My family and I are fans of breakfasts
and brunches. That Sunday before he was leaving back overseas for work, I
decided that a visit to the Old Lady of Kuala Lumpur would be a good wrap-up
for the weekend. Yut Kee Kopitiam in Chow Kit has earned herself the majestic
title by being around since 1928. The number of check-ins from my friends at
Yut Kee in FB concurs that this eatery remains the choice of many till today.
We arrived at 11am and were greeted by a tall
red building. This lot is the newer restaurant where the original Yut Kee had
shifted to. The original shop is situated just around the corner. Apparently
the cause of the relocation was the high ownership cost that nearly forced Yut
Kee out of business. [1] She is not called the busiest breakfast
spot for nothing as we joined the herd of customers outside who were waiting
for their turn. The coffeeshop was, needless to say, replete with people
chomping away. I registered a place for two under my name. I went back to the
waiting crowd to wait till my name was shouted by a man whom I would surmise as
Mervyn Lee, grandson of Yut Kee’s founder.
Herds of customers |
At 11:20am, my ears caught my name screamed
amidst the din of porcelain ware and murmurs. Our hands quickily shot up to validate
our attendance and shuffled our way to our marble table. Feeling smugged
leaving the waiting population, we grabbed the menu and relaxed to choose our
food. While waiting for our orders, I noticed that the interior set the mood of the olden days with brown wooden cupboards, business-wishing mirrors and faded tiles. Black and white ancestor photographs were
spotted invigilating the thriving business. The counter had compartments
containing Hacks sweets and other tit-bits to be sold. Archaic windows that did not come from this time added its antiquity. While I sat longer, I
felt that the time-honoured setting is articulated with sights of modernization
here and there. There were no more creaking ceiling fans and vertical cooler
fans facilitated the shop. Paint was bright and new. The business was run under
computerized system. Touch screens sat on tarnished furniture shows stark
contrast of the coffeeshop’s timeline.
Old meets new |
We did not have to wait long for our food to
arrive. We tried our luck with the signature Hainanese Chicken Chop, Roti Babi,
Belacan Fried Rice accompanied by old-time coffee and iced tea. The Chicken
Chop was generously doused with gravy that had big yummy chunks of onion and
potato. I savoured the fried chicken softened with brown gravy, slurping the
sauce with every bite. I have always enjoyed local coffee made the old
fashioned way. The coffee was thick and aromatic as expected. The Roti Babi is
a pocket of bread stuffed with marinated chopped pork and fried from the
outside. I could taste the fragrance of butter when I took the first bite.
Perhaps this is not a choice for the weight-conscious. My voluntary taster reported that the Nasi Belacan was a tad bit too spicy that it smothered the
taste of the whole dish. The dish, fried with seafood, could better satisfy
extremely spicy eaters. While we imbibed the atmosphere and food, we saw that people
were still joining the queue outside.
Yut Kee's menu |
Star dishes |
Hainanese Chicken Chop |
Roti Babi |
Nasi Goreng Belacan |
The whole experience was enjoyable. While
on our way back from Yut Kee, we discovered that it was conveniently a few
walks away from the Dang Wangi LRT Station. The shop opens from 8am to 5pm and
closes on Mondays. The time well accommodates people who enjoy tea. Whether it
is the food or the old-time appeal, the Old Lady is worth a visit. To me, it was amazing even only to look at the
crowd and to be the crowd. That breakfast was a Sunday morning well spent.
17th May 2015
[1]www.timeout.com/kuala-lumpur/food-and-drink/confirmed-yut-kee-to-move-out-by-early-june
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