Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur

When Street Meets Michelin, Michelin Starred Chicken Rice & Tiger Beer

Words: Craig J Selby Β  Β Photos: Monica Tindall

In a slight departure from a typical The Yum List review, we recently had the opportunity to sample what all Malaysia is talking about – Michelin Star Chicken Rice!

Fleeting through Kuala Lumpur as part of an international roadshow event series, Hawker Chan, made infamous through the recent award of a Michelin Star for his Singapore hawker stall chicken rice, teamed up with Chef Jeff Ramsey from Babe in Kuala Lumpur to do dinner for close to 700 people.

Hawker Chan with The Yum List
Chef Chan Hon Meng – better known as Hawker Chan

Hidden away in an old factory complex in the wop-wops, the Tiger Str/eats event reminded me of heading into a speakeasy – just with a much bigger crowd! With the factories transformed into an amazingly surreal 1950’s Malaysian street scene, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the theatre of a time bygone. Were we in KL, Penang, or Malacca? It could have been anywhere. Vibrant colours, derelict buildings, neon lights, all shaped an exquisite experience that went well beyond the culinary. Dark sky, lowly-lit lanes, and hidden passages opened up their secrets – old-school hawker carts serving local favourites as midnight snacks. Fun games for the punters too, with plenty of opportunity to play, interact, and just let loose.

Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats
Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Tiger Streats

Three courses plus dessert were served to the table, with the added bonus of Tiger Beer – original, Radler, and White being on free-flow all night. If you’re wondering, all three go well with street fare and finer-dining tapas. Nothing like a chilled beer in the hot evening atmosphere.

Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Cheers!

Down the Rabbit Hole was the first course from Chef Ramsey – a veritable concoction of the unexpected. Glass tubes filled with sludgy substance, corked, were presented in small baskets. Not your usual gazpacho, these little test-tubes of flavour packed not one, not two, but three different distinctive punches. My personal favourite was the β€˜chilli-infused’ shot – certainly made an impact on the back of my throat. Each tube offered its recipient a series of flavours from the local palette – one spicy, two not so. With strong hint of coconut, shrimp, peanut, anchovy, and egg – well, you know where we were heading with this.

Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Down The Rabbit Hole

Next up from our fusion Chef journey was simply entitled Laksa Injections. Three different regional laksa tickled our tastebuds. Eat the prawn, squeeze the syringe, and enjoy. Distinctively different in both flavour and approach, these little morsels had me coming back for more. The laksa liquid was superb – injecting immense flavour into each bite. The Sarawak Laksa was the hit for me – creamy, with just enough spice, and a big juicy prawn. Seems I’m beginning to like seafood – thanks Monica! Time to wash that down with another beer.

Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
Laksa Injections

Okay okay okay, I know, everyone wants to know about the chicken rice, and why not too. Soya Sauce Chicken Rice was the star of the night – it’s what we came here for, and it’s what we were most curious about. Take whole steamed chicken, plump and tender, braised in Hawker Chan’s unique sauce brew, that’s what we want. Having recently been awarded a coveted Michelin Star, Hawker Chan is the popular talk of the town now. And rightly so; his dish is several steps above what we might normally experience at a food hawker outlet. His soya sauce is complex, layered with intense flavour. Interestingly, it is somewhat reminiscent of the sauce for Chinese Vinegar Pork. Strong impact, but with hints that help to unravel the complexity, I’d just like to ask Hawker Chan to bottle his sauce and sell it commercially. The tender chicken was delicious, the sauce made the dish superb.

Tiger Streats, Kuala Lumpur
The Famous Michelin-Starred Chicken Rice

So, the big questions is – would we queue for two hours to sample this? In short, the answer, we did – Monica reminded me that we’d been in the 1950’s for two hours before the star emerged. The free-flow of beer helped, and so too did the surreal 1950’s environment. What’s for certain is, you can taste what makes this different.

It was a fun outing. Music, beer, good company. A bit off the beaten track for us at The Yum List, but glad that we went.

25 Comments

  1. Great photos, Monica, and you look radiant! Chicken rice is one of my all time favourite dishes! πŸ™‚

  2. What a cool atmosphere! Wish this was a permanent bar in KL!

  3. Oh my!!! One would never be able to tell there is such a happening going on inside, if just looking at the outside. I sure would love to try those quaint laksa injections…and the Ramsey concoction too.

  4. Hello from Idaho. I stop in from Cherry blog. Tiger beer does sound interesting. If you fine the time stop in for a cup of coffee.

    • Hi Dora, Thanks for dropping by. Yep, Tiger beer is something to try from this region for sure.

  5. Looks like a fabulous restaurant! happy new Year!

  6. Yes, I’ve heard about this Michelin-starred chicken rice. Very interesting to know that the sauce is reminiscent of Chinese vinegar pork. If that is so, then this is not the typical soya sauce based roast chicken that I’ve come to know and grew up eating. I hope I can sink my teeth into this one day just to know what it tastes like….and maybe I will get to do it since I hear the chef is opening in Ipoh soon? πŸ˜‰

    • Oh yes, there are rumours of chef’s future plans. I have an interview scheduled for publishing with him towards the end of February where all will be revealed. πŸ™‚

  7. Looks like a great place to enjoy a meal with some tiger beer.

  8. Hello, looks like a fun evening and a fantastic place. I would like to try the beer and the Michelin Chicken. Great photos and review. Have a happy day and new week ahead!

  9. Oh I wish they would organise something like this in London!

    • A good fun event. Apparently they’ve been in Sydney and other places in the region – a little pressure and maybe you’ll get them as far as London. πŸ™‚

  10. Micheline Starred Chicken Rice & Tiger Beer, What a cool event…

  11. Looks great! Yummy foods!

  12. Monica dear, you look stunning!! I couldn’t agree with you more on “Nothing like a chilled beer in the hot evening atmosphere.” I really love Tiger Beer and I can drink it with almost any kind of food – this chicken and rice looks really yummy. πŸ™‚ Thanks so much for this post,.I really enjoyed everything. Have a great week ahead πŸ™‚

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