Precious Old China Restaurant was interesting during my first visit to KL Central Market some ten years ago. I was looking for a quick lunch and walked up to the food court on the first floor in the Central Market (Pasar Seni) and was attracted by neon light signage and some lunch special offers posted at the entrance. Previously I had tried some Nyonya restaurants in Penang and fell in love with the curries and spicy ingredients of Nyonya dishes.
Precious Old China is sure reminiscent of the beautiful and affluent part of Kuala Lumpur. The decant decor and a choice of furniture, paintings and side tables remind you of the beauty of Nyonya culture in all most all aspects of social life including architecture, design and food.
The staff at the restaurant was very diligent and gave me some useful information on the Nyonya food, lunch special offers and some recommendations. Devil's Chicken was of course the first choice I love rich Noynya curries.
I started my lunch by tasting a very presentable pie tee, a popular dish on the Peranakan menu. The puffs are served with a mix of thinly sliced vegetables, salad and cilantro which is topped with prawns and chillies to give a perfect kick to your taste buds. The appetizer is more popular with tea parties and picnics but is a must-try dish if you are new to Nyonya food. I simply loved the freshness of the flavours and was ready for the main dishes.
Okra occupies an important place in Nyonya dishes and is cooked in various styled. Okra with Belacan sauce is a great dish to go with blue-died rice which is more common in the states of Kelantan and Kuala Terengganu.
The rice is dyed with a colouring agent from commonly found flowers in the region. The colouring is more for the presentation that taste and looks very presentable with curry dishes and sauces on the site.
Okra is also deep fried with slices and served with a tangy calamansi and chilli-flavoured sauce. I loved the taste of Belacan sauce which uses a fresh mix of chilli and shrimp paste to give a unique flavour and texture to the dishes. The Okra in a Belacan Sauce was perfect and blended well with the other meat dishes on the menu.
The devil's curry is a spicy richly flavoured chicken curry that is typical on the Peranakan menu. The chicken curry dishes complement vegetable dishes and go well with a serving of rice. The sauce was very flavoursome and rich in flavours from a mix of secret ingredients used by the chef.
A perfect durian dessert whipped with fresh cream was a perfect finale for an amazing lunch. As the restaurant was not very busy, I decided to relax and read my travelogue over a nice cup of tea served in a very traditional teapot. The local variety of tea from tea plantations in Cameron Highlands is very popular in Malaysia. The flavours are very rich and a bit different from popular brands on supermarket shelves.
I highly recommend, this amazing restaurant to all Malaysian food lovers.
USEFUL INFORMATION
If you are exploring local food around the Central Market area, a food court served a good mix of local popular dishes under RM 10. The popular Petaling Street is within walking distance of the Central Market. Read more about Petaling Street.
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