SUNGAI WAY’s Restoran Pokok Besar in Jalan SS9A/14, Petaling Jaya, is an interesting makan place.
For starters, it is situated near an old raintree which is also a landmark eatery in the neighbourhood.
This particular restaurant advertises their steamed fish dishes and “XO Lor Mee” on their billboard.
As far as I am concerned, there are very few stalls selling Lor Mee with brandy in the Klang Valley that are noteworthy.
Alan Tan, my former neighbour from Taman Genting in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur had recommended a stall in Air Panas hawker centre that sells the same kind of noodle dish.
As a matter of fact, reader Elaine Tan won the Food Trail — Knife Cooking Oil ‘Food Tales’ essay contest in June 2009 when she described the “Hennessey Lor Meen” stall in Air Panas.
Okay, back on Pokok Besar, well, one day, I decided to head to Sungai Way to visit the Yong brothers from Tukang Basikal Fook Sang.
My intention was to follow-up on their Hasa brand of folding bicycles.
But before that, I went to the Pokok Besar restaurant to order a bowl of “XO Lor Mee”.
Behind me, was a table filled with office workers.
One of them, a lady was telling her colleagues: “Wah, see that big guy, he’s eating the whole bowl of Lor Mee by himself.”
While the nosy folks were still waiting for their order, I worked on the noodles.
From a distance, I can see a member of the kitchen staff dousing the bowl of Lor Mee with a pack of brandy.
My wishful thinking was having the gravy blasted with famous brands like Hennessey, Otard or Martell Cordon Bleu.
But I guess it doesn’t really matter because at RM13 a bowl, the pack of hard liquor might as well be ‘Brandy chap katak’ (frog brand) or whiskey chap burung (bird brand) bottled in Balakong, Cheras.
To my surprise, the noodles were pretty decent.
The brandy taste was not too overpowering and with a dash of black vinegar, the experience was complete!
For overall quality, I would rate the XO Lor Mee at 5.5 out of 10 on the Samo-scale.
Neighbourhood restaurant: The front of the Pokok Besar makan place in JalanSS9A/14. Sungai Way, Petaling Jaya.Later, I made a quick visit to the Yong brothers at their bicycle shop which is a stone’s throw away.
One of them reacted with a frown when I told them I had a bowl of noodles with brandy.
“Fuah! Got such a makan place ah? We’ve been living here for so long, never heard of it la..,” said one of the brothers.
So, I stayed there for a while, catching up with some bicycling stories and tried to persuade the Yong brothers to have a “Chee Keok Shuen” (braised pork trotters in vinegar) party at their bicycle shop.
Momma Yong, the family martriach is known for her skills on the wok and vinegar pork trotters is her specialty.
Well, I am still hoping to hear from the brothers for a lunch invite.
Pokok Besar restaurant (GPS N 03 05 193, E 101 37 343) opens for lunch and dinner daily.
It is also pork-free and the landmark to look out for is the Sungai Way MCA hall because it is directly opposite it.
