SOMETIMES when things don’t work according to plan, you must have something to fall back on.
So, that said, the search for a decent meal can be tedious.
But there are times when old friends can make a difference in finding a place to satisfy one’s hunger.
In my case, it was a trip to Soo Kee sar hor fun in Sea Park, Petaling Jaya.
I was really pumped-up with the prospect of enjoying a bowl of hor fun and a side order of park chamm kai (steamed chicken).
As I made my way to this landmark makan place in Sea Park, the shop was closed.
In the distance, I chanced upon Alfred Quek, an old friend from my previous workplace.
Quek was having an early lunch with a buddy and waved at me from the distance.
He was hanging out at a roadside stall called ‘Aik 96’ that specialises in noodle dishes such as assam laksa and prawn mee.
“Ey Sam! How are you ah?,” Quek gestured with a smile.
I haven’t seen this guy for ages and catching up with him over a bowl of assam laksa was a good opportunity.
“Ah, you should try the har meen (prawn mee) here la. Very decent!,” he said.
Since street food is something that I don’t mind having, I settled for a bowl of assam laksa.
A foreign worker at this ‘meals on wheels’ stall wasted no time in preparing the dish.
And in a flash, my bowl of laksa arrived.
As far as taste and quality is concerned, I would say that for RM5 for a large bowl, the flavour was authentic.
Since I grew up having assam laksa in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, I would rate this noodle dish at 6.5 out of 10 on the ‘Samoscale’.
This is a no-frills meal with all the basic ingredients and garnishings covered and as an otak udang addict, I went back for more toppings.
Aik 96 stall (GPS N 03 06 602, E 101 37 327) is located on the sidewalk of the Sea Park wet market.
It is not hard to spot this makan place off Jalan 21/22 in Petaling Jaya as there is a steady crowd having their meals there.
The nearest LRT station from this location is Taman Paramount and on foot it is about 20 minutes from station.