SELANGOR, July 27 – Its name, written in Chinese on a yellow banner draped across a wooden torii gate-like arch that marks the entrance, suggests a vantage point but this roadside noodle stall actually overlooks a busy thoroughfare.
While it doesn’t exactly qualify as landscaping, they do create a soothing atmosphere that helps distract from the honks of impatient cars in the vicinity. Once the food arrives, however, all will be forgiven.
Proprietor Tan Lay Lian has been running her fuss-free eatery, serving breakfast and lunch, at this spot for five years now after moving her stall out from a coffee shop nearby.
She owns a shop lot just across from her current location, which was formerly occupied by a steakhouse and they had expanded their seating to this small al fresco strip. When the steakhouse closed down, Lay Lian decided to take over this outdoor area for herself.
Sang kuet noodles, a steaming bowl of tender pork ribs and Chinese cabbage in a rich pork soup (left). Instead of sang mien (egg noodles), the sang kuet noodles will taste better with bihun (rice vermicelli) (right)
“I used to sell only wantan mee,” she tells me while moving like clockwork around her small cooking area and without missing a beat, blanches, tosses and garnishes several plates of noodles at one go.
“At the kopitiam, they restrict what each stall sells to make sure there’s no repetition. Now that I have my own outlet, I can sell whatever I want!” She expanded her repertoire to include several other types of noodles including pan mee (rolled flour noodles), mee suah (wheat flour vermicelli), and a nam yue fa lam (pork cooked in fermented bean curd) that regulars know they must turn up early for as it sells out quickly.
Her wantan noodle remains a bestseller and it’s easy to see why. They say we eat with our eyes first and at a glance, you know that you’re in for a treat: The thin, wavy yellow strands are coated in an unctuous dark soy sauce mix and lay in a heap under thick slices of char siew (roasted pork belly). There are several large pieces of deep-fried wantan and fresh romaine leaves on the side, and the plate is garnished with a sprinkle of roughly chopped spring onions.
The noodles are cooked just right so as to be springy and give a lovely firm bite – the hallmarks of a good wantan mee. The thinness of the noodles is another plus point, its texture slightly coarse which makes it all the better to soak up the sauce mix.
As kon lou (dry toss) noodle lovers know, the latter is an important factor that can make or break a plate. Lay Lian’s version is appropriately thick and glossy.
Proprietor Tan Lay Lian
The fried wantan, while crunchy and provide a textural balance to the dish, is alas more dough than filling which leaves one wanting more. The romaine just feels out of place and is a bit of an odd choice given that choy sum is the usual accompaniment. On the other hand, the char siew – which Lay Lian roasts herself – is beautiful with a slightly charred skin over a bit of fat and moist, melt-in-the-mouth lean meat.
Besides char siew-wantan, which is the classic combination of protein to pair with the noodles, Lay Lian also offers the usual assortment of add-ons you can choose to complement the noodles, including mushrooms and chicken feet, minced meat and chicken curry.
However, pork is a specialty of Lay Lian’s and her other must-try offering is the sang kuet (pork ribs in soup) noodles. What you get is a steaming bowl of tender pork ribs and Chinese cabbage swimming in a rich pork soup jazzed up with a hint of Shaoxing cooking wine.
The garden-like setting with simple tables and plastic chairs, fringed by small trees and potted plants
The soup is prepared one day before and needs to have simmered long enough to extract all the flavours from the bones. It’s the kind of soup that would soothe the soul and comfort the tummy on a cool, rainy day.
I try it with sang mein (egg noodles) but after tasting the soup, I am inclined to think that bihun (rice vermicelli) is a better choice as it would soak up all the flavours.
Whichever your choice of noodle, a meal here certainly won’t be light on the stomach or calories. Take a leaf from Lay Lian and walk it off.
Regulars know they must turn up early for the nam yue fa lam (pork cooked in fermented bean curd) as it sells out quickly
Every evening, she makes it a point to take a relaxing stroll at the forest reserve nearby. “Working in this environment means being constantly exposed to a lot of heat all the time,” she says. “My daily walks lets me breathe in fresh air to cool down and clear the mind.”
It’s a healthy routine that no doubt helps this noodle maestro keep her skills consistent and her palate sharp, something this wantan mee fan definitely appreciates.
Do these noodles tickle your tastebuds? Email me your secret eat to thisbunnyhops@gmail.com and we’ll let you in on where to find this “meal with a view.”
Vivian Chong is a freelance writer-editor, and founder of travel & lifestyle website http://thisbunnyhops.com
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