YTF

ytf1
Swiped from williamnyk.

Much to the disdain of some of my readers, I must report that over the weekend, I was a gourmand again. A 180 degree turn from my usual cafe and restaurant visits, this time I was stuffing myself at grimy roadside establishments over at Puchong Bt 14. A predominately industrial area with horrible roads and a "new village" feel to it, it has quite a few gems to offer. The first place I visited was Tai Yau-- a "big fry" shop. I had always wanted to try this place out ever since my olfactory senses caught a whiff of stewed pork wafting out of that place. Unfortunately, that place was quite a big disappointment. Obviously such places are not expected to get an "A" for hygiene, but that place is quite nasty. You know the concentrated garbage liquid that drips out of garbage trucks? That place has puddles out front, adding to the wonderful aroma of the food. The utensils are just as nasty. The kitchen, now don't go looking there if you plan to eat. Normally, wen the kitchen is filthy, you'd expect the food to be astronomical in taste, but so-so la. The person who took our order wasn't helpful at all eventhough we were one of the few customers there (by 7:00pm, it was crowded as heck). Had a simple meal of fish head mee-hoon, claypot beancurd and stir-fried vegetables. Feeling dissatisfied from the meal, we went down the road for Yong Tau Fu!

By 6:45pm, Puchong Yong Tau Fu, Jalan Tembusu was already *CROWDED*. Every table was full and I'm guessing more than 40 tables. The place serves really fresh YTF... You go to the kitchen area, pick out the stuff you want (stuff gets sold out pretty quickly, by the time I got there, there was no more okra and beancurds already) and they'll stuff it with the fish paste on the spot. All the frying is also done by order, so there is no pre-fried stuff sitting around except for the dumplings and spring rolls. You can see the migrant workers slaving over the hot oil making sure that the beancurd sheets are so cripsy that they shatter on impact. Due to the volume and commitment to freshness, expect to wait at least 45 minutes for your order to arrive. Don't worry, they have quite a good system as I haven't seen them mix up orders yet. The fish paste is tasty and has good bite to it. Portions are above average and the soup is sweet, thanks to the sayur manis that they use. In addition to YTF, they also have chicken rendang, stewed chicken feet with mushrooms and gingered duck. Must be good as well seeing that many customers slop up plates of it. Overall, it's not much cleaner than the previous place, but it sure serves up good YTF. Close one eye and give it a try!