I went back to Penang over the long weekends.

toll fees: RM 93
hours spent driving: 9 hours both ways
petrol:  RM 100
distance traveled: 780 km both ways
seafood noodle for two: RM32.50
having dinner with mom: priceless

Seafood noodle – pick your own ingredients

I suggested Japanese food at first, but it was mom’s idea that we go to this fish head / seafood noodle place at Weld Quay for something a bit more special.

Siong Ho fish head meehun is located within Village Coffee Shop at Weld Quay, just a couple hundred meters from the jetty, and actually quite near to where my late grandma’s place where I spent a big chunk of my childhood. It was a bit nostalgic.

Calling Siong Ho a fish head meehun place is a bit of an understatement, the choice of ingredients offered at this place is quite astounding. There’s fish ball, meat ball, fish fillet, fish head, fried fish, kidney, prawn, cuttle fish, squid, minced meat, and even crab.

fish head/seafood mee hun with all the extra ingredients, nutmeg juice

For my bowl of personalized meehun, I chose a couple pieces of kidney (they are very tasty!), fish ball, fish  meat, a piece of fish head, prawn, and cuttle fish to go with mee hun and clear soup. You can also choose to have noodle, kueh teow, or thick mee hun, tomyam soup is available too. (but no version with evaporated milk, like in KL)

Mom ordered pretty much the same thing except without cuttle fish, and deep fried fish instead of the fillet.

The seafood’s fresh, the soup is sweet, and I particularly like the fact that they have this whole container full of deep fried garlic on every table. I like my seafood noodle with plenty of those, and I think I refilled probably 3-4 times, it was an awesome idea, why wouldn’t other shops do the same thing?

mom & I having a simple dinner

One other thing that’s available here (and most kopitiam in Penang) is nutmeg drinks. Blended nutmeg with a dried sour plum, prepared in a way that is similar to kedondong (umbra with sour plum) but without the bitter after taste, and more refreshing.

Dinner cost RM 32.50 in total, and for the amount and quality of ingredients we got, not to mention the good taste, I thought it was well worth it.

Address:
Village Coffee Shop
107-A, Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay),
10300 Penang, Malaysia
GPS: 5.411949,100.338049
Tel: 019-458 8693

Tags:  cuttle fish,  fish-head,  kopitiam,  mom,  Penang,  prawn

Posted by KY | 34 Comments »

I first heard about this fish head noodle at SS20 (Damansara Kim) place from my ex housemate Kerol, and soon after that, on masak-masak. Since these two ladies are known for their culinary exploits, I knew that this is surely a place that will not disappoint.

Fish Head Noodle at SS20 MBPJ Medan Selera

So together with Horng, Kerol, and TBG (who didn’t eat cos she was on diet) we made our way to Damansara Kim one Saturday for brunch.

The fish head noodle stall is located at a municipal food court (in this case, MBPJ), which translate to plastic tables and chairs under tin roof. However, the good news is that there are plenty of electric fans blowing everywhere so it was actually quite airy and pretty comfortable.

pictured menu, soya sauce with plenty of chili padi

Unlike other stalls in food courts around the country, the fish head noodle at ss20 actually provides a menu with photos of each dish offered. Here you can order Soong fish, Haruan (snake head), mackeral fish paste, and even salmon.

meehun and lay fun with fish head/meat

I ordered a bowl of Haruan fish head with meehun. The fish came in both deep fried and fresh slices and I liked them both. The soup had all the ingredients you’d expect in any proper fish head noodle – tomato, spring onion, ginger, deep fried shallots and garlic, preserved vegetable, and evaporated milk.

The noodle springy, the fish was fresh and tasty, and the soup too had all the proper mixture of taste – sweet, salty, savory all at once. I actually liked it quite a lot despite my natural preference to the fish head noodle with clear soup (Penang style).

KY, Kerol, and Horng with a bowl of glorious fish head noodle

A bowl of fish head noodle starts from RM7 (Soong fish and fish paste) to about RM 9.50 (Haruan). Side orders of fish slices and fish paste without noodle goes for RM 12. Cendol in a glass and other drinks are also served here. As with a lot of MBPJ food courts, this place is pork free.

Now who is up for some fish head noodle this weekend?

Address:
SS20 Fish Head Noodles Stall
Stall No. 17 Jalan SS20/10
Damansara Kim
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.135958,101.629146
Tel: 019-335 0880

Tags:  fish-head,  hawker,  horng,  kerol,  PJ,  pork free

Posted by KY | 31 Comments »

The last time I wrote an entry about Ming Tien was over a year ago on the Bak Kut Teh and Dumpling. To be frank, I am not a very big fan of this big hawker center despite the fact that is is located within walking distance. I usually go there out of necessity.

I went there with my housemate Rachel a couple weeks ago with Rachel due to laziness to drive for a quick dinner. Not knowing what to order, I took up Rachel’s advice to share a pot of Curry Fish Head.

Curry Fish Head stall at Ming Tien Food Court

Apparently this particular Curry Fish Head stall is pretty new at Ming Tien that escaped my notice the last time I went (months ago).

For the two of us, we ordered a pot of curry fish head with rice.

a big clay pot curry fish head, yums

The fish head came in a clay pot, which is actually pretty nice to keep the warmth in. Other than pieces of fish head and meat, there are long beans, okra, tau pok (deep fried tofu), and brinjal. The broth is santan (coconut milk) based, and I find that it could be slightly spicier. Then again, I am from Penang and we generally like our food to be spicier than native Klang Valley dwellers.

Though the fish itself was just average, overall taste was pretty decent. Not great, but not bad either. For around RM 10 per person, it was actually a pretty good value for money.

Address:
Ming Tien Hawker Center
Jalan SS24/8, Taman Megah,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.114334, 101.611658

Tags:  curry,  fish-head,  food,  food-court,  ming-tien,  Petaling-Jaya

Posted by KY | 20 Comments »

Time to take a little break from writing about Bangkok and lets talk about something closer to home for a bit. After all, this site has the reputation of being a food blog of sort, no?

Well, this dining expedition happened late last year when Kerol decided to lead myself and Horng to this little hideout that is F4 Fish Head at the relatively unfashionable part of USJ, within the light industrial area at the back of Summit mall, otherwise known as the traffic death zone during rush hour.

F4 Fish head, next to USJ badminton hall

The restaurant occupies a small industrial lot, which is rather big by kopitiam standard. By the time we got there at around 6:30, it was already 80% full despite located in a rather hidden area.

We sat down and ordered a steamed fish head with ginger and onion, a plate of potato leaves with balacan, and a clay pot port belly with salted fish.

fish head with ginger & garlic, potato leaves, pork belly with salted fish

Food did take a while to arrive but it wasn’t unacceptably long.

The steamed fish head with ginger and garlic(not exactly sure the type of fish used) was very delightful. Now fish heads are usually prepared with curry, but if you have good quality and fresh fish heads, steaming would be a preferred method. The fish was soft, and as it was almost 1/3 of the fish instead of just the head, there were plenty to chew from.

The clay pot pork belly with salted fish too was a very commendable dish. Saturated with the goodness of 3-layered pork that is skin/fat/meat and salted fish in dark soya sauce and dried chili. It was a good contrast to the fairer taste of the steamed fish head.

KY, Kerol, and Horng

As for the potato leaves with balacan, well, it was decent but nothing particularly outstanding. A good accompanying dish to counter the meat and fish. But I do feel that perhaps a steamed soup might serve us better.

F4 Fish Head is hidden within Subang Jaya Industries Park

Total meal came to something like RM 60, very economical for what we ordered. I need to go back there again to try out other types of fish head dishes they have. They’re open for lunch as well as dinner.

Address:
F4 Fish Head
Lot 776, Sub lot 3,
Jalan Subang 4,
Subang Jaya Industries Park,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.04651, 101.59724
Tel: 012-325 9111

Other reviews:
Yiling

Tags:  fish-head,  horng,  kerol,  kopitiam,  pork,  subang-jaya,  USJ

Posted by KY | 28 Comments »

This is yet another hidden place in the middle of KL introduced by Kelvin. Contrary to the Kampung Atap curry fish head (another place introduced by the same bloke), Yee Sang Fat (易生发) is famous for their steamed fish head.

the gang enjoying good food

This kopitiam is not trivial to locate. Situated opposite the Pudu Methodist Church just next to Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Yew, the easiest way to get there is via Jalan Pasar. Since there are tables set up both in and outside this tai chau (大炒) place, you won’t miss it if you are on the correct road (Jalan Gajah).

fish head, brinjal, pork ribs, vegetable

We asked for the must-try steamed fish head, brinjal (egg plant) with garlic, pork ribs, soupy lala, fried kangkung, and a tofu dish recommended by the waiter. We pretty much ordered all the dishes that printed on their lighted sign board that also spot the shop’s name. Six dishes for ten person to go with rice.

It didn’t take too long for the dishes to be served. The lala came first, and we devoured it like there’s no tomorrow. Then it was the fish head, steamed with plenty of garlic, ginger, and spring onion. The portion was pretty big too, and more like 1/3 of a fish instead of just the head.

tofu and lala

The vegetable and pork ribs were pretty good, but my favorite of the day must be the brinjal with garlic. The soft and tender brinjal fried with some salt and lots of crispy garlic topped with spring onion. The contrast of the differing textures and the taste were just perfect. On the contrary, the tofu dish was pretty much forgettable.

not the easiest place to get to (NOTE: check comment #9)

This meal came to slightly over RM 120.00 for 10 of us, definitely a great value. Granted we did not order any fancy drinks, but there were fish head, lala, and meat as well. A burger meal with fries and coca-cola will cost you around RM 12 at Burger King. I’m sure we will go there again one of these days.

Address:
Jalan Gajah,
off JalanYew Pudu
Kuala Lumpur 55100
GPS: 3.132342, 101.717026

Tags:  damien,  dinner,  duncan,  fish-head,  gareth,  lala,  margie,  pork-ribs,  pudu,  tofu

Posted by KY | 15 Comments »