Hartamas' new Hawker Hall celebrates a tradition of casual eats that leaps from George Town to Gangnam, spanning Penang char koay teow to Korean fried chicken.
The CKT (RM12.90), however, misses the mark, without an enduring taste of wok hei, bearing cockles that prove so tiny, they can scarcely be spotted, conveying more of a food-court, mass-produced flavour than the guilty-indulgence lusciousness of, say, Lebuh Carnarvon's Tiger Char Koay Teow.
The Korean chicken is significantly better, satisfyingly punchy without being cloying in its sauced-up dynamics, chunky and juicy for every piece, available in soy garlic or sweet chilli varieties (RM44.90 for a whole chicken that four can probably share).
Hawker Hall was in its soft-launch stage when we visited, so most stalls were not running yet, but there's still sufficient cooking for a feast - the grilled sotong with Nyonya sambal should please patrons who prefer rich, robust recipes (RM24.90), while rice with stir-fried clams and Thai basil leaves is a respectable rendition of Bangkok street fare (RM16.90 with a fried egg), washed down with a cold pint of Japanese beer and a hot Honey Limau. Service is cheerful and efficient.
Hawker Hall
22, Jalan Sri Hartamas 8, Taman Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 4pm-1am. Tel: 03-5888-4030
This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com
