Kim Lian Kee @ Petaling Street - Hokkien Mee :)

Once upon a time, this eatery was one of the best in town when it came to Hokkien Mee, is it still?

While it taste good and all, I do not think it still is the best? It has been around for decades .. it is kindda difficult to maintain the same standard of excellence it did at the start. Change of management…change of staff … different cook/chef … all these factors are hard to evade. It happens.

If you like your Hokkien Mee simple – not too greasy, awesome flavor and the chili paste/sambal on the side is good and elevates the dish when its is all mixed together – then yes. No, if you like your noodles greasier , perhaps with the added pork fat – which makes all things tastier, lol, this may not be all that great in your books. As for me, I’ve never been much of a fan of Hokkien noodles and I thought it was good.

FYI, this eatery has been around since 1927. Imagine the historical aspect to it – It has been around since pre -World War 2 yawww. 90 long years. Damn. I am amazedballs.

We decided to head here because my dear friend was craving for some good Hokkien Mee. It has been a while since we headed here, so why not, right? We opted for this particular branch because we were feeling nostalgic. It has that effect, walking through Petaling Street … reminisce the past, back when we were in school, making our way through this street to head back home or tuition.

Anyways….

How to get here? If you guys know Petaling Street. It basically starts from 4 different directions and meets at a crossroad ( the middle point where all the directions meet, merges) ? Yup, once you are in that mid point, looks around the buildings there, check out the building from each corner and you would see this restaurant. Head on up to the first floor. As this eatery occupies 2 floors, you could choose to eat at the Ground floor but I did not fancy that. It was messy, no air condition and with them mini stalls located right outside this eatery – it was real noisy. So, upstairs we went. There were loads of people , indulging in variety of dishes , the atmosphere was jovial and cheery. Food took some time to arrive but that was understandable – considering the amount of customers they were having. One dish arrived and 5 minutes after my friend finished that plate, then my dish came. It was okay for us, since we were not in a rush but if you are – just keep the possibility of this occurring in mind. The workers there – Vietnamese maybe? Not all of them can speak English and/or Malay – that would frustrate some people too – another point to take note. Other than that, we had a good time.

Hokkien Style Mee (S), 10 ringgit + Claypot Style Loh Shu Fan (S), 11 ringgit

Loh Shu Fan

Both the dishes were yummy, especially when after the chilli paste was added. It was slimy, gooey, flavorful, a good dish. Nothing else to say. Yup. I personally liked the Hokkien Mee more than I did the Loh Shu Fan. Them fat, thick yellow hokkien noodles cooked in thick soy sauce – ooo yum! With squids and prawns – yes, I ordered their seafood option, the dish was awesome. The Loh Shu Fan was yummy too. I however kept having trouble with the noodles. It literally slides off my chopstick, lol. Grrrrr. While I like my dish gooey, this was a lil too gooey for my liking. The dish was already a wet dish to start with and once you mix the egg, it becomes real wet. My friend was in love with it, I was not. So, it depends on the individual.

Would I head here again?

If I am in the area, why not? Perhaps give their other dishes a try. Just to remain ‘nostalgic’ in my books, it would be a once in a blue moon visit. If too frequent, it would loose its appeal.