PETALING JAYA, Sept 21 — Sometimes, it takes a regular customer to lead you to hidden gems. That's how I discovered Xing Ye stall tucked inside the popular Restoran Paramount 86 that serves fish head dishes, fried noodles and pan mee.
If you search Restoran Paramount 86, what pops up is the crowd favourite Hokkien mee which is served at night. As many flock here at night, the offerings served for dinner time seem to overshadow what is available during the daytime. Previously during the pandemic, I wrote about the Ho Po Lei Cha which is one of the popular daytime eats.
Tucked at the back of the restaurant, you will find Xing Ye that offers a menu that is seafood and noodles centric. You get fried noodles such as Hokkien and Cantonese style.
There's also an array of fish head dishes. Opt for the fish to be steamed on its own or cooked with noodles. You can have a choice of fish head or fish meat.
This will be deep fried, braised with the noodles or served with pan mee. The stall also offers fried freshwater prawns with noodles.
Usually, from what I observe, diners will order either a plate of fried noodles or a large bowl of pan mee to share. This will be paired with a side order of steamed fish. They serve sek pan or garoupa fish here.
I decided to try out their pan mee (RM10) since it's an unusual pairing. I opted for fish meat since I am not a fan of grappling with fish bones.
My bowl of pan mee came topped with a few pieces of chunky fried fish. Each piece was a delight to eat as the meat was tender and sweet tasting. The clear soup was also slightly sweet tasting with fresh coriander sprigs and spinach.
I expected thin noodles but was so happy that it was served with hand-pinched dough. I always prefer the hand torn version as it's harder to come by.
With dough pieces, you need to have a fine balance. These ones were good as they were thin with a slight bite and a silky texture. And even though I tend to avoid extra carbohydrates, I happily finished up my bowl.
I also paired it with extra fish in the form of steamed garoupa fish (RM19 for a small portion). You get thick sliced fish paired with beancurd.
It's doused in a slightly thick sauce with Shao Xing rice wine, ginger shreds and sliced wood ear fungus. Eat the fish with that sauce for extra flavour.
Alternatively, they do serve this dish with chopped garlic and chillies mixed with soy sauce, which gives the fish a nice tangy, spicy taste. The texture of the fish is enjoyable with its smooth flesh and the chewy skin.
It's best to be early to catch this stall's offerings. As they start from 8am onwards, their food can run out by noon. I found out the hard way as I had the misfortune of being a disappointed customer one time.
Xing Ye Food Stall, Restoran Paramount 86, 1, Jalan 20/16, Paramount Garden, Petaling Jaya. Open: 8am to 12pm. Tel:+6017-6282263. Days off not fixed. You can follow the coffee shop's Facebook page @restoran8686 for the off days.
