Penang is surely the holy grail when it comes to our favourite hawker foods. The best assam laksa, the best char kway teow, the best oh zhien (fried oyster omelette), the best prawn mee, and the litany goes on. But us poor souls elsewhere have to scrounge and scrape (or at the very least, go on numerous foodie trips around town) to get at something close to the standards that Penang generously offers in its bountiful hawker stalls.

I was very pleased when I finally came across Restoran Shangri-la, a coffee shop located in Plaza Batai that I would never have deigned to visit if not for friends.

Best Char Kway Teow in KL! It has the elusive wok hei, without the use of dark soy sauce that many char kway teow places abuse, and enough oil and spice to make it sinfully delicious. It makes use of blood cockles as well, as the Penang version does. Top it off with a perfectly deep fried egg and there you have it, a winning plate of delectable, aromatic, mouth-watering goodness.

The pork noodles is famous as well. I usually go for the kway teow soup noodles, topped with an egg. Noodle soup it may be but healthy it is not! How could it be when it tastes so rich and smooth, with a couple of ubiquitous lardons floating on the surface. The pork meat is soft and the thin kway teow has a silk-like mouthfeel.

A very hearty bowl indeed.

Might I say, these dishes are comparable to that of Penang’s?

Address: 7, Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur