Ayu Mee Udang @ Teluk Kumbar, Penang

Ayu Mee Udang, this restaurant needs no further introduction. It is one of the most famous Mee Udang in Teluk Kumbar (Penang) and was featured in various TV shows.

Food price has increased recently, seafood is no exception. Here, the normal serving of Mee Udang costs RM15 while the special edition is priced at RM22. It is not cheap but I thought it was worthy of a try. When the noodles came I was like “dude, where’s my prawns?”

Well, they are all hidden under the noodles unlike other restaurants that usually plate them on top. You will have to do some korek-ing here to uncover them. The Mee Udang Special comes with 6 sea-fresh white prawns of various sizes. Although not all of them are equally big, you’d be pleased to know most of them are XXL sized with the firmest and freshest flesh.

The slightly thick soup is largely tomato based, then cooked briefly with the prawns allowing the flavors to infuse. Despite not tasting heavily of prawn flavor, it was delicious and complimented the prawns’ natural sweetness nicely. Not much MSG was detected, as I dried the bowl entirely.

The restaurant was fairly empty when we were there. It was just minutes after they opened for business. I really appreciate the cleanliness here, not a single fly was spotted throughout our meal. This is quite an accomplishment considering Ayu Mee Udang is situated near the sea.

I wouldn’t really label Ayu Mee Udang as expensive, as you get what you paid for at the very least. I remembered having white prawns of similar sizes at other restaurants that costed me RM5 each. And the freshness was no where close to what Ayu has to offer.

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