Not being a fawning groupie of popiah makes me feel like a heretic. I’ve no beef against the local gastronomic VIP – we’re Facebook friends, and I occasionally ‘Like’ its gastroporn selfies – but I’ve never understood its rock star appeal. Like I tell everyone behind its back: popiah is a tangled commotion of random, clumsily-improvised, incongruous ingredients mummified in facial blotting paper. I find its flavours and textures kooky, baffling and mildly upsetting (its raw, still-breathing ‘fresh’ variant more so than its third degree-burnt ‘fried’ version). And being bolster pillow-large; filled to bursting with loose, unruly filling; and held together by a thin hallucination of a crepe, ‘fresh’ popiah is an obscene, turmoil-triggering mess to consume (I prefer to nibble my food daintily, with my pinky raised). But my lifelong ‘nope’ aversion to fresh popiah resigned ‘with immediate effect’ recently after an unplanned visit to a SisterS Crispy Popiah kiosk at Quill City Mall in downtown KL.
The place
One of a legion of kiosks unstoppably invading and annexing commercial floor space across the Klang Valley (stall locations include consecrated shopping grounds like Suria KLCC, Pavilion and Mid Valley Megamall), Quill City Mall’s SisterS Crispy Popiah outlet shouted its welcome at me through its fast food restaurant-inspired brand collaterals, light box menu displays, striking colour scheme and aggressively hospitable staff. I noted with assurance a countertop placard proclaiming SisterS’ ‘don’t play-play’ status as purveyor of the ‘Best Popiah’ (like, in the universe), as voted by Malaysians in the Star’s People’s Food Awards 2015. What better place to finally ‘make nice’ with popiah?
The food
The Universal Studios Theme Park of popiah, SisterS has elevated and expanded the nature of Malaysian spring rolls to x-treme thrill ride and virtual reality show proportions. Its directory of attractions comprises both fried and fresh popiah, with the latter group diverging every which way, including into the territories of Traditional Crispy popiah and the more novel Egg Roll popiah (drooping with unorthodox, extra-terrestrial fillings such as Cheese, Chicken & Cheese, Crabstick and Chicken Sausage). Other Frankenstein-esque innovations include Cheese Baked Popiah (stuffed with Prawn or Beef Bacon), Vege Delight Roll, and Fried Spring Roll with Cheese. Backup vocalist offerings meanwhile, include hot soupy dishes such as Siam Lemak Laksa, Mushroom Cream Soup and Golden Pumpkin Soup.
After just 10 minutes of placing my order, my first of two spring roll dishes tumbled toward my table: Crispy Chicken Sausage Popiah, priced at a steal for RM5.10. The largest, most morbidly pregnant popiah to ever make my acquaintance, the dish was nevertheless pageant participant-photogenic and appetizingly ready for its close-up (with my taste buds). And though half of my first slice’s filling avalanched onto the plate as I lifted it to my mouth (as expected), enough of it made it to my palate to knock me out completely. Lavishly splashed with a blend of sweet bean, hoisin and chili cause, the roll’s crackling mixture of stir-fried grated turnip, sengkuang, carrot, shallot and peanuts; coupled with more tender morsels of tofu and omelette, were stupefying. The ingredient headliner – red carpet-lengthy slices of supple chicken frankfurter – were astonishingly flavourful and moist, and worked in concert with the rest of the fresh, wonderfully-prepared filling to create a symphony of sublimely tangy, savoury, succulent and crunchy tastes and textures. As for its crepe cocoon: the wheat flour wrapper was as crispy as promised, yet so thin as to almost dissolve in my mouth (what sorcery is this?). Rating: 9 out of 10.
The second order to roll my way was the mammoth Egg Roll Cheese Popiah, also preposterously priced (at RM5.30). Resembling a newly-discovered species of venomous deep sea slug, the popiah cut quite the exotic figure – especially with a folded cheese slice running its entire length and sticking out like a tongue (popiah, meet Instagram!). Matching its striking appearance was its extraordinary taste, which, shockingly, one-upped the previous dish: the unique, egg-enriched wafer was creamy, mildly-sweet and delightfully velvety; while its magnificent filling was boosted even further with the unconventional, yet ravishing, cheese slice core. Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
SisterS Crispy Popiah
Kiosk: Quill City Mall
Unit 4.60, Level 4
1018, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL
Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
Web: SistersCrispyPopiah.com.my
*Based on an article published by militant foodie, omnipresent shutterbug, indefatigable traveler and bionic blogger, Venoth Nathan, in Venoth’s Culinary Adventure. Images are courtesy of http://venoth.blogspot.my/.