THE quest for a good Char Koay Teow continues and this time, with some good hints from our loyal readers.
Firstly, I would like to thank Mr Tony from Subang Jaya for sharing information on a hidden gem in Brickfields.
After seeing the owner in action during a previous visit, I decided to savour the stall’s Char Koay Teow with my wife Michelle.
We made our way to Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur and found our way to the YMCA to park our vehicle.
Our destination was Yit Sieang coffee shop (N 03 07 985, E 101 41 356) and the primary objective was to order a bowl of pork noodles and a small plate of Char Koay Teow.
As usual, the chee yuk fun was a tasty treat with plenty of chee yau (like liquid gold) and the crispy pork crackling which was very flavourful.
Next up was the Char Koay Teow. A small serving costs RM3.50 and the larger helping costs RM1 more.
So, how did this place rate?
On the Samo-scale, I would give it 6.5 out of 10.
However, my wife complained that it was too “plain” and being an honorary member of the Goh family from Penang, well, I have to say that her tastebuds are biased to the northern style of preparing this fried noodle dish.
“Aiya, this Char Koay Teow got no lap cheong and large prawns la!,” she grumbled.
That said, there is a bit of a “food War” going on between us.
My wife is pro-Penang when it comes to Char Koay Teow and I favour any dish that comes with thick soya sauce and is slightly moist compared with the Penang-styled dishes.
Fearing a major backlash and being thrown out of the house for not lending a full-support to Penang Char Koay Teow, I’ve conducted secret missions with my folding bike kakis to find the central peninsular style of this noodle dish.
Sometimes, I’ve even gone on my own solo expeditions on my little bicycle to the city centre to investigate claims sent in by StarMetro readers on their discoveries.
Okay, back to the Char Koay Teow in Yit Sieang coffee shop. Well, I must say that the portions are generous and I did find a lot of shrimp in it, but the see hum (blood cockle) count was a bit disappointing.
If you want to sink your teeth into this Char Koay Teow, better get to the coffee shop early and since parking can be a nightmare in the area, the best thing to do is to take a train ride to KL Sentral and walk. It is good excercise!
Last but not least, reader Lawrence K.W. Chou wanted to know if it was possible to set up a “Samo Makan Club” offering exclusive privileges to The Star readers.
His correspondence reads: “Dear Samo, can you set up a club where we readers can join you for makan? Like get a van or a bus to take us all over town to feast on some good hawker food for free..”
Ah, free makan. There is no such thing as a free ride, my dear Mr Chou.
For such an undertaking, there are a lot of logistics and planning involved in moving about the city in search of good street food, so, right now, the real Samo Makan Club is restricted to family members and a few true-blue “Samoholics”. I guess we will put that idea on hold for the moment.
