33 And Counting

This Chinese coffee shop has been around for ages. It is looking decidedly run down, and is housed in a somewhat derelict looking row of shop houses. However, patronage is still good, and for good reason. Most of the stalls serve decent food. The mixed rice stall has been noted as having one of the best tasting selection of dishes in PJ.

Nothing much to look at, but the food is good.

Not slummy per se, but hardly even suburban!

We go there because of the friendly Chinese-style bakery. The gentleman who runs it is sweet, and speaks a little bit of English, so it's easier to ask him about his wares and what the different buns contain. His specialty however, is the pipping hot pastries known as siew pau.

Hot buns! Hot buns!

The large, flaky dumplings are baked in batches, so the chances of getting hot, fresh ones, are high. He generally does a batch at 8am, another at 11am, and a last one, if warranted at 1.30pm. Each costs RM1.50 and are very satisfying. The pastry is flaky, but crisp. The egg-wash he uses makes them shine and gives them a brittle layer of crunch, before the softer crisp of the first layer. The pastry is a little sweet as well, and works nicely with the sweet-savoury pork filling.

Good eating!

The stall selling prawn mee has a slightly different take from the usual way of serving this popular dish. Instead of boiled, shelled prawns, this hawker serves the prawns whole and deep-fried. It's different, but it doesn't really work. The prawns are fiddly to eat with chopsticks and the shells can lodge between teeth. Additionally, they have also been over-fried, so the meat is stringy and dry. It's a pity, though, because the soup is good, with a nice, smoky aftertaste. It used to be RM5 a bowl, but I think they've raised the price this year. The thought of being orally assaulted by a crusty prawn does not bode well for a re-visit. Plus, the sambal was horrific. It was neither spicy nor sour. There was too much chili paste (and the inferior kind), and too much belacan (it tasted like the powdered variety). While I do not necessarily eat the sambal with prawn noodles, it is a huge component of the success of the dish. And this one does not make the mark.

Looks good, but the prawns are lying in wait to assault you!

The claypot yee mee fares better. The stock the hawker uses is rich, and there is minimal MSG-added. The noodles are springy, and there is a generous number of pieces of fish cake (the fried variety) and bean curd skin (foo chuk). I especially like the use of spinach in the noodle, as opposed to the usual choy sum. At RM5, it is very filling.

Hot and satisfying yee mee.

Restoran 33

2, Jalan SS3/35 

47300 Petaling Jaya 

Selangor