PETALING JAYA, Nov 1 — As prices for pork have definitely been on the uptick, I was surprised when a friend informed me that Zuukamee Pork Noodle House had opened in Taman Mayang.
This place serves a rather good bowl of pork noodles, where the meat is fresh.
Even this random stranger I shared a table with was commenting how she enjoyed her bowl of bittergourd pork noodles as the ingredients were fresh unlike at other places.
Another plus point is their homemade luncheon meat. It makes an appearance in the noodles and as snacks.
Zuukamee's owners aren't new to the F&B scene, having operated Chai Huat Meat that specialises in fresh and frozen meats.
You can have fun exploring the menu, until you nail which bowl will rule your stomach once and for all. Various soups like pork, tomato and even mala will keep you happy.
There's also eight types of noodles to select from with the likes of mee sua, kuey teow, Vietnamese rice noodles and so forth. For those who live for rice, you can swap your noodles for grains instead to slurp down your pork soup.
Piquant pickled vegetables or healthy bittergourd can also be chosen with your soup noodles.
There's also seafood like prawns, grouper head and fish paste that can be ordered with ginger wine. You can also combine prawns and pork too in a wine infused broth.
The Pork Noodle Special (RM18.90) is the best way to sample a little of everything. Inside the bowl, find pork balls, minced meat, sliced meat, meat paste, pig's liver, kidney and intestine.
There's also an egg with an overcooked yolk, indicating more work is needed to perfect a voluptuous soft poached egg with a runny yolk.
The special bowl is also served with a small cup of wine, which tastes rather mild.
The broth is a balanced one — a mix of clear and cloudy bits — making it a not overly rich background for the pork items served with it.
For the toppings, I liked how the minced meat was presented in chunky pieces with bits of fat, yielding a softer bite. There weren't any funky smells for the kidney or intestine. I would have preferred an intestine though with layers for a better bite. The liver was well cooked, not too hard and cut in a slant to give thickness, when you bite into it.
For those who aren't fans of offal, there's the basic Pork Broth Noodle for RM9.80 with pork balls, minced meat, sliced meat and pig's liver.
There's even one with pig's kidney too if you love eating that particular ingredient. You have the soup version or the Dried Pork Kidney Noodle (RM16.50). The noodles are springy and tasty with the sauce used.
If you like the sweeter taste of tomato soup, try out their Homemade Luncheon Meat Tomato Pork Noodle (RM17). This gives me vibes of university days when you cobble whatever you have in your pantry with say a can of tomato soup, luncheon meat and possibly instant noodles. It's still comfort food for me, hence I tend to order this whenever I see it on a menu.
This version, although it has fresh tomatoes, veers towards the sweeter side.
If you wish to sample their homemade luncheon meat, try the addictive Kero-Pok (RM10). It's the new wave "fries" where wafer thin pieces of luncheon meat is fried. They do have thicker cut ones too, if you prefer more bite.
Their luncheon meat also comes in various flavours like mala, otak-otak and smoked.
Restoran Zuukamee Pork Noodle House, G24, Jalan SS26/6, Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya. Open: 7am to 10pm. Tel:03-78861740.
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