Soon Kee Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodle

Currently craving:

Hokkien Mee that I was completely oblivious to until recent months, after spending a bit more time in suburban Singapore. This one comes with a generous mix of thick rice vermicelli with yellow noodles, sweetened with the bouquet of the sea in a deceptively light-coloured gravy. For extra punch, hot, hot chilli sauce (at SGD0.50 for an extra tiny dollop), finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Soon Kee Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodle, nothing like the Hokkien mee of my origins, or the darker version one found in KL, but I'm extremely close to claiming it as my favourite among all three variants.

I know there are plenty more versions of this dotted bountifully in coffee shops across the island, and by that I don't even mean the sanitized Food Republic sort. In due time, all in due time.

Soon Kee

Block 155

Bukit Batok St 11

Singapore

Roast Pork at Wong Mei Kee's, Pudu

Having finally been indoctrinated into KL's brand of roast pork, the task of savouring each cut of pork, fat and skin has assumed utmost gravity, as we scour our way through the great Klang Valley - the vulgar, the sublime, the nasty.

One such that perhaps succintly captures all three is Wong Mei Kee's, off Jalan Pudu, which needs absolutely no introduction. The queues here come noon are legendary, as are the consistently nasty shock at the cost at end of the meal. Prepare to fork out approximately RM20 and above per person.

Arrive around noon and be prepared for a half hour wait for the ceremonious reveal of the day's roast, when the master himself (Chef, Sir Wong?) slow-marches out of the kitchen, carting the still-smoking slab of meat. Quite the showman, he is.

And the reward? On a good day (and yes, unfortunately there are bad ones), you get slices of tender, almost soft, pork belly meat sandwiching just the right sliver of viscous fat, topped with a crunchy golden crust. Hell yeah. The most vulgar type of beauty to date.

The Showman and his Tool

Wong Mei Kee (within Wong Kee Coffee Shop)

Jalan Nyonya

Off Jalan Pudu

KL