No, they are not the masters behind one of the best discoveries this year. But I'm guessing that they are fans of the ban mee as well.
Measuring about 3 X 30 cm, the ribbons of flattened flour dough look as ordinary as any ban mee can get. Take a bite and you'll understand the kung fu (or skill) involved in perfecting the texture of this pappardelle lookalike. Most stalls would've been satisfied with just the machine-finished product. Here, from what I observed, the rolled strips were pinched before blanching. Perhaps it's this technique that somehow relaxes the stress in the compressed dough and makes it extra smooth and soft and tender at the same time. I had the dry version which came with some shitake mushroom, fried anchovies, minced pork and sweet potato leaves; all the flavourful complements there were. The dressing consisted mainly of lard oil which gave a wonderful aroma and lubrication. This may be the turn off factor for many but to me, it's good stuff. Well, once in a while, of course. The chilli paste with lime dip provided an appetizing, sharp contrast. It also came with a bowl of soup with some pork balls.
I can't say the same about the screw pine (pandan lah) leaves wrapped chicken though. Although the portion did justify the rather exorbitant price, it's perhaps best to keep it dainty, like how Thai eateries would. Tastewise, it was commendable.
For one of the best ban mees I've had this year, I have Precious Pea to thank. It was really nice of her to take some time off her busy schedule (as it was just weeks before she moved to Australia) to organize this gathering (there were 14 hungry bloggers that morning!). We've been planning for this crawl for a while but somehow, our schedules just didn't mesh. My bad. And who could've thought that a supposedly simple farewell karaoke session for her would turn into a fantastic food crawl too!
Oh yes, a food crawl. Which means there'll be a sequel!
Kung Fu Smooth Ban Mee @ 紅茶館
28, Jalan Seri Sentosa 9A/133
Taman Sri Sentosa
Batu 6 1/2, Jalan Klang Lama
58000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (+6016) 288 3911
We, the hungry bloggers:
Precious Pea
WMW
Boolicious
Jason
SC
MotorMouth
Simon
CityGal
TanKiasu
Serene
TheNomadGourmand
UnkaLeong
Kusahi Keat
