61 Jalan Gurney,
Kampung Datuk Keramat,
Tel-: 017-249 1549
Business hours:
8.00pm to 2.00am.
FORGET about Gurney Drive in Penang as Kuala Lumpur now has Gurney Hawkers tucked in a cosy bungalow in Persiaran Gurney, Kuala Lumpur.
The Gurney Hawkers is run by siblings Khairunnisa Azman, 26, and 25-year-old Khairul Azim Azman.
Often, you have to deal with the heat when you go to any hawker centres.
But here at Gurney Hawkers, you get to taste delicious hawker food without the heat as the place is well-ventilated, spacious and clean.
The best part is there is ample parking space and this is one hawker place that is professionally managed.
This culinary sanctuary is getting more popular every day and is said to be the latest hangout in the city.
The mini stalls at this place offer a broad range of dishes from the special char kuey teow, Chinese fried rice, home-style nasi lemak, Roti John to Western dishes like lamb chop, juicy steak, chicken chop, fish and chips and the ever-popular satay.
As you enter, you can sit at any table because they don’t belong to any particular stall.
Just walk around the stalls to check out the food, then place your order and the waiters will bring the food right to your table without much hassle. And the service is surprisingly fast even on a busy night.
Working hand-in-hand: Azim (left) and Nisa started off Gurney Hawkers after being inspired by the success of their family-owned Salero Negeri.The stir-fried char kuey teow has earned the reputation of being one of the best in town. It comes in generous portion consisting of broad noodles cooked with sweet sauce, fresh chillies, bean sprouts, eggs, fish cakes and seafood.
The tasty noodles are thoroughly coated with thick savoury gravy which has a distinct prawn flavour.
The gravy can also be adjusted according to your palate, said Azim who cooks more than 10kg of char kuey teow every night. He is more than happy to oblige your request. Once you start digging into this noodle, you will forget your cholesterol level or diet.
The nasi lemak with its crispy fried chicken and delicious sambal sotong seemed to be another favourite. The rice is soft, fluffy and light with the typical nasi lemak fragrance.
And it goes well with the irresistable sambal which is neither sweet nor spicy. The fried chicken complements the whole thing and is truly delicious.
Popular: The char kuey teow served at Gurney Hawkers is really delicious.According to Azim, many of his regulars come for the Western dishes especially the steak, lamb and creamy soup.
The portions are big and worth the price which is relatively cheap.
Satay lovers should try the bite-sized pieces of meat grilled on bamboo skewers.
Even the peanut sauce is flavourful and has the right texture — not too sweet.
Azim and his sister take great pride in making sure their customers are comfortable all the way.
Cleanliness is the number one priority here, right from the time the action starts around 6pm.
For those who do not want to miss football match, there is a giant screen erected at one of the walls.
Must-try: Try the nasi lemak Gurney Hawkers.It comes with crispy fried chicken and succulent sambal sotong. The rice is fluffy and light.The whole idea of setting up Gurney Hawkers came from Azim who wanted to earn some extra money.
The enterprising young man knows the only way to do this is by doing side business.
Since both siblings are busy handling two of the five branches of Salero Negori (Amcorp and Subang Jaya outlets) during the day, they only have the evenings free to operate the hawker centre.
“We did not want to ask our parents for help as they are too busy running their restaurants, so we decided to do it on our own with their blessings,” said Nisa, the eldest of four siblings who enjoy a good business relationship with her brother.
According to Nisa, she has complete faith in Azim especially when it comes to money.
“I trust my brother with my eyes closed. One thing great about him is he never lets his emotions get in the way of business decisions. Even if he gets angry, he keeps his cool. Azim is more rational and that brings the balance,” said Nisa who is a part-time accountancy student.
For Azim, he could not find a better business partner than his sister.
“I don’t have to worry about an untrustworthy business partner. The trust comes easily because she is my siste,” said the good-looking food operator cum cook who is also a graduate in business studies.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
