KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Follow your nose... and you may unearth a hidden gem like this shop peddling all kinds of curries including a magnificent fish head version.
It’s hard to imagine that this unassuming place along the narrow Pudu lanes, flanked by printing shops, was once the toast of the town in Imbi.
Back in the late 1990s, the proprietor Madam Tang reeled in her customers by the dozens as everyone wanted a taste of her superb curries. The place got its “bird park” moniker as bird lovers used to bring their caged birds to the open space nearby every weekend.
The origins of her Indian-style dishes reads like an epsionage tale with a few twists and turns along the way.
Married into the Yong family who ran a restaurant in Imbi, Madam Tang learnt the art of making tea and coffee from her in-laws. Originally, the restaurant was rented out to a Chinese man who sold curries cooked by his hired Indian workers.
Being a keen cook, Madam Tang used to sneak the food home and recreate the dishes in her kitchen. She would tweak the dish, the first being the fried chicken, to suit her children’s tastebuds.
Each time, she would play around with the recipe. Madam Tang who has a fussy palate, would up the ante for the dishes by adding more spices, using better ingredients, or even tweak the consistency of the curries.
As time passed, these dishes eventually became her own versions. For instance, her mutton curry with its tender meat and thick rich curry base originally featured a thinner, more watered down curry.
In the 1990s, a mountain of debts forced the Chinese man out of business, hence Madam Tang took over the reins. Under her supervision, business boomed for about three to four years.
Sadly, in 2002 due to development, her restaurant was demolished and she relocated her business to Taman Maluri. After one year of dwindling business, she closed the restaurant, prefering to work for others instead.
About six years ago, Madam Tang and her husband jumped at a chance to rent this corner shoplot in Pudu from a relative. The enterprising lady decided to revive her curry business and offer it for lunch.
The shop also serves toasted Hainan bread, steamed bread with kaya, and coffee for breakfast and teatime. Keeping true to their heritage from Imbi, you can spot two bird cages outside the shop; it is a hobby Madam Tang’s husband still indulges in.
Walk into the shop and your eyes will zoom onto the cooked dishes. Solo eaters usually ask for a plate of rice and select their favourites like they normally would at an economy rice stall.
The plethora of appetising dishes make it a hard choice. Should you pick the unusual fried fish eggs or the old staple fried chicken, one ponders as the tummy rumbles?
Madam Tang’s fried chicken will beat KFC’s hands down with its paper crispy skin and juicy meat. Popular choices include her curry lala or clams, the ikan pari and ikan kurau cooked in curry.
She also offers fried ikan kurau for RM6 per piece. Expect to fork out RM5.50 for a plate of rice with fried chicken and vegetables.
Large groups of diners can order the gigantic fish head curry (RM60 for a small portion, RM70 for a big portion) which will then take up prime spot in the middle of the table.
Once you place your order, Madam Tang will cook up the red snapper fish heads in her thick curry redolent of spices. There is a hint of tamarind in the curry to give it an appetising edge.
Don’t be surprised if you end up drinking spoonfuls of the curry with lady fingers, eggplant, tomatoes and tofu puffs... it’s incredibly moreish.
According to Madam Tang, her curries take about two hours to prepare since most of her ingredients are prepped ahead. First-time eaters will even get a lesson from Madam Tang on how to eat the fish head properly.
“Start from the gelatinous lips and move towards the middle of the head,” she will point out to you. Struggling eaters can even ask her to cut the fish head into more manageable chunks.
The observant lady will even top up the curry on your plate, when she sees it dwindling. Most of her dishes are mildly spicy.
For those who can take the heat, look for her green chillies sambal; it packs a fiery punch that burns. Complete your lunch repertoire with a plate of crunchy pappadams. Try to visit on Thursdays, as she makes the most divine crispy fried bittergourd slices mixed with curry leaves and dried chillies.
For Fridays, it is the milder and sweeter pumpkin cubes cooked with chillies.
Even breakfast or teatime is worthy of a leisurely stop as Madam Tang’s husband prepares steamed Hainan bread topped with a not overly sweet kaya. You can also grab a plate of chee cheong fun from the friendly old “uncle” with his mobile stall outside the shop.
Imbi Bird Park Curry Kepala Ikan, Restoran Sin Hiap Kee, 32, Corner of Jalan Lengkongan Brunei and Lorong Brunei Selatan, Kuala Lumpur. Tel:03-2148 9557. Open: 7am to 7pm (Fish head curry is served from 12pm to 3pm). Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
This story was first published in the print edition of The Malay Mail, July 12, 2013.
