A day with the floggers..

Initially started off with Precious Pea's promise to bring WMW and Nic to try the pan mee; the end result turned out to be a large group of floggers joining her on a food crawl instead :)

We started our first stop, Kung Fu Smooth Pan Mee...

Boo and Nic were already there, we promptly rearranged the tables to fit in everyone and placed our orders..

Obviously noisy since there were 14 of us, and much more havoc ensued the moment the food was served..the number of DSLRs whipped out was quite a scene..hehe (p/s Jason, where's the 'shaolin masters' picture? :p)

I had the soup pan mee, as I wanted to try the soup base. It's very tasty, the soup had the anchovies sweetness and the mince meat added further flavour to the soup. I tried Jason's soup served with dry pan mee and we both agreed that the soup in my pan mee was more flavourful. The pan mee here was hand pulled, it's broader than normal pan mee and most length wise were about a feet long. The texture was springy and smooth, and the condiments of fried anchovies, mince meat and veggies goes nicely with this pan mee.

We had additional order of pandan chicken. Was average; though it's juicy, I find the marination lacking.

Floggers being floggers, how can one meal suffice?

And so we moved on to Restoran Yang Kee..

One our way there, Pea mentioned that we must not order the noodles, as they have changed supplier recently and the noodles was a no-no. Most unfortunately, we were one of the last to arrive, and the others were already there and ordered their bowl of noodles. We decided to share some loh shu fun, mixed beef and pork parts and braised beef with radish. The loh shu fun was ok, the mince meat (paste?) was slightly gooey. The mixed beef and pork parts were mediocre too. Pea recommended the braised beef, and after a spoonful, she said it was no longer that good :(. I did try, the beef was tender and the radish soft; just that the sauce lacked that 'kick' we were looking for..

The group split after that; some went off, others in search of the nice buttercake at the pasar pagi nearby..

Pea, WMW, Jason, J2kfm, Nic, Simon and I decided for some K session instead. And such wonderful voices they have, I was throughly entertained by the very serious and professional singing (floggers have excellent voice i tell ya!). Of course Simon's dancing added in much laughter and cheers ;p

After karaoke? It's tea time, what else?

Popped over to Otak otak place, which we had some grilled otak otak, steamed otak otak and cucur otak otak. The otak otaks had soft-tofu like texture , with visible chunks of fish (esp the steamed ones). I find it ok, I'd fancy a more solid texture in my otak otak. The cucur was oily and a tad hard though.

Did we continue with more food crawl after that? No la. Floggers also needed a break. Well, maybe an hour or so before I continue for dinner :p

It was nice meeting the rest (some for the first time); citygal, tankiasu, meng keat, food cookies, the nomad gourmand and unkaleong.

And thanks Pea for taking the time to arrange this (esp logistically!). xoxo

Kung Fu Smooth Pan Mee

28, Jalan Seri Sentosa 9A/ 133, Taman Sri Sentosa, Bt 6 1/2, Jalan Klang Lama, KL.

Restoran Yang Kee

52, Jalan Hujan Rahmat 2, Taman UOG, Jalan Kelang Lama, KL.

Otak Otak Place

One Utama (New Wing), 311B, Lower Ground Oval. Near Cold Storage.

Lok Yuen, Kowloon

When I was over at Kowloon a few years back, I had this excellent beef balls noodles which I enjoyed tremendously. Alas, bad memory did not lead me back to the shop, but I was told that I should try the very famous Lok Yuen beef balls.

Lok Yuen's beef balls were so delicious that it was rumoured the scriptwriter of the movie God of Cookery (one of Stephen Chow's classic) got the idea of springy, soup filled beef balls from eating at Lok Yuen.

The shop was not too packed, we got seats quickly and had our orders taken..

My usual milk tea. Of course not as good as Lan Fong Yuen. But still ok la.

Got some fried eel/ fish skin as snacks before the mains..

A tad salty to eat on it's own, goes better once dipped into the soupy noodles. Nothing to shout about though. Keropok ikan taste better.

Noticed something else that was recommended in the menu..

Fish dumplings with fish noodles..

The fish noodles was rather coarse and a tad chewy. The dumpling skin was also made of fish meat while the filling was somewhat raw looking fish chunk (like sashimi chunks). Though it looked raw, it tasted and felt cook. An interesting bowl of noodles, but taste wise was just mediocre.

The star of the day, Lok Yuen's beef balls noodles..

Super gargantuan beef balls, about the size of ping pong balls.

So what's so special about Lok Yuen's beef balls?

It's filled with soup and bits of fish maw. One had to take good care while biting into it as the soup may just, erm, squirt out. The beef balls were really springy, though lacked the gamey taste that I so love. And yes, the centre was filled with mildly sweet soup and slippery smooth, slightly spongy textured fish maw. Was I in ecstasy when I bit into one of these famed beef balls? (ala God of Cookery). Erm, sadly No. It was just nice beef balls, but not impressive ones.

Total bill was HKD97.

Lok Yuen is located at G/F, 11, Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. There's also branches at Sai Yeung Choi street and Bute Street.

Pho Hoa Pastuer, Ho Chi Minh

It was our last day in HCM, we were sad as we need to return to Hanoi. We were in Benthanh Market when Jeffrey asked if we would like to have the best Pho Bo in Saigon.

I wondered why he asked at all..He should know our answer :p

So we cut short our shopping time in Benthanh to ensure we got to savour the delicious noodles..

The moment we stepped in, we were greeted with the aroma of beef and beef stock..as we climbed to higher floors, we could see diners (mostly locals) tucking into their huge bowl of pho with gusto. I knew then that we are in the for some seriously good pho.

The tables were already laden with goodies..

meatpies, dough fritters, meat paste, fresh vegs, bananas..to snack on if you are still hungry after having the pho..

Dragon girl and Jeff ordered crunchy flank and fatty flank while I ordered fatty flank and sliced beef. We didn't wait long, soon, a piping bowl of pho was placed in front of me.

To my disappointment, they prepared my pho with just the sliced beef. No fatty flank :(
The soup, unlike most of the pho bo we have tried so far, was a little murky. It taste heavenly; hours of boiling the bones and meat gave the broth a sweetness and flavour like no other. The pho was so smooth that it practically glides down my throat. And the sliced beef; I suspect they served sliced raw beef on my noodles and just poured boiling hot broth over it to cook it. The texture was perfect; tender and juicy; almost, just almost; melt in mouth..

Dragon girl passed me a few fatty flank..I took a bite and I was totally smitten. This was even better than the sliced beef..This piece of meat was so flavourful, I just cant describe the burst of beefiness in my mouth that I'll remember for a long, long time. Perfecto.

I dunked some gio cha quay (aka yau zha gwai in cantonese) into my pho too..that tasted delicious with the noodles. The combo sounds weird, but trust me, it's yummy :). And if you like trying all sorts of beef preparation, you should order pho with mix beef; you'll get brisket, sliced beef, flank (crunchy and fatty), tendon and beef paste.

Our total bill was about RM25, which I would willingly pay for this fantastic bowl of pho bo..

Pho Hoa Pastuer is located at 260C Pastuer P8, Q3 TP, HCM.

Pho 24, Ho Chi Minh

For those who went to Ho Chi Minh before, am very sure you've seen Pho 24 almost everywhere. It's the local 'fast food' joint, you wont get burgers and chips; you'll get pho bos and pho gas.

If you cant stand sitting on short stools,waiting for pho bo being cooked in make shift stoves and questionable hygiene level; Pho 24 might be your choice. As we were told by Jeffrey that it's just mediocre, Dragongirl and I never had the urge to try it.

Until one evening when it was raining so heavily (when it rains in HCM; it pours in bucketfuls)..we were left with not much choice as Pho 24 was just a few shops away from our hotel.

A quick order and soon the 'basics' for the pho is placed on our table..the vegs..

I decided to have the sliced beef and beef ball noodles Which was quite huge in serving..Broth was clear, rather bland. The beef, though quite tender, was not fragrant enough for me..The beef balls were just ok, think Malaysia's version is better..

Dragongirl's chicken noodle (pho ga).. The chicken taste was very strong..sorta like those meat that was kept in freezer and defrosted for the noodles. I didn't like it.

You can see Pho 24 nearly every where in HCM, so there's no address..

So Pho 24 or small pho bo stalls? Small stalls for me, anytime..

Pho Bo @ Hang Dong, Hanoi

We were wandering at Old Quarters in the morning when I thought we should try our first bowl of pho bo (beef noodles). After trying our utter best to talk to the locals; with some help of pen, paper and hand gestures, we managed to find a Pho Bo shop recommended by the locals at Old Quarter area. Ordering was easy; since we cant speak vietnamese; we just pointed at the beef and said pho bo. They understood us perfectly :)

Soon, a piping hot bowl of beef noodles were served and it looks wonderful (and it was a huge bowl too!). The smooth silky noodles were topped with generous amount of thinly sliced beef..As it was a rather cold and dull day, we were quite glad for some warm soup to add some cheer to our bellies. The soup was clear, mild in flavour, with hints of beef and herbs. The beef; sliced thinly had a nice bite to it, very tender. You can also add other condiments to the soup if you find it bland (Dragon girl did); such as the chilli sauce, bean sauce, lime etc. I enjoyed this bowl of simple beef noodles and for 10000 dong a bowl (about RM2), it's definitely worth it.

If you are at Old Quarter and wandered to this part of the road, why not try pho bo at this shop? I'm not sure what Hang Dong means, since the street was with shops selling plumbing/pipes products, guess that's your clue :)

Beef noodles, Pudu

Ok, ok, I know Pudu has got a few beef noodles shops and I would love to have it's name up on my post, most unfortunately, this stall is a shack without a proper signboard..hence..

My boss saw this place when she was over at Pudu to buy Tong Kee eggtarts and she recalled that this stall has been there for decades. Wanting to try it (and also to buy more tarts), we popped over recently to have the noodles. To my surprise, the noodles was prepared by a man, maybe in his early 30s..eh, I thought this stall has been in business for decades? I presumed he's the son? Anyways, we placed our order and was promptly served..

I had dried beef loh shu fun ( a type of noodles, directly translated as rat's{tails} noodles) with ngau chap (mixed beef parts). Quite expecting some mince meat that's dark like Soong Kee's , this stall's version is light, with no dark soy sauce added to the noodles (nor to the mince meat) at all. Looking all plain and rather unattractive, I took a mouthful..and all i could say is..never ever judge a book by it's cover. This was so delicious, the mince meat well marinated, the noodles springy, the sauce (yes, there's some clear broth/sauce) was so tasty, I can have just this bowl of noodles without the ngau chap..

The ngau chap was served in a dark coloured soup, akin to BKT..Took a sip of the soup, it actually tasted like a cross between BKT and lok mei (a chinese herb soup) soup. Rather different in taste, some may not like it though. My colleague was not very happy, he said that the owner was stingy with the ngau chap. Each of us had 2 beef balls, 2 slices of beef, 2 brisket and one slice of lean beef. The beef balls were mediocre, I have tasted better. The noodles costs RM4.50 per bowl.

What Julianne thinks?

Delightful and unassuming

Beef noodles (it has a small chinese sign called ngau wong, directly translated as cow king in canton) is located at Jalan Brunei, Pudu. Drive along Jalan Pudu (from Pudu jail) towards Pudu area. Turn left when you see a Caltex (at the corner). Once you turn, you will see the beef noodles stall/shack on your left)

Restoran Yuan Kee, Kluang

I have been eating this since I was a kid....
If you ever do pop over to Kluang town one day and decided to have dinner here (there's more than just roti bakar in Kluang u know :p), you can try this famed beef noodles in Yuan Kee. The recipe has been passed on for decades, the main draw of Yuan Kee are the noodles. The noodles are made by them and can't be found anywhere else. I dont really know how to describe the texture, it's springy, smooth, slightly thicker than laksa, but not translucent...

Yuan Kee serves ngau lam fun, directly translated as beef tripe noodles. What you get is a generous bowl of noodles (be it dry or soup) filled with beef, beef tripe and tendons. All their beef (and 'spareparts' aka ngau chap) are cooked for hours, so it's real tender and succulent..I always loved their dry version though....thick sticky gravy, served with peanuts, fried shallots, finely diced turnip and choy poh (i think). Squeeze in the lime, give a good toss and have it with their chilli sauce. Simply delicious!

As I grew up eating this version of beef noodles, I am still very biase whenever I eat any beef noodles in KV. I still think they are not up to mark compared to Yuan Kee's ;p

What Julianne thinks?

Authentic, fulfilling and delightful

I dont have Yuan Kee's address, but here's the directions (if u do pop over to Kluang):

Drive to Kluang town and towards Lian Seng Garden (just ask the locals wheres Lian Seng). Drive pass the new Kluang Wet Market and drive about 2 km heading towards Niyor. See a signboard on your right stating " Taman Melodi". Dont turn, drive down the slope. You will see a row of shop on your right, thats where Yuan Kee is. Its a new shop, they moved over a few years back. Price between RM3-4. Only for dinners. Be early coz it gets rather pack.