SEMENYIH, Aug 18 — This could be any bowl of chilli pan mee.
There is the ubiquitous fire-red mound of spicy chilli crisps, perched next to the crunchy fried ikan bilis. Squares of flat noodles.
Sliced green onions, some sprinkled recklessly atop the glorious onsen egg, its orange yolk threatening to spill its hoard.
A quintet of handmade pork paste, coarsely shaped orbs arranged in a tidy curve. A smaller bowl of light, natural tasting broth on the side.
It’s the soup that offers the biggest clue to what makes this unique. When most renditions of chilli pan mee scream “more is more”, Loumazi Noodle’s signature chilli pan mee dares to go easy on the seasoning.
The shop, located in Semenyih, is spacious and brightly lit. When I chatted with the owner later when paying my bill, he told me that they are in their soft launch period.
The owner, Mr Lim, tells me the original shop is in Lukut, Port Dickson. They started it as a family business in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Perhaps like attracts like; it makes sense a family-run eatery would appeal to families too.
Even so, I’m impressed how the place is already popular with their target clientele; Malaysians always seem to know when there is a new eatery in the neighbourhood.
While noodles might be the main draw here, Loumazi does serve the usual kopitiam beverages and toast. Consider these the requisite “appetisers” before the “main dishes”.
(Though we hardly follow any Western notions of dining and order of course, do we? Nothing is better than everything arriving at the same time and us starting with whichever item we desire first.)
Interestingly, Loumazi offers cham C, which is lighter and less sweet, instead of regular cham. Of course, the only real difference between the two is the type of milk used.
Our usual order of “regular” cham uses sweet condensed milk; cham C is made with unsweetened evaporated milk, plus a smidgen of sugar.
That last step is especially true here as our coffee-and-tea blend is barely sweet, which might offend those with a sweet tooth but elicit nods of approval from others.
We belong to the latter category; too often have we asked for kurang manis only to be presented with a brew that is still sickly sweet. To have something blander is a relief.
To go with our cham C, we must have some kopitiam bread. (Most kopitiams offer both roti bakar and roti stim but we seem to eschew the steamed variety in favour of the toast every time. Maybe next round?)
At Loumazi, the staff recommends their round roti with butter. Sliced into half domes, these are rustic looking reminders that we don’t always have to have rectangular-shaped soldiers to dunk into our coffee or half-boiled eggs.
To be safe, we still ordered the classic butter and kaya toast. Honestly both versions were toasted to a satisfying crisp, its crunch closer to a roti kok than many feeble, near “wilted” franchise kopitiam toasts.
Every bite more nostalgic than the shop’s brand new surroundings might suggest. A lovely surprise, this.
Loumazi’s menu isn’t entirely old school, however. One dish that stands out, and probably attracted not a few curious passers-by, is their LMZ Soup Special.
Picture this: A jammy egg, in the style of ajitama, the Japanese marinated soft-boiled egg, sliced neatly into half to reveal the molten yolk. Square-cut braised pork belly, spread in a neat fan.
This bowl has a touch of Japanese ramen to it, and perhaps intentionally so. Yet it remains fully Malaysian with the thin, crispy wafers of foo chuk and a trio of fish ball, fish cake, and pork paste.
It is the latter that binds most of the noodle dishes here; the same balls of handmade pork paste is a key feature of the aforementioned chilli pan mee.
Just like the naturally sweet broth, these meat balls are lightly flavoured; not the intensely salty versions you might be used to elsewhere.
So it might take some getting used to: both the subtly seasoned soup and proteins. Which, quite honestly, might explain why so many customers are families.
Parents with small children and elders will appreciate a more restrained hand with the salt.
Sure, the wannabe gourmand might decide this style counts as “delicate tasting” but all it is is simple and humble home cooking (or the closest one can come to this in a commercial eatery).
No frills and fuss free, the way everyday family dining ought to be.
Loumazi Noodle 姥妈子面馆
48-1, Jalan Eco Majestic 10/1F,
Semenyih, Selangor.
Open daily 9am-9pm
Phone: 010-366 6393
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* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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