The Nameless Char Siew Shop in KL...almost

My co-workers in KL know of this place that serves some of the most amazing char siew on Earth. The reason why it's so different is because it kinda tastes like bak kwa on steroids and pimped up with a greasy sugary coating. At one point I called it "pork-flavored candy with a greasy aftertaste." This shop is a bit hard to find since there is no name, and it's not even clear what building number it is. But it's behind Jalan Alor on Tengkat Tong Shin, close to the Jalan Tong Shin end of the street. Look for a brick building with no signs on the right side of the street, and you'll know you've found it when you see the crowds and the chicken and long dark strips of char siew hanging in the glass stand.

Anyway, this has become a mandatory place for me on any visit to KL. So you can imagine my dismay when I arrived today and saw this sign posted, indicating that they had closed for the week. Crap! (And today was the first day they were off!) Like an addict desperately looking for his next hit, I wandered around wondering, "What to do, what to do??"

Fortunately, relief was somewhat nearby. A couple doors down, some other lady was also selling chicken and char siew. I figured that it couldn't be anything like the real thing, but I sat down anyway. The good thing was that it was actually somewhat close to the crunchy, sweet, and greasy stuff from her next door neighbor...but only for certain pieces. Well, it was better than nothing.

And just like her nameless neighbor, she also had chicken rice and some peanut and lotus root soup. I grabbed some roasted chicken, which turned out surprisingly tough and gamey, but in a good way. I should have asked for breast meat to make it a bit easier to eat though. Well, I'm not sure when my next trip to KL will be, but I definitely plan to come find the real McCoy next time. Let's hope my luck is better then.