Malaysia: Mr. Chiam's

The Batu Caves are a series of caves and cave temples located slightly north of Kuala Lumpur.  The best part about the caves?  The 272 steps up to the entrance.

Yea.  272 steep steps, not including the additional stairs inside the caves.  The pain was worth it though.  I would do those stairs all over again if I could see CK's strained face just one more time.  

CK hates caves.  Of all the caves in the world, CK hates wet caves the most.  And of all the wet caves in the world, CK detests the ones with bats.

Guess what kind of caves the Batu Caves are?  

In my defense, I suggested going to the Batu Caves without knowing that they would be both wet and home to bats.  It was a surprise to me too.  One I thoroughly enjoyed at CK's expense.

The other thing I enjoyed that day was Mr. Chiam's pisang goreng:

We stopped by Mr. Chiam's cart for a snack before catching the KTM Komuter train to the Batu Caves.  There was already a line by the time we found the cart across from the YMCA.

Pisang goreng are fried bananas.  Mr. Chiam offers more than just bananas though.  CK and I decided to split a fried banana, a fried curry puff, and a fried sweet potato, taro, and rice cake sandwich:

The only thing we didn't get was the sesame ball.  Looking back, that was poor decision making on our part.

With our purchase in hand, we sought to find a place to sit and indulge.  The only place we could find was a KFC in the KTM Komuter station.  After ordering an egg tart and a chicken and corn rice bowl, we sat down to enjoy our fried goods.

The banana was pretty much heavenly:

It really is all about the batter.  Mr. Chiam has discovered the perfect balance of wispy-ness and crispiness and deliciousness.

The taro/sweet potato/rice cake sandwich was also divine:

Don't wait too long before digging in though.  The kuih bakul tastes best when it's hot and the sweet potato and taro are still soft.

The curry puff was my least favorite of the trio, but I still enjoyed it immensely, which says a lot about Mr. Chiam's pisang goreng:

Super cheap, super yummy, and I super recommend it.  Three cheers for Mr. Chiam!

And just for fun, let's throw in an additional cheer for wet, batty caves that sit at the top of 272 steps, shall we?


Mr. Chiam's Pisang Goreng Stall
Opposite of YMCA, in front of Yit Sieang Coffee Shop
Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
012-617-2511