Thursday, December 27, 2007

Restoran Famous Seremban Favourites

"Blogger ar?" asked the boss as I was happily snapping away the humble-looking bowl of Hakka Mee. I was dumbfounded. Yeaaah, I said. Awkwardly, I described my humble blog a little and how I discovered his restaurant.

A few good reviews from fellow floggers and a small feature in the KLUE magazine triggered my interesting in this restaurant, eventhough char siew (sweet roasted pork) is not a must-have for me. Since I'm only back on weekends, I have asked my Gordon Ramsays (my folks) to check out this place first. Review was mixed, mostly good. With that, I proceeded to phase 2: my visit.

It was a sunny Sunday morning. Arriving around 11.00 (considered late - char siew timing), we were afraid that it was going to be packed with char siew worshippers. And we were not wrong. Only 2 more tables were left unoccupied.

First to arrive was the Hakka Mee, a bowl of al dente noodles topped with ground pork and scallions. A slight resemblance to Sarawak's Kolo Mee. The broad flat noodle was fresh with a hint of egg and the much-dreaded alkaline water taste was nowhere to be found. The bits of pork were tender. Despite the absence of dark soya sauce, the noodle was kept moist with the sweet and savoury juice from the ground pork. The addition of pickled green chilies elevated the taste of the ensemble. Simple yet flavoursome.

With a dark brown-coloured soup, the Cuttlefish Bee Hoon could easily be mistaken for a bowl of Bak Kut Teh (pork in herbal soup) with bee hoon (vermicelli). Taste-wise, the soup was basically soya sauce-based with a hint of sweetness. What I found interesting was the slightly charred scent or wok hei of the bee hoon which I assumed to be stir-fried prior to assembly of the dish. Other ingredients in the dish included cuttlefish, lean/fat pork cuts and flowering cabbage greens.

Though not the best that I have tasted, the fishballs were fresh, judging from the firm texture and the absence of the fishy smell. The solidness of the balls was a good indication of the generous amount of fish meat used.

The meat version of M&M candies, the char siew really did melt in the mouth (and not in hand, of course), thanks to the softness of the fatty layer of the pork belly. The lean part was very soft too. The glistening and sweet outer layer of the pork suggested a glazing of maltose syrup. Combined with slightly charred aroma, the char siew was an appetising creation that satisfied even a non-char siew fan like myself. Personally, I think the pork itself was sufficiently flavoured and could do without the dipping sauce. What made the pork so soft? We assumed that the pork was not roasted but braised (with a sweet sauce until the outer layer is slightly charred) as liquid helps to soften the meat. Technicals aside, this was definitely one of the most interesting yet flavourful char siew I had in a long time.

Though the char siew is the main attraction here, I actually find myself drawn to the Hakka Mee instead for its simplicity and flavour. Perhaps it's something new to me. An interesting eatery that's worth revisiting.

For more details on this restaurant do check out these links (that also triggered my char-siewism):
Lyrical Lemongrass
Bernsy
Jason
WMW
Tankiasu
Fatboyrecipes
Masak-Masak
KampungboyCitygal

Restoran Famous Seremban Favourites
80-1 Ground Floor, Jalan PJU 1/3B,
Sunway Mas Commercial Centre,
47301 Petaling Jaya.

17 comments:

Jason said...

I feel like coming again.
The char siew and Hakka mee are calling me, I swear! :P

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

U eat da char siu
U never call oso
I'm damn hungry right now
Only got bread. Aiyoyo!

Kenny Mah said...

Haiyo, Missie Lemongrass,
At least you've bread to chew
All I have is an empty glass
Even hungrier me, what to do?

Hehe...

The Hakka mee looks really good about now la...

HairyBerry said...

jason: yeah, i really like the hakka mee..its not calling me, but i'm calling them! haha! hey, i'll join you if i'm back in town! :)

lyrical lemongrass:

sorry sorry,
i eat that long time already,
only bread, so pity,
But not as bad as Kenny.

hehe...

kenny:

life is unfair,
but dont be despair,
for food is everywhere,
head the street for hawkerfare!

hungry man makes an angry man, no? hehe!

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Kenny eats
Like a pig
All the time
Everytime

He bluff
About his stuff
Where got empty
Dat humpty dumpty

Help
I can't stop
My mind's a swirl
It's gonna pop

Ok, I'm going....

~Christine~Leng said...

char siew with Hakka mee! Oh.. perfect!

I'm missing malaysian food dearly even when I'm in AUS for only a week! and.. Hakka mee, I must have you tomorrow! ;P

Sugar Bean said...

Yup, I've read about this restaurant from The Star, wanted to check it out but still waiting for "the day to arrive".

Anyway, the Hakka mee didn't look as good as you describe. Gonna try it out when we visit this place.

ling239 said...

been planning to visit this shop, but most of the time end up being dragged to the other side of town... maybe this weeked, maybe ~ XD

teckiee said...

HAHAHAHAHAHA laughs at LL and Kenny!

Hmm you told your boss about this blog? I wont dare to tell my colleagues even. (cos sometimes i sneak blog in the office hahahahaha)

Big Boys Oven said...

Oh! all of you are so so bad BAD!!!! Now you make me crave for this mouth melting Char Siew!I oledi have 4days in a roll this week except tuesday (they closed). lol!

Unknown said...

we just went for our 5th visit today..hahaha..bill was telling us that u dropped by

Xiu Long Bao said...

Lol at all the impromptu poems. nice meeting u dat day nic :)

boo_licious said...

hee hee, char siu here is yummy. I also like the pork balls here with bits of cuttlefish. Sorry, one didn't get to catch up with u that nite. Lost my voice shouting over the noise.

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

aiseh..

char siu char siu, where are you?
i swear i shall find you!
everyone has a taste of you,
and yet i havent had a bite of you!

HairyBerry said...

lyrical lemongrass:

it’s so very funny,
how you describe kenny,
darn that piece of babi,
driving everyone crazy…

haha!

christine: you were away last week? No wonder no post on your blog..hehe…yupe, love that hakka mee! Eat with the pickled chilies, ya!

wenching & esiong: with so many good reviews, the “day to arrive” is coming nearer, right? Haha…the hakka mee does look very simple but I thought it was rather flavourful and porky! Nice!

ling239: that happens all the time, right? Haha! Do go early if you are gonna visit this place cos it can get quite crowded….if you dun mind the fatty part, get the semi-fat ones, ya! It’s the real deal :)

jackson: nice meeting you too! Din have much time to talk to you the other day cos everyone was so busy…haha! Let’s do that again over char siew! Oh, must call lemongrass also cos I promised her too…hehe…

teckiee: no lar, I was referring to the boss of the restaurant lar..hehe. like you, I also dun tell colleagues (ok, maybe one or two), cos I also do it sometimes…hehehehe

big boys oven: wah liao! 4 days in a row??? I bet there are many who envy you, dude! I’m one of them..hehe…really addictive, right? :)

kampungboycitygal: is it? he actually remembered me? I was so quiet the other day…hehe…wah, 5th visit already! I’m waiting for my second :)

xiu long bao: nice meeting you too! Will let you know once I get some details on the accommodation…yeah, welcome (soon) to the lion city! *roar*

boo_licious: hey, sorry too cos I was also busy chatting with everyone…since it was my first, I was pretty excited to talk to everyone! Haha! There’ll always be another gathering to catch up! Looking forward to it!

joe:

for tender meat with fat enlace,
sunway mas cc is the place,
a warning before you taste,
its addiction you must brace.

gosh, sounds so commercial! Hehe…

Bernsy said...

you know what,we should really just present Uncle Bill a little plaque... for Best Char Siu... present by Food Bloggers or something like that...

HairyBerry said...

bernsy: haha...i heard there's another good char siew stall nearby...a hit with the locals...hv not tried but my folks did...let me find out more and post about it...