Fate (or luck) played a hand in how I ended up finding two prawn noodle stalls in this coffee shop in Ampang Mewah.
Both stalls serve prawns with noodles but that is where the similarity ends as the taste profile is entirely different. Maybe this is the best of both worlds, especially for those who love prawns.
The prawn mee stall is easy to find as you will see bowls of bright orange broth filled with noodles and toppings.
My test for any prawn mee is the broth and whether I finish every drop of it. This one passed with flying colours. You get a huge depth of crustacean and pork flavour with every spoonful. Apparently, the broth is boiled with prawn shells and pork bones for six hours to get all the goodness out.
The owner isn’t from Penang, which surprised me, but I really liked this version. In addition to bean sprouts and blanched kangkung, there are half a hard boiled egg, bouncy medium-sized boiled prawns, and slices of poached pork.
The fragrant but mildly spicy side dish of sambal is served alongside. Seeing as how many patrons were happily gorging on the prawn mee, it makes sense. A small bowl of prawn mee costs RM10, while an enlarged large portion costs RM11. They sell their special prawn mee with pork ribs for RM16 per bowl on Saturday and Sunday. The coffee shop is directly in front of the other prawn noodle stall. An elderly couple with twenty years of experience runs it.
They seem to be an institution in the community. This coffee shop is their most recent location; they have been moving around a lot. They have a variety of noodles, including fish, pork, and even kai see hor fun.
The noodles with ginger wine are what distinguish them. In addition to the traditional pig’s kidney version, they also sell a luxurious freshwater prawn version for RM22.
Since they brew the ginger wine themselves, they can adjust its flavor to suit the palates of their regular diners. Since the majority of people now prefer that taste profile, the yellow wine in this case is less sweet.
They split and cook the prawn in the same pot after making the omelette. They stir-fry everything together and add a dollop of ginger paste for extra ginger flavor. To the broth, they add a combination of wines, specifically Shao Xing and the yellow rice wine.
As it’s not too pungent since they mix both wines, it’s nice to drink. Again, I drank every drop of that fragrant broth.
Here, the prawn acts more like a topping, where the bright orange roe will mingle with the broth. However the flavours in the bowl are more dominated by the wine.
Sun House Kopitiam, 1, Jalan Mewah 4, Taman Ampang Mewah, Ampang. Open: 7am to 2pm or until food runs out. Closed every second Monday of the month.
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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