Find a great ‘or chien’ at Lim Fried Oyster in Taman Mayang Jaya, PJ

PETALING JAYA, May 24 — Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to show you something you’ve been missing, especially when it’s been right under your nose the entire time. 

I’ve lived my entire life next to the neighbourhood of Taman Mayang Jaya in Petaling Jaya, and almost every Sunday morning, my parents and I would drive through it to head to St. Ignatius for mass when I was a kid. 

And twice a week on weekdays, I’d go to a house for my dreaded maths tuition, kicking (denial), screaming (anger) and dragging my feet (bargaining) on the way in, where depression and eventually acceptance waited for me in the form of algebra and linear equations. 

My teacher was a lovely lady, but I can still remember the oppressive glare of her kitchen lights; the loud, piercing sound of her pen scratching on paper; and the deafening silence that the other eight-year-olds and I had to maintain for two hours, lest we incur her wrath. 

I’m getting chills just writing this. 

Tea Time Kopitiam is popular during lunchtime, when parking is much harder to find.

One day, I stopped going. At some point in my young life, I gave up both the maths tuition and Catholicism. I traded in Descartes and Paul for Shakespeare and Sartre, and in the process, ensured that I would spend the rest of my school life being constantly on the brink of failing maths. 

As a result, I practically never set foot in that neighbourhood again. Until recently, when I was tipped off by a reliable source about a bona fide “hidden gem” that exists there in plain sight, largely unnoticed.

Taman Mayang Jaya is home to a dense concentration of auto workshops, whose staff often frequent Mayang Oasis Food Court, a central fixture of the neighbourhood. 

But nearby, Restoran Tea Time Kopitiam is another popular coffeeshop with a wide variety of stalls, opening throughout the day from six in the morning to one in the morning. 

At lunchtime, the economy rice stall is the most popular, but my tip sent me here for a quieter stall located in the far left corner of the shop: Lim Fried Oyster. 

It opens at 11am every day, and sells only three things: fried oyster omelettes (RM15), prawn omelettes (RM15), and carrot cake (RM9). 

Lim Fried Oyster’s stall is in the far corner of the kopitiam, away from the rush at the very popular ‘zhap fan’ stall.

There are a number of things that make this oyster omelette truly enjoyable in my book: first, the oysters are plump and juicy with a mildly sweet-salty flavour, rather than the occasionally overwhelmingly briny specimens found in some places. 

Second, the texture is soft, appropriately eggy, and, despite the addition of sweet potato starch for that characteristic chewiness, it never reaches the point of being gummy or gloopy. 

Third, though it isn’t as dark and aggressively singed as what might be found in Penang (my favourite is in Seng Thor Coffee Shop along Lebuh Carnavon), the balance of char, garlic and white pepper creates a rich, savoury depth of flavour without being overly salty. 

Fresh coriander and the tangy chilli sauce are the ideal condiments to give everything a lift. A well-constructed, comprehensive winner, all ends up. No notes.

In addition to oyster omelettes, shrimp omelettes and fried ‘lo bak go’ are also offered at Lim Fried Oyster, although I heavily recommend sticking to the signature dish. 

The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the carrot cake. While it sort of passes the eye test, sporting dark caramelised edges, it is slightly sweet but mostly bland, due to a dearth of preserved radish, which is a key component in bringing crunch and flavour to the dish. Without it, the result is rather unremarkable. 

Years ago, Taman Mayang Jaya was simply a place to be endured, somewhere I associated with fluorescent kitchen lights, algebraic humiliation and sleepy Sunday drives to church. 

It turns out I had been looking at it all wrong. There is something satisfying about discovering that a place you thought you knew still has the capacity to surprise you, that all it takes is enough time and the right plate of food to rewrite an old memory. 

If nothing else, Lim Fried Oyster has given me a reason to return to a neighbourhood I once could not wait to leave.

Lim Fried Oyster Stall,

Restoran Tea Time Kopitiam

23, Jalan SS 26/4, 

Taman Mayang Jaya, Petaling Jaya.

Open daily, 11am till sold out.

*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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المصدر: Malay Mail