Reunion

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 – 2pm

8.5 croutons

2f – 18/19, 2^nd Floor,

Bangsar Village 2

Tel: 03-22873770

The layout:

Probably one of the more refined and elegant restaurants I am likely to visit on this adventure. It is located on the 2^nd floor of Bangsar Shopping Centre II, discreetly tucked behind a row of mirrored glass plate. Through a gallery of elaborate wood panels one finds a small reception desk and three dining rooms done down in a clubby industrial aesthetic with painted white concrete block walls and sculpted furniture.

Service is swift and accurate, but also cold. Some prefer service to be invisible and without presence, and I am usually of this persuasion. However, in some contexts service can be brutish and unflinching as when a teapot is accidently banged down on the table and nary an acknowledgement is made. This is careless service that lacks the human element. Besides, with a street-food pedigree serving Hokkien Mee almost demands some form of in your face service.

The restaurant is air-conditioned and is filled with a well-heeled clientele: at 18 RM for the Hokkien Mee, they better be well-heeled. The 18 covers not just the Hokkien Mee, but also a nice starter plate consisting of boiled peanuts and fresh crunchy lotus root slices together with vinaigrette. I don’t normally like my peanuts boiled, but I have tried them in various places, and I have to say these were the best I have ever tasted. The lotus root was exceptionally good as well. Further, the sambal was the best I have had so far. It was spicier than the others, not very fishy, with the most subtle hint of sweetness, and a profound depth of flavor that persists nicely afterwards. The pickled chilies are on the table waiting for you, and they are pleasant: good heat, sweetness, and consistency – they haven’t been waiting for you too long. Less positively, the jasmine tea was tasty, but not as fragrant and as sweet as I’ve had it. Most disconcerting is the extensive menu that features a section specializing in shark fin dishes, which means I will not be coming back even though this might be the best Hokkien Mee in the city.

The goods

Wow. Thinking about the Hokkien Mee at Reunion as I write this revue makes my mouth water – it is exceptionally good. First off, the noodles are perfect: not too hard, not too soft. The sauce is a tad runnier than usual, but is incredibly tasty. There are tiny pieces of liver in the dish and they must have used liver in the sauce as well to make it so flavourful. There is a lot of cabbage in the dish and it is clear that it is not thrown in as an afterthought, but calculated to please. The prawns seemed to have more flavor than other restaurants and squid was also present, though not in the form or quantity that I would ideally have it. I like lots of baby squid. And then there was pork – lots of it. Nice chunky pieces of pork flesh, pork liver, and plenty of larger pieces of crispy fried pork lard as well. This is unbelievably good Hokkien Mee. Together with their delicious sambal and garlic (which I had to ask for), I cannot think of much else that would be so satisfying to eat.

With so much pork though, one could argue that the dish is too rich. I was hungry but had a tough time getting through the end of the meal. Moreover, I had to ration my lotus pieces in order to have something to cut through the fat with its sweet and sour vinaigrette and crunchy goodness. The sweetness that I found lacking in the Hokkien Mee at other restaurants was also not there at Reunion – but I can’t say it was missing either. The dish did not leave me wanting for any sweetness, or much else for that matter – it was complete. If anything, there was an overabundance and I would recommend splitting this dish with others.

The standouts:

Incredibly rich and delicious Hokkien Mee, with plenty of liver and fried pork lard. With the delicious sambal and garlic, each mouthful was a piece of heaven. I could have done with baby squid however, and I have to condemn their use of shark fin, as the harvesting techniques leave me no choice but to move on and keep searching for a better restaurant. Onwards so.