Review: Paratha Crispy Popiah, Paradigm Mall

Lot LG18, Lower Ground,
Paradigm Mall,
Kelana Jaya,
47301 Petaling Jaya 

http://parathacrispypopiah.com/

Do you like popiah or spring rolls? Growing up, my father would always order a set from Kong Heng, Ipoh whenever we were in town. He would tell of how some of the stalls have been around since his own teenage years. Over time, most of the stalls are either handed down to their next of kin or entirely managed by foreigners. These days, you'd be hard pressed to find stalls that are managed solely by locals.

Which is why, Penang's move to ban foreign cooks is understandable. His intentions are noble and I concur but given the many backlash, it got me to rethink. Would the authenticity of the dishes be truly preserved if the master hands it down to, say, his children or someone (local) willing to take up the challenge? Don't go to the extent of recreating famous dishes of chefs, how many of you have perfected your mother's dishes? Next question then becomes what if the locals themselves are unwilling to learn? Do you hold your nose up high and refuse to teach the foreigners, risk a dying culture? Is it worth it?

Personally, cooking is one of my hobbies. Sadly, it is not only fattening but also quite expensive when your self esteem is lower than any of today's Hollywood stars' cleavage.

Honey lime juice RM 3.50: this would be a great thirst quencher after all that ranting about our local food scene. It is more sour than sweet. Maybe that's why a sourpuss such as yours truly like it.

Original crispy popiah RM 3.80: For someone who doesn't really like popiah in general, this was surprisingly good.

The skin is nice and thin while the filling was great. No overdoes of sengkuang which they have left raw, bits of egg omelet, chicken floss and most importantly, crispy crunchy fried batter!

Each bite has a fresh flavor courtesy of the raw sengkuang, saltiness from the floss. couzzie was mocking me for overpaying for the humbly popiah. If it satisfies me, it was money well spent. Plus it was less than RM 10, the occasional splurge can't hurt (much). Oh and this is another GroupOn adventure.

Just a last rant on food, did you know that Indonesian caused a ruckus to lay claim on popiah? Does it really matter? Why not just make the best goddamn popiah and make a goddamn profit out of it?

Tafu sumbat RM 6: tofu stuffed with raw sengkuang and topped with Penang rojak sauce and chopped peanut. Thanks to jl, the Penang version of rojak will forever be my favorite. I dislike the Klang Valley or mamak version that's sweet and red.

Do not underestimate the portion size. It's just tofu with lots of fiber and a very thick gravy but will certainly fill you up nicely.

 The crispiness of the tofu coupled with the crunchy sengkuang is enhanced by the sweet gravy. This is worth coming back for... if it was cheaper.