Seksyen 17 Hawker Centre — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Section 17 Hawker Centre is not for the faint-hearted. Some call it a local favourite; others wouldn’t return if you paid them. Both are probably right. The hawker centre does double duty—wet market by day, bustling food court by evening. With around 15 stalls here, each has its own cult following — or cautionary tale.

The tong sui gets polarising reviews. Some say it’s the best in town, offering big, sweet, and satisfying bowls. Others complain, citing everything from flavourless broth to being chased off by an owner who acts like every customer owes him rent.

The Char Koay Teow (CKT) tells a similar story. Sometimes, you get that smoky, greasy wok hei you’re looking for. Other times, it’s a sad mix of two prawns, bean sprouts, egg, and cockles that simply don’t exist. And if the food doesn’t test your patience, the wait certainly will.

Meanwhile, the Chicken Fried Rice from the same stall fares much better. Still, there are gems. The curry mee by a husband-and-wife team keeps regulars coming back after decades. The chee cheong fun lets you choose your own toppings. There’s a thosai stall run by a lady who turns out crisp rotis and fluffy vadais. And that basmati nasi lemak, with just-fried chicken and sambal, gets talked about — for good reason.

As for hygiene, best look away: bare hands handling both cash and food, tables that never seem to get wiped down. Seating is also a known issue, especially when tables are claimed territory — each set belongs to a specific stall. Sit down without ordering from the correct stall, and you’ll be asked to move — politely, if you’re lucky. Parking’s a headache, especially in the evenings — your best bet is the mall basement or circling the block until something opens up.

Despite the flaws (and there are many), a loyal crowd keeps coming back. Just keep your expectations and...

I've been eating here from the days of the old Sentosa Cinema when it was just a street hawker. Then they moved into the sentosa area after they tore the cinema down. Then, moved again the the side road when building 17 Mall, and now finally a new home bu the side of Seventeen Mall.

Truth be told, they are one of the last remaining original street hawker centres left in PJ. Food wise, its ok-only now, cause many of the hawkers are old or have been taken over by next generation. So, individual taste, you have to try yourself.

Careful of the fruits aunty and the mix rice, today I saw 2 stray dogs running around and drinking the water in a pail that the aunty uses to wash her fruits. And then, the dogs were eating off the mix rice plate that someone left on the floor after clearing the tables. It looks like here no one helps each other to clear tables proper. So, if you got a tummy ache from visiting here, you now know why.

Overall, worth the experience, but just be careful what you order la. The yau char kueh "used" to be really nice, but I guess many have been cutting corners to lessen the cost of making them. I tried one, and the flour wasn't as before.

Go early if you don't want to...

Was chased away by the Herbal Tea stall lady, because we ordered the Tong Sui which was from another stall. She claimed that we cannot sit there because we ordered tong sui and not her herbal tea?? and was being very very rude to us. We were not aware of this "rule" that we cannot sit here if we don't want to order her drinks and she argued very fiercely with us. She wanted us to leave when we were eating halfway, and there are no other seats left. Isn't that a common area? Why force people to buy ur drinks and being so salty when customers don't want it?

Did told her that 1)no signage/nobody told us this 'rule', 2) we'll finish our food and go but it really seemed like she had deep hatred towards anyone who orders from tong sui stall.

Didn't bother to argue with her. We returned our tong sui bowls to the tong sui stall afterwards. But seriously, just wanted to have a meal, but ended up getting scolded just for wanting to...