort of fish and chips we should be eating here: it’s fresher, and local fish (especially freshwater) is far and away the cheaper and more sustainable option.
But even ignoring all that, this ticks all the boxes — freshly fried fish, well-salted chips, and decent tartar sauce.
I’d just recommend choosing a different beverage than I did. Seeing as we were where we were, I opted for a glass of Edelweiss Original (RM16.80), but the trademark fruity, floral character was decidedly incompatible with the fish.
Go for something else instead. The fish belonged; the beer didn’t.
Edelweiss Flagship Oyster Bar
Lot G08 & G09, Pearl Shopping Gallery,
Jalan Sepadu, Off Jalan Klang Lama,
Taman United, Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily, 10am-2am
Tel: 011-2998 8020
Facebook: Flagship Oyster Bar Of Edelweiss
Instagram: @edelweissflagshipoysterbar.my
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and occasionally self-deprecating humour.
