Thursday 2 April 2015

Ah Keong's ABC & Cendol Stall @ Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

Many of my friends have informed me about this excellent Cendol and Ais Kacang stall in Brickfields run by a Chinese couple and they have all been unanimously mentioning that his preparation is simply one of the best in Kuala Lumpur. Having heard enough, I decided to head down into town this afternoon to try it myself. 

The Stall Next To 7 Eleven Along Jalan Padang Belia

Be Prepared For Long Queue's
This stall is located right next to the 7 Eleven outlet which is opposite the YMCA building, just along Jalan Padang Belia. Being familiar with the area, it was not difficult to locate this stall. It was just a push cart but the queue was tremendously long and that was a very encouraging sign. The stall is open from around 10 am till 7 pm, unless it get's sold out much earlier. I arrived here at 2 pm and there were easily around 15 people who were ahead of me standing in a queue to place their orders. That itself impressed me. 

Ah Keong And His Wife Preparing The Dishes

Prices

Just Three Tables Available
It was amazing to see the crowd as well as the couple in action. The wife generally handles all the orders and also assists the husband with some of the preparations. The Ais Kacang and Cendol is all prepared by Ah Keong himself, perhaps he knows the mixture best and the wife handles all the preparations for the Fresh Coconut Drink. Besides the ABC, Cendol and Coconut Juice, they also have Cincau (Lemon Grass Jelly) Drink as well as some other variations to the Cendol. Not many places to sit, just three small tables that were lined up along the side walls of the 7 Eleven outlet. Many were seen doing take away's and it was amazing to see how customers were willing to wait under the sun for a bowl of Ais Kacang. For me to register my orders with the wife, it took approximately 20 minutes of waiting time and once my order was registered, I was told to have a seat at any one of the tables and they would send the Ais Kacang over to me once it was ready. I also wanted to try their Cendol but unfortunately, after queuing up for around 15 minutes, Mr. Ah Keong announced that they were out of Cendol and were only left with Ais Kacang. That did not turn the crowd away as they all switched their orders to Ais Kacang. That was the kind of devotion to his dishes that customers were seen giving. His working style was awesome too, somewhat like a rhythmic dance. Fast and flawless. 

Ais Kacang (Small) @ RM 3.80

Amazing Colours
Finally, I got my bowl of Ais Kacang. It did not take them very long once the order's had been registered. I ordered a small bowl and this was priced at RM 3.80 , that's approximately USD 1. I guess, he must have fixed his prices to make it easier for tourists. Well, don't be surprised as I saw van loads of foreigners here. Must be the work of some of those tourist guides who generally try to introduce local dishes to these tourists. Coming back to the Ais Kacang, looking at is itself was mouth watering. Time to mix it all up and enjoy the dish. 

Wow! Amazing Stuff!

An Amazing Bowl Of Ais Kacang

Lavish Ingredients
It was an amazing Ais Kacang. I have not tasted such a wonderful Ais Kacang in more than three decades. Reminds me of the Ais Kacang that I used to have as a child in Ipoh, just opposite Anderson School. The ingredients were a mix of the usual goodies and it was such a multi coloured dish. The sweetness was perfect with a wide variety of ingredients and not an overload of ice. I would surely agree that this has got to be the best Ais Kacang in Brickfields and one of the best in the Klang Valley. If you love Cendol and Ais Kacang, then trying Ah Keong's preparation is indeed a must! Do note that he does not have the Halal certification but it is common to see quite a number of Muslim patrons here. Some may say that the prices seem high but for the amount of ingredients used, that's simply nothing. I've definitely seen much higher prices for crap quality and this is an all deserving price.

Address: Opposite YMCA, Beside 7 Eleven, Along Jalan Padang Belia, Brickfields,
                 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 1900 Daily

3 comments:

  1. That really looks good! JACKPOT!

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  2. I tried the cendol. It was awesome for me the first time I tried.The second time I tried I realized that it was not the authentic cendol but the cendol tasted as if they mix white sugar with coconut milk cause they only added gula melaka very little. Cut cost I guess and their cendol looks whitish instead of real cendol color.Mixing white sugar to cut cost.Cendol is not about focusing the sweetness but actually authentic cendol suppose to be the mixture of coconut milk & gula melaka in my point of view.

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