When the dragon OBC lady was still staying at BU, we used to go to Centrepoint quite often. Yes, we often caved into her insistence, arguing with suanie is often an exercise in futility.

Which led to this blog covering disproportionately high number of entries on restaurants in this little shopping mall. Bernards, Champs, Cagayan, Jade Garden, Momo (changed name/owner), and Shanghai 1930 (closed).

the Straits Cafe at BU Centrepoint

I had no idea when the Straits Cafe first appeared at Centrepoint, it has the look of one of those restaurants that I usually wouldn’t stepped in to try until being suggested, in this case, by Jaclyn, who has been quite a regular customer.

Tucked at the inside of Centrepoint, most tables are al fresco. No air conditioning, but there are quite a few big fans blowing about. The menu is filled with a mixture of local and Thai delights – char kueh teow, phat thai, various types of fried rice, mee goreng, even steamed siakap and daging masak merah. Quite a variety.

Char Kueh Teow, Prawn Mee, Crab Meat fried rice, Mee Siam

I had the prawn mee (RM 8.90) on my first visit with #porkgang, and char kueh teow (RM 8.90) on my second visit with Val (who was passing the Corica Apple Strudel from Perth). While both dishes weren’t the best that I’ve had, they did not disappoint at all, and probably one of the better halal version of these dishes I’ve had from anywhere.

Others were happy with mee siam (RM 7.90) that looked a bit uninspiring, and the crab mee fried rice (RM 8.90) Val ordered was actually quite tasty too, despite not seeing much crab meat in it. But it’s less than RM 10 per plate anyway, and crab meat’s expensive.

Lorbak, Ais Kacang, and Roselle drink

I didn’t particularly like the chicken lorbak (RM 7.90) which was a bit too dry for my taste, I still believe this is one of those items without a good substitute for good old fashion pork meat in it. Their fried chicken wings (RM 6.90) though, was very tasty!

The Straits Cafe offers quite a few choices for desserts, ais kacang (RM 5.00) wasn’t disappointing, and there were also penang rojak, cendol, logan jelly, and even Thai steamed tapioca. My personal favorite drinks at the place would be the Roselle ice, I last had it years ago during a food review at Coca restaurant and never seen it on any menu since. It’s a pretty special drink, try it when you have the chance.

Kim, Gareth, KY, Jac, Eric, Horng, Suanie, and Val (separate visit)

While not exactly the best food you can find, the Straits Cafe does offer pretty decent food at a price that is acceptable for the type of place it is. This would be one of the places I should keep in mind especially when bringing Muslim friends for food.

Address:
The Straits Cafe
Centrepoint,
Jalan Leboh Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
GPS: 3.137988, 101.610124

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Tags:  BU,  centrepoint,  ckt,  eric,  gareth,  horng,  jaclyn,  kimberly,  prawn-mee,  suanie,  val,  valentina

Posted by KY | 15 Comments »

Last night I had one of the most impressive home dinner over at Singz’s, one of Mell’s friends. When Mell told me that Singz’s mom cooks the most amazing prawn mee, I sorta took it with a pinch of salt since you know, I’m from Penang and all that. But after the dinner, I have to give it to Mama Wong, it was most awesome indeed!

Mama Wong’s kitchen has a automated shopping mall style glass sliding door separating the cooking are and the dining room, so very cool! The only disadvantage I can think of is when you have a power outage. They better have an emergency generator at home.

Mama Wong’s Penang prawn mee and laksa

Anyway, there were altogether about 10 of us at the dinner, and each of us chose between Penang prawn mee or asam laksa. The host obviously had everything very well planned, all the cutlery and condiments were in place, for the prawn mee we have

• extra prawns
• sambal
• fried shallots
• hard boiled eggs

And for Asam Laksa we have

• har kou (prawn paste)
• mint leaves
• pineapple strips
• cucumber strips
• red chili
• diced ginger flower (bunga kantan)
• sliced onion

And those are just the condiments, the prawn mee was easily the best I had since Lian Gaik at Butterworth, Penang. The perfect soup with prawn, kangkung, mee hun + mee, and most importantly, PORK RIBS! I’m getting so hungry just writing this omg.

Asam laksa was pretty good too, plenty of fish chunks and all that garnishing, it was a shame that my stomach just couldn’t let me take more. I had requested half a bowl after the huge prawn mee serving but it seems that Mama Wong didn’t believe half a bowl. Oh well.

tropical fruits & grapes, mua chee, and barley tong sui

Mua chee, together with a plate of mangosteen, nangka, grapes, and pink guava were served next. The mua chee was as good as any I’ve had too. And as our collective stomachs were getting full to the brim, bowls of hot barley tong sui appeared.. *slurps…burp*

Singz; Jun Wei; Ian, Ching, Mrina

It was a very enjoyable dinner experience, aided by a lot of bimbo talks that us 3.5 guys had to endure. Oh, by the way, Mama Wong’s daughter, Singz (on the top left picture who looks a bit psycho, she doesn’t normally look like this (or so they say)) is single and available, please leave a comment with links to your facebook or something for a chance of eternal awesome prawn mee supply.

Oh, she likes bad boys with piercings and tattoos.

p/s: I’ll make a huge announcement should Mama Wong decide to open a restaurant.

Tags:  asam laksa,  ching,  ian soo,  jun wei,  mama wong,  mellissa,  mrina,  mua chee,  prawn-mee,  singz

Posted by KY | 22 Comments »

Hokkien Mee (or Prawn Mee) is one of my must-eat dishes whenever I have a chance to go back to Penang. The aroma of that spicy prawn stock soup, the crunchiness of kangkung, bean sprouts and fried shallots, the spicy chili paste,  the prawns, the slices of pork, and the morning commotion always bring back memories from yesteryear.

Hokkien Mee with wantan noodle

I did just that earlier this month when I was back for a friend’s wedding.

This particular stall has been in operation for seemingly forever, I remember ordering from them when I was in primary school, and that was quite a while ago (no prize for guessing it right). Today, they are located at the Mt. Eskerin morning wet market. The same market my mom works, and Horng’s family runs a coffee stall.

Louis, Horng, and I have known each other for two dozen years =/

The stall sells both Hokkien Mee and Wantan Mee, something that is not very common in Penang as most hawkers here only specialize in one dish. To be frank, I don’t care much about most wantan mee in Penang, this one included; however, the side benefit here is that we get to order Hokkien mee with wantan noodle instead of the usual vermicelli and yellow noodle.

The combination is not just a novelty but actually tasted very nice, the smoothness and springiness of wantan noodle works well with the spiciness of the prawn stock soup, presenting a strange yet familiar taste. Kinda like meeting a half brother you never knew existed, or something like that.

At Horng’s family coffee stall (5001 kopi stall), you can order the pretty unique Haw Flakes drinks (山楂水). It is a drink I haven’t come across anywhere else, tasted just like, well, the liquid version of Haw Flakes. Very refreshing and cooling for the throat. Give it a try!

Address:
Mount Eskerin wet market
Tanjung Tokong, Penang
GPS: 5.448659,100.301571

Tags:  hawker-center,  hokkien-mee,  prawn-mee

Posted by KY | 21 Comments »

I’ve been a fan of Penang Hokkien Mee (commonly referred to as Prawn Mee in KL) ever since I was able to get to choose my own breakfast, it also means that my affinity towards this particular dish started longer than some of you have been alive, which might not exactly be a very proud talking point, but lets not digress.

I’ve known the existence of this particular hawker stall at seapark for quite a while but somehow never gave it a try until very recently. This was partly due to the fact that a particular ex housemate said the laksa was not very good, and that I didn’t know they serve Hokkien mee too.

stall by the side of the road serving Laksa and Hokkien Mee

Actually we ended up at the stall due to the fact that Soo Kee across the road ran out of steamed chicken as we arrived too late. While settling down to our table, I over heard the owners speaking in Penang Hokkien, a definite good sign.

Rachel ordered asam laksa, while Horng and I asked for the Hokkien mee. The place was cozy despite the afternoon heat, and the whole mobile hawker set up gives it a feeling that is very close to home.

Rachel, KY, Horng, and those pretty good size prawns

Rachel’s verdict for the laksa was actually quite positive. Here’s what she said about it, and I quote:

Rachying says (11:21 AM):
erm actualy it somehow satisfy my crave for laksa back home?
just if i can have more fish
that would be awesome
cos the soup will be thicker

As for the Hokkien mee, I really liked it a lot. All the usual ingredients and the slightly larger than usual prawns in a soup base that has the right prawn taste to it. Very proper and very delicious, I love it. This would be the 3rd Hokkien mee place around the area that I approve. The other two being Yon Lee at TTDI and the stall at Kampung Chempaka.

the hokkien mee and asam laksa stall is located at SEA Park

RM 4 for a bowl of that Penang flavor right here in the heart of PJ, I’m going to be a frequent customer. This stall opens from brunch till tea time. You can also find pretty awesome teow chew porridge just right opposite the stall, and there’s this very nice nasi lemak with ayam goreng at night at the same place too.

Address:
Jalan 21/11b,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.110006,101.62213

Tags:  hawker,  hokkien-mee,  horng,  laksa,  prawn-mee,  rachel,  seapark

Posted by KY | 33 Comments »

My never ending quest for a bowl of good Penang Hokkien Me (瑕面, also known as Prawn Mee in this part of Malaysia) has brought me to Restaurant Yon Len at Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI). Although the old man at Kampung Chempaka does offer excellent prawn mee, the operating hours are only from around 2-4pm, and I want to have it as breakfast. It was one of those things that bothers me, until the hot chick suggested Yon Len at TTDI last weekend.

this is what I call a perfect no frill presentation

We arrived at the much talked about kopitiam at brunch hours, parking situation was actually not too bad, something that can’t be said for TTDI most of the time. I went to the prawn mee stall and ordered 3 standard bowls of this Penang’s pride.

If you are familiar with how prawn mee is served in Penang, you will find that this particular stall did everything correctly. Noodle (and mee hun), sliced pork, small sliced prawn, kang kung and bean sprout in a soup based that’s boiled with prawn and pork bones. All these is topped with some fried shallots, and of course, chili paste is given as well for the spicy touch.

we’re seriously enjoying the prawn mee

I like my prawn mee to be a tad more spicy, and hence asked for more chili paste. The overall taste of the prawn mee here made me feel like I was in Penang. Very excellent broth, with everything else cooked to the proper texture and taste. I actually finished everything short of licking the bowl. It was really satisfying, I think I’m going to go there over and over again.

Restaurant Yon Lee is right across the Perodua showroom

At RM 3.50 per bowl, the price is in line with other hawker centers that offer the same dish. You should really give it a try.

Address:
Restaurant Yon Lee
J. Tun Mohd Fuad 1
(opposite Perodua showroom)
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.141630, 101.629243

Tags:  瑕面,  hawker,  hokkien-mee,  KL,  noodle,  prawn-mee,  TTDI

Posted by KY | 7 Comments »