2022
Malaysia is said to be a melting pot of culture with so many races living under one roof. Locals live in good harmony and celebrate each's unique heritage. Over the last many years, immigrants from many other countries slowly enriched the wonderful tag line of Malaysia truly Asia. Today, we have people from diverse cultures and ethnicity living in good harmony and peace in the country. As part of our duty of making everyone a part of our family, introduction to each others' food and culture can be a good start. A few days ago, I and a few friends took time to visit a popular Pakistan food shop, very popular among the Pakistani population here; but possibly less well known among the other locals. This post will help to introduce food and culture to others who may not know it so well.
The restaurant we came to is Pak Punjab restaurant (https://goo.gl/maps/QoTF1rNCuFK2), located in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur. (Photo above). It's not too far to get to from any part in the city. And it's connected also via the KL Monorail system. Parking is a bit hard during work or rush hours. But towards the late evening, there should not be issues finding parking near the vicinity. It's also the evening time, that we recommend best to visit as the open fire grill starts.
As you arrive here, it's hard not to miss the place as the open fire grill is almost like a open smoke signal beckoning visitors to come eat. (Photo above) The incredible aroma of grilled meats fill the street from a hundred yards away. When coming into the restaurant, the open fire grill is topped with many different meat kebabs as well as marinated chicken pieces. It's just amazing seeing the staff making kebabs by hand and expertly rolling and moving them over the fire. All the meats are grilled fresh to order, thus making it as fresh as it can be.
As we step inside, we then pass by the long rows of serving platters where diners can pick the food that they want. (Photo above) A lot of the dishes are precooked, and although many will be from the afternoon time, most of the them are fairly fresh. There could be at least 20-30 dishes at any one time including biryani and pulao rice, lots of curries and gravies and vegetables and lentils. All the dishes are cooked in the traditional Pakistan/Punjab style of cooking, and spiced accordingly. One of my friends who was from Pakistan even commented that this is the first shop he ate in Malaysia that he feels reminiscent of home.
There's a whole counter of tandoori baked breads. (Photo above) The breads are made fresh from fresh dough, and many varieties of breads are available. From nan bread, to roti's and chapattis and more. The staff who makes the bread to order makes quick work of rolling, slapping and turning the dough into incredible fluffy pieces of delicious bread.
There's also a dessert or sweet section where a huge variety of traditional sweets and pastries to satisfy even the most loyal sweet tooth. (Photo above) The sweets are meticulously replaced as they are finished. The must have Pakistani Jalebi is the orange twirls of crispy, chewy, dough soaked in rosewater syrup, is just amazing. And also the round sweet milk balls Gulab Jamun and Rasgulla.
So, we took our time to pick up the dishes we wanted to eat, order the grilled meats as well as the bread, and soon we were seated and waiting for the rest of our food to arrive. During this our visit, we felt like a little bit of celebrity as not many Malaysian Chinese come to eat here if any at all. At least not one that tried very hard to converse in Urdu with them. Friendship made lasts a lifetime they say. So, I am glad I was there.
So our bread came, we ordered Naan bread topped with sesame seeds. (Til naan).(Photo above) This is one of my favorite breads I had eaten since a long time. Fluffy soft tandoori roasted bread, chewy in the center topped with crispy and fragrant sesame seeds. Eaten with raita and gravy it's just amazing. Order this when coming here.
We were 3 of us. All hungry without dinner. We had ordered 6 pieces of chicken and mutton kebabs, and each piece felt so substantial and succulent with just enough spice to tingle our tongues. It came served with lime and some tamarind sauce as well as some yoghurt sauce (raita). Personally these were just amazing, tasted so fresh and fragrant.
We had also taken a serving of Mash Daal, (Photo above) which is spiced mashed lentils cooked with ghee, which makes it so much more amazing. Think about pure butter and multiply it by a factor of 10! The sauce is just incredible with the bread and makes one want it more and more. Just look at the deep pool of ghee around the dish. And the random sticks of ginger in the daal that gives the random kick as you bite into it. Amazing.
And one of my favorite vegetable dishes, fried Karela (Bitter melon or Bitter gourd). (Photo above) The way that this is cooked in is amazing. The bitter melon is first deep fried in oil, and then fried again in a super rich masala and ghee with onions, tomatoes and and spices. Pairing this with the bread and kebabs is just incredible.
We also had a servicing of hot lamb keema (Photo above), which is almost like a mince lamb cooked with fragrant spices and green peas. Notice the huge pool of oil and ghee. This again works so well with the til naan bread that we had.
All of which came to just about USD 14 total for the 4 of us, and we struggled hard to finish all the food even being so delicious.
All during our meal, the staff around us were constantly smiling and attentive, well maybe they don't get too many local visitors, however, that did really make our dining experience so much better. The food was incredibly delicious, price was economical, service was great.
This place is highly recommended and it's a great place for locals to try a "local" Pakistani food house, this is were many workers come to eat, hence making it a real authentic experience in my opinion.
Pak Punjab restaurant (https://goo.gl/maps/QoTF1rNCuFK2)
