In search of a little Mantao magic
On a rainy rain-swept Friday night, the phone call reached me as I navigated the gloomy streets after leaving the neon and glass confines of the office, weary after a long day hewing out reams of text like an ice merchant would carve out blocks of ice in the days of yore. A voice called out on the phone, almost unheard over the cacophony of background noise that sounded like a marching band attempting to reenact a Metallica album in a room made of tin. Over the noise I heard what was needed,”It’s here. Come over now.”
I hastened through the streets, the Bangkok Bank looming over the skyline as streaks of rain fell haphazardly onto the streets, further miring the already horrific traffic into a gridlock of epic proportions. Past a lonely convenience store that remained open amidst rows upon rows of storefronts that have closed their doors for the night and, in some measure, against the inclement weather I found my goal. Or rather heard it.
Even over the din of evening traffic in downtown Kuala Lumpur, I managed to hear the thrumming, almost seismic din of the music emanating from a gaping door leading to a building where a bank once stood and where my goal lay within. A quick word with a dapper public relations officer standing next to the imposing hulk of a bouncer gained me entrance.
I strode past silhouettes of writhing bodies dancing to a cacophonous tune that seemed to have started out in English but ended losing direction midway into screamed syllables and frantic guitar solos. Rows of concessionaires lined the edges of the dance floor and the band looming over it all like medieval lords over their instruments. One of those concessionaires was my goal.
I recognised the sign i was looking for. A caricature of a man devouring a stylised mantao – a Chinese-style flatbread- with almost sublime bliss with boldly inked signage “Lock and Load – Loaded Mantao and Asian Bites”
The proprietor, a dapper man with a firm handshake greeted me. Kenny, as he preferred to be called was a veteran in the food industry and the proprietor to the eponymous Kenny’s Food Cart restaurant in Petaling Jaya. In the sudden silence in between sets as another band begun setting up their rigs on the stage, he filled me in on his latest venture that had been making the rounds by word of mouth.
“I wanted to make something that was easy to eat and was Asian comfort food,” said Kenny as he put on a pair of food handler’s gloves. He saw inspiration from the characteristic hot dogs and fries liberally served at concerts and sports games but they were distinctly Western in origin. Why not something that called to the rich culinary traditions of Asia? Enter Lock and Load’s Mantaos. Served with a side of chicken fries, the mantaos came in three different flavours – Crab Cakes with Thai green chilli sauce, Roast Duck with Plum Sauce and Stewed Soy Chicken. I opted for the latter two flavours.
With deft hands and a pair of stainless steel tongs, he prepared my order. Out of a steamer he brought forth a pair of fluffy mantao – Chinese steamed bread – laid flat in his palms. With measured movements, he spooned in a helping of Asian-style stewed chicken into the bun before covering it in slivers of finely chopped cabbage. Added onto this was a carefully measured dollop of thick, rich soy sauce. As he prepared the mantao, he shared more of what went into making it. The stewed soy chicken came from a family recipe and was stewed with a secret blend of herbs and spices for over six hours to form tender morsels of chicken bathed in a savoury gravy that had notes of anise, cinnamon and soy. I accepted the proffered mantao and devoured it in one bite. The mild, slightly sweet flavour of the mantao formed a beautiful contrast to the savoury stewed chicken that melted in the mouth with the cabbage providing an interesting textural contrast to the rest of the load. I gave a thumbs up as I washed it down with a swig of shandy.
Chef Kenny prepared the next one. Over a bed of julienned spring onions and cucumbers shaved razor thin, he laid a single slice of Peking-style roast duck. Carved from duck breasts and roasted to his secret recipe, the smoking inch-thick slab of meat was rosy red in the light with the merest hint of crispy skin and a smattering of fat underneath it. Onto this he squirted a dollop of plum sauce. I popped the whole affair into my mouth. It was a riot of textures and flavours. The firm bite of the duck meat had a smoky hint about it that stood out from the mantao with the sweetness of the plum sauce bringing it all together.
I nodded satisfied as he laid out a helping of crisp chicken fries fresh from the frier. Made from processed chicken meat, the fries were done up shoestring style and fried to a crisp. They were served unsalted, seeing as they were quite savoury to begin with and proved addictive with a crisp texture that yielded into a taste that hinted of chicken.
All this – two mantao and a helping of chicken fries clocked in at RM8. It’s not exactly the cheapest meal on offer if you counted mainstream dining for urban desk jockeys in the mix but as far as festival food went, it was certainly very reasonable. It’s definitely worth a try if you happen to encounter them. Unfortunately, they aren’t open every day and only appear at certain events hence the need to hunt them wherever they appear. Check out their Facebook here and follow their Instagram here @lockandloadkl to find out where they’ll appear next.
