KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — It started with a bowl of lala clams. Next thing I knew, I had "uncovered" two stalls around Bandar Baru Sri Petaling with super fresh seafood and a delectable Hainan curry I couldn't stop drinking.
Scrolling through Facebook, I was drawn to a posting on large lala clams at a stall located at Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.
One rainy morning, I made my way there. It was the perfect timing for a bowl of piping hot soup noodles. Even though I was huddled under a large umbrella over plastic tables.
Located inside Kedai Makanan & Minuman Alison, you will find Pangkor Seafood Noodle run by the friendly Ah Loong.
Aside from lala clams, there's also noodles with a choice for assorted seafood, grouper fish slices, fish head and fish paste.
For your noodles, select from kuey teow, beehoon and the unusual Sungai Lembing noodles.
These egg noodles are sought after as the thin strands don't have any alkaline water but still retain a nice bite.
If you want to sample every little item in one go, order the assorted seafood noodles (RM20). You get lala clams, a prawn and deep fried ling fish head pieces.
The highlight is the juicy clams. Unlike other places which use frozen ones, these plump molluscs are brought in from Pangkor island daily.
Even the prawn is different as it's sourced from the sea hence it has a sweeter taste and bouncier texture. The ling fish has a sweet fine flesh.
For a simpler taste, the giant grouper fish slices (RM20) are a good choice. Each slice is thick and crowned with a gelatinous skin.
And if you prefer something with more bite, the fresh fish paste with noodles (RM9) is a good choice as it's made with bouncy ling fish.
I also tried out just the lala clams with noodles for RM12. This soup has wolfberries and it was incredibly satisfying.
Here they give you Shao Xing rice wine at the side for you to pour in the soup to give it more taste. There's also a piquant chilli sauce, if you wish for more oomph to your seafood. It doesn't really need it but I guess this depends on different taste buds.
A chat with Ah Loong uncovered the origins of these noodles. He had taken a franchise from Pangkor Hainan Seafood Curry Mee.
That stall operated by Jack Lee is also located at Sri Petaling but in a different area. Opened for six years, they have made a name for themselves within the Sri Petaling area for the fresh seafood they source direct from Pangkor island.
The curry he serves here is from a recipe passed down by his family as they operate a shop at Sungai Pinang Kecil, Pangkor island. According to their Facebook page, the business was started back in 1950.
I was curious about the original stall so I made my way there one early morning. I was told that they sell out by 11am every day.
You get the curry noodles with various toppings like fish head, grouper fish slices and lala clams. There's also clear soup too.
You can also customise what you like, hence I decided to order my curry noodles with giant grouper fish slices mixed with lala clams for RM23. Your bowl of curry noodles is also served with lady's fingers.
The curry is the milder type with a slight tangy taste at the end. I was told that they use just a little coconut milk for this curry. This was one curry I could drink up as it was incredibly appetising, fragrant and not overly creamy.
I rarely drink the whole bowl of curry, in fear of all the calories but this one was totally worth the calories. Definitely a super satisfying bowl of curry noodles with that fresh seafood.
I also spied that you can order a more premium version with grouper fish slices, lala clams and a generous scoop of raw cockles. That looked like the ultimate bowl to indulge for RM35.
At the suggestion of one of their regular patrons, I tried out the fish paste noodles with clear soup (RM8) here. Since I was unable to eat anymore, I did a takeaway for this.
There are subtle differences from the Pangkor Seafood Noodle as the soup served at this stall is clear. The taste is simple but still nice as it's a subtle sweetness.
The fish paste (yee wat) is bouncier here too. In comparison, the soup at Pangkor Seafood Noodle has a heavier taste as it also uses Shao Xing rice wine to enhance the soup. Hence both stalls can appeal to different people.
In fact, when I visited these two stalls, I bumped into friendly diners also ordering the same dishes who were happy to share with me their own experiences about the food here.
One would visit every weekend to take away the curry noodles as she loved it so much. The woman who recommended the fish paste noodles explained to me that she was happy to eat that compared to fish ball noodles since fishballs are processed with additional ingredients like preservatives or fillers.
And over at Pangkor Seafood Noodle, I even discovered where to source for seafood from Pangkor island at the local wet market from a helpful diner.
Pangkor Hainan Seafood Curry Mee
大家旺茶餐室 Dai Ka Wong Kopitiam
No. 2, Jalan 14/149L
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling,
Kuala Lumpur
Open: 7am to 11am
Days off not fixed so call to check
Tel:+6019-3791062 (Jack)
Facebook: @laoerhainancurrymee
Pangkor Seafood Noodle
Kedai Makanan & Minuman Alison
70, Jalan Radin Anum 1
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling
Kuala Lumpur
Open: 8am to 1pm
Closed every second Monday of the month. Note there's no lala clams on Monday
Tel:+6016-2184880 (Ah Long)
