Dec 11, 2020
Local food specialties don’t always make spectacular breakouts. Sure, you can point out Ipoh’s sar hor fun, Sarawak laksa and Penang’s all-conquering hawker food, which have spread far and wide.
Witness,
however, KL’s famously artery-clogging black noodle hokkien mee, which has the
aura of almost religious fervour among late-night eating out cognoscenti trawling
backlanes and under-the-tree tai chou outlets, but only within the Klang
valley. In fact, many Malaysian small
towns have their local specialties, which have a cult-like appeal in a very
limited locality.
And then
there’s Singapore. In spite of the rumble and noise about Singapore hawker food
on the global stage, most Malaysians, me included, pooh-pooh the idea of
Singapore hawker food. Half decent, maybe but good??
It’s not
all a wasteland there. I like Singapore
hokkien mee, which unlike its KL or Penang counterparts, turns out a
sickly-looking pallor with seafood topping. Done right, it is worth seeking
out. There have been a couple of half-hearted attempts to introduce it in KL,
but nothing worth getting excited about.
Lucky
Seventeen, in S17, PJ, had a queue outside it, which piqued my interest. It’s a
half-lot, serving Singapore style hokkien mee, in this bastion of Malaysian
hawker food – the S17 hawker stalls are just across the lane, and there are a
couple of noteworthy eating out places nearby. The sheer gall of these
Singaporeans!
Opened by a Singapore businessman, the inside of the shop is simple, bright and clean. I was the first customer at 6pm, and here’s a quick lesson: regulars who message for takeaways before the shop opens get served first.
So, amidst
the clatter and banging of pots in the kitchen, I waited about 30 minutes
between ordering and having a plate of noodles on the table, by which time I
had almost started to chew the table-top edge.
While scarfing down my food, I observed that tables which ordered after
the takeaways had been satisfied, were served in 5-10 minutes.
The menu’s uncomplicated, with only two items, besides drinks – Signature Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee and Boneless Kampung Chicken. OK, don’t ask me about the combination.
For the
noodles, there are 5 options, varying from Rm9.90 to Rm19.90. The difference is
what goes into the noodles, Pork Belly being the only constant, with the
addition of sotong, lala, prawns, big prawns causing the price to
fluctuate.
Kampung Chicken starts at Rm6 for a 1-person serving to a whopping Rm68 for the whole chicken.
When it (finally) arrived, the Sotong-Prawns-Lala-Pork Belly combo (Rm12.90) made for a sizeable portion, decorated with said ingredients with dark red sambal, a cut calamansi and some nuggets of crispy pork lard. Singapore hawker stalls serve a more spartan version, so this was a premium edition with the extra ingredients, but it was steaming hot, and looked like the real thing south of the border.
I must say, this is the best Singapore fried hokkien noodles I remember having. The main difference from lesser versions is the sauce – thick, flavourful and rich, unlike the thinner, weaker versions you normally encounter.
Combine
this with soft, fresh noodles and plentiful ingredients, and we have a winner!
You can also
add-on extra ingredients, for a price.
The Kampung Chicken is no second-rate act either: it’s smooth and substantial, served with a garlic-chilli sauce that’s thick and stands on its own merits. This kampung chicken would easily pass muster, although it makes an odd complement to the Fried Hokkien noodles.
Definitely
worth a second visit, the noodles and Kampung chicken have a premium taste and
feel to them, a richness that’s testimony to the quality of ingredients and the
cooking. Couple that with the clean, bright surroundings and the reasonable
price for what you get, and you begin to understand why there are queues
outside.
Lucky Seventeen Café,
1077, Ground Floor (Unit B),
Jalan 17/27, 46400 Petaling Jaya
Tel:011-11590711
Business
Hours: 10am-2.30pm, 6pm-9pm, open daily, closed on Mondays
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