Gerai Abdullah @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Gerai Dollah as it is called by the locals used to be 'the' place to hang out in the wee hours of the night in Tanjung Malim. It used to be the only Indian Muslim restaurant that used to operate 24 hours a day selling all kinds of Indian Muslim dishes and not to forget their famous Sup Kambing. Gone were the days of it's fame and today, it is nothing but a small paper stand that sells limited food stuffs and is only open from 7 am till 9 pm. Then, they were also the main distributors of newspaper and magazines for the sub district but today, there are many other players and from what I have been observing, this place is slowly ceasing to exist. 

What's Left Of This Famous Place

The Very Same Old Interior

Limited Seating Space

Magazines and Newspapers

After many years, I decided to drop by for some Mee Goreng. Initially I was doubtful if they even sell any food but after checking in, I realised that they still do those fried noodles and some toasts. Hardly any customers around and occasionally one or two would drop by to have a cup of tea. The son, who used to do the Mee Goreng is now semi retired and they have hired an external cook to help out. Newspapers were still found but the volume of magazines had surely shrunk. Probably, the tabloid business ain't as good as it was. The place has not changed a bit in terms of it's look and feel and the aesthetics were very much the same. 

Teh Tarik @ RM 1.20

The Indian Girl Getting On To Prepare The Mee Goreng

As always, I greeted the son who was at the cashier's counter and then went in to take a place. I ordered a glass of Teh Tarik and then asked for a plate of Mee Goreng. It used to be very good here in the yesteryear's. Within minutes, my tea was served. It was okay, not great but just okay. The helper who is an Indian girl was the one who fixed my tea. Slightly on the sweet side, I would rate it at 7/10 . Surely used to be much better those days. With that, she went on to prepare my plate of Mee Goreng.

Mee Goreng @ RM 3.50

Mee Goreng @ RM 3.50

 Mee Goreng Looks Good

When my Mee Goreng was served, I was delighted as it looked very good! All the right ingredients were there in the plate and I was happy that it would be a good plate of noodles. After tasting it, I was utterly disappointed. It had all the right things except that there was an overdose of salt which literally destroyed the dish. Gosh...if only she tasted what she had prepared....I doubt that she would take another bite. Sadly, I forced myself to finish about half and left the balance. If only the salt was accurately added, this would have been a fantastic preparation but alas, it just wasn't. I would only rate this at 4/10 .

Sadly, seems that the food here is no longer up to the mark and this place would only be good for a drink stop. It would also be a great place for confidential conversations as no one else is normally around. Otherwise, all that remains are memories only. 

Address: Along Jalan Besar (Right Next To The Railway Crossing),

                35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2100 Daily