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Wantan Mee
Ah Hock Wantan Mee @ Lebuh Melayu (Lorong Ikan Intersection)
May 27th
There is only one push cart stall along Lebuh Melayu (Malay Street) selling Wantan Mee and luckily it is a good one too. Actually, I happen to discover this stall by chance. One day I was driving along Lebuh Melayu and noticed an unknown noodle stall doing very brisk business despite its secluded location. At that moment I knew I had to explore it for myself.
The stall is run by Ah Hock, who has been selling his Wantan Mee here for a faithful 23 years and still counting. His specialties are his delicious self-made Wantan and sambal that not only adds a spicy kick into the noodles but also made it more appetizing. A small one costs RM2.50, RM3 for medium and RM3.50 for large.
I have to admit I am very skeptical when it comes to mixing any form of chili paste into my bowl of Wantan Mee – may it be chili oil, chili sauce or sambal because I am too used with having it with green chilies. But in this case, I highly recommend you to choose the sambal over the green chilies simply because the Wantan Mee just tastes much better with the former. In fact, I’d even suggest you to ask for more sambal!
En Kee Self Made Bamboo Noodles @ Mei Li Hwa Coffee Shop
May 9th
En Kee is a noodle stall along Jalan Kulim that sells bamboo-pressed noodles. Bamboo noodles is also known as ‘Jook-Sing’ noodle (竹升面), a rare commodity nowadays considering its preparation method.
According to the tradition, the making of bamboo-pressed noodles requires the chef to sit and ride on the bamboo poles to beat the noodle dough into a flat layer before being sliced into strips. But nowadays most noodles are mass produced using machines already.
When I first saw the stall’s advertisement banner I already imagined it would look and taste something like the White Wantan Mee at Pek Kong Cheng. And I was right. En Kee’s bamboo noodles not only look similar, the taste is also familiar.
The main differences I observed are that En Kee’s noodle is drier by default, flavored with lard and served without wantan. The flavoring is simple with some light soya sauce and a bit of sesame oil, certainly not as heavy if compared to the White Wantan Mee. I felt it wasn’t too bad, as it placed more emphasis on the bamboo noodle instead. For RM3 I was quite pleased by the portion of noodle being served, it was a lot!
Sungai Besi Wan Tan Mee & Wild Boar Curry
Apr 9th
On my last trip to KL my makan buddies brought me to one of the popular places to have supper in Klang Valley – Sungai Besi Wan Tan Mee (全蛋面). The stall opens from late evening onwards to midnight 3-4am or until finish, whichever comes first. Knowing where the stall is at is one thing but getting there, that’s totally different. For me if didn’t have the help of a GPS I doubt I would be able to find this elusive stall.
The main reason for them to open at night is due to the fact that during the day time a car mechanic shop operates at the shoplot that it occupies. The business hour is odd alright but I felt it also attributed to their success so far. Because it proved to be a favorite joint for late night clubbers and night shift workers. And of course, the Wan Tan Mee has to be good and able to stand out from the rest too.
Best Value Wantan Mee @ Tai Seng Noodle House, Amoi Street Food Centre
Mar 14th
Sometimes when I think our purchasing power it’s kinda sad. Just take our neighbor Singapore for example. What can you buy with RM3 nowadays? I doubt you can even purchase a plate of chicken rice with that amount in KL. Even if there is, only breast meat would be given at the most minimum.
But in Singapore, specifically at Amoy Street Food Centre you can get a plate of Wantan Mee with wantan, braised pork ribs, fucuk and mushroom and vegetable scooped and thrown in for you for a mere $3 at Tai Seng Noodle House.
Note the words *scoop* and *throw*, I am not kidding here. The lady who prepares the noodles does not even bother to look at the amount of ingredients she’s giving. I have seen hawkers counting the stalks of vegetable they allocate for each serving and hand-picking them out. Frankly, that is quite hilarious.
Duck Thigh Noodles @ Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits & Restaurant, Bidor
Jan 1st
Happy New Year 2010 everyone! Overall, 2009 was quite a sad year for the world. Let’s hope 2010 will be a good one!
Mention Bidor and food like duck thigh noodle, chicken biscuit (Kai Jai Peng) and ‘Sat Kei Ma‘ (squarish, sweet dessert made of flour and chicken eggs) immediately come to mind. For frequent travelers along the North-South Expressway between Ipoh or Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Bidor is surely a familiar town.
The last time I drove back to Penang from KL, I decided to make a stop at Bidor’s famous Pun Chun Restaurant for dinner. Instead of trying to finish the journey as fast as possible, sometimes it is nice to visit some small towns along the way, have some food and feel replenished to continue.
Pun Chun was very easy to find because it is located along Bidor’s main street, which is only about 5-10 minutes’ drive from Bidor Toll exit. Upon reaching the restaurant we were shocked to see the number of people eating at the restaurant, what a buzz!
We finally found a table and made our orders but then we were told that we had to wait at least 30 minutes due to the sheer number of customers at that time. Well, I didn’t really mind actually because it would give me some time to nose around the restaurant and observe their operation lol.
A lady busy blanching noodles for orders that came in non-stop.
To complete the order, individual double-boiled duck thighs are taken from a huge cooker and served together. Double boiling ensures that no water loss will occur and it also locks in the flavor and essence of the ingredients.
Cao Cao BBQ Lamb and Wantan Mee @ Jalan Kuchai Lama
Oct 8th
In Kuchai Lama there’s a hawker stall called Cao Cao specialized in selling BBQ Lamb. Yes, you’re seeing this right, the hawker stall actually shares the name with a Three Kingdom’s warlord lol.
It’s a rare sight if you ask me because usually when lamb chop is mentioned, it’s associated with either Western Food stall or restaurant. When I first heard about it from a friend, it was surprisingly cheap @ RM6 per portion, and most importantly it was said to be quite tasty too.
I think I was too late to try the BBQ Lamb when it was at only RM6. The night SL and I went, the smallest portion was selling at RM8 already. It was served with some chili and mint sauce for dipping. Click here to continue reading >
