Pages

Thursday 16 July 2015

Tong Fong (Curry Mee & Beef Noodles) @ Seapark PJ

Occupying a corner lot, Restoran Tong Fong @ Seapark PJ became our haunt for breakfast one Sunday morning. 

I came here wanting to try the Penang White Curry Mee and Beef Noodles that kyspeaks spoke fondly about.

First up, the curry mee.....and judging by the (still) new looking banner at the front entrance of the shop, I think this is probably a fairly new addition here.
 
This was my bowl of Penang White Curry Mee @ RM5.50 that came with shreds of chicken, brown cuttlefish strips, long beans, "tau fu pok" (bean curd puffs), bean sprouts, mint leaves, "see hum" (cockles)...and the undeniable coagulated pig's blood which is a true hallmark of a bowl of curry mee from the north.  The only thing missing was the prawns but it's understandable seeing the modest price they charge for a bowl.

The curry broth is slightly lighter, both in colour and taste (than the KL thick versions with a more concentrated chilli paste flavour), but still flavoursome nonetheless.  The see hum was fresh and juicy and I especially liked the sambal which was cooked to almost dry (I dunked all of it into the broth to crank up my curry...and wished there was more).  As for the coagulated pig's blood, some will probably "pengsan" (faint) at the sight of it as it's not something adored by many.  I, for one, don't hate it but I don't love it either...if it's there, I'll just eat it but if it's not there, it's fine too.  [#Note: If I had to choose one curry over the other, I definitely prefer KL's curry laksa which has a meatier and more pronounced savoury flavour in the broth.  But Penang's curry mee is still way ahead of Ipoh's version in terms of taste for me.]

We were also here to try the beef noodles.  My son's Beef Ball Mee (S) @ RM6.50 was the dry-styled noodles topped with dark pork (+beef?) mince.  Their homemade "taipu" (Hakka) noodles (that's what the name card he gave me said) were nice and springy and so were the beef balls.  When it comes to beef noodles, one comes to mind immediately and that's Soong Kee but so is another one in my neighbourhood, Restoran Yang Mooi, that dishes up an equally good one.

I also ordered "Lobak Ngau Lam" (Braised Sirloin with Radish) @ RM7 (small) for sharing.  This, as the signage said, is only available on weekends (Fridays - Sundays). 

The beef sirloin slices, together with bits of cartilage, were braised until super tender that you don't even need to chew, it just kinda melts in your mouth...it was very enjoyable!
 
I especially loved the white radish chunks which were super soft from braising in a rich stew like broth.  The broth was robust, thick and dark....and very beefy in flavour (and you can slurp it up if you want but may be a bit too savoury on its own).  The bowl of ngau lam was topped with some "daun sup" (Chinese celery) although I wouldn't mind an even heavier sprinkling of the herb.

All the prices are clearly listed out on a board, together with their menu of various forms of beef based + other noodles, including wantans and dumplings in soup.

When I approached the beef noodle stall to order, which incidentally has its own name...Restoran Yang Kee, the guy who was preparing the noodles looked rather familiar to me.  I asked if he had a stall in Jalan Peel and if he was also associated to Restoran Yang Mooi that sells the same type of noodles (the dead giveaway was the almost similar name).  He said he used to sell in Jalan Peel (but not anymore) and that his older brother runs the one in Pandan Indah (and now the Jalan Peel one as well).  Ahh....no wonder the noodles and ngau lam tasted freakishly familiar.  So, there you have it....both Yang Kee and Yang Mooi are related! ;)

My spouse ordered the chee cheong fun which I didn't take a photo of nor taste as it was not my intended 'target' for this visit.  It was not until I returned and stumbled upon the stall's facebook page that I found out that it's pretty famous too, having moved here from the now defunct Chow Yang Restaurant in SS2, where it used to operate for more than 30 years.  If it's the same one, it's certainly worth a try.

My Personal Opinion

Both the Penang White Curry Mee and Beef Noodles did meet my expectations and were certainly more than decent.

Those who like Penang's version of curry mee will certainly enjoy this although (personally) I'm still leaning more favourably towards KL's thicker, savoury version.

And for those who enjoys a very beefy taste in their beef, they should not miss out on the braised sirloin with radish....so tender, so good! :=)

Restoran Tong Fong
Jalan 21/17 Seapark
46300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 016-348 8141

14 comments:

  1. We good friends leh, congrats on being on the same "Penang food is good, but I like KL food better" boat with regards of the curry mee! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi 5 to another one who prefers KL's curry laksa to Penang's curry mee....you're a KL boy at heart! ;)

      Delete
  2. I think I'd like the white radish. I enjoy root veggies in dishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'd enjoy the braised beef too....something different from the usual steaks you eat.

      Delete
  3. I like this kind of beef noodles but I also like the clear(er) soup type. Just had the latter for lunch today.

    What does the name mean? East(ern) wind? We had an express boat here that went by that name - but they transcribed it as Dung Fang. My Kiwi SIL was somewhat amused by the "dung" bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the clearer soup type, you're probably referring to Vietnamese beef noodles...not the same as these local beef noodles.

      Delete
  4. I've never tried Penang curry mee and must make it a point to do so. Hmm..the coagulated pig's blood, I feel geli a bit hah..hah... But I don't mind trying. I know for sure that I would enjoy the beef noodles and beef soup.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, do try the Penang-style one and see if you too prefer our KL version too! ;)

      Delete
  5. omg omg omg omg omg ... i think this would be my perfect bowl of curry laksa ... cos i love cockles, and i counted almost a dozen juicy-looking cockles in your bowl :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see that you really love your cockles. You better get your fix....and soon...since the shortage of fresh cockles means hawkers will put in less or forgo it altogether since they're becoming more expensive and difficult to get.

      Delete
  6. Not really a fan of Penang Laksa but the braised beef really inviting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yet another non fan of Penang's curry....welcome to the club!

      Delete
  7. I don't recognise this place from the first two photos but when I saw Yang Kee I know which coffee shop this is. I have been there very early in the morning to eat the beef noodle and I don't think I saw the penang white curry stall. This Yang Kee is also related to the one in OUG that I wrote about here:

    http://muntalksfood.blogspot.com/2014/04/yang-kee.html

    I don't eat pig's blood. Tried once and the taste is just too much for me. I like to eat blue cheese but cannot stand the taste of pig's blood. You don't like cheese but you can stand the blood. Tastebuds really work differently for different people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree, taste buds are really subjective....that's why we're all different and unique from one another. You find pig's blood in those pork mix soup and porridge too. Dunk the pig's blood into the sour and spicy sauce, it makes a whole lot of difference.

      Wow, another related one in OUG....I wonder which sibling or relative owns this one, eh?

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...