KUALA LUMPUR. Aug 21 — The story begins in Penang. 

A year ago, Teow Kee Beef Noodles opened in Victoria Street with beef noodles as their headline act. 

It’s tough in Penang, as almost every corner has a heritage dish backed by years of history and experience. 

Perhaps the only way to pull diners is to create a never-before-seen dish: a mash-up of Teochew-Japanese bowl of beef noodles. 

Fast forward to the present: their success has led to a menu expansion and even a move across the road but what they lament in posters depicting Bibendum — in the most adorable way — is that Michelin’s inspectors have not visited them yet.

Now, they’re aiming for the big city lights (and perhaps pitching for the Michelin guide for Kuala Lumpur) with this new outpost.

It’s not in suburbia but right in the middle of the busy city, sharing a space with Emily’s Steakhouse and Rossi Italian, which also have outlets in Penang too.

You know this isn’t any ordinary bowl; parking around here is usually RM10 in private lots unless you score their limited parking spaces or hail a ride. 

Indeed, a bowl with five toppings (beef slice, beef brisket, minced meat, extra large beef ball and ramen egg) is RM25 and the eight-topping version (beef slice, beef brisket, minced meat, extra large beef ball, ramen egg, beef tendon, tripe and white radish) will set you back RM35. 

Since they serve no lard, pork or alcohol, they hope to attract the Malay crowd. This seems possible, as we spotted a group of Malay ladies dining there.

Your bowl isn’t one of those small ones found in coffee shops; it’s a hulking serving filled with broth and toppings. 

Let’s play the “spot the origins” game for each element. 

Yes, the Japanese influence is evident: that creamy, opaque broth dotted with oil is very tonkatsu-like but it uses beef bones and marrow continuously on a rolling boil for a long, long, long time. 

And there’s a jammy centre ajitama egg, the hallmark of a bowl of ramen. 

Cue also the noodles with a slight chewiness in your bowl. 

The dry version has a semi-thick brown sauce clinging to the noodles, reminiscent of the Hainanese style of dry beef noodles but with fewer spices. 

As we poke around the bowl, there’s a beef ball that looks like it could have Teochew origins. One bite and the chewier center confirms our theory. 

Minced meat had us scratching our heads. Is this like the Hakka beef noodles found on KL streets? Perhaps.  

The toppings — sliced beef, beef brisket, tendons, tripe, beef ball and radish — are the typical companions in a bowl of beef noodles. The difference here is the quality of ingredients used.

There are Angus beef slices, not the transparent thin ones and the stewed beef brisket came in chunks with fat clinging to it. 

That fat, of course, makes the brisket more succulent but just don’t tell mama.

Lo and behold their tendons will have you bowing at their feet as they’re slippery-slick like Jho Low escaping from the authorities. 

These tendons could probably win the title for best beef tendons, if the Michelin guide had such a category. 

Even the white radish melts in the mouth. 

Next come the toppings and sauces, reminiscent of China’s self-service counter where you can add copious coriander, spring onions, fried garlic to enhance your bowl. 

You can also fire up your tongue with the chili oil cooked in beef fat. 

That fiery red oil isn’t spicy but adds flavour to the dry beef noodles, which seem a little lacking. 

There’s also pickled radish to cool the tongue after your chili oil episode. 

All in all, it’s a big bowl of beef noodles that hits the spot especially for supper after drinks around the area when you want something to soothe your stomach after all that alcohol. 

Beef noodles is the only item served here currently, but the owners hope to offer a larger menu — including curry beef tendon rice, chicken steak scallion noodles and chicken jjajang noodles — once things settle down. 

Teow Kee Beef Noodle

Second Floor, 10, Jalan Inai, 

Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily: 5.30pm to 12am

Tel:013-2653989

Instagram: @teowkeekongsi

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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