MEE Udang Mak Jah in Kuala Sepetang, Perak, is a makan place that needs no introduction.
I came to know about it when I did a solo exploration ride from Taiping to Port Weld on my foldable bicycle recently.
A lot has been written about Mak Jah’s tasty prawn noodles and if you search for the subject on the Internet, you are bound to get some hits.
For starters, the waters off Kuala Sepetang are rich in marine life and the shrimp industry here thrives on its fresh haul.
Shellfish like the Udang Kertas are harvested daily and the sizeable prawns, measuring up to 20cm, are used as the main ingredients of the Mee Udang.
I investigated the claims and found it to be true when I patronised a lesser-known makan stall in Kuala Sepetang.
Back in the Klang Valley, Foong Kook Keong, a cycling buddy of mine took notice of a photo I took of Mak Jah Mee Udang in Perak and told me that there was a shop with the same name in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur.
Now in Kuala Lumpur: Mak Jah Mee Udang in Wangsa Maju.I took this as a sign and decided to give it a try.
All I needed to do was to type the shop’s name in Google and found the address, which is near the Wangsa Walk shopping mall.
As a matter of fact, there were numerous people who had blogged about this makan place on the Internet which made it really easy to locate.
I brought my wife Michelle with me to try out Mak Jah Mee Udang’s branch in Kuala Lumpur and found that the quality of the food as well as the pricing was reasonable.
We ordered a bowl of Mee Udang Special (RM12) and Mee Goreng Udang Special (RM12) with two drinks at RM3.
When the order was delivered, Michelle was really impressed with the generous portions that were served.
“Fuah! Not bad ah! You actually get six big prawns at RM12 with this bowl of noodles,” she said.
Taste-wise, I would rate the Mee Udang at 6 out of 10 on the Samo-scale.
What made the experience memorable was the fact that the prawns were fresh.
Later, I asked a lady at the counter about the shop’s namesake and was told that Mak Jah was her mother in-law.
“My husband runs the shop here and my 78-year-old mother in-law manages the main branch in Perak,” she said.
I also learned that the slang for Udang Kertas is ‘Koheng’ in Kuala Sepetang.
The friendly lady also told me that the Mee Udang stall in Perak closes only on Wednesdays and when prawns are low in supply.
Mak Jah Mee Udang in Wangsa Maju, on the other hand, opens daily for lunch and dinner.
To get there, the GPS coordinates are: N 03 11.832, E 101 44.428.
