Hokkien Mee, the popular fried noodle dish has been satisfying locals and surprising foreigners for decades. – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.
Does your Hokkien mee have enough wok hei? Do the lard croutons melt and crumble succinctly? Are the noodles gooey or dry? Well, no matter what your poison, HungryGoWhere searched KL & PJ to test out what these hawker stalls have got to offer!
Kim Lian Kee, Petaling Street
The Hokkien Mee at Kim Lian Kee will have you praising the lard. – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.
One of the most famous KL-style Hokkien mee names around, Kim Lian Kee's plates of dark noodles (RM8 per single serving) have since led them to multiple franchises, including a much coveted spot in Lot 10's basement food court, Hutong.
If the charred goodness of Hokkien mee fails to satisfy you, order up a "yuet kong hor".
Also known as "moonlight-style noodles" as the yellow yolk is akin to a bright moon in your platter, we recommend giving the raw egg a good stir into the noodles. It coats your noodles for a smoother trip down your throat, best gulped down by the roadside for the full Hokkien mee plus Petaling Street experience!
Lian Bee Hokkien Mee
The Lian Bee Hokkien Mee stall is environmentally-friendly and friendly! – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.
This rough stall has got a very charismatic owner. In fact, despite its appearance, Lian Bee is quite the darling of TV food programmes due to the owner's jovial and sunny predisposition, and delicious traditional lardy Hokkien mee.
The recipes here have been passed down for about 60 years through several generations, who are still making a name for themselves frying up the traditional Hokkien mee.
Now that they have stopped using charcoal fire, you could easily walk past this non-descript stall, situated in an alley near Restoran Lai Foong, if not for the bright yellow signage. Fear not however, that is still plenty of wok hei.
Fatty Hokkien Mee from Fatt Kee seals the deal. – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.Fatt Kee Hokkien Mee, Restoran Win Heng Seng
You read right! It's in the same famous kopitiam on Jalan Imbi which serves slurpy pork ball noodles in the daytime.
They have a fairly large setup with several serving staff members and at least two-three people manning the kitchen.
The servings here are very gooey, not starchy however, from RM9 per serving, tossed with plenty of caramelised soy sauce.
Grab some side dishes here, like the tender ho chien, and if you're still hungry, maybe some yin yong noodles.
Ming Hoe
Kedai Makanan Ming Hoe, which we affectionately refer to as "Jalan Ipoh Hokkien mee", is amazing.
They draw in a crowd with their famous Hokkien bihun (RM8) but we always order the Hokkien bihun mee. Ming Hoe's version is full of wok hei, with generous amounts of fried pork lard.
The siong tong lala (clams in superior soup, RM15) was spotted on almost every table, definitely give it a try! It's quite an experience to sit outside and watch the owner cook up a storm.
The Hokkien fried mee hoon gives a different mouth feel here at Ming Hoe. – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.
Mun Wah Hokkien Mee
Mun Wah is one of our favourite spots for late night Hokkien mee, probably because it's smack dab in the middle of the city, around the corner from Cafe Cafe, along Jalan Maharajalela.
It's run by a motley crew of seven to eight friendly and efficient uncles.
Hokkien mee is what all patrons order here, only varying in their side dishes.
The fried side dishes are especially tasty, morsels of fried fish cake, fried bean curd (rolled foo chuk), and fried chicken wings which one of the uncles claims is better than KFC's, someone might disagree though.
Forget the Hokkien fried mee, get the meehoon version here at Tiong Damansara Uptown. – HungryGoWhere pic, November 27, 2015.Tiong Damansara Uptown
Tiong Damansara Uptown is a favourite of David Chin of Dave's Deli. It also rivals Damansara Uptown Hokkien mee, cooking only a few doors down.
And in all honesty very little separates them. However, the sauce here is fairly dry, though still packing a good savoury flavour. Try the mee hoon Hokkien mee for a different mouth feel!
Open till late to service the supper crowd, there are also some great side dishes available here: vegetables, egg drop pork-flour soup, etc.
Damansara Uptown Hokkien Mee
With several hot-frying outposts now beyond Damansara Uptown, Damansara Uptown Hokkien Mee continues to be a popular stop among noodle enthusiasts.
Every night, more than a dozen tables are set out along the five-foot path and street side car park lots, a testament to its popularity and enduring Hokkien mee quality.
Like Tiong, it serves up an honest plate of Hokkien mee (RM8.50) which is not too loud or noteworthy. Add on some choy sum vegetables at RM8.50, and succulent golden brown chicken wings at RM3.50 each to fill in your stomach after those carbohydrates!
Ah Wa Hokkien Mee
A PJ neighbourhood favourite, we have been tripped up by Ah Wa's inconsistent quality before, but generally you'll still get your RM8's worth of satisfaction.
Braised noodles swaddled in good quality caramelised soy sauce are hard to come by. Hokkien mee enthusiasts can attest to that fact, and traditionalists love the noodles here.
Take a quick break from Hokkien mee by sampling another popular noodle here, lor mee. Or if you're sick of noodles, which will never happen, then take a short stroll towards Medan Selera Jalan 222 where great nasi lemak awaits!
Thick, caramelised, dark noodles... the signature style of the ever-popular Ah Wa Hokkien Mee. – HungryGoWhere pic, Novnember 27, 2015.
Peng Yuan Hokkien Mee
On the same row as Jalan 222 Ah Wa, but on the opposite end.
Peng Yuan is a modest-looking restaurant that has its own loyal following. They swear by their RM8 servings, even preferring it over Ah Wa.
It may even be for the extra kick of char you taste or the choice of mee hoon for the springy mouth feel which they dish up so well.
We recommend you order up on fried seafood at this kopitiam tai chow to complement the meal. The fried spirals of bali tong, ikan bakar, and clams are perfect to go with Hokkien mee.
Restoran Aik Yuen
Affectionately known as the Tawakal Hospital Hokkien mee, because it's located just behind it, Restoran Aik Yuen is found near Bulatan Jalan Pahang.
It's got plenty of wok hei, and servings are larger than what you'd expect, so we wouldn't be surprised if we were to someday spot a hospital patient sneaking out in their robes for a plate.
There are seats inside the coffee shop, although most people prefer al fresco dining by the poorly lit streets. We'd recommend the regular side dishes like springy fishcakes full of juicy tenderness.
You can't think you're done already? There are so many more places for Hokkien mee in KL & PJ. And of course that includes your own home, it's not that hard to make with our simple recipe by Thefussfreechef.
Craving Hokkien mee after this read? Just download our new HungryGoWhere app which shows you what places are around your current location up to a radius of 5km. Or you can just look up any other location, and see what's popular among fellow foodies there.
Now available on iTunes and Google Play. – HungryGoWhere, November 27, 2015.
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