Nice Rice, Oodles Of Noodles

Neighbourhood coffee shops are good places to eat. Meals are relatively cheap, and sometimes you are nicely surprised at the taste and quality of some of the foods. I had an experience like this recently at Siong Pin.

Good eats here!

I've always liked pan mee, and decided to try the one available here. While the noodles were really nice and springy, I found the soup less hearty than it could have been. It felt as if there had not been enough bones or stock meat in the soup, resulting in a slightly less rich broth. Pity, since the amount of minced pork, bean curd skin fried ikan bilis and mushrooms was quite commendable. The portion was large for RM6.50.

Nice, springy, home made pan mee.

Lots of ingredients but the soup let the pan mee down.

What people really come for at Siong Pin is the mixed rice. This economy rice stall has a good variety of dishes, though nothing outstandingly different from the rest of the shops around the area. What sets it apart is the taste of the dishes.

Options aplenty!

I went to town on my selection, possibly because it was early in the day and the platters had not been unappetizingly mauled over by other patrons. As such, the stuff still looked fresh and appealing. And neat. I greatly dislike untidy presentations in food!

My plate of half rice included steamed egg, minced pork and egg, bean sprouts, a slice of steamed fresh water fish and mui choy pork. It cost RM6.50.

What a dish!

I was very pleased with the selection. The steam egg was smooth and soft, but firm enough not to break apart when scooped out. There was very little flavouring added, so the creaminess of the egg and the slightly spicy spring onions and soy sauce flavours came out nicely. The minced pork steamed with egg was also tender, with the meat juices remaining fresh and sweet, and not overly MSG-ed. The fish was a real eye-opener for me. I half expected that brackish, fresh water fish taste to be prevalent, but to my delight, the muddy taste so often associated with river fish was absent. What I got was a firm, not flabby, cut; seasoned with minced ginger and sesame oil mixed with soy sauce. Very fresh and pleasant. Even the bones weren't too fine or bothersome. Good job! The mui choy pork was one of the best I've had at rice stalls. The Chinese preserved vegetable was perfectly cooked - not overly mushy, or too 'piece-y'. It was not overly washed, so as to drain away the salty, dark, earthy flavour of the vegetable, and yet, was not overly salty. Colour, mouthfeel were amazing. The pork itself was also commendable. Enough fat in the three-layer pork to ensure there was a good, squishy counterpoint to the harder meat, yet not too much as to turn the sauce into a vat of oil. Truly, together, the dishes made a very memorable 'chap fun' experience!

Restoran Siong Pin
Intersection of Jalan SS18/10, SS3/31 and SS3/60, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.