KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 –– Perhaps all food should resemble a mountain. Nay, a pulsating volcano with rainbow-hued lava oozing from top to bottom.
Such are the epiphanies one might get when confronted with a beast of a classic ABC (air batu campur for those curious about the acronym): craggy, glacier-like mounds of shaved ice; soft yet chewy kacang merah (red beans); black shards of cincau (grass jelly); golden sweet corn; cubes of rose-pink jelly (how old school!); emerald green cendol and a dusting of crushed roasted peanuts.
This monster is the Signature ABC at Lubiantan ABC in Cheras. When the dish is mentioned as part of the shop’s name, you know everyone –– including yourself, if you visit –– is going to order it.
(The other part of the shop’s name, lubiantan, means “roadside stall” in Chinese. Charming.)
Thankfully the line of eager customers waiting for a table moves briskly enough and we soon get a table.
Till then one passes the time however one can: people watching (or food watching, to be exact), perhaps, or taking in the sight of six T-shirts hanging from a clothesline (the name of the shop in red, yellow, blue, green, orange and violet).
Many tables had at least one bowl or more of the shop’s Prawn Mee. There is the requisite choice of different noodles –– yellow mee, lai fun, beehoon, kuey teow or a mix of two.
The broth is light but with a distinct savoury flavour. Not too spicy, though the accompanying saucer of chilli paste can help remedy that.
Aside from the prawns, half a hard boiled egg, strands of kangkung and sliced fish cake, what stands out are the surprisingly tender strips of pork that impart a greater depth to the soup.
No wonder we observe the lunchtime crowd busily enjoying their food. This isn’t a place for an extended influencer photoshoot (though there are certainly opportunities for that; more on this later) but a decent meal in a jiffy.
Another popular dish is the shop’s Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang. Served in a wide enamel platter, the rice cooked in santan is aromatic without being too rich.
A straightforward offering: another halved hard boiled egg, crunchy ikan bilis, sliced cucumber, fried groundnuts.
It’s the nostalgic flavour of the chicken cooked in spicy rendang spices that makes the dish, really. There is a comforting home-cooked feel about it (good gravy can evoke childhood memories) to the extent an elderly gentleman at the neighbouring table leaned over and told me the rendang was like how his wife cooked it.
Is it the best nasi lemak or ayam rendang in town? No, but it doesn’t have to be when every bite feels like a warm hug. When fellow diners feel companionable enough to chat you up, a complete stranger.
What to have next time? Their Penang char koay teow looks decent; they have asam laksa too.
The highlight remains their Signature ABC, which is lovely at the end of the meal, to help cool off, especially if you went wild with the saucers of chilli paste.
For something lighter, they have Cendol too –– just the shaved ice, cendol, red beans, santan and copious amounts of gula Melaka. Most customers would order one or the other, which explains how the staff is kept busy shaving ice to make more bowls of these.
If you prefer your desserts warmer, the shop also offers a variety of tong sui: Bubur Cha Cha, Snow Fungus Longan, Green Bean Soup with Sweet Potato, and sweet Red Bean Soup.
To finally return to the topic of influencer photoshoots mentioned earlier: there is plenty of time to indulge after one finishes one’s meal, paid and freed up the table for other customers.
The colourful mural on the shop’s alley side wall is the main draw for this pursuit. Scenes from a yesteryear Chinatown and vintage movie posters will provide a backdrop while you pose for selfies and digest all that prawn mee, nasi lemak and ABC.
Lubiantan ABC
115 & 116 Block P/A,
Taman Cheras, KL
Open Tue-Sun 8am-5pm; Mon closed
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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