THE pau or Chinese dumpling is a complete meal on its own.
Growing up in the Klang Valley, I remember the pau peddlar who went around my neighbourhood selling the hot delights.
The men used to ride bicycles fitted with a special rack and a steamer.
And back in the old days, the dumplings cost about 50 sen a piece.
I am talking about the 1970s.
Now, having mentioned some good makan places serving pau outside the Klang Valley, especially in the southern part of Selangor, reader Clemson “The Doctor” Wong called me to agree that the Mui Choy (preserved vegetables) pau (RM2) sold at the Hai Yew Heng coffeeshop in Tanjung Sepat was one of the best he has tasted.
“Eh Mr Samo, you are right la. I drove all the way from my house in Desa Park City to buy the pau for my family!,” he said, adding that he is now a regular customer.
My choice is the Sang Yuk pau (RM2.20), which I rate a 8 out of 10 on the Samo scale.
Having said that, the “pau contest” heats up with reader John Chan Tak Leong’s recommending a pau stall in Dengkil.
Chan said the Mui Choy pau that he savoured at the Hung Cheong Chan coffeeshop was one of the best.
“Mr Sam, I tried the pau in the shop and ended up buying 30 pieces because it tasted so good,” he said.
Well, I agree that the Mui Choy pau was okay but lacked the “oomph!”.
So, my score is a 4.5 out of 10 on the Samo-scale.
In this contest, the clear winner is Hai Yew Heng coffeeshop in Tanjung Sepat.
Why? Because the owner is maintaining the quality.
They even take the trouble to print the shop’s trademark on the pau to ensure customers knew they were consuming the shop’s products.
Hai Yew Heng (N 02 39.602, E 101 33.641) opens daily for breakfast and lunch. The stall has a mobile pau stall that goes all the way to Sungai Pelek to sell their pau.
Hung Cheong Chan (N 02 51.518, E 101 40.792), on the other hand, is famous for their Hung Tau Sui (red bean soup) and You Char Kwai (Chinese crullers).
