EVER tried oh-chien? It’s oyster omelette – commonly found in places like Taiwan, Fujian, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It’s one of my favourite hawker-stall dishes but rather hard to find outside of night markets here in Kuala Lumpur.

But worry not – there’s a place within the cosy confines of a shopping mall where I can get hawker-style oh-chien fresh from the skillet. Oyster King, which has several branches in the Klang Valley, including at The Gardens Mall in KL, dishes out a decent version of this dish.

The brand was founded by cousins who learnt the trade from their favourite stall in Malacca, and started selling their own oh-chien in KL at hawker stalls. With business doing well, they broadened their horizons into shopping malls and enjoyed success.

I had a plate of steaming hot fried oh-chien, which was cooked with eggs, juicy medium-sized oysters, starch, chilli and other seasonings.

The starch congeals to form a chewy noodle-like texture similar to glass or flat noodles (kuey teow), which I love. The oysters are fresh as they are kept for three days only and are not frozen. How I like to eat mine is by squeezing the calamansi over it for a sour, appetising tang, followed by lots of garlic-infused chilli which I pour over the omelette. Heaven in your mouth !

Aside from oh-chien, they also serve a few other snacks like fried oysters, lala noodles, fried rice and oyster noodles. The fried oysters are good to munch on but are not particularly special. I would recommend the oh-chien instead.  Prices and portions are reasonable.

The stall is a small kiosk that can accomodate 20 people, so it might get packed at peak hours. No worries – Oyster King has the cutest takeaway boxes ever. They’re like the Chinese takeaway paper boxes you see in American films. It’s not a thing in Malaysia, so I find it cute lol.

Oyster King (Gardens Mall) 

LG-K03B, Lower Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall Mid Valley, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: 017-669 9332

Opening hours: 10AM – 10PM