66: Home Made Fish Head Noodle

I wish I was such a master craftsman to create such a delicacy, but I'm not. Instead, this is the name of a shop at Kota Damansara, once again brought there by Carol.

Home Made Fish Head Noodle
8-1 & 10-1, Jalan PJU 5/5, Dataran Sunway,
Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

I am actually quite surprised by the decor of the establishment. Heavy usage of green (which reminds me of hongkie eatery, Prince Cafe) with a pretty modern building design (again, much like a hongkie eatery) for a place serving old time classics like fish head noodles (better know as Yee Tau Mai), rice sets and more noodles (like hor fun).

Truth be told, this was my second time here, and the staff were as friendly as ever. The si tau poh also grinned a lot at me while I was taking all the shots of the food. My good looks maybe? (Now now, self-praise is no praise -Ed).

The drinks menu in the place is quite large, boasting a variety of teas. Excellent stuff I must add. Yes, I do love my teas.

Carol ordered herself a honey peach tea while I ordered a red tea. A think to take note of is that all the teas are poured and served in decanters, all with a frothy "head".

The honey peach time was sweet and a tad sour at the same time, making it very refreshing on such a hot day. The red tea on the other hand was smooth without much of that "tannin" aftertaste on your tongue. It was also ice-cold to boot. Fantastic stuff, that tea for only RM4.50 each.

Now, for the main course, Carol ordered the dish that the whole place is named after, the deep fried mee hoon.

Only two things can make or break a yee tau mai, the broth and the fish; and both of them are actually fantastic. The noodles used were nice and springy while the fish, although having a fair bit of bones (don't force it down your gullet quickly, now, lest you want to be rushed to a hospital) was sweet a crisp (I think it was a myth whereby fish with plenty of bones have sweeter meat). The aroma of the Chinese wine added to the milky broth really was a treat for the senses. And although the broth lacked the sourness from the vegetables of its coffeeshop counterparts, each spoonful would leave you wanting more. Not bad for RM8.50; a huge bowl leaving even the likes of me full before I even got to the bottom of the bowl (and I was really hungry at that time).

I order another house speciality, stir-fried hor fun with sliced beef and black bean sauce.

I hate black beans. It's horribly pungeant for me. This dish did not change that for me, but it was masked pretty well (until I bit into the black bean). The sauce is thick and fragrant, filled with crunchy bell peppers and soft onions. A nice texture alongside the silky smooth hor fun. The texture of the beef was pretty good too; a bit of bite without making it like chewing gum. The cost of this dish was RM9.80.

Home Made Fish Head Noodle also sells all kinds of side dishes, ranging from beaten eggs with dried squid to cold cucumbers. The last time we were here, we tried the sui gao. Today, were tried the pan fried fish stuffed with asparagus and served in a special sauce. The word "sauce" is probably an understatement of some kind. It was more like a "soup", made very sour from vinegar. I tried to avoid accidently drinking it. Both of us actually expected the fish to come out in the form of fish paste, but boy were we sure wrong. It was acutally whole chunks of firm fish meat, totally deboned (giving it a weird oblong shape). The asaparagus stuffed smack dab in the middle of it did infuse its flavour into the fish, making it taste almost vegetarian. Not one of their best. To be avoided.

Overall, I think this would be a fantastic place to go, with its chic decor (could I really say that?) and good eats. Do give it a try if you're in the area, but beware! Parking is a nightmare.