6 nostalgic restaurants in Malaysia that are still well and alive

One of the oldest restaurants in the capital city, Sek Yuen Restaurant is an institution for classic Chinese fare frequented by locals and their families. Sek Yuen started as a street cart serving steaming plates of wantan mee. In 1948, the brothers, Phang Chew Kan, Phang Meng Yun and Phang Shue Tang, who operated the cart, decided to put down their roots along Jalan Pudu in the building still going strong today.

In the 1970s, to cope with the volume of diners who came through its doors and to keep up with the air-conditioned times, Sek Yuen Restaurant opened its second lot next door, which is said to be one of the first air-conditioned restaurants in Malaysia.

Its 800-dish strong menu is perfect for gatherings with your favourite people, with its dishes served dai chow style. Dai chow is the Cantonese term used to describe having a variety of dishes in the middle of the table to be shared by all and eaten with rice. Its Pei Pa Duck is a headliner at the restaurant, with its skin perfectly crisp and its meat succulent and juicy. 

See also: The best wantan mee in Malaysia, according to chefs

Over in George Town, Penang, Hameediyah Restaurant was established in 1907, earning it the official title of oldest nasi kandar restaurant in the country. This nasi kandar institution owes its existence to its founder, M. Mohamed Thamby Rawther, a spice trader from Tamil Nadu, India, who landed in Penang in the early 20th century with his three sons. He rented a house along Lebuh Campbell where he sold spices he imported from India.

It wasn’t long before the spice trader started to use his own spice recipe to develop his legendary masala with his sons, a recipe still used today as the base of Hameediyah’s curries. With this masala recipe in hand, Mohamed Thamby set up a stall under an angsana tree in front of his spice shop, selling nasi kandar. Though the business didn’t get off to a booming start as the crowds were still unfamiliar with the concept of nasi kandar, it eventually picked up pace and flourished with dock workers and rickshaw pullers frequenting the stall for a plate of its nasi kandar.

After a few years of running the business, Mohamed Thamby gave his nasi kandar business an official home on Lebuh Campbell, which still stands today. The restaurant has since weathered many storms, including the Japanese occupation, changing rulers, and even the revocation of Penang’s free port status. However, it has maintained its stature on the local landscape and has even opened a few more outlets around the country.

Marked by its bright red façade is Yut Kee Restaurant, a charming 92-year-old Hainanese coffee shop renowned for its chicken chop, roast pork, and beef noodles. The restaurant was established by a first-generation Chinese immigrant, Lee Tai Yik, on January 15, 1928, at its original location on Jalan Dang Wangi. Lee ran the restaurant with the help of his three wives before he passed away in 1947. 

His legacy lived on despite his passing, and the restaurant was eventually passed to his only son, Jack Lee, who ran the restaurant from the 1970s until 2003. The second generation Lee stepped down for his son, Mervyn, to take over. In 2014, the restaurant moved from its Jalan Dang Wangi location to its current location on Jalan Kamunting.

Since its establishment, Yut Kee has been a go-to for families, the working crowd, and even tourists, and to this day, despite challenges in cost and sourcing, most of its star dishes have never left its menu,

At an impressive 114 years old is Fung Wong Biscuits, a legendary Chinese biscuit and pastry shop in the bustling Kuala Lumpur city centre. Fung Wong Biscuits has made a name in the local Chinese biscuits industry with its buttery and flaky treats, like its famous egg tarts, wedding pastries, and kaya puffs.

Named after the Cantonese term for “phoenix”, the establishment is currently run by its fourth-generation owner, Melvin Chan, whose great-grandfather, Chan Seng, established the brand in Guangdong, China, in 1909. In 1946, his great-grandfather and grandfather, Chan Weng, migrated to Malaya, where they set up a pastry stall on Jalan Hang Lekir. To keep up with its success, Chan’s grandfather bought over the shop lot unit behind his stall and moved the pastry business into it.

Chan started lending a hand at the biscuit shop during primary school days, helping his family during school holidays and on weekends. Eventually, at age 18, Chan started his full-time role at Fung Wong Biscuits and grew the business into what it is today. While its recipes have remained largely unchanged, Fung Wong Biscuits recently revamped and relocated to its current home along Jalan Sultan, across from RexKL. Its new space combines tradition and modernity, serving as a café for the modern diner with its well-loved biscuits and pastries making up its food offerings. Its original location still exists as its central bakery.

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Arguably one of the country’s most famous and loved banana leaf restaurants, Restoran P.R. Meiappan is known for its vibrant curries and biryani and has been around since the 1950s. Located in Port Klang, Restoran P.R. Meiappan was run by the late P.R. Meippan, who started working at the restaurant before buying it over from its original owners and immortalising his name on its signboard.

Back when the port was swarming with workers, Meippan’s eatery offered an affordable and delicious foodie escape from the back-breaking labour at the docks and jetties. Younger workers were known to use the 555 I.O.U. books to pay for their meals too. During its early years, you would find Meippan himself in the kitchen, among the boiling and bubbling pots of curries and gravies. Even as he handed over the reins to trusted cooks from India, Meippan kept close watch, ensuring that every pot, plate, and pan was filled with food up to his standards.

Meippan himself was a popular figure in the community, giving back whenever he could, like during Deepavali when he would feed the needy and in the aftermath of the 1980 Port Klang fire when he helped to rebuild 50 homes. To this day, Restoran P.R. Meiappan is frequented for its dry mutton gravy, fish head curry, and local goat kodal curry (goat intestine curry), which Nadodi's head chef Yavhin Siri favours. 

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