It was an unfortunate GPS navigational error that ultimately brought us to this place in Selayang – some 20 km away from our original intended destination of Ulu Yam. Christy was talking about the fabulous Ulu Yam loh mee and I chose the first result that came up.
Thus, we totally missed Ulu Yam Lama and headed into Selayang instead. Oh well, at least the names kinda rhyme. This coffee shop is adorned with a banner that proclaims its dedication to Ulu Yam loh mee (with that dastardly entry in the GPS echoing its wares).
Anyway, since we were there, we decided to order the loh mee (RM 5). It comes in a HUGE bowl – the portion is pretty generous but there’s only two shrimps and other miscellaneous bits of meat inside. The soup is nice and starchy though and a dash (or a pour in my case) of vinegar does wonders to the taste.
The bottle of vinegar does not have a volume reducer (or whatever you call that doohickey) so I think I emptied near 50 ml of the stuff into my bowl but it’s all good – the loh mee portion is huge enough to diffuse all that vinegar. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that it tastes just right – much like how Baby Bear’s bowl of porridge must have tasted to the home invading Goldilocks.
However, the best thing about Restoran Soon Yuan is their herbal tea. It’s RM 1.80 and is brewed with chrysanthemum, luo han guo and dried longans. It’s surprisingly refreshing!
Unfortunately, the loh mee is only serviceable (although I ate the entire bowl) and it’s missing a key ingredient – deep fried pork lard. The definitive Ulu Yam loh mee is here, according to Kim. I’ll have to head down to Ulu Yam Lama someday to taste authentic Ulu Yam loh mee.
This place lists the rather promisingly named African Fried Rice on its menu though.
You always get lost without your gps. :-p
Hello Diana! :)
Heh! I wasn’t lost per se.
I just selected the wrong entry when I searched for the place. T_T
I have a bad history with loh mee. Actually puked it out before…
I quite like the stuff!
There’s really good Hennessy loh mee in Setapak:
http://sixthseal.com/2010/03/hennessy-lor-mee-setapak/
This is made with the cognac, very nice. :D
Why don’t you like loh mee Michelle?
Yum! I love Lor Mee! You must try the one at Bukit Purmei the next time you come to Singapore!
Okay! I’m actually going to Singapore the coming weekend, bro. :)
Bukit Purmei eh? I’ll keep an eye out.
Oh, and thanks for the luo han guo reply on Twitter.
This was why I wanted to know. The name just slipped my mind. Heh! :)
I’m on twitter!
Hello Bonnie! :)
How is your trip to Saigon?
Wonderful so far, its really insightful actually. Fran and I chatted up locals and remember her comfy chair? ;)
Heh! Yeah, I remember her comfortable couch very well. ;)
Sounds like fun! Enjoy your trip. :D
Looks yummy. Resembles the Hailam lor mee had in Penang. Really nice, very different from the usual…
Good morning! :)
Yeah, it would be better if there’s bits of deep fried pork lard in it.
There’s a really good loh mee place here that actually uses Henessy (the cognac) in preparing it. You should check it out if you’re in KL mate. :)
How come they serve it with the power sambal?
What’s power sambal? I gotta try that, it sounds mighty promising mate. :)
How come they don’t serve it with the power sambal, for me I think the sambal increases the taste of the mee.
Oh, they serve it with chopped garlic over here and we had to ask for that. The only condiment that was given is vinegar.
What is power sambal? Is it a Ulu Yam loh mee thing? :)
lurve my loh mee with lotsa vinegar. it somehow ressembles the broth of sharks fin soup.
Hello there Brian!
Yup me too, vinegar goes very well with the starchy and eggy soup of loh mee.
I agree, it’s somewhat similar – both are very starchy and uses eggs, however, shark’s fin soup tend to be somewhat “clearer” before you pour in the vinegar though…or at least the ones in Sarawak are. :)
HB, I will look for a recipe in making this dish for friends to come over for weekend get together lunch. It look so good. I planed to serve shave ice afterward too for dessert.
Heh! Yeah, I reckon fundementally it’s an easy dish to make, just not an easy one to perfect. :)
Shaved ice for dessert sounds good.
All the best in your cooking! :D
must not trust the GPS completely. Well, I agree with you, there must be pork lard in the noodles!!
Yeah, I should have used Ulu Yam Lama police station as the destination and went from there instead of just choosing the first result that came up.
Worst still, it said Selayang at the bottom, I just didn’t notice. -_-
Yeah, I agree, pork lard is a must in loh mee! :)
hahah I almost kena the selayang one too when I tried going there last time.
Haha! Yeah, it’s so deceptive, being the first entry.
It can catch people unawares. :)
OMG!! I love to pour in lots of vinegar as well!!! It kinda trigger my taste bud and made it more delicious but it only work with Loh Mee… lol..