Fiery action

I have heard so much about this Hokkien Mee stall in Kuala Lumpur but did not get a chance to try it until last Wednesday evening. Many people have told me about how good the Hokkien Mee is and how the flames from the charcoal stove will capture your attention. I tried taking a photo of the cook in action but turned out quite poor using the night shot function on my digital camera. Can’t blame an amateur, can you?

The Chef

Anyway, for insurance purposes, I took another shot using the normal settings. If you look at the stall closely, it may turn you off. This stall has been in existence for 60 years or so (according to the proprietor) and is now managed by the children of the original cook. They sell nothing but Hokkien Mee. If they have been selling nothing but Hokkien Mee for the past 60 years and survived, it must be good. Else, how to survive?

This stall is located at the backlane of Lai Foong Restaurant which is situated along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Other landmarks include Petaling Street (facing S & M Plaza / Kotaraya Complex) and EON Bank Berhad. It is only open from 4pm till 11pm at night.

Awesome Hokkien Mee

The Hokkien Mee is smooth yet, unoily. I tell you, you won’t notice a layer of oil on the plate after you have finished the whole plate. This despite the cook using pork lard in the cooking. Pork lard is an essential ingredient in cooking Hokkien Mee and many Hokkien Mee lovers will insist on extra pork lard (also known as “Chu Yau Char” in cantonese) bits to add some crunch to the bite whilst tasting the smooth and semi-soft noodles.

The Hokkien Mee also comes with generous portions of lean pork and chinese mustard leaves. There was one piece of pork liver in my plate…wished there were more but perhaps, the chef did not distribute the ingredients evenly. You see, when he cooked my portion, he also cooked for another 2 customers at the same time.

What I liked about this Hokkien Mee is the texture and taste of the noodles / mee. The balance of saltiness and sweetness is just nice and the lack of visible oil gives one a sense of healthiness. Hah! I like that phrase. We all know how unhealthy Hokkien Mee can be considering pork lard is also used but well….an indulgence once in a blue moon is okay, right?

The fact that this Hokkien Mee is cooked using a charcoal stove gives the Hokkien Mee an added fragrance and “kick” unlike those churned out from gas stoves. Personally, I have a fondness for food cooked using charcoal fire and this gets my thumbs up!

My plate of Hokkien Mee together with a glass of iced chinese herbal tea costs me RM6.00. Definitely a most satisfying meal. Do check it out if you are in the vicinity of Petaling Street or Kota Raya.

Technorati Tags : Malaysian Food , Hokkien Mee , Food Review

[This review was first posted in my personal blog on 16.10.2006]

Life as a litigation lawyer can be exciting at times. Food wise, I mean.

I get to travel to different towns in Malaysia, some of which I have no idea where they are on the map of Malaysia. Anyway, I travel to Klang Court once in a while and it’s been more than 2 years since I had the Bak Kut Teh in Klang.

Klang is arguably the birthplace of Bak Kut Teh, which is basically pork cooked in herbal soup. It is so famous that most Bak Kut Teh stalls in Malaysia or even Singapore will have their signboard saying “Klang Bak Kut Teh” to attract customers. Sometimes, the Bak Kut Teh is so forgettable that it is almost sinful for them to associate their so-called Bak Kut Teh with the ones in Klang.

So far, I have been to 3 different shops in Klang selling Bak Kut Teh. They are different from one another. Some sell thicker type of soup whilst some are clear. Today, I finished my matter in Klang Court rather early and decided to stop by at the nearest shop for a hearty Bak Kut Teh breakfast!

Kedai Makanan Seng Huat aka Under the Bridge

I went to Kedai Makanan Seng Huat which is also popularly known as the Restaurant “Under the Bridge”. It is located along the same row of shophouses next to the Port Klang KTM station. The other landmark to look for would be the Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Klang. Basically, this restaurant is a corner lot. You can either sit in the restaurant or outside the restaurant. Outside meaning, under the overhead bridge.

Polly put the kettle on

Upon walking into the restaurant, you will see many kettles placed strategically around the tables. These kettles are boiling water and are meant for customers to brew their chinese tea. Take a seat and the waiter will bring to you a basketful of tea leaves in bags for you to choose from. I am not really a “chinese tea” expert, so I just choose a nice looking packet instead

Tea for you, Sir?

There are 5 really small chinese tea cups with one equally small tea pot for you to brew your tea. Apparently, I was supposed to first put the tea leavs in the pot, pour boiling water into the pot, leave it for a minute and pour the contents into the tea cups. Not to drink, but to rinse the cups as well as to sort of “wash the leaves”. You only drink the second brew onwards.

My object of desire

There are many variety of “cuts” of pork that you can choose from : fatty, lean, half-fat / half-lean, ribs, leg, spare parts (meaning intestines, stomach etc). I asked for a half-fat / half-lean portion today together with Yau Char Kuey (flour fritters) and Rice. The rice is mixed with fried shallots for a fragrant taste.

Look at the pork leg!

The soup is flavourful and has a reasonably strong hint of herbs though not overpowering. The meat is really tender and sort of melts in the mouth as a result of hours of cooking. I should have tried the spare parts as well. The Yau Char Kuey is ordinary. I would prefer it slightly crispier. Perhaps it is due to it being exposed too long. Nothing beats eating Yau Char Kuey shortly after it is fried.

Total price for my hearty breakfast is RM12.00. Pretty reasonable considering that’s probably one pork leg I consumed!

I am told that this place is open everyday from 7.00am till about 1.00pm. It is then open again at 5.00pm till about 11.00pm.

Being an amateur food reviewer, I forgot to get the address as well as telephone number of Kedai Makanan Seng Huat. Pardon me, I was too satisfied by the Bak Kut Teh that I forgot all about it. If in doubt, just ask for the Klang Police Station. You’ll get there!

[This post first appeared in my personal blog on 24.08.2006]

Have you heard of Peter’s Pork Mee in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur?

Let me tell you, my boss swears by it! He has been eating this guy’s pork mee ever since he was a kid staying in Brickfields. Not everyday but at least once a fortnight. He said it was difficult not to think of Peter’s Pork Mee during the cold winter nights in Wales. Such is the power of Peter’s Pork Mee. For me, it is also one of the best pork mee I have tried. It will be a shame not to share it with you.

Peter’s stall is on the right hand side

Peter’s Pork Mee stall is located in Restoran New Lay Sin along Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Restoran New Lay Sin fronts the traffic light which leads to Jalan Travers. It is a short walking distance from KL Sentral. Restoran New Lay Sin has been around for many years and is probably the most famous kopitiam there in Brickfields.

Peter’s Pork Mee comes with a choice of yellow noodles, kuey teow, bee hoon (rice vermicelli) and loh shee fun (a type of noodle mad using rice flour which resembles a rat’s tail). You can have your Pork Mee in soup or you can order the dry style where the noodles will be coated with Peter’s special blend of sauce with a bowl of soup to go with it. My favourite is a bowl of Pork Mee in soup using a mixture of yellow noodles and beehoon (also called “maifan mee” in cantonese). Either way, he will crack an egg into the soup to give it a real “kick”!

Peter’s Pork Mee is usually served without pig’s liver unless you specifically ask for it. The usual ingredients are a generous amount of minced pork, sliced pork, crispy chinese mustard leaf (sawi / choy sum), tung chai and crunchy pork lard (chee yau char). Birds-eye chilli (cili padi) in light soya sauce will be provided for those who wish to have a fiery experience.

The soup is full bodied and is prepared fresh in the mornings before the stall is open for business. For a stall like his, Peter has 2 assistants to help him. That gives you a hint of the popularity of his Pork Mee. It is not uncommon for customers to have to wait up to 30 minutes on weekends during lunch hour when the crowd comes in. Each order is cooked individually.

Whilst there are many other stalls in this kopitiam, Peter’s Pork Mee remains one of the main draws to the customers. You will see a bowl or two of Pork Mee on each of the tables occupied by customers. Peter has been in this business for many years, starting as an apprentice to the original pork mee vendor. He believes in cooking the noodles himself rather than employing some foreign workers like what some other hawkers are doing. That is his way of preserving the quality of his Pork Mee, which comes in a big portion.

Peter’s Pork Mee is reasonably priced and his stall is open everyday from 7.30am till 2.30pm except alternate Tuesdays when the whole kopitiam is closed.

[This review was first posted in my personal blog on 08.01.2006]

After having a nice bowl of Sarawak Laksa at Nam Chuan Coffeeshop today, something familiar caught my eye being sold at the same stall. It’s Bee Pang (literally translated as “Rice Fragrant” in Hokkien but I would call it Rice Crispies). I have not seen it sold anywhere else here in Kuala Lumpur (yet), so I bought two packets.

Bee Pang is actually sold in many places but not the type which is made in Kuching, Sarawak. This Bee Pang which I bought is made in Kuching by Goh Hak Hiang of 17th Mile, Serian Road. Something about the Bee Pang made in Kuching makes it taste better than those made elsewhere in Malaysia which I have tasted before.

Bee Pang

The Kuching variant as shown here is really crispy and light. The ingredients are rice, sugar, peanut, cooking oil, onion, wheat molasses, salt and sesame seed. Eack packet contains three blocks of Bee Pang. These blocks of Bee Pang has been pre-cut into smaller pieces measuring 5cm x 3.5cm x 1cm for easy eating.

It tastes sweet. The onions (which I suspect is shallots) and peanuts give the Bee Pang a nice hint of fragrance and the Bee Pang which I bought here is pretty fresh. It doesn’t have that stale smell or taste associated with those rice crispies which have been left on the shelves for a period of time. It is also light and you can have a couple of pieces without feeling full.

Bee Pang is sometimes used as a hand gift when visiting others. It is also popularly used as part of the “hantaran” or “dowry” during engagements or marriages amongst some of the Chinese community. Try it when you visit Sarawak or if you are in Kuala Lumpur, you can get it from the Sarawak Laksa stall at Nam Chuan Coffeeshop.