Wednesday 19 July 2017

Kampua Mee


Update : SRK Noodle House@Damansara Uptown has closed down.

The first time I heard about Kampua Mee was when I followed Mr Arthur Wee's blog. Mr Wee is rather fond of Kampua Mee and everytime he blogs about this noodle, I get more and more curious about it.

I am aware that Kampua Mee are available in KL and PJ, it's just that those places are a bit out of the way for me. So when I stumbled upon a newly opened noodle house in Damansara Uptown which serves Kampua Mee, I was quite excited. 


One day, I made my way there to finally taste Kampua Mee. As usual, I like to go early to avoid the lunch crowd.


The server brought me an order chit and the menu. I already knew what I wanted and also ordered a black coffee (no sugar) to help me stay awake after lunch hee..hee..


The coffee was quite mild and I prefer the kopi-O from the coffee shop. 

After a while, my Kampua Mee was served.


I dug in and mixed the noodles and ingredients together. I found some char siew inside.


The char siew is unlike the usual char siew I am familiar with. It does not have that smoky taste and even the sauce was different.

The noodles were a bit starchy (maybe it was not well rinsed) and I had a taste. I'm afraid I was not wowed by it. The taste was quite mild, I felt that there was not enough shallot oil.

When  I mentioned my experience to my brother, he told me that he has tasted Kampua Mee twice (at different places) and he too found the noodles rather unremarkable. 

But I am not judging Kampua Mee just from this one experience. After all, I have not tasted the one from East Malaysia and for all I know, the one I ate may not be authentic.  Or maybe, this noodle does not suit my tastebuds.

So if any Kampua Mee connoisseurs know of a place that serves good authentic (or near-authentic) Kampua Mee in PJ or KL, do let me know, OK?

33 comments:

  1. I believe SRK noodles near digital mall PJ serves authentic kampua mee. Can go there and try.

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    Replies
    1. My Sarawak friend told me that one is even better than his hometown.

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    2. The one I tried is SRK at Uptown. Maybe they are not consistent from branch to branch. If I happen to be near Digital Mall, I'll give it a try.

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  2. First time dengar Kampua Mee ni PH..maybe saya x begitu familiar dgn makanan S'wak..Kalau Mi Kolok atau Laksa S'wak pernah la makan..

    Re:
    Biskut Cheese Rossette tu bebudak suka la PH sbb ada cheese kan..lps tu ala2 samperit siket cair dalam mulut gitew hehee

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    Replies
    1. Lina, kat sini Kampua Mee jarang jumpa. Yang versi halal pun ada tapi tak taulah kat mana jual.

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  3. Like you, I'm not a super fan of kampua mee either. I don't think it's a case of whether it's authentic or not. For me, they taste very subtle just like kolo mee and Hakka mee (which I've not come to love either). Plus, their char siew is unlike our smoky, well caramelised versions. Theirs are very lean and brownish/reddish which isn't very exciting, is it? I need a much more robust taste and prefer my dark sauce KL wantan mee with caramelised char siew, to be honest...kekeke! ;P

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    1. Yeah, you are right. We are more used to stronger tasting noodles, so this Kampua Noodles somehow to us, pales in comparison. And yup, their char siew is miles away from what we are used to. I'm with you on the dark sauce wantan mee and caramelized char siew!

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  4. The oil used to toss that noodles should be lard, used to fry the sliced shallots so when you eat, you will enjoy the fragrance and taste of the fat and the onions...but yes, if one is into stuff with very strong taste, one would think it is rather mild...or even bland. Personally, I prefer Kuching kolo mee or Seremban Hakka mee - they are different though some can't seem to tell one from the other...and like everything else, one must know where to go. This looks like a classier upscale place - we have kampua at some of those here but no, they aren't all that great either. There are better ones in the cheap coffee shops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I tried it and I won't mind giving it another chance should I come across it at other outlets. There is a coffee shop nearby that serves Sarawak Kolo mee and I'd like to try that too.

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  5. The locals from here working and residing over at your side like this one...
    https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2016/12/04/go-the-distance/
    or this one...
    https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2016/11/27/far-and-wide/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I remember these from your blog. If I find myself at those areas, I would definitely give the Kampua Mee a go!

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  6. I still can't figure out Kampua Mee and Kolo Mee...

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    Replies
    1. You must consult Mr Arthur Wee hee..hee..

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  7. ooo, this is the one with branches in subang, section 14 and other neighbourhoods, i think. i've not tried them. but i do agree with you that for the times we try kampua mee in the klang valley, it doesn't really leave a major impression of us. guess it's a specific recipe we needed to have grown up eating ... but i definitely don't mind a bowl :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that's the one! It's a matter of acquired taste I suppose. Just like how I find Taiwanese food not very exciting.

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  8. I've been to Sarawak a few years ago but I cannot remember if I had a taste of Kampua Mee >_< But from the appearance I think I will not like it as there are way too much fried shallot ~>_<~

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  9. I have eaten this many times after hearing over rated reviews by a blogger. I tried them in all towns in Sarawak and nothing really to shout la. I prefer to eat Wanton Mee with delicious roasted Char Siew.

    #SedapWantonMi #OveratedKMee #GoAnnieOne

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    Replies
    1. OK, hah..hah.. we are not used to the mild taste. Yes, I love the wanton mee at Annie-1 :)

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  10. So far, I haven't try any kampua noodles here in penisular.. the similar ones are kolo mee Face to Face in Johor.. there are a few stalls selling kolo sarawak mee but not kampua.. yeah, hope one day there will be one selling those like in Sibu.. Last time a few of us visited Arthur in Sibu and he took us to taste the authentic kampua... nice.. my kids love it...

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    Replies
    1. The one in Sibu must be better but dunno when got chance to go there hee..hee..

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  11. I have never Heard about such noodles, pity that they did not meet your expectations

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  12. Ciekawe makarony. Mnie też nie wszystkie smakują :)

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    1. To kwestia smaku. Dziękuję, że mnie opuściłeś.

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  13. Kolo mee, Kampua mee and Hakka mee, wonder what are their differences. I have tried Sarawak Kolo Mee (SG version) and I quite like it, maybe because I am not a picky eater.

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    Replies
    1. I also don't know the difference. I just eat hah..hah..

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  14. The best is to try the original one from where it is from. Then you would know and can compare.

    Not a fan of kampua. Been a native of Kuching, I am fond of kolo mee. Haha. My boys love anything noodle and could survive on noodles only. Lol. They had lots of kampua when we stayed in Sibu few years ago.

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    1. Oh, I see hah..hah... I have yet to try kolo mee. In my mind it is similar to wantan mee.

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  15. I have yet to taste kampau mee. I guess there is none here in Ipoh.

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    1. It's becoming more available over here. Maybe you can try it if you make a trip to KL or PJ :)

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  16. Tak familiarlah dgn Kampua mee ni...ohhh ada daging hancur jugak ek...
    So apa rasa dia LL. Mcm mee sup plain ek?

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    1. Susah nak cakap, Hainom. Tak berapa sedap gitu. Mungkin LL tak biasa dengan mee ni.

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