Foodie Ling: Jalan Alor Melbourne

Unfortunately my Melbourne food trail has come to an end with this being the last post until I visit again. One of my good friends recommended we try this place and I must say I was quite impressed. Jalan Alor was the name of this place situated at 7/206 Bourke St, Melbourne CBD. Jalan Alor is also the name of a famous hawker food street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Of course Jalan Alor Melbourne is cleaner. It was actually quite nicely decorated with wooden tables and benches and a colourful interior.

First up, drinks! I decided to go for barley with kumquat (left). I very soon needed a second glass. Carl had special iced coffee which I swear went in 5 minutes.

The KL Hokkien Mee was actually pretty good but still lacking something. Must be the fried lard.

My friends' Fish fillet and fish head vermicelli noodle soup. The portions were huge and the bowl was quite comical. Let me explain this dish. Fish head bee hoon (rice vermicelli) is not as disgusting as it sounds. The soup base is usually made from freshwater fish and has a pleasant, clean smell and taste. It does not actually smell or taste fishy. The fish head pieces or fish fillets are coated in flour and deep fried to serve. When you order it, rice vermicelli noodles are blanched in hot water and evaporated milk is added to the soup base. Put it all in a bowl with some vegetables and the fried fish fillets and you have yourself a very tasty dish.

Nasi ayam bakar or BBQ Chicken rice was another highlight. The chicken was tender, juicy and well marinated.

Carl just has to order roti canai

What would a Malaysian meal be without curry laksa. Of course you wouldn't get this at Jalan Alor in Malaysia because ultimately, those are hawker stalls. This place however charges AUD and needs to serve up to Australian standards. The portion was generous with two fresh mussels and two big prawns. They don't look very big here but the head and tail are hidden. The curry laksa was very enjoyable.