This hawker stall's spicy sauce brings best out of stingray

(Clockwise, from top) Grilled squid, grilled cockles and grilled stingray are the favourites at the Ikan Bakar Tip Top eatery.

The grilled fish from Ikan Bakar Tip Top stall is nothing short of what its name suggests.

Customers who frequent the stall often leave with a smile, so, one can expect the range of dishes served to be of tip top quality.

The crowd started to swell about 8pm as we made our way to the stall and placed our order.

Stall owner Chia Sook Fong, 45, said they have been operating the family business for more than 20 years.

“We started off as a small stall here in 1992. We serve a wide range of grilled seafood including squid, lala, cockles, assorted fish such as ikan ayam, ikan kampung as well as stingray, which is among the favourites,” she said.

We ordered stingray, cockles and squid which were recommended by Chia, to go with a bowl of steaming rice.

The sauce used on the grilled stingray had a spicy kick to it.

Patrons can try other items such as yong tau fu, fish cake and grilled toufu.

Despite my eyes welling up with tears from the spiciness, I could not resist helping myself to more of the stingray that goes extremely well with the rice.

What I liked most about the dish is that they separate the flesh from the bones, making it easier to dig in.

Finding out the cook’s secret in making the sauce was not easy as Chia revealed very little of their homemade recipe.

She said they use cincalok (fermented shrimp) to accentuate the taste. This created a balance of spicy and sour taste.

“We use three different sauces for the fish.

“First, we apply chilli sauce on the banana leaf and then the fish before covering it with two other sauces that contain sambal and cincalok.

“We also have the butter and salt option for those who cannot take spicy food.

The cook, known as Ah Keong (left) preparing the grilled fish for customers. 

“The sauce is cooked earlier and we measure the ingredients with precision to ensure consistency,” she said.

The grilled squid was served with a generous mix of four-winged beans, ladies’ fingers and petai and was not as spicy as the grilled stingray.

Chia said during the weekends, they also serve grilled prawns and crabs upon reservation.

The stall also serves drinks as well as yong tau foo, grilled tofu, fish cake and wantan mee.

Ikan Bakar Tip Top is located at 11, Jalan Bunga Tanjung 10, Taman Muda, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

It is difficult to miss as it is near the Taman Muda wet market and next to the BHP petrol station.

Parking in the area is limited, so be prepared to park further from the place and walk.

The stall is open from 6pm to midnight but food is usually sold out by 11.30pm.