food

On the hunt for the best Mee Udang in Taiping

BY RAEVATHI SUPRAMANIAM
September 11, 2015

Huge, fresh prawns sit atop a bed of noodles in a seafood-rich broth. There are so many reasons to love Taiping, and Mee Udang Nur Zetty is one of them. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Raevathi Supramaniam, September 11, 2015.Taiping is the second largest town in the state of Perak. It was also the first tin mining town in Malaysia (Malaya) under British rule and is currently the wettest town in peninsular Malaysia. During a trip to Taiping, we decided to explore the town the best way we know: by trying out the food.

After much Google-ing and asking around, we were informed that Taiping is famous for its mee udang and that Mee udang Mak Jah in Kuala Sepetang is a must try.

After a 30-minute drive from Taiping, we arrived at our destination. From the outside, Mee Udang Mak Jah looked like any other roadside stall except for the fact that the shop was quite full despite it not being lunch hour.

The menu was quite extensive. There was the traditional mee udang – noodles in soup, topped with prawns – as well as fried noodles and rice, with prawns, crabs, squid or all three. We decided to stick to the original and opted for the Mee Udang biasa (RM9). 

Our mee udang came with a generous portion of six prawns. The prawns were definitely fresh, but they were overcooked, making it difficult for us to peel the shells off. The broth itself was quite fishy, sweet and a little too watery. Overall, we were not very impressed with the mee udang here.

We were however pleasantly surprised by a stall selling kuih located next to Mak Jah. For RM5 we were able to get a set of cucur udang, cucur sotong and deep fried tofu from Gerai Kuih Pak Uteh. Paired with the peanut dipping sauce – light and not too oily – the cucur udang was absolutely delicious. Our trip to Kuala Sepetang was not a total waste after all.

We were really disappointed with this offering, but the plus side was the kuih stall next door. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Raevathi Supramaniam, September 11, 2015.Just before heading back to KL, we decided to try one more place that also serves mee udang. Mee Udang Nur Zetty is located at Changkat Jering, right before the toll. We decided to give it a go after an acquaintance assured us that we would not be disappointed with the mee udang there.

At Nur Zetty, we decided to stick to the original as well, and went for the mee udang special (RM14). Although slightly pricier than Mak Jah, it was worth it.

Looks can be deceiving and while this stall didn’t have the same crowd as Mak Jah, the mee udang here was delicious, hearty and lip-smacking! – The Malaysian Insider pic by Raevathi Supramaniam, September 11, 2015.The soup tasted a lot better – it was thicker, the soup did not taste or smell fishy and there was an element of spiciness to it that had been lacking in Mak Jah’s soup. The portion of noodles was also bigger.

Nur Zetty’s mee udang was served with five large prawns. They were very fresh and perfectly cooked. We will definitely be paying Nur Zetty a visit the next time we are in Taiping. Our last-minute detour was well worth it. – September 11, 2015.

Kuih stall next to Mee Udang Mak Jah | Address: Kampung Menteri, 34650 Kuala Sepetang, Perak | Opening hours: 11am - 10am , closed every Wednesday | GPS coordinates: 4.838689, 100.633886 | Halal

Mee Udang Nur Zetty | Address: No 19, Batu 7, Jalan Trong, 34850 Changkat Jering, Perak | Opening hours: 11am - 12am, closed every Monday | GPS coordinates: 4.783120, 100.721989 | Halal

* All of The Malaysian Insider food reviews are incognito and reflect the personal opinions of our merry band of foodies. If you know of any restaurant serving awesome grub, share it with the rest of the world and drop us a line with details at [email protected].