PETALING JAYA, FEb 17 — It's easy to dismiss Restoran Bintang Kemuning as just another restaurant among the many at Damansara Uptown. However, a chance recommendation from a friend who had their fried noodles for lunch, led me to discover one of the best-tasting dry fried beef hor fun.
The restaurant traces its roots back to Kota Kemuning. In January this year, this outlet popped up at Damansara Uptown, right next to popular Vicchuda Tomyam. There's also another outlet at SS18, Subang Jaya.
Their pork free menu covers a wide spectrum from Malaysian classics like nasi lemak, toast with eggs, Chinese fried items from the wok and even Western pasta and pizza. Since their signboard says they are famous for prawn and beef noodles, I just stuck to their fried noodles.
For their spring onion and ginger beef noodles, you have a choice of the gravy or the dry version. It's RM13.50 for a single portion. For two portions, it's RM26 while three portions is priced at RM38. I decided to try both versions to see which one I preferred.
What stood out is the incredible wok hei you get from the thick hor fun or rice noodle strands. Even before you pour over the gravy for the wet version, you can smell how fragrant the noodles are.
I like how their gravy is not too starchy and it felt like how one would make it at home. It did lack a bit of flavour though but the smokey noodles made up for it. You also get a pretty generous portion of tender beef slices.
With the dry version, you get the full blown smokiness and fragrance from the hot wok. I also liked how the hor fun had a slight bite, giving a nice contrast of texture.
Even though my order was a takeaway, it was packed with an irresistible smoky flavour that made me keep eating the fried noodles. In fact, I ordered these noodles twice just to make sure it wasn't a one-hit wonder. Glad to say, it passed the test both times.
So what about their freshwater prawns noodles? It's pretty good too. The prawns are fresh and quite big (mine measured about seven inches). Their sauce is a lighter type with hints of the prawn roe and beaten egg. Again, less starch is used which I prefer.
Pour the sauce over crispy fried ramen noodles to enjoy. You get a mix of crispy noodles and some strands which have soaked the sauce. The pricing depends on the market rate so check with the restaurant before ordering. You can get a single portion for RM50 where you get one huge sized prawn that feeds two people.
Another item I tried was their Singapore fried mee hoon. It was tasty and they use slightly thicker rice vermicelli strands that give it a nice bite. A big surprise was the use of chicken skin to make crispy pieces that boosted the flavour of the noodles. The single portion is RM11.50.
For Chinese New Year, they are offering a set meal with six courses. It's priced at RM168 nett which can easily feed three to four people. Expect to dine on freshwater prawns noodles, deep fried fish fillets tossed with a creamy butter sauce that has chillies and curry leaves, and chicken cubes tossed in a Korean BBQ sauce.
There is also their signature fried rice, deep fried beancurd skin with fish paste served with a sweet and sour sauce and kah heong chai for the vegetable dish where mushrooms, vegetables are cooked with fermented beancurd. This set requires pre-ordering and is available till February 26.
Restoran Bintang Kemuning, 20G, Jalan SS21/35, Damansara Utama (Uptown), Petaling Jaya. Tel:03-74980328. Open daily: 9am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 9pm. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Restoran-Bintang-Kemuning-Damansara-Uptown-102408891812421
