Ah Long Pakistan Halal Food has fired up palates with its heat-seeking curry missiles for decades in the 'mom-and-pop' neighbourhood of Jordan. Recently, however, interesting developments have had its loyalists divided and up in arms.
A couple of years ago, the eatery closed for renovation, reopening soon after at the same location - 95B Woosung Street. All seemed well, despite a slight change in the Chinese spelling of the name, until the appearance of Ah Lung a few months later, next door at 93A.
On opening, the latter restaurant laid claim to being the real deal by putting 'The original' on its placard. What was happening here?
It turns out the curry house was run by a husband, wife and sister team. After years of trying to get along, husband Ah Ho and sister-in-law Pat decided one of them had to go, but neither wanted to leave Woosung Street or stop making curry. So Pat opened Ah Lung. As unfortunate as they are, family fracas happen often. In the case of Ah Lung versus Ah Long, the question for diners is whether their differences are ones we can taste.
On Friday at lunch hour, we made a beeline for the twin eateries on the sleepy side street to sample the beef brisket curry and roti at each. By coin toss, we decide to start with Ah Lung at 93A, with its white plaque with gold lettering.
We sat at a long, narrow table alongside a steady flow of a dozen other diners; the staff trot back and forth the tiny kitchen and dining areas with an air of purpose and industry. We gave our preference for medium spiciness for our beef brisket (written as breast of beef on the menu) curry (HK$44), and the food appeared within minutes.
The curry, which came in a small, deep oval bowl, had a lovely earthy-red hue and a heady fragrance, thick with melting onion morsels that lent a subtle sweetness. The sauce gave the perfect amount of layered heat and unctuousness. Each chunk of beef was worth two bites, braised long enough to soak up the flavour of the sauce but not to the point of true tenderness. Some membrane and sinew still clung to the meat, which meant the occasional chewy bit, which we actually enjoyed.
