Tong Shin Hokkien Mee @ Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]

Despite the comparisons between hokkien mee in Singapore and Malaysia, I actually see them as two different dishes; both of which I enjoy. p.s. sorry, not talking about Penang hokkien mee. 

Given that Malaysia hokkien mee is said to originate from Kuala Lumpur, I decided to check out Tong Shin Hokkien Mee when I was in the capital of Malaysia recently. Its setup so reminded me of the epic Lian Bee Hokkien Mee that I was hoping I would be equally impressed here! 

Seating at the back, underneath a temporary tentage. More tables might be put up, provided the weather was okay. Almost all the tables were already taken 30 minutes before the stall started operations at 6pm; my expectations were obviously hyped up. 

Eating at street stalls in Malaysia is a challenge for me as I had suffered two bouts of food poisoning in the past. I can only pray that my stomach has been strengthened in the past few years although it was on concern that my nose picked up the rotting stench from drain water.  Note: I didn't have any stomach upset.

Seeing the smoke made me happy; bet the noodles would be full of wok hei! By the way, only one cook so you would have to wait patiently for your food. It appeared to be noodle dishes and we went with two basic versions; the fried bee hoon and the signature hokkien mee.

Fried Bee Hoon - fried till almost dry, I would say this was similar to those fried bee hoon you can get from those Chinese breakfast stalls in Singapore, albeit saltier. The game changer, however, was the sambal chilli which carried a rich punch of spiciness! 

Hokkien Mee - aroma was on point, color was right and I can see how slurpy the thick strands of noodles were! Only thing - how come I don't see any crispy pork lards?! That's like the soul for any KL hokkien mee! 

This was good but I would say Restoran Uncle Pou Wok at JB was tastier and packed with intense wok hei! Given that I can compare, I was actually a tad disappointed as I was hoping the KL hokkien mee, in KL (pun unintended), would be ranked higher on the taste bar. 

=====

Address

1951, Tengkat Tong Shin, 

Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, 

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia (Red Arrow)

Map

As above. 

Pricing

I forgot to take notes!

KafeiDian - Jalan Panggong @ Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]

The hope to have breakfast at the popular Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam was dashed when we were faced with a long line that like would keep us waiting for an hour or so, without any shade! 

A local friend suggested the nearby KafeiDian, which appeared to look like a colonial house but was in fact a post office built in 1911. With a review score of 3.9 on Google with over 2,000 reviewers, I guess it's worth a try, especially when we weren't keen to wait in line for Ho Kow.

Entrance to the local coffee shop seemed out of sync with the vintage look of the building although it bore resemblance of Chinese shops in kampongs before the 1990s. 

Revealing a large space that can hold a lot of diners; I was utterly impressed with its retro interior design that had pockets of greenery! And I kid you not, such cement screed flooring was common in the old days. 

There was even a second floor, with lesser tables, that had wooden sheets as floor covers! Only thing was that I got the feeling I would fall through should I make a few jumps! 

Sometimes I wonder - would people generally go for decorations or for food? Of course, it would be perfect if both were ranked high but life is seldom that perfect. For me, it's a no brainer that the items that go into my stomach have a higher priority.

My eyes lighted up when I saw the boxes of nyonya kueh! Unfortunately, Alex doesn't share my love for the Peranakan desserts and I had to decide carefully as one box was the most I could stomach. 

Nyonya Kueh - sometimes, prettier things have no substance and that's what I concluded after taking a bite of this colorful kueh lapis; it was dry, sticky and tasted like jelly starch with sugar. 

Half Boiled Kampong Eggs - been a while since I last saw the above device! This was for Alex and while he didn't have any bad comment; he is a lazy ass and very much prefers half boiled eggs that were already cracked for him.

Penang Prawn Paste Chee Cheong Fun - I thought this would be quite a refreshing take on chee cheong fun! It was unique for sure although I personally feel that the strong tasting prawn paste overwhelmed the palate that was more attuned to sweetness.  Maybe I should stop being so adventurous.

Margarine Sugar Toast - looking so promising, I was disappointed when I took a bite. It may not seem charred but taste wise, there was that unmistakable bitterness that was off-putting. And the sugar and margarine combination failed to save it.

Butter Kaya Toast - there's one pet peeve I have when it comes to food; deconstructed. Hence, you can imagine my displeasure when I saw this plate of deconstructed butter kaya toast placed on my table. It's literally butter, kaya and toast! 

Even though the toast was better than the one for margarine sugar, the thing was I had to spread the butter and kaya myself and obviously, I had to use more butter and kaya, which means I didn't have enough to go around. That's downright frustrating! 

Kopi - the best thing I had at KafeiDian.

Enough said.  

=====

Would I be back? My short answer: no. 

Okay, maybe for the kopi. 

p.s. service was good though.

Address

16, Jalan Panggong, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, 

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Operating Hours

7.30 am to 10.30 pm

Pricing

Nyonya Kueh - RM 4.00 

Half Boiled Kampong Eggs - RM 3.50

Penang Prawn Paste Chee Cheong Fun - RM 5.90

Margarine Sugar Toast - RM 3.50

Butter Kaya Toast - RM 3.50

Kopi - RM 4.20

(Subject to Tax)

Shenmu Station - Taking the Mountain Train Back to Alishan Station [Taiwan]

As we descended from the forest of towering trees, we saw hope in the train track under us. Although I have no issue going back to the start; I think my 70 year-old father might not as keen, especially with the sun descending in mere hours.

Making our way down the stairs, with gigantic felled tree beside us! 

The remains of of a sacred 3000 year-old tree said to be 50 meters tall and 25 meters in circumference, it was struck by lightning in 1906 and 1956; latter of which rendered it dead.

According to this information panel, the top part fell onto the track in 1997 after heavy rain and the decision was made to fell the tree a year later. 

Second part of the felled tree! 

Taking photo of the ticketing booth in the foreground and the departing platform at the back. Since we were on the tour package, KK, our tour guide would be purchasing the train tickets on our behalf. 

Toilet break first! 

Stairs were everywhere; do make the trip when you are younger! I was telling my dad that he better don't delay his overseas trips since he can still walk at the moment! Any later and his legs are going to get weaker. 

Awaiting the train, which came in intervals of 30 minutes.

Got our train ticket that cost 100 Taiwan Dollars. Shenmu actually means sacred tree in Chinese, which was with reference to the felled tree mentioned earlier.

Here comes the old-school train! Wait, it doesn't look like the steam-powered train shown on the ticket! Whatever the case, I am not that concerned so long it can bring me to my destination. If it is of any consolation, steam powered trains are not environmentally friendly as well.

Inside the train which kind of gave me the vibe of buses in Singapore in the 80s, where there wasn't any air-conditioning and seats were like covered in leather skin.

I didn't bother sitting as I was busy taking videos of the train route from Shenmu to Alishan stations! Not that much of a scenery if you ask me as there were just too many trees! 

Check out the video collage!  

Ending the post with photographs of dad! It's so good to have a willing model for photo-taking. My usual model (Alex, that is) has been showing signs of resistance to photo-taking.

=====

Prices for the Train Tickets

Adult - 100 Taiwan Dollars

Child - 50 Taiwan Dollar

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers