I did not expect my visit to Steven’s Western Corner in Uptown to feel emotional, but walking up to it just days before he moves to the new Uptown East rooftop food court made everything feel like the end of an era. The zinc roof, the smoky aroma from his open grill, the constant flow of regulars who’ve been coming for 20 to 30 years—it’s the version of Uptown people rarely talk about now but always remember.
Steven turns 60 this year. He’s been cooking since 1991, long before cafés and dessert shops arrived. His first stall was a simple roadside setup beside a mamak near the Damansara police station. He collected water from the roadside, grilled meat outdoors, and slowly built a customer base that would follow him for decades.
By 1997, he and his wife moved into the food court that would be their home for the next 28 years. And now, he’s officially moved to the new rooftop food court at Uptown East. It is only a short walk away, but symbolically it marks a huge new chapter.
Meeting Steven and the dishes he’s perfected over 34 years
Image Credit: Yasmin Zulraez/MFT
Steven was exactly as people described him: kind, gentle, slightly shy, and instantly welcoming. He still cooks everything with his own hands. His wife helps with prep, his brother in law assists with managing the stall, but the cooking has always been entirely his.
His best seller is the Deep Fried Chicken Chop, and the first bite tells you why. I tried the version with mushroom sauce. The chicken is surprisingly tender, and had that old-school Western stall flavour Malaysians grew up with. He marinates the chicken overnight so it’s fully seasoned. The sauce is the real star: creamy, savoury, and comforting.
The Grill Pepper Lamb is juicy, with enough fat to keep the meat flavourful without feeling heavy. The pepper sauce blends into the meat rather than overpowering it, giving it a gentle lingering heat.
Steven used to use tenderloin cuts in the ‘90s, but rising ingredient costs meant adjustments had to be made. Now he uses sirloin instead. The Grill Sirloin Steak tastes the same as before, he said. It has the lightly charred edges, a good sear, and that familiar mushroom sauce over the top. It did lean slightly sweet for my palate, but the texture and sear were well executed.
Image Credit: Yasmin Zulraez/MFT
The Grill Pepper Chicken offers a noticeably different profile from the deep fried version. It was lighter and more fragrant. The meat stays tender, and the black pepper sauce complements it well.
Everything comes in Steven-sized portions, which are comfortably generous. Prices have naturally risen from the RM8 days, but Steven keeps things honest. The Deep Fried Chicken Chop remains a filling meal at a very fair RM17. On a regular day, he sells up to 200 plates of it.
Talking to him in between cooking batches felt surreal. He cooks six to seven chickens at a time, cooking until midnight. Back in 1997, he even stayed open until three or four in the morning. During Covid, he cooked from home and arranged self-pickups, because in in his words, “people still want to eat”.
And his customers’ loyalty proves it. Many who started eating here in their teens now return with their own children. “Last time I saw father and son. Now the son got girlfriend, and got children already,” he said.
What comes next for Steven
Image Credit: Yasmin Zulraez/MFT
Steven’s journey is one of those stories that stays with you. He started as a hairstylist in his twenties. Cooking was never part of the plan, but people preferred his food, and that passion took over.
He met his wife at the stall too. She started as a helper, then became his partner in both life and work. Today, they have a 20-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son, both raised around the smell of Malaysian-style Western cooking.
When asked if he would consider opening a full restaurant, he adamantly refused, “Not for now. People know where to find me.”
What many people don’t realise is that Steven runs another stall too. Steven’s Wok Corner, started in 2008, sits just opposite Steven’s Western Corner. It’s Muslim-friendly, just like this one. It serves fried lala, oyster omelette, and other seafood dishes.
As for the move, he is a bit sad to leave the old spot. 28 years is long time. This version of the stall, with its zinc roof and close neighbours, is the one many people grew up with. The new location is cleaner and brighter, but the heart of the stall remains him.
Before I left, his words stayed with me, “I will do this until I cannot do it already.” Somehow, it made walking away from the old place feel a little more hopeful.
Steven’s Western Corner
Address: Steven’s Western Corner
Opening Hours: 12pm – 11.45pm (Mon–Sun)
Price: RM17 – RM40
Instagram: @stevenwesterncorner
Facebook: Steven Western Corner
Feature Image Credit: Yasmin Zulraez/MFT
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