"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.
