Opened on 12 January, foodies now get to taste and try legendary Malaysian favourites such as the Famous Jalan Alor KL Hokkien Mee, Kuala Lumpur’s Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice, Malacca’s Chicken Rice Ball and the original purveyor of lor mee in Penang—Penang’s Hai Beng Hainan Lor Mee.
With Malaysia known to be a food haven offering many unique specialties from every state, handpicking the hawkers to bring to RWS’ Malaysian Food Street turned out to be a time-consuming, but eye-opening task. The stringent selection process was based on recommendations, reputations and taste-tests.
Mr Teo Sian Keong, Director of Operations for RWS’s Malaysian Food Street says, “Last year, I was roped in to be part of a scouting committee whose mission was to track down the best hawker food across Malaysia. We ate at more than 200 hawker stalls over a span of eight months on numerous trips. From Malacca to Kuala Lumpur and from Ipoh to Penang, there were days when we ate the same dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But the results are well worth the calories.”
“Not many places cook claypot chicken rice in claypots anymore and less so on charcoal stoves. One of Huen Kee’s winning factors is its unique two-way heating technique which not only uses a burning charcoal stove to cook but coals are placed on top of the claypot to lock in the moisture and flavours of the rice and well-marinated chicken,” expresses Chef de Cuisine Adolf Tan, who oversees Malaysian Food Street’s culinary operations.
Mr Ray Teoh, co-owner of Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice in Kula Lumpur says, “Teo and his team from RWS were very persistent with their offer of inviting us to set up shop at the Malaysian Food Street. We had several reservations, as my mother-in-law Mdm Huen May Lan started this stall in 1986, and during these twenty-five years, a lot of effort had gone in to ensure that the standard of our claypot chicken rice was consistent. At the third attempt, we were convinced that coming to Resorts World Sentosa was the right fit and that we will work closely with the RWS team to uphold our cooking standards and stay true to our traditions.”
Among the 17 food stalls, guests will be delighted to find the internationally renowned Fung Wong Confectionery from Kuala Lumpur, which will be selling its famous egg tarts, kaya puffs and baked siew baos, freshly baked daily. The food street also has two halal-certified stalls showcasing Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai and Nasi Briyani.
Standing at 22,000 square feet, the Malaysian Food Street seats up to 516 guests comfortably. Fully-air-conditioned, it is designed to evoke the look and feel of the streets in Malaysia, with facades of old shophouses, true-to-detail street stalls, and replicas of 1950s-style coffeeshop furniture and street fixtures to set the mood.