More eats

Advised to go to Bintang Walk in search of good local cuisine, last night we ended up at a covered food hall about the size of a football field, though not as wide. Down each long side were booths that each seemed to specialise in a limited repertoire of dishes. We approached Kee Yuan's Seafood and asked the man what he had. He pointed to a glass tank clacking with crabs and in a couple of minutes the deal was done. Seafood noodles and steamed crab. We sat down at a table, bolted to the floor, on chairs bolted to the floor. Our host arranged for someone else from way down the food hall to bring cold beers, and we waited.

It wasn't easy to ignore completely the cockroaches on the floor but hey, they have to make a living too. And as the crabs, after a quick rinse, went for a final swim in a wok of boiling water, there was no doubting the freshness of the food. When they arrived the crabs were superb; fragrant with ginger and garlic, hot with chilli and absolutely delicious in the messiest way possible. The chef kindly pointed us to his sink for a very necessary clean up. (The noodles were good too, but then noodles usually are.)

While waiting for the crab we had noticed a man making fresh naans in a tandoor. So having despatched the Chinese food, we went Indian. Each naan had about three cloves of minced garlic on it, wonderfully complemented by a nutty mix of chick pea and yellow pea dhal. And more beer.

Most astonishing was the settling up. We had thought we might have to go separately to the Chinese, the Indian and the beer man. But no, our Chinese host negotiated with his fellows and came back with one bill. We paid happily, and off he went to distribute the payment.

A fine experience which, of course, raises interesting questions about food hygiene. With food that fresh, cooked individually and served at once, there really is no opportunity for the massive cross-contamination that plagues western industrialised fast food. And so no need for food cartons impregnated with bacteriostats to protect us from the very industry that we rely on to nourish us. Where to tonight?