My husband introduced me to a shop which had people lining up for their wantan mee (especially during the peak hours of breakfast and lunch) one Sunday morning known as Koon Kee @ Damansara Uptown. The queue is actually formed by customers who want to pack the noodles.
When I realised the shop's name was Koon Kee, I was wondering if it was 'connected' to the one in Petaling Street which is or was synonymous with the title of "best wantan mee in KL". I, too, remembered it as one of the best wantan mee I had (back then) but I also remembered it as a very old and filthy place. Eating in Chinatown was the norm back in my younger days but now that it has turned into "Banglatown" (with nightmarish traffic and parking to boot), it's a place I no longer visit.So, with the name Koon Kee etched in my mind, I proceeded to make an order of their wantan mee (the stall is at the front of the shop).
This was my Wantan Mee @ RM5.50 (medium) with "char siew" (BBQ pork) and wantan. The texture of their noodles (supposedly made in-house), which tasted somewhat similar to the one I remembered from Chinatown's Koon Kee, was the first thing that came to mind. The noodles were proportionately tossed with the right amount of light and dark soy in a flavourful oil. It came with very ordinary lean char siew which was not quite the caramelised type that I preferred (although I did see some 'burnt' strips of char siew at the stall..maybe you have to specifically ask for those parts). The wantan mee here is served with boiled cabbage instead of the usual "choy sum" (Chinese flowering cabbage).You can also have your wantan mee with braised chicken feet. I ordered a pair of chicken feet @ RM1.40 to try....it was ordinary and forgettable (no where near as good as those from Char Siew Yoong or Mei Sin)!
The wantans (with very smooth and thin skins) had a minced pork filling that were quite good but the surprise was the soup that came with my plate of wantan mee. You can see from the pic above that the soup base is very clear. The subtle flavour of the soup was one of the better wantan mee soups I've had in a long time, so much so I finished my whole bowl and wished they had given me more. [#Note: I'm not sure if it's MSG-laden coz if there's one thing my tongue is 'immune' to....it's MSG (I don't know why but I don't get this extreme thirst, like everyone else, when I have MSG-laden food)..maybe it's because I'm thirsty all the time anyway :D ] The goodness of the soup makes me want to try their soup version the next time I'm here.If there's one complaint about the noodles here is that the owner would blanch a few 'knobs' of wantan mee at one time and toss it in a big (metal) bowl filled with sauce. He would then divide the wantan mee into a few plates by cutting them (with a pair of scissors) and so you end up with many short stands of wantan mee on your plate (which I didn't appreciate). [#Note: If it's a long life you want, maybe you shouldn't patronise this stall during your birthday...hehehe!]Also, I didn't like as much their pickled green bird's eye chilli (which is more fiery of course) as I preferred the normal pickled fresh green chillies.As I liked their soup so much, on a return trip, I wanted to order the wantan mee in soup with "pak cham kai" (poached chicken) but the chicken was not ready yet :( So, it was the usual wantan mee with char siew @ RM5 (small). Although wantan mee is usually eaten 'dry' style, I adore wantan mee in soup but have not found many places where the soup is the 'hero' of the dish but I think this may be my best bet. The soup here is very "ching" (subtle) but still has flavour...I likey ;) In fact, I saw a customer asking for more soup....testimony to how good the soup is!
I especially liked the freshness of the chilli dip with hints of garlic, ginger and lime juice. This definitely has a place among my favourite chilli dips but this one is a bit on the fiery side though.
My Personal Opinion
The two stalls worth trying here are the wantan mee and siew yoke/char siew rice.
When I googled this place, upon my return, it was referred to (by some blogs) as the same one from Chinatown but as to who is operating it or is it really a branch?...I've no idea! It has been ages since I last ate at Koon Kee in Petaling Street (and since I won't be eating there anymore), finding this one in Damansara Utama was a pleasant surprise and a good replacement.
In a place like Koon Kee, it's the taste and texture of the noodles (cooked right) that comes first or, better still, eat it in soup (which is my favourite).
If you see a guy with something like a cowboy hat on, you're in the right place! :D
Restoran Koon Kee
No 105 Jalan SS21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
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