By Staff Writer
People would have smirked or just cynically smile whenever I’d say ‘I stay at Keramat,” said Nell, an oil and gas Manager about his current residential area.
Nell who has been working with the country’s leading oil and gas company is accustomed to moving around for the past ten years. Since moving is constant, it is hard for him to call a certain place ‘home’.
Nonetheless, Keramat literally changed his mind on his definition of home for the past three years.
“Yes, I could have stayed at those posh condos in Ampang or even Jelatek. Splurged out on rental fees that wouldn’t justify the value of the area. But why would I want to do that?” he asked.
Nell’s decision of living in Keramat came quite coincidentally. His wife, who is an avid property seeker saw an advert via an online portal, PropertyGuru of an apartment within Keramat and suggested it to him during their transfer back to Kuala Lumpur in 2012.
“I was surprised because she is an ‘urban’ girl. Who would have thought she would want to stay in a place like this. Keramat is in the middle of this metropolitan city but somehow it personifies a rather ‘kampung’ ambiance. The rent was of course affordable and we knew that we needed to grab it before losing out on it,” he explained.
Food Galore!
The decision to reside in Keramat hits the home run for any food enthusiasts and this includes Nell himself.
Keramat is well known for its cheap local delicacies. From Kelantanese delights to Indonesian favourite cuisine and even some Arab restaurants surprisingly that are located here too.
Roti John Titiwangsa is among those places that residents or even visitors’ ‘must drop by’ whenever they are here. Originated from the hawker’s site at Lake Titiwangsa, the owner, Mohd. Amri Osman and his business moved to Keramat due to location issues and thankfully the move wasn’t done in vain. There will always be a long queue of regulars who would double parked by the roads in order to get hold of this famous Roti John. The price is fairly reasonable. A decent Roti John stacked with minced meat or chicken, mayonnaise and chili sauce would cost you around RM 4.00. Its speciality – Roti John with tuna and cheese wrapped with omelette is famous among its legion of fans. Pretty tempting for those who are not counting their calories intake.
Roti John Titiwangsa has its fair share of publicity. It has been featured in a few eating shows including Selera Bajet on EC Inspirasi, aired by HyppTV as well as written about in the local newspapers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljGjEVaIMlo
http://web10.bernama.com/ramadan11/news.php?id=606644
Another pit stop of gastronomy adventure is its famous satay stall, Satay Zaimah Ismail. A stall that has been inherited by two generations and their recipe for delicious satay remains a secret to this very day!
“The owner once told me that there were times people would just come up to him and requested to buy the juices of his satay. It could be an act of stealing the recipe,” said Nell jokingly.
The satay stall is known for its chunky meat and of course the juices from the grilled cubes of chicken and meat.
“For RM1.20, you will get huge pieces on the skewer. It is worth every penny,” says Nell.
“Should I say it’s the best in KL? Yes, it is,” he added.
Wan Chopati is another must go stall in Keramat. Located in Keramat Mall, the stall is often packed with customers. The originator of the stall hailed all the way from India and brought together with him secret spices that were used in making his famous chapatti and dhal. Despite having his son helming over the stall these days, the chapatti and dhal are said to have the same blend of spices that is flown all the way from India on a regular basis. Due to its overwhelming popularity, Wan Chopati was even featured on TV3’s Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan! Now, there’s your Michelin stars!
Keramat is just over pouring with restaurants and food stalls. But it does boil down to the diners’ stomach capacity. The location might not be pristine or well managed. The food stalls are often located next to a huge drainage system. If you are hygienically cautious on how the food is prepared, then you might want to skip dining here completely. But for adventurous folks who would eat regardless the cleanliness aspect of the area, you will enjoy Keramat!
A ‘Kampung’ Smacked in the Heart of the City
Developments in this metropolitan city can be ruthless. Most of the old and worn out places would eventually give way to progress. The land would be sold to developers in bringing skyscrapers and modern marvels by replacing the old and crooked buildings that have witnessed the evolution of a city like KL for the past half a century.
But, Keramat seems to be among the few areas in KL that seems to be defying progress. Most of the houses in Keramat have been around for decades. This can be seen through the façade of the houses along Jalan Datuk Keramat. Some are still built in woods, rather than bricks. While others have gone through renovation just to keep it intact throughout the years. But there’s hardly high-end buildings penetrating in this area. Perhaps a couple developments that are currently in progress that include Chymes Gurney and 51 Gurney. Other than that, you have the government flats and quarters that cater to the masses here with cheap rental or even purchasing rates.
In fact, those who resides here are extremely fortunate to have Suria KLCC and other modern marvels as their views. That’s the perk of having low-rise buildings in the area as there is hardly any obstructions standing in the way!
You can even relive the retro ambiance of the 80’s with the mom and pops shops scattered all around selling goodies or junk food that we thought we would never see again.
Other than that, the variation of shops here too reflect the community that nestles in Keramat. There are a handful of ‘jamu’ or traditional herbs shops opened by the Indonesians, selling traditional medications from Indonesia. And there are numerous restaurants selling Indonesian food that include ‘Nasi Padang’ and ‘Minang’. Plus, this foreign community makes up the majority of those renting the houses here from the locals.
This eclectic mixed of locals and foreigners brings a unique element to the area.
Close to Home
As for Nell, traditions and culture are crucial in a place that he calls home. Keramat provides just that with easy access to religious places like suraus or mosques and even a centre that teaches kids as well as adults on how to recite the Quran.
“You don’t want to be too wrapped up in the modern day living. I believe in the balance between modern needs and religious as well as traditional matters. Keramat truly reminds me of where I grew up, Shah Alam. It was a tight-knit neighbourhood that emphasised on religious practices and implementation of the idea ‘gotong-royong’. You can’t get that in areas that mostly dominated by high-end residential properties. They are more private and secluded even from their own neighbouring units on the same floor. But here, they practise these ‘gotong royong’ values to the core. This is something that I’d appreciate. Hopefully, my daughters are able to learn and appreciate these truly Malaysian ways of living in a community,” he added.
The Verdict
Yes, it is slightly ghetto to most people but the ambiance represents a retro feel at its best. True, there might be some folks who would pass judgement given the fact that one’s address states Keramat. But what really matters is that the area is able to leave a profound impact on the residents.
As for Nell, Keramat ticks all the right boxes. Amenities are at his doorsteps. The integrity of the identity of the area that is still integral and hardly bitten by the development bug. And a neighbourhood community that reflects his childhood memories on how the community should be, i.e. extremely close-knit where people would greet you by your first name and would come over to your house to help out during ‘kenduris’. This is Keramat. Perhaps living in an underdeveloped area would be okay in this circumstances, away from the repercussion of progress in preserving the traditional Malaysian values.
