Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel Blog

Wantan Mee is one of the most famous Chinese hawker food, and especially popular in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In some places, wantan mee is also known as ‘Tok Tok Mee‘, a fancy moniker given in reference to the knocking sounds of bamboo sticks made by the peddlers from the olden days, to attract the crowd.

For the best Char Siew, choose the corner cuts of the belly; For that smoky, aromatic and crunchy texture all rolled into one singular, orgasmic piece.

I first read about Char Siew Zhai Wantan Mee from several food posts circulating on the net. The name no doubt, sounds intriguing, whereby “Char Siew” refers to the charcoal-roasted marinated pork, while the “Zhai” part is an endearing call for “Son”, in Chinese.

When you put them together, it’s as though Char Siew Zhai refers to the “Barbecued Pork Son” …. Sure gives a whole new meaning to the Chinese phrase : “Better give birth to a piece of Char Siew than you !!!” (A laden-with-sarcasm scolding usually given to an unfilial child by a parent).

Crunchy Sui Kow (dumplings in soup) filled with lots of wood ear fungus, chopped carrots, minced pork and chives

So what makes this place particularly stand out amongst the rest? For sure you’ve read about Petaling Street’s legendary Koon Kee wantan mee, the Sungai Besi famous one, the bamboo noodles at Nippy’s, or even Char Siew from the rivalling FSF and SFS. (Go figure …..)

Read on to find out how they literally TOSS their noodles around !!!

Catching some flies? Nah … It’s just the usual FLYING NOODLES.

Though this outlet in Paramount Garden (Petaling Jaya old town) is run mostly by foreign workers, but one can’t deny the charm (and undeniably circus-y act) of seeing them tossing and catching the blanched egg noodles around! Yeah, not a negligible height, mind you. For he was tossing them at least a metre or two above his head!

You can’t help but wish that the noodles don’t get stuck to the ceiling, or you might be served with extra peels of paint before you know it.

For RM4.50/USD1.20 you get a huge portion of wantan mee with char siew and wantan.

Just like how Nippy Noodles in Kuchai Lama literally galloped and rode on their ultra-springy egg noodles, Char Siew Zhai emphasizes on the finished product instead, by lightly blanching the noodles in hot water,  then briefly ‘bathed’ in cold water for that springy finish, and finally tossing them with much gusto, using a sieve.This last step is supposed to reduce the sogginess and ensure that the noodles stay dry. Sort of like ‘airing’ the noodles, to retain that crunch, so once served on your table, the noodles still stay bouncy. And supposedly this makes the noodles absorb the sauces better.

Hmm, I ain’t no mad scientist to decipher or scrutinize the whole process thoroughly. But the end result was indeed satisfactory.

Slightly too thick for my liking, the wantans (minced pork dumplings) were downed without much fanfare

The noodles was brilliant, almost the best I have tasted. Shy of serving two persons, the portions were indeed very generous, and we were glad we did not go crazy with the orders. The charcoal roasted Char Siew was delicious as well, though I wouldn’t vote theirs as the best in town. Or maybe I was served with the leanest cuts, hence did not fully savour the TRUE melt-in-mouth wonders they might be.

Poached Chicken with Wantan Noodles (RM5.00/USD1.40) – Gorgeously yellow-hued, glistening skin. Smooth and a rather brilliant idea of pairing the chicken with egg noodles, instead of the usual kuey teow

The “Sui Kow” (larger dumplings with minced meat of pork and prawn, chopped carrots, yambean, wood ear fungus and chives) at Char Siew Zhai was passable as well, RM3 for a small portion of 3 pieces.

Trust me, you can devour the noodles along, with some pickled green chillies, without any need for any of their wantan, sui kow, or char siew.

All in all, I wouldn’t vote this as the BEST Char Siew Wantan Mee I have tasted ever, for I still prefer my Char Siew to be either slightly fattier (like Famous Seremban Favourites‘) or with a charred, smoky aroma (like Lenggong’s grossly under-exposed Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee). But Char Siew Zhai’s springy, crunchy egg noodles devoid of any unpleasant alkaline taste (from the lye water) was addictive, to say the least.

Not bad for a brand that has graced the food scene in Klang Valley for less than a year.

Addresses and Contact Numbers :

CHAR SIEW ZHAI WANTAN MEE
HQ : No 5, Jalan 20/13,
Paramount Garden,
46300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No : 6012-628 1348
Opens from 8am until 10pm daily. Closed on one Wednesday every month.

1st Branch : Sunway Mas (Aman Suria)
No 37-1, Jalan PJU 1/3F,
Sunway Mas Commercial Centre,
47301, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No : 6012-669 1348

2nd Branch : SS2, Petaling Jaya
No 14, Jalan SS2/66,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No : 6017-689 0161.
(SS2 outlet served double-boiled soups as well)

Wanna know what the others think about Char Siew Zhai Wantan Mee?
KY Speaks captured them tossing the noodles on video
Citygal went to the Aman Suria branch and licked her lips
Ciki was not too impressed with the Char Siew
Yummy Food We Love really loved the noodles and the Char Siew
Mimi and hubby loved their Siew Yoke (crunchy roast pork)