Restoran Damansara Uptown Hokkien Mee

Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 7pm

6.5 croutons

121 Jalan 21/37

Damansara Uptown

Petaling Jaya

Tel: 013.334.5550

The layout:

Feeling a little underwhelmed, and not quite satisfied, by the hokkien mee at Tiong (see previous review), but enthused by my family’s (!) efforts to find the best hokkien mee in KL, I parked my car 100 meters down from Tiong’s when I saw the sign for another hokkien mee joint. Knowing my kids would not know any better and not call me piggish, we crossed the street and grabbed a table at this bustling noodle joint. The restaurant was much more inviting, with a lively outdoor eating area populated by 20-some tables, two gas-powered wok stands, and some flowering flora here and there.

Great outdoor seating area

The outside is much nicer than the inside, which is old and shody. The menu was on the table waiting for us and the smiling and kind waiter showed up immediately to take our order – perfect: 1 hokkien mee (RM 7.50), 1 Cantonese fried yee mee (RM 7.50) – my daughter had not liked the fried rice either… and a pot of tea with ice. To my delight, they also offered two sizes of pork lard bowls to add to your dish. Still stinging from the stingy amount offered at Tiong I ordered the large one – no surprise there. The tea came immediately and was just amazing: sweet, fragrant, flavourful, wonderful jasmine tea. I made the mistake of adding ice, which diluted the flavor too much, so I gulped it down in order to enjoy the unadulterated brew.

The goods:

Pork lard on the bottom right

Happy kids

The noodles arrived in something less than 10 minutes – quite fast for the busy place. I was surprised to find the noodles on the pasty side; a bit too floury and bread-y. You have to nail your noodles, I mean if they aren’t good, how can you possibly make a good noodle dish? Also, the sauce was thinner than I would have liked and again lacked a slight edge of sugar that I expected from the thick soy sauce. Additionally there was no degree of bitterness, which I had found in Tiong’s noodles, and which continues to intrigue me as I write this review two days after my visit. There was also no squid, just prawn, and no trace of liver that I could determine. There was, however, a good amount of pork meat and an abundance of glorious pork lard. When I added only half the bowl of additional pork lard I had purchased the dish was literally and figuratively a piggish delight!

 

The chopped garlic, which provides an essential flavor punch, was very disappointing. It was nicely chopped and even had a slightly crunch texture. However, it seems to have been parboiled and had lost all its flavor – worthless! There were chopped green chilies and a sweet pickled chili that was too watery without enough flavor. The chili sauce however, was delightful: not too spicy and quite fishy.

The standouts:

This place will be remembered for its brilliant sides of pork lard – just genious. Its bustling ambiance and urbanely picturesque settling make this an interesting, and to some certainly a romantic venue, though I would not necessarily go just for the hokkien mee – there are better places.