Kung Fu Pan Mee @ Taman Sri Sentosa

"I'm going to bring you to eat the Best Ever Pan Mee in town!" - that was what LL told me one fine morning.  It is not very often that LL would actually bring me anywhere for food (it's usually the other way round) and I wasn't too sure that his promise of the "Best Ever Pan Mee" would hold true.  You see, when it comes to Pan Mee, I'm very picky.  Just like Fish-head Noodles, I will only go for the tested and proven places.  Simply put: if I walk into any coffee-shop, I won't order the Pan Mee or the Fish-head Noodles, unless they are highly highly recommended.

So... OK, coming back to LL's declaration, we decided to take him up on his offer ... and that was how we found ourselves heading to Taman Sri Sentosa, just off Old Klang Road.  It's certainly not a familiar neighbourhood for us and LL, having just been there once (his friends brought him there) took us on a very roundabout and convoluted way to reach the place.  The shop is located in a row of shophouses facing a small wet market, with tables laid out under huge umbrellas.

When it comes to Pan Mee, I always go for the "traditional" version - ie, "pinched pieces" of the flattened dough instead of the rolled-out strands.  And it must be the soup version - the "dry" version is never my choice.



Now I'm not sure WHY this was called "Kung Fu" pan mee.  Probably because they come in LONG flat wide strips like these...



Yes, they are really very long!  Or probably the cook had to resort to some "kung fu" stances when pulling out these long strips?! 

I like how the texture of the Pan Mee is very smooth and slightly chewy at the same time.  There is a certain level of "bounciness" to the texture - I suspect the secret lies in the fact that not only plain wheatflour is used here.  There must be additions of other types of flour involved, because plain wheatflour will not give that kind of texture.



The Pan Mee came with the requisite condiments of minced pork, thick slices of mushroom, fried crispy anchovies and plenty of "sayur manis".  The soup base is very flavourful, the stock having been boiled with anchovies and pork bones and the "sayur manis" gave it some added sweetness.  You can actually ask for extra portions of condiments, with an additional charge of RM1.  The Pan Mee costs RM5.50 (small) and RM6.50 (big).

The "dry" version goes well with some dry chilli flakes...





There are other items on their menu, eg pandan chicken, pork balls... but I come here only for the Pan Mee.  See, I'm very focused, that way.  I'm so focused that I practically empty the whole bowl, soup and all.



So, did this place live up to LL's declaration of "Best Ever Pan Mee"?  Yes, I believe it does!  That's because every time we have cravings for Pan Mee, guess where we'd be heading?!  We really do get a massive KICK out of this Kung Fu Pan Mee, hehe!

Kung Fu Pan Mee
28 Jalan Sri Sentosa 9A
Taman Sri Sentosa
Off Jalan Klang Lama
Kuala Lumpur
Tel:  016-2883911 (Molly)
Open from 8am to 3pm. Closed on Mondays.

Directions to get there:  (courtesy of Masak-Masak - read her blogpost here)

To get here, drive to Old Klang Road from PJ Old Town. Take the second right hand turn at the traffic light to get into Taman Seri Sentosa. Follow the road i.e. Jalan Taman Sentosa and drive past apartments and high tension wires. You will then see a Petronas petrol station on your left which is on Jalan Taman Seri Sentosa 8, take the first right down Jalan Taman Seri Sentosa 8a and then immediate left at the shophouses (there's a 7 Eleven at the corner). Drive down the road and take a right again at the end of the row where you will see Kedai Makanan BW Pasifik. Take an immediate right turn and drive down to the end of the road. The Pan Meen stall is on your left hand side facing the wet market.

Awesome Porkball Noodles @ Kota Kemuning

I started this blog in December 2007 and I can't believe it's now almost 3 years since my first post!  Since the Merdeka mood is still prevailing, with everyone reminiscing over things from the past, I couldn't help thinking back to that first post I did for this blog.  I thought it's a good idea to re-review the place after a span of 3 years :-)

We had just moved to the Kemuning neighbourhood in 2007 and were checking out the food outlets in the area.  This Imbi Road Meatballs Restaurant is one of the 2 more popular noodles shops - the other being the Pun Chun Noodles House.

On days when we're too lazy to venture out of Kemuning, most often than not, we'd head to the "porkballs noodles" place.  Yes, the "meatballs" in the name refers to porkballs, strictly that and none other!  As sure as clockwork, I will always have my favourite Loe-Shu-Fun ("rats' tails noodles"), done "dry style"! "Dry" style here will have your noodles doused in black soya sauce, some lard oil and topped with their signature minced pork...



This is pure comfort food for me - a bowl of this and I'm a happy camper.  To me, for pork noodles done this way, I must have loe-shu-fun - no other noodles will do!

LL and DL will always have their preferred choices - kwayteow and yellow noodles - also done "dry style"...



If you order the "dry style" noodles, the porkballs and BBQ "chinese pig liver sausage" are served separately...



I must mention here again that the soup served here is just pure porky delicious goodness!  There's no MSG added - you can be assured that every yummy spoonful of this soup comes from hours of boiling pork and pork bones - the robust unadulterated sweetness is unmistakable.  LL absolutely loves the BBQ sausages and we always order an extra bowl of just porkballs + BBQ sausages to satisfy his craving!



Another reason why we love coming to this place is that it's a "happy" and "homey" place!  It's a family-run business... and as this place is very popular with the Kemuning residents, I think the owners practically know every one of their customers, especially those (like us) who frequent their place so regularly.  Even so, it's always nice to be welcomed with friendly nods and smiles when we step into the shop.  If we don't go there for, let's say, more than a month, the friendly lady-boss would greet me with "oh, you so long didn't come here hoh!"  It's no wonder the place is always busy, no matter what time we go.



Oh, I must mention here again that their service staff are really excellent.  I think they are Burmese and they have not lost one bit of their "Speedy Gonzales" behaviour - they dart cheerfully around the place very speedily, serving food, clearing tables - really amazing!

After 3 years, I'm happy to say that their food and service quality had been fastidiously maintained.  The only thing that has changed is the price.  A standard bowl of noodles used to cost RM4; now it's RM5.  Oh well, considering how much higher food items now cost, compared to 3 years ago, I guess that's justifiable.




Restoran Imbi Road Meatball Noodles Restaurant
15 Jalan Anggerik Vanilla N31/N
Kota Kemuning
40460 Shah Alam
Opens daily for Breakfast & Lunch
(Same row, further down from McDonald's, a few doors away from Maybank)

I Lost & Found Mr Mak

For the records, let me declare here that I don't simply eat Fish-head Noodles.

What I mean is I'd never order that if I walk into any coffee-shop which has Fish-head Noodles in one of the many stalls. Simply because I find that generally most Fish-head Noodles are really not that nice... most of them throw together fried pieces of fish bones that pass off as "fish head" and add copious amounts of milk into the soup presumably to mar the fishy taste (which is not surprising, considering most of them use questionable types of fish!).

OK, coming back to the main topic here....

Allow me to introduce you to Mr Mak...



As you can see, Mr Mak is a very busy man - he does not smile much and he absolutely refuses to look into the camera. Can't blame the guy. Mr Mak is too busy cooking his stuff.

Delicious stuff, too...



Mr Mak's Fish-head Noodles is the only fish-head noodles I would eat by choice. And that's saying a lot, because, like I said earlier, I do not simply eat Fish-head Noodles one.



My acquaintance with the dour Mr Mak started many years ago... when his stall was in a coffee-shop somewhere tucked away in USJ16, amongst the residential houses there. Back then, we'd always go for our fish-head noodles fix there, at least once or twice a month. Almost like clockwork: we'd place our orders and wait patiently for 30-45 minutes for the noodles.

And then, one day, tragedy struck: Mr Mak has disappeared! We mourned for a while, not knowing whether he has fatt-tatt (struck the mega jackpot, so to speak), retired or simply moved elsewhere.

And I have not eaten fish-head noodles ever since..

Until... recently, through the food grapevine, we found Mr Mak again! Oh, that was a happy day.

He has now relocated his business to a coffeeshop in Subang Perdana Court 2 in USJ.



Mr Mak is never stingy with loading his offerings - you can find loads of fried fish fillet, fried fish-head pieces, tomatoes, kiam-chye and silky-smooth white tofu in your bowl of noodles. Curly meehoon is the new meehoon in town. I love it. It's a bit more chewy & springy than the normal ones. And the soup is amazing, none of the fishy smell that can be very off-putting!

And... oh yes, you definitely MUST order a plate of Mr Mak's Fried Fish Fillet. I read somewhere today that someone said Fish is good for you. Mr Mak uses only Ikan Jenahak and his fried fish fillets are the crunchiest, freshest, yummiest ones on this side of town. Believe me. You may not stop at 1 plate (RM5). So order 2, like what I always do... or else order a Big Plate (RM10).






If you have any more stomach space after the above, do try his Tomyam Seafood Noodles too...



At only RM6.50 per bowl, this is definitely Great Value! As you can see, the bowl is filled to the brim with big prawns, mussels, scallops, fishcake noodles, tomatoes! And the tomyam? It's certainly got all the ooomph in it - fiery, fiesty & unforgettable. Really one.



As you can see, Mr Mak is a specialist. His offerings are limited & focused. He does only what he's best at. Only 3 choices.



Mr Mak's amazing Fish-head Noodles can now be sampled at this coffee-shop with the very apt name: Kopitiam Que Up. Yes, you really have to que up if you go at peak hours, which is usually around 12.30-2.00pm. So, go early. Otherwise, be prepared to wait 45 minutes to satisfy your hunger.



Directions:
Kopitiam Que-Up is visible from the main road. If you are coming from Summit heading towards USJ/Puchong, the kopitiam is on your right - you can't miss it. Look out for it after you have passed the crossroads traffic lights after Summit. Just go further up to the next set of traffic lights and make a U-turn.

Mr Mak's noodles are available from 11.00am until all are gone, which should be around 3-4pm. His friendly Indon waitress told me that - Mr Mak doesn't talk much either.

Lusting for Kar Heong

Rainy mornings are bad.
Don't you hate them?
I do... more so when it's a working day.
It becomes worse when you get stuck in a horrendous jam on the road caused by an 8-car pile-up.

But that's really not as bad as...

When you start shivering in your cold office, facing a mountain of papers and...

hankering yearning craving lusting for a bowl of Hot Spicy Noodles...

... something like this...

Long strands of smooth silky Ipoh Hor-Fun (they are really "imported" from Ipoh!) in a bowl of fragrant lemak curry soup... with taupok, long beans and cockles!

Eat that with some really good Poached Chicken - meat so smooth & tender that they slide down your throat effortlessly... Really, theirs is one of the best poached chicken I have tasted around here.
If you are a rice-pot (someone who can't do without rice!) like LL and NL, you can also opt to have their super fragrant chicken rice instead of noodles or hor-fun. According to those 2 eating machines, their rice is very good - I believe them because they ordered extra big bowls of the rice!!!

Their prawn wantans were so-so only, pretty small also... you can skip those.

Located along that row of shops facing the main road in Subang's SS14, you can't miss it. Their service crew is clad in their unmistakable lime green t-shirts (same colour as their menu!) - you can spot them a mile off!

They have another outlet in Kota Damansara - that happening food mecca which every other blogger is blogging about now - so maybe if you live around that area, that may be a better option for you.

Now see what I have done?!!! The cravings for something hot, soupy, spicy just got WORSE after posting about this! *going into withdrawal symptons now - pengsan!*


My rating: 7/10

Pan Heong - Noodles Heaven

At first the idea of going all the way to Batu Caves, even on a Sunday, seemed daunting. But surprisingly, it was a breeze driving there - just take the MRR and go straight all the way!

When I reached Pan Heong, I experienced a sense of deja vu - I have been to this place before - long time ago! I haven't started blogging yet back then - heck, blogging must have been an alien word many years ago!

Even from the sidewalk you can see how immensely popular this place is! There were scores of people waiting at the front of the shop (they have considerately put chairs for people to sit & wait). Everyone was pretty patient - that's because they have a pretty good system for you to get a table. Register your name and you will be given a table number in due course.

While waiting, I took a walk round the place and saw these pineapple tarts for sale. I heard they're pretty good but after our meal, we didn't buy any of it. Hmmm... maybe next time.

After about 25 minutes' wait, we got our table and quickly placed our orders with the friendly auntie-captain. First to arrive was this plate of Sweet Potato Shoots - lightly and fragrantly tossed with garlic and chillies. Nice appetizer - it quickly disappeared and we waited eagerly for the next dish.
Next dish: Fried Pork Belly - beautifully marinated with nam yue (preserved beancurd), chinese wine and fried crispily. This disappeared in record time, I tell you! Definitely a must-order item!
Next, came the carbs!

Rice Porridge - silky smooth with slices of uber fresh "sang yue" (ikan haruan) and chunks of century eggs. This pic below hardly does justice but believe me, you have to taste the porridge to fully appreciate what I'm trying to describe here, LOL! You can actually choose what you wish to have in your porridge - the captain rattled off choices like pork ribs, frog legs, fish, prawns etc.

Floggers have raved about their Kau Yoke Meehoon (Meehoon with Stewed Pork) and when this was served, I can totally relate to their ravings! The rice vermicelli had totally absorbed all the sinful fattiness of the stewed pork, resulting in a dish that makes you crave for more. No joke. Worry about the lard & cholesterol tomorrow - you definitely cannot miss this out.

Their Cantonese-style Kwayteow aka "Wat Tan Hor" was totally good. LL told me he's still having dreams about this one! The full of wok-hei pan-fried kwayteow was doused with a divine eggy gooey gravy with slices of pork, sotong, shrimps and the mandatory sawi. I'm usually not a fan of wat tan hor but this version had me hooked.

Next up: Lor Mee with Frog Legs. The slithery fat yellow noodles were totally immersed in a huge bowl of eggy goodness, plump frogs (eewww, does that sound kinda gross??), sawi and generous toppings of fragrant fried shallots. Initially I really had my doubts whether we could finish that giant bowl of noodles (even though there were 12 of us!) - but hey, what do you know - the bowl was practically wiped clean!
Now... the Star of the meal >>> Sang Har Kwayteow (Freshwater Prawns Noodles)! OMG!!! It was indeed the Star (and the moon and the sun and tra la la la!)

Huge giant freshwater prawns @ RM18 each - for 12 of us, we ordered 5 prawns and at RM90, this was a steal. The big plate of yummy kwayteow submerged in a sea of cholesterol-laden prawny gravy, topped with superfresh prawns laden with bright orange roe, totally knocked us off.
Generally, the noodles served here are full of fiery wok-hei. Like Unkaleong warned: Do not attempt this at home, unless you really have a HUGE POWERFUL stove, and even so, you run the risk of burning your house down!

You see, the noodles were so good that one does not hesitate to eat from the serving plate :-))
It was a totally satisfying lunch ~ these cleaned-out plates & bowls bear testament to that fact!
Address and contact number of Pan Heong are stated in the bill above. Do call ahead to check if they're open - I heard they have offdays, but dunno when!

Noodles in 3JC

Restoran 3JC
F238 1st Floor One Utama
Bandar Utama
47800 Petaling Jaya

This little noodle outlet is tucked away in the old wing of 1 Utama and although it's not on the main thoroughfare, it's pretty popular among lunch goers here.

They specialize in Pork Noodles, although they do have other choices like Seafood Curry, porridge and also vegetarian noodles.

For a quick lunch fix, I usually go for their Lunch Set. For RM11, you get a Green Tea and the following:

Noodles with Minced Pork: I usually order their loe-shue-fun, dry style. The noodles are tossed in their signature black sauce, topped with minced pork and 2 slices of roasted intestines...(it's actually minced meat stuffed into intestine lining)...

It's accompanied by a bowl of rich pork soup with pieces of pork balls...

The noodles go very well with their pickled green chillies...

You also get an extra vegetable dish - Brinjals, pan-fried, topped with dried shrimps and sambal...
Now, isn't that good value - all for just RM11? Service is fast too - you can have your lunch there in half an hour!

My rating: 6/10

Seafood Noodles

Restoran Yu Ai
58 Jalan SS2/10
47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7877 8117
Open 11.00am till 9.30pm

This seafood restaurant has been around for some time. Their main shop is in Segambut and for many years, has gained a strong following of seafood noodles lovers in the Klang Valley. I have been to the Segambut shop many times to savour their yummy noodles.

They only serve 3 types of soups for their noodles: Soup, Curry and Tomyam.

I always go for either Curry or Tomyam as I find their plain Soup rather tame for my liking! There are 2 sizes of their servings to choose from: Small (RM15/bowl) and Large (RM17/bowl).

The assortment of fresh seafood in the bowl of yummy goodness include fish fillet, brown sotong, lala, mussels and of course, their huge prawns! All these are cooked fresh on-the-spot after you have placed your orders, therefore every bowl of noodles come to you freshly and individually cooked.

I love their fragrant Curry as it's spicy without being overwhelmingly pedas - the coconut milk balances the spiciness perfectly!

Their Segambut shop is at:

42 Jalan Segambut Utara
51200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012-335 5563
Open from 8.00am till 5.00pm

My rating: 7/10