Lunch on work days especially for workers in big cities like Kuala Lumpur would definitely be at the local eateries nearest to the place of work. Unlike small town workers, there's never enough time to drive or walk home for that home-cooked lunch unless you live around the corner of your office. Occasionally, lunch can be at the fast-food restaurants like MacD's or KFC but that too is getting expensive these days. A 3.5 inch burger, fries and coke will cost nothing less than RM8 and this lunch will definitely have your stomach growling again in 2 hours.
Introducing, the jam-packed, economical lunch which could last you till dinner - better known as "chap fan" or mixed rice. There will normally be an average of 10 dishes for you to choose from in a typical mixed rice stall. Served together with rice, a three-dish "chap fan" would cost approximately RM2.50 to RM5 at the most, depending on the dishes that you've chosen. Of course these are pricing standards in the outskirts. In the heart of the city, a three-dish plate of rice may cost up to RM10!
Unlike other eateries, a "chap fan" stall is able to cater to most people no matter what their taste buds are. No problem for the veggie fans as there would be more than 3 vegetarian dishes. That applies to the heavy meat eaters as well as there would always be more than 3 varieties of meat dishes. Spicy lovers would normally go for the curry chicken or fish and there's always 'sambal' available as side dish. The health concious people can opt for the steamed or broiled dishes. Some "chap fan" stalls would even add in a bowl of soup for free.
And if you're not a fan of rice, these "chap fan" stalls are normally next to a few other stalls selling noodles. The types of noodles available in most Chinese restaurants are not limited as well. These days, the hawkers' new inventions or variations to the typical 'wanton noodles' for example, fare pretty well among Malaysians. Wanton noodles used to be the slightly thinner yellow springy noodles in dark soya sauce, wanton soup and some green leafy vegetables. Now, we have wanton noodles in all kinds of flavor, perhaps even mixed with curry chicken.
Definitely food for the budget concious people, these eateries are indeed something that we are thankful for having.
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