Chun Kee Hakka Mee (春记大埔面) @ Jalan Sayor, Pudu

A supposedly dim sum breakfast at Tuck Cheong restaurant did not happen because by the time we reached there, everything was sold out save for some buns. Maybe I was too late by Pudu people’s standards but it was only 9am! Desperate for an alternative, we recalled a famous Hakka Mee nearby that some say is the best in Klang Valley. Luckily, Chun Kee was only a few hundred metres away from Tuck Cheong so we walked.

Judging by the look of the noodles and the number of customers waiting in line, it seemed promising so we didn’t mind the long wait. But after tasting the noodle it was an overwhelming disappointment, it just wasn’t as good as it was anticipated to be. In fact, only average at best. The noodles look springy but is actually a lumpy mess and the minced pork does not stick well to the noodles so you will end up eating them as separately.

Even though Toast & Roast and Seremban Favorites’ Hakka mee’s quality had dropped recently, both of them are still much better than this. I think sometimes people are recommending certain food for the wrong reasons. Take this for example, just because it is an old noodle stall with over 80 years of history, uses old school wooden chopsticks and rooster bowls (big deal) and got featured by Ah Xian, it does not warrant good reviews. Yes I agree that these old food stalls make good photography subjects but if the food ain’t up to par, it ain’t.

The attitude of the owners is another reason that ticked me off. I noticed there is an air of arrogance about them, perhaps from all the media attention they got. I was seated there for 30 minutes and observed how they treated the customers especially the elderly ones. It was like “The wait is 15 minutes, you can’t wait then you don’t eat, and stop asking”. That got me wondering if their noodles’ taste and serving attitude have always been like this even in the past. Anyway, I wouldn’t know since the current person in charge is already of the 3rd or 4th generation.

Recommended? No, not from me even without the wait.

446, Jalan Sayur,
Off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 6am till 10pm