The Madras Lane magic remains

MADRAS Lane. Does the name of this place ring a bell? If you did not grow up in Kuala Lumpur's city centre, it’ll probably sound like a blast from the past.

Back in the 60s and 70s, the place was a well-known entertainment area and the most iconic place in the era here was the Madras cinema.

No frills: The lunch crowd at Madras Lane.

From what I know of the past, the Madras cinema was famous for its midnight show haunting. It is the urban legend that some old timers still speak of today.

Here’s the story: an old buddy of mine who used to work at a newspaper called the Straits Echo back in the late 70s and 80s told me that box office workers at the cinema were shocked when they discovered Chinese hell bank notes in their collection till.

“Very few people wanted to watch midnight screenings at the theatre. It is said that spirits from the netherworld hang around the cinema and their favourite movies were westerns, epic films and love stories,

“My friends told me they felt goose pimples each time a gush of cold air whisks past them. But the funny thing was that the doors were closed and there were only a few couples watching the movie.”

In the late 70s, the Madras theatre was razed to the ground in a fire. And that was the end for this entertainment outlet.

All that is left of the Madras cinema is now a parking lot. But its legacy of fine hawker food lives on. As a matter of fact, this is also one of the oldest makan places in the city.

Located in the heart of Chinatown, Madras Lane, which is also known as Phak Peng Hong to the Chinese community living there, runs parallel to Jalan Petaling.

As a matter of fact, the easiest access to this place is through the Pak Pheng building located across a tourist hotel in Chinatown.

Tempting: The kari laksa found at Madras Lane.

Another clue is the wet market linked to the lane and the first thing that you will encounter are two rows of hawker stalls.

All right, with the directions covered, what is good here? If you love noodles, there are five kari laksa stalls here and a famous yong tau foo seller who prepares his stuffed vegetables and fries them on the spot.

Let me start with kari laksa. This is one of the most recognisable hawkers’ lane that offers such noodle dishes at prices you won’t believe.

Inflation aside, a small bowl of kari laksa costs RM4 and RM5 for those who have a big appetite. The standard offering is beehoon-mee garnished with long beans, bean sprouts, tofu, steamed brinjal, pig’s skin and plenty of cockles.

It was here that I met Simon Lam who works at a bank nearby. Lam was curious and made small talk when I was having my bowl of laksa.

“Eh boss, why you take picture ah? The laksa very good ah. Why you sweating ah? Very hot ah?”, he asked. I took most of the questions as I gracefully wiped off the sweat on my face.

Lam told me that the best laksa is found at the second stall located on the left side of the hawker lane’s entrance.

Wide array: A selection of stuffed vegetables at the hawker centre.

“Errr, friend, you think I look like Simon Yam ah?,” he joked. I tried not to choke on my curry gravy and I maintained my dignity in his presence.

Speaking of getting the bang for your buck, the portion that you get for the laksa served is generous and when it comes to taste, I would rate it as above average.

Since there are five stalls here, it'll take some return visits to determine who is the best. My pick is stall number one and four because their gravy is thick and creamy.

If you love cockles, this is the place to be. Moving on, the yong tau foo stall at Madras Lane is a household name and at 80 sen a piece the pricing is pretty competitive.

To get the best value at this stall, ask your colleagues to join you for lunch. A single order with 30 pieces of stuffed vegetables would cost RM24 and it’s a fare worth trying.

Noteworthy are the stuffed eggplant, ladies finger, bitter gourd and red chillies. Compared to the yong tau foo eateries in Ampang, I would say that the Madras Lane stall rated much better.

And for dessert, there’s the “chap suet” or air batu campur stall located at the rear entrance of Phak Peng building. This stall is a crowd puller.

Well, other than curry noodles and yong tau foo, there is a chee chap chuk (pork porridge) and siew ngap fan (roast duck rice) stall at the end of the lane. Both came highly recommended by Lam, my newfound friend.

To get to Madras Lane, take the LRT to the Pasar Seni station and once you get off, head straight towards Jalan Sultan and turn left before a liquor shop at the entrance of the Chinatown bazaar.