Restoran K Intan
April 2008
When college student Goh Wee Peng first tasted Restoran K Intan’s wonton mee it was love at first bite. After a few twists of fate and months of apprenticeship to the shop’s elderly owner and noodle shifu (master), the young Mua…
Full Description
April 2008
When college student Goh Wee Peng first tasted Restoran K Intan’s wonton mee it was love at first bite. After a few twists of fate and months of apprenticeship to the shop’s elderly owner and noodle shifu (master), the young Muar native and his wife Tan Chu San are serving up the very same noodles that sustained them through their student days.
Wonton mee are a dime a dozen in the Klang Valley, so it’s worth mentioning that Goh makes his noodles in-house and without preservatives, to the shifu’s specifications. Lots of egg yolks and minimal bicarbonate of soda result in skinny noodles that attain the ever elusive ‘Q’, a term used by mee connoisseurs to describe a perfect balance of tenderness and elasticity. Freshness is assured; several times a day Goh disappears into a flour-dusted room off the humble shop’s kitchen to whip up a new batch.
But wonton mee cannot be judged by noodles alone. Happily Goh’s char siew (barbecued pork), tender and sporting a beautiful mahogany glaze, sweet-sticky bits of char, and just enough fat, is worthy of its place atop a bed of his mee. Crackly-skinned, five spice-scented siew yoke (roasted pork) is good enough to eat on its own, and the delicate wonton served in a light broth are bursting with porcine goodness.
Tan supplements the specialty of the house with recipes from her family’s repertoire. Earthy soy-stewed black mushrooms and knobby chicken feet (the latter an acquired taste, for some) can be ordered on their own or to top noodles. Her fine siu gao (boiled dumplings), with their translucent but substantial wrappers stuffed to near bursting with minced pork and crunchy water chestnuts are especially delicious eaten with their chili-vinegar sauce accompaniment.
In the evenings Goh and Tan add bak kut teh to the menu. Given their respective skills in the kitchen, it’s bound to be a stunner. But I, for one, can’t imagine a visit to Restoran K Intan that doesn’t revolve around a plate of those noodles. Robyn Eckhardt
(Note: Will soon be renamed Kiu Siang Noodle House, under same owners.)
