PETALING JAYA, Nov 30 — A hidden village within the city? Usually, people react with surprise whenever I mention Kampung Cempaka to them. Most PJ folks have no idea about the existence of this place unless they live in the vicinity.
Even though it’s surrounded by commercial developments like Aman Suria and Sunway Mas Commercial Centre, the village feels like it’s caught in a time warp with its haphazard mix of single-storey wooden houses and multi-storey brick houses. Just like a village, it also has narrow roads that is usually wide enough for one-way traffic.
This new village is said to have been started in 1969 when 1,000 families were resettled here after the May 13 riots that happened the same year.
Strangely enough, in an article published by The Star in 2012, the local city council claims there are only 898 lots with about 4,500 residents, as sub-divided by the Petaling Land office in the 1950s.
The main entrance into the village is via a tiny roundabout with the Kampung Cempaka signboard, just a hop and skip away from the busy Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong, where the turn-off is just after the St. Ignatius Church. As you turn into the village that the locals call “Tai Kong”, the main hub of activity is located around two rows of shophouses (a mix of wooden and brick) that are adjacent to the multi-storey wet market.
Further across a small bridge over a large storm drain, you will find Yuen Loong Sing Fatt temple, a basketball court and the community centre. The village’s cempaka moniker is said to be derived from a magnolia (cempaka in Malay) tree that was planted near the temple.
Life around the village seems slower and more laidback. Motorcyclists roam the streets with no helmets since it’s just a short distance from their home to the shops. Walk into any of the coffeeshops around the small area and you will see groups of old ladies or old men sitting together.
All of them are chatting away as they slowly sip on Chinese tea. Usually the ladies do a bit of shopping at the market and catch up with friends over a pot of Chinese tea. A chat with some of them reveal that a few of them have moved away from the village after they sold their property or rented it out.
However, they still visit the village on a daily basis to meet up with their old neighbours and friends.
One of their popular hang-outs is the corner restaurant Sin Hoy Kee which is cleaner and airier compared to the other coffeeshops. Most importantly, they brew an excellent pot of Chinese tea and make a very good teh-si peng especially when the boss brews it. Expect a typical coffeeshop with all kinds of stalls in the day, which transforms into a pub at night as it also sells alcohol over the counter.
The villagers highly recommend the fish head noodles, a stall found at the front of the restaurant. The two-year old stall is run by Fong Kim Seong who discovered this opportunity through an advertisement.
Previously a caterer, Fong makes his fish head noodles with fresh fish sourced from the nearby market. The day we visited, he only had thick-cut grouper fish slices that were delicious with the light broth, served with tangy tomatoes and lots of fresh parsley. You can opt to add milk to your bowl of noodles for a creamier taste if preferred, but Fong recommends to keep it clear since the fish is fresh.
It was tasty with a hint of Shaoxing rice wine and none of the fishiness that often plagues these kind of noodles.
Generally, the food found in Kampung Cempaka has a homemade tastel with lighter flavours. Take for instance Madam Li’s comforting bowl of noodles with bittergourd and pork. The thinly-sliced bittergourd makes a pretty picture with its bright green colour and the slightly crunchy texture was unexpected. You’re also served tender pork slices and bouncy pork balls in a clear broth that is lightly tinged with Shaoxing rice wine.
Even the yong tau foo served at the coffeeshop is excellent — not-too-oily large pieces like brinjal or bittergourd filled with chunky fish paste. For a tummy satisfying and carb-less meal, go for a bowl of their excellent chunky quenelles of fish paste or yee wat with a selection of yong tau foo minus the noodles.
During lunch time, the crowd swells up in the coffeeshop with people from the nearby offices located at Dataran Prima. Most of them prefer to frequent this place as portions are larger with more economical prices.
A popular stall is the sam kan cheong or pork ball noodles, as it offers hefty portions for even the small order at RM4.50. Male customers can fill their tummies with the large orders. According to the office workers we spoke to, dining around here means they get better parking (across the storm drain) and it’s faster, compared to the busier places at Sunway Mas commercial center.
Across the road, there’s Restoran Bak Kut Teh Hau Siang. Strangely enough it’s not bak kut teh that is recommended here, but the wantan noodles for its springy texture. The noodles is served with two types of wantans – crispy fried version and a silky fragrant one with dried sole fish. The chicken rice also comes highly recommended by the locals.
The pride and joy of the village is their multi-storey market where all kinds of fresh produce is available. The building was completed about 10 years ago and it’s a hub for many residents who come from neighbouring housing areas like Ara Damansara and Aman Suria to get their daily shopping needs. Walk all the way upstairs to discover the food court that is also a buzz of activity with families hanging out to grab a quick bite or old ladies sitting around chit-chatting with their neighbours.
Everyone gravitates towards stall M12 at the end of the row as this humble stall sells homemade lai fun, a rarity in the city. Usually, these rice noodles are commonly found in Perak. The stall is run by Loh Kooi Tong, 76, whose family has been making the rice noodles for many generations — since his grandmother’s days. Previously a carpenter, he took over his mother’s stall about 40 years ago. The work is tedious, hence he only makes a small batch of noodles each day. Regulars know you have to be early to catch a bowl as they often finish before 9am!
The noodles are ultra smooth with a slight bite. Don’t mix this up with laksa noodles, as those are transparent versus these strands that are opaque white. Loh uses a mixture of ground rice grains and cooked rice to make the dough.
The work is tough, as it’s ground for two hours by hand in a small rice grinder. Loh shuns the easier machine method, as the texture of the noodles is less smooth when it’s made with a machine. Once it’s ground, the flour needs to be thoroughly dried in the sun.
Loh serves the noodles two ways:ching tong or a clear broth and curry style.
It’s a simple bowl where the supple white noodles are the star. The accompaniments like tofu puffs, homemade char siew slices, pork balls and pig skin just fill up the space in the bowl. The curry is not overly rich with a mild spiciness and served with the same items, except it includes a dollop of raw cockles.
Both bowls of noodles are sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions. It’s a far cry from the olden days when Loh’s grandmother sold her noodles, as the lai fun was only served with a simple broth made from dried prawns or har mai. He has had to replace the dried prawns with dried anchovies, since it’s not cost effective.
The fourth generation of the Loh family, Loh Kam Wah, 50, helps out at the stall while his brother makes the noodles at home. Both are unmarried so hopefully there will be a fifth generation to inherit their noodle-making skills.
The locals also recommend stall M42’s nasi lemak that starts as early as 5am, which sells out by 9.30am. It’s run by a friendly couple, Pak Sau Moy, 58 and her husband Low Fook Seng, 63. According to Madam Pak, she’s been selling nasi lemak for the past 34 years. Her husband used to bake cakes but decided to switch to this venture. Every day, she gets up as early as 1am to start cooking the food for the stall, finishing around 3am.
Her rice is fluffy with a light fragrance of coconut milk, while her sambal is not overly spicy and it’s served with blanched long beans. She also sells plain rice, as some of her customers are health conscious. There’s a wide variety of dishes to choose from, like curry chicken, sotong, cockles and even a pork and potatoes curry with no coconut milk!
The most popular item is her comforting chicken curry with its mild spicy flavours mingling with the tender chicken and soft potatoes. She also serves something not seen in many nasi lemak stalls -- tofu puffs in curry, a popular item often requested by her regulars. In addition, there’s also economy fried noodles that is popular for takeaways.
Sin Hoy Kee Restaurant, 497, Jalan PJU 1/1, Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya
Restoran Bak Kut Teh Hau Siang, Jalan PJU 1/6, Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya
Pasar Kg Cempaka, Jalan PJU 1/5, Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya
